1,000 Posts to Applaud Howard Dean

[ellisonz]

This discussion thread is pinned.

Last edited Tue Dec 13, 2011, 07:00 AM - Edit history (1)

How is it that our leaders have forgotten and abandoned our communities and repudiated our idealism and our principles?

When confronted with the President's ideologues, too many Americans have stopped participating, stopped voting, stopped believing that they can change America.

And we in politics have not given people a reason to vote or a reason to participate. We have slavishly spewed sound bites, copying each other while saying little. We raise millions of dollars and each year make lofty promises, while every year the struggle of ordinary Americans increases and fewer Americans vote. And our politicians, many of them good people, have been paralyzed by their fear of losing office. This leadership has developed a vocabulary which has become meaningless to the American people....

...Martin Luther King, Jr. said that, "Our lives begin to end on the day we become silent about the things that matter."

The history of our nation is clear: At every turn when there has been an imbalance of power, the truth questioned, or our beliefs and values distorted, the change required to restore our nationhood has always come from the bottom up, from our people.

http://www.crocuta.net/Dean/Transcript_of_Deans_Candidacy_Announcement_June23_2003.htm

Please feel free to post your appreciation for the great work Dr. Dean, your Howard stories, your favorite Howard quotes or moments, yourfavorite Howard pictures, and anything else you feel the need to add. As Howard said in his formal announcement, "change comes from the people."

When we did this in 2007 we got to 149 replies with about 25 different posters: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x3054937 - We can make this the most discussed and most recommend thread of all DU3! C'mon Dean People, Post Away!

[freshwest]

1. I love Howard Dean!

[CrispyQ]

2. Ditto.

[ellisonz]

3. This will probably be wiped clean with official launch.

Re-post, I shall.

[ellisonz]

5. It's alive! It's alive!

YEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAARRRGGGGGGGGGGHHHHH!

[PassingFair]

4. +1000

The most trusted man in politics.

(At least by ME).

The only time in my voting history that I
felt 100% behind a candidate.

[ellisonz]

6. I feel you.

I trust Obama on most things, but I can't get 100% behind some of the policy estimations he's made. For example, I would have scrapped No Child Left Behind entirely and passed a new ed reform bill.

[fadedrose]

7. I've sent a few emails to the WH...

and in everyone I request they give Howard Dean a real advisor's job or head of some department...but they have their own ideas..

[ellisonz]

8. I think the disrespect shown to Dean has been one of my biggest disappointments...

....with the administration, although I've been generally supported. There must have been some butting of heads (I'm betting with Rahm) before he took office; hence Howard being in American Samoa when Kaine was sworn in. I don't think he wanted to stay on - I think he just wanted to have some say in his replacement and the direction of the party organization, and I don't think that's an unreasonable request considering you just used the man's campaign strategy to win an election.

I thought he would have been a great choice for Health and Human Services.

[fadedrose]

9. I think Dean is responsible for the "little people" getting involved

I never contributed a dime until he ran, and still do, just the small amount I could afford, to DFA....

Feel the same as you. Obama's failure as far as satisfying the base goes, was to ignore Dean, my main objection...

[ellisonz]

10. I think so to and especially when you look at the nature of past campaigns...

He was really the first to successfully say get up from the couch or dinner table, get to a meetup, and let's all do something about it. I thought it was a real testament to that call that the organization he spurred the construction of has continued, and under his brother Jim Dean is still carrying out the mission of taking back politics from the grassroots up.

I do have to admit, getting him confirmed to any major nomination required post would have been a real challenge with the Republican hatred of him and a senior adviser post isn't exactly his style; he could definitely be more welcoming though . Mitch McConnell is still scared:

"Think about that," McConnell said on the Senate floor Tuesday, according to The Hill. "We have 14 million people out of work… and the president is out there doing his best Howard Dean impersonation."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/19/mitch-mcconnell-barack-obama-howard-dean_n_1019901.html

[ellisonz]

11. Describing his time as a doctor and how it influeced his view on health care in America.

Governor Howard Dean, M.D.'s Health Care Plan for America
Columbia University, New York City, May 13, 2003

Excerpt (not subject to copyright):

I decided there was nothing more significant I could possibly do to help others than to become a physician.

Following my classes here at Columbia, I attended Albert Einstein School of Medicine in the Bronx.

And then, after my residency at the University of Vermont Medical Center, I joined a medical practice, and later was joined by an exceptional physician named Judith Steinberg who, I should add, is also my wife. In addition to my practice, I volunteered at the community health center in Burlington providing care to people who had no insurance.

That was in the early 80s.

Many of you will remember that it was a time of tremendous economic upheaval -- not unlike today.

Americans were suffering through a recession and Judy and I saw first hand the impact on Vermonters.

The patients we saw were often young parents who'd been laid off from their jobs.

Many of them had lost their health benefits. Drawing down savings just to pay their mortgages or their rent, they simply couldn't afford the cost of seeing a doctor.

Kids with strep, who should have been properly diagnosed and properly treated, were instead being given Tylenol by parents who gambled that it was only the flu... all because they could not afford to take their son or daughter to the doctor.

There were some patients we saw who might have never gotten ill to begin with had they received preventive care.

There were plenty of patients who came to my office who couldn't pay and, as best we could, we never turned away anyone who needed help.

But I understood that the real problem wasn't that there were too few physicians who were donating their services; it was that there were too many families going without the basic health care coverage they needed.

http://www.crocuta.net/Dean/Transcript_of_Health_Care_Plan_May13_2003.htm

[ellisonz]

12. Regarding Kerry, Gephardt Attacks on Confederate Flag Remarks

November 1, 2003
In response to Congressman Gephardt's and Senator Kerry's most recent attacks, Governor Dean said:

“I want people with confederate flags on their trucks to put down those flags and vote Democratic—because the need for quality healthcare, jobs, and a good education knows no racial boundaries. We have working white families in the south voting for tax cuts for the richest 1% while their children remain with no health care. The dividing of working people by race has been a cornerstone of Republican politics for the last three decades—starting with Richard Nixon. For my fellow Democratic opponents to sink to this level is really tragic. The only way we're going to beat George Bush is if southern white working families and African American working families come together under the Democratic tent, as they did under FDR.

”In his historic 'I have a dream speech,' Martin Luther King, Jr., said: 'I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slaveowners will be able to sit down together at a table of brotherhood.' I believe Dr. King's vision still represents the future of America. And that is what our campaign is about.”

http://www.crocuta.net/Dean/Dean_Statement-On_Confederate_Flag_Nov1_2003.htm

[ellisonz]

13. Statement On the Issues - May 2, 2003

On the eve of their first nationally televised debate, Democratic presidential candidates answer questions about the economy, health care, foreign policy, Social Security and the NAACP's boycott of South Carolina...

1. Having governed during two Bush recessions, I know how to revive an ailing economy. As governor, I balanced every budget; as president, I would exercise that same fiscal discipline. I will help small businesses -- the engines of job growth -- through my health care plan and through a new accumulation mechanism for small businesses. Finally, I would invest in infrastructure projects -- from roads and bridges to broadband Internet and homeland security.

2. As a physician and governor, health care reform was my top priority. When I couldn't wait any longer for Washington to act, I pushed a plan in Vermont that provided coverage to virtually all children and most adults. My plan for the country builds on existing systems to ensure health care access for all. My plan is practical, affordable and targeted, and because it's realistic, it can be implemented.

3. I strongly oppose Bush's foreign policy of unilateral, preventive war and believe it must be stopped. We simply cannot win the war on terror without close cooperation with our allies. Bush's attitude toward the world has been divisive -- a far cry from the "humble" approach he promised during his election. As president, I will exercise strong, moral leadership and steer us back into the community of nations.

4. Through his fiscally irresponsible tax cuts, the president is raiding the Social Security trust fund while creating historically high deficits. This fiscal insanity jeopardizes our retirement safety net and must stop. Senator Hollings led the fight opposing recent tax cuts, but too many in my party failed to support that effort. We will never address Social Security's long-term problems if we fail to get our fiscal house in order today.

5. I want to unite this country again, which is why I discuss race when I talk to white Southerners who have been voting Republican. The majority of South Carolina's uninsured children are white. What's more important: the Confederate flag or health care for our children? I want to reassemble the coalition of Southern voters of all races who voted for their families' economic interests. We should not allow Republicans to divide us by race any longer.

http://www.crocuta.net/Dean/Dean_Statement-Stands_on_Issues_May2_2003.htm

[ellisonz]

14. Judy and Howard Dean

[ellisonz]

15. Rolling Stone Cover - February 1, 2004.

[ellisonz]

16. The internet works in funny ways.

I was just looking for more class Howard Dean images in yahoo and came across the flickr album of a certain special couple I knew in 2003 and 2004. I haven't seen them in almost 8 years, but for a moment it felt like yesterday. Now I miss those days intensely when we thought we were going to take on the system and change it perhaps, ever so desperately, in one foul sweep of the temple of democracy. As foolishly optimistic as it may have been, I now sincerely believe that without those heady days, without the almost childishly gleeful enthusiasm that Howard Dean inspired in us by taking on the big issue directly, we would not be as far along as we are today. I am grateful for these memories.

Has anyone else had this kind of experience?

[ellisonz]

17. For the Health of Our Nation, Insure All American Children - date unknown - 2003

In the richest, most advanced country in the world in the 21st century, it's simply wrong for sick children to go without seeing a doctor because their parents can't afford it. It's wrong for a woman to find out she has late-stage breast cancer, because she couldn't afford a mammogram. It's wrong for seniors to have to choose between prescriptions they need and putting food on the table. The time has come to make healthcare for all Americans a reality.

It doesn't have to be this way in America. In Vermont, where I served as governor for the last 11 years, nearly 92% of adults now have coverage. Most importantly, 99% of all Vermont children are eligible for health insurance and 96% have it. But that's not it. We coupled our success in insuring kids with a new early childhood initiative that we call "Success by Six." As a result, nine out of 10 parents with a newborn baby — regardless of income — get a home visit from a community outreach worker who's there to help them with parenting skills and to put those parents in touch with the services they may need or want. Thanks to Success by Six, we've cut our state's child abuse rate nearly in half, and child sexual abuse of kids under 6 is down by 70%.

If Vermont — a small, rural state that ranks 26th in income in the United States — can achieve this, surely the country that ranks No. 1 in the history of the world can do so as well.

(He then continues to discuss his proposal for healthcare reform, many ideas of which are in the Obama Health Care Reform, and concludes)

-----------

Finally, to ensure that the maximum number of American men, women and children have access to healthcare, we must address corporate responsibility. There are many corporations that could provide healthcare to their employees but choose not to. The final element of this plan is a clear, strong message to corporate America that providing health coverage is fundamental to being a good corporate citizen. I look at business tax deductions as part of a compact between American taxpayers and corporate America. We give businesses certain benefits, and expect them to live up to certain responsibilities.

I believe this plan is sensible and that it can pass Congress — but most importantly, I believe that it is the right thing to do. When my wife, Judith Steinberg, and I graduated from medical school, we took an oath in which we pledged to practice our profession with conscience and dignity and to always make the health of our patients our first consideration. With this plan, and in my campaign for the presidency, I will make the health of all Americans my first priority. Our country has waited too long, and we must do better.

http://www.crocuta.net/Dean/Dean_Speech-Health_Insur_ForChildren_date_unk.htm

[ellisonz]

18. Governor Dean's Comments at the Annual National Council of La Raza Conference

(Note: This speech was delivered in Spanish, Dean speaks a poorly accented version of it )

Austin, TX, July 14, 2003

What I want to know is why the Republicans think they deserve the Latino vote when they haven't done anything for your community.

What I want to know is why we don't have health care for every man, woman and child- including the children of immigrants.

What I want to know is why some people for years can work hard, pay their taxes, and contribute to American society -and still not be recognized as American citizens.

What I want to know is why this President who ran as a uniter, not a divider, has spent his entire administration trying to divide us by race by ethnicity, by gender, by income.

I'm Howard Dean - and I represent the Democratic wing of the Democratic Party - and I'm going to devote my presidency to bringing us together - Latinos, blacks, whites, men, women - everyone, because that is what this country is all about.

http://www.crocuta.net/Dean/Transcript_of_Speech_at_LaRaza_Conference_July14_2003.htm

[ellisonz]

19. From a Blog Post by NegSpin, posting on DailyKos.

Dean in Storm Lake; An Extensive Report
Sat Jan 3rd, 2004 at 22:12:10 UTC

I went to the pancake breakfast with Howard Dean today in Storm Lake, Iowa.

I've prepared a report of his remarks, not a transcript per se.

Of course everything that is in quote marks are his quotes and the other stuff is my paraphrase of the basic points he was making.

One thing I really notice in going through these remarks word-for-word is he's really saying a lot more than my ear picks up the first time through. He offers common sense leadership for America. The old words "liberal" and "conservative" aren't even relevant anymore. Bush has perverted conservatism to the point that it's meaningless when his supporters say they're conservatives and support him at the same time! Dean, though, has the best of progressive liberalism filtered through what I'd call true conservatism, i.e., common sense, full of values, something that about 95% of the people of the country would support if they knew about it. And the only reason the remaining 5% would support Bush is because they're wackos.

http://www.crocuta.net/Dean/Summary_of_Dean_Storm_Lake_IA_Remarks.htm

[ellisonz]

20. Speech to the New York Chapter of the National Democratic Lawyers Council

May 17, 2006

Voting ensures every American an opportunity to participate in our democracy. We should never impose obstacles to voting without a fair and compelling reason for doing so that actually enhances our democracy.

Yet, across the nation, Republicans have launched a campaign to impose extremely restrictive voter identification requirements. While they say they are seeking to prevent voter fraud, nothing could be further from the truth.

In Indiana, they passed a law that is virtually identical to one struck down by a federal district court in Georgia. In fact, Democratic governors in Wisconsin and Pennsylvania vetoed similar legislation.

We are committed to fighting these and other Republican efforts to suppress voter turnout anywhere and everywhere Republicans propose them.

Republicans believe that it is better for them if fewer people vote. Democrats understand that America is better when as many people as possible can vote.

http://www.crocuta.net/Dean/Dean_Speech_Voting_Rights_May17_2006.htm

[ellisonz]

21. Letter to President Clinton On the conflict in Bosnia July 19, 1995

The Honorable William J. Clinton

President of the United States

The White House

Washington, D.C. 20500

Dear Mr. President:

After long and careful thought, and after several years of watching the gross atrocities committed by the Bosnian Serbs, I have reluctantly concluded that the efforts of the United Nations and NATO in Bosnia are a complete failure.

I think your policy up to this date has been absolutely correct. We must give, and have given, this policy with our allies and with the United Nations every opportunity to work. It is evident, however, that the cost in human lives in allowing this policy to continue is too great. In addition, and perhaps more importantly for the United States, we are now in a position of ignoring, as many did in the 1940s, one of the worst crimes committed in history. If we ignore these behaviors, no matter where they occur, our moral fiber as a people becomes weakened. As the Catholic Church and others lost credibility during the Holocaust for not speaking out, so will the United States lose credibility and our people lose confidence in themselves as moral beings if the United States does not take action.

Since it is clearly no longer possible to take action in conjunction with NATO and the United Nations, I have reluctantly concluded that we must take unilateral action. While I completely agree with you that no ground troops should be committed for other than humanitarian purposes in Bosnia, I would ask that you take the following steps in Bosnia. First, lift the arms embargo as it applies to the Bosnian government. Second, enforce a full embargo of the sort that is now in effect in Iraq on the Bosnian Serbs and upon Yugoslavia. Third, break off diplomatic relations with Yugoslavia. Fourth, commit American air power to support the Bosnian government until the situation is stabilized and the civilian murders and atrocities by the Bosnian Serbs have been stopped.

I understand the risks of this policy and their implications for the NATO Alliance and the future success of the United Nations. Surely, however, as you watch and read about the huge amount of unwarranted human suffering, particularly of children, you would agree that our current course must now be changed.

I urge you to make these changes as soon as possible, and I look forward to supporting your policy fully to the best of my ability.

Sincerely,

Howard Dean, M.D.
Governor of Vermont

http://www.crocuta.net/Dean/Dean_Letter_to_Clinton_July19_1995.htm

Right to Protect? I don't think that anyone who reads this letter couldn't conclude that he would have been a ready, intelligent, and capable Commander-in-Chief

[ellisonz]

22. Op-Ed Regarding the Nomination of Samuel Alito - January 6, 2006

Every American should shudder at the prospect of an ethically tone-deaf judge sitting on the one institution in Washington not yet in the pocket of the extremists who comprise the right wing of the Republican Party.

A culture of corruption, arrogance of power and insensitivity to the appearance of conflict of interest has plagued key Republican officeholders for the past five years -- from Republican Senate leader Bill Frist's ownership of stock he falsely claimed was in a blind trust to the repeated evidence that Halliburton, formerly run by Vice President Dick Cheney, benefited from no-bid contracts in Iraq to revelations our government may be illegally spying on Americans and paying journalists for positive stories. House Judiciary Chairman Jim Sensenbrenner has traveled the world, racking up $177,000 worth of lobbyist-funded trips. Rep. Tom DeLay has been indicted for money laundering. Republican super-lobbyist Jack Abramoff pleaded guilty to three federal criminal charges. Karl Rove still has a security clearance, despite his role in leaking the identity of a CIA agent during wartime. The vice president's chief of staff has been indicted for lying to a grand jury. We need honesty and backbone in Washington, most especially on the court.

I oppose Judge Alito's nomination. I want to be proud of our government again. That can only happen if the rule of law, and the integrity that it requires, are clearly foremost in the consideration of every decision made by the court. There are simply too many writings in Judge Alito's record currying favor with the extreme right that show a willingness to favor government power over individual liberties. How can we believe that he will put aside his personal beliefs and keep an open mind when he has already broken one promise made to the American people? America needs strength now, and America needs a Supreme Court where personal and political considerations do not appear to influence any decision at any time. Judge Alito's nomination must be rejected. And if President Bush could find it in his heart, he needs to nominate someone to the court who will bring us together, not continue to drive us apart.

--- End ---
Originally posted on The DNC website.

http://www.crocuta.net/Dean/Dean_Column_Alito_Jan6_2006.htm

[ellisonz]

23. How Did This Happen? Letter to Supporters, November 8, 2006

Dear Fellow Democrat,

This year will be remembered as another moment when Americans started another historic process -- one that will usher in a new sense of community and demands for a government that focuses on the common good.

That's the thing about America. Whenever our leaders have failed to meet the challenges of the day, whenever our government's priorities have narrowed to represent the few at the expense of the many, the American people have risen up as one and corrected our course.

It will also be remembered as the rebirth of a political party devoted to ensuring that ordinary people not only have a voice, but real power at all levels of government.

Just 21 months ago we began the long process of breathing new life into our party with a 50-state strategy. After years of watching the playing field of "competitive" races dwindle and our operation disappear in many parts of the country, ordinary Democrats across the country demanded a truly national party.

Since then we've built the field organizing, communications, technological and financial infrastructure of a party that can and will compete everywhere. We've done it by growing our operation from the ground-up and empowering Democrats to take our party and our democracy into their own hands.

More: http://www.crocuta.net/Dean/Dean_Letter_HowDidThisHappen_Nov8_2006.htm

[ellisonz]

24. Martin Sheen and Howard Dean

Published on Saturday, January 17, 2004 by the Madison Capital Times (Wisconsin)
Fictional President Bartlett Stumps to Help Make Dean a Real One
by John Nichols

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa - President Josiah "Jed" Bartlet's name cannot be found on the list of candidates contending on Monday for votes at Iowa's first-in-the-nation Democratic presidential caucuses. But he is the star of this campaign season.

Everywhere Bartlet goes in Iowa, he draws the biggest crowds. When he steps onto a stage, people start chanting "Bartlet!" Reporters hang on his every word. Children ask for his autograph. Adults want to know his thoughts about the war in Iraq, the Patriot Act and religion in politics.

-------

"President Bartlet is a fantasy," explains actor Martin Sheen, who plays Bartlet on the NBC political drama, "The West Wing." "Howard Dean is a reality."

--------

Sheen announced his support for Dean a year ago, when the Vermonter barely rated an asterisk in most polls. Like the vast majority of Dean's early backers, he was attracted by the candidate's outspoken opposition to President Bush's preparations for war with Iraq.

http://www.commondreams.org/headlines04/0117-07.htm

[Autumn Colors]

25. Love Howard Dean!!!

My sister and I went to see him speak in tiny Hudson, NY during his campaign and I remain a Dean supporter to this day!

[ellisonz]

26. You are not alone!

[ellisonz]

28. An Expiration Date on Safety

eptember 13, 2004
Howard Dean

By Gov. Howard Dean M.D.

On Monday, Sept.13, the law banning the manufacture of semiautomatic assault weapons for private sale in the United States expired.

Before you read further I should tell you that my father was an avid hunter. I grew up with guns in the house, and although I do not hunt, I own an over-and-under shotgun. While running for office in Vermont, I won eight straight elections with the endorsement of the National Rifle Association. As Governor, I conserved hundreds of thousands of acres of habitat by partnering with the NRA to fight off the right-wing property rights advocates who opposed government land acquisition. I believed Vermont's outdoors should be the way it has been for generations, and now it will be.

However, I have never met a hunter who thought owning an assault weapon was necessary to shoot a deer or a bear. I have met a lot of law enforcement officers who think that the federal assault weapons ban saved a lot of their colleagues’ lives. I have met parents whose kids were killed by assault weapons years ago and are bracing for more of the same.

--------

A few months ago, a White House spokesman said President Bush still supported the reauthorization of the ban. Since then, the President has done nothing to support that statement.

http://www.crocuta.net/Dean/Dean_Cagle_Editorial_Assault_Wpns_Sept13_2004.htm

[ellisonz]

29. Vermont Days

[ellisonz]

30. Who didn't have one of these?

[ScreamingMeemie]

44. And the T-shirts and bumper sticker.

My daughter, in the picture, is now 22. Our little guy is now 13. Thanks for the memories ellison...

[ellisonz]

31. Do you remember when Al Gore endorsed Howard Dean?

[ellisonz]

32. With Jimmy and Rosalyn Carter

PLAINS, GA - JANUARY 18: (L-R) Democratic presidential hopeful and former Vermont Governor Howard Dean walks with former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and former first lady Rosalynn Carter at Carter's home January 18, 2004 in Plains, Georgia. Dean flew from Iowa to Georgia to meet with former President Jimmy Carter.
In this photo: Howard Dean, Jimmy Carter, Rosalynn Carter
Photo: Joe Raedle/Getty Images
Jan 18, 2004

Dean skipped a precious 24 hours on the ground in Iowa to attend Carter’s church in Georgia, where the 39th president offered kind words but no endorsement.

The two men joined worshippers at the 131-member Marantha Baptist Church, where Carter teaches Sunday school most weeks, and afterward the former president introduced Dean as “my friend, our visitor and a fellow Christian.”

Carter thanked Dean for opposing the war, which the Georgian called “unnecessary and unjust,” and expressed his appreciation for the work Dean did on Carter’s losing bid for re-election in 1980, although Dean said it only amounted to licking envelopes and answering telephones.

“I made an announcement in advance that I’m not going to endorse any particular candidate, but I have been particularly grateful at the courageous and outspoken posture and position that Governor Dean has taken from the very beginning,” Carter said during their eight-minute appearance together after the Sunday services.

More: http://www.redorbit.com/news/general/39287/carter_backs_dean_on_eve_of_iowa_caucus/

[slay]

33. I'll be more than happy to post in appreciation of Dr. Dean

i wonder just how much better things would be if the media hadn't virtually assassinated him over the "dean scream" back in 2004. He was my first choice out of everyone running.

[ellisonz]

35. Thank you.

I wonder too how different things might be if he had taken Dubya on in 2004 for a strong anti-war perspective. I think one thing is certain. Dean had his warts, but no one would accuse of him of being weak or flip-flopping. Dean would have punched the GOP machine in the mouth, and that prospect terrified the Democratic establishment.

[Capn Sunshine]

34. Howard Dean still speaks for me

:woot:

[XemaSab]

36. Me too!

[aikoaiko]

37. I applaud HD

[ellisonz]

38. I applaud aikoaiko applauding Howard Dean

[ellisonz]

39. YEEEEEEEEEAARRGGHHH!

(it was overdue)

[ellisonz]

40. Here's an oldie but a goodie:

[ellisonz]

41. Remember the Bat?

[ellisonz]

42. Howard Dean and Barack Obama

[ScreamingMeemie]

43. People powered Howard...

I remember PassingFair showing me his "What I Wanna Know" speech at her house. Never before have I been so motivated by a candidate. My beloved MrG even plunked down the big bucks ($100/person) so that we could see him at a luncheon. Got to shake his hand and had our picture taken. I can't post it because I won't post it without PF's permission. I remember the Super Bowl Party in Roseville, MI...where Dean made his infamous botox comments that made it onto CNN. Our kids were giddy because their decorating prowess and a few of their faces got on national television. The pure exhilaration of supporting this candidate will never be matched for me. Whenever we would meet him, we'd get that giddy, meeting your favorite rockstar look... Ashamed to admit (but not really). I miss those days.

Howard Dean will always speak for me.

[ellisonz]

45. I remember when I met him...

...I thought I wasn't going to be giddy, at that point it was past the primaries and into the general, and I still felt giddy. There's a real power to having a sincere belief in the power to change. There was a lot of fun made of people like you and I, that we had an irrational belief, but the truth is that what we really have is true hope that we can "stand up for what we believe in again" and take the country back from those who would do their fellow Americans harm. We are truly optimistic, and that is important!

[NoPasaran]

46. Howard Dean at DFA training in Austin, 2004

[ellisonz]

47. Deaniacs are team players!

[freshwest]

48. Every time I come over here and read this thread, I think it should pinned in other places, too.

[ellisonz]

49. LOL

I think it probably should be too. But what are you gonna do...still got 950 posts to go and I'm slacking!

[freshwest]

50. I'm gonna invite someone I know who meets him and his wife occasionally. He has stories.

[ellisonz]

51. Woot!

[ellisonz]

52. Yeah buddy!

[ChrisVance]

53. Spam deleted by cyberswede (MIR Team)

[unflapped]

54. I started the day he "screamed".

I started my job working for SEIU on behalf of Howard Dean's candidacy on THE DAY he "screamed" in Iowa. I got the job over the holidays and was very eager to start working on what was a then the frontrunner's campaign. By the end of my first day on the job, through no fault of my own, the numbers for our guy were dropping faster than you could say "hee-yah!"

By the time he arrived for his rally in Washington State, where I was working, his candidacy was limping but his Seattle supporters were still holding strong. He even won the city of Seattle on caucus day, despite losing the state.

His later work winning back the Senate for the D's in '06 was nothing short of inspiring. If I hadn't sold my car a couple years ago it would still have "Dean For America" blaring proudly from the bumper.

[Puzzler]

56. I joined DU because of Dean a long time ago

-Puzzler