Dean fires up Connecticut Democrats

[MaineDem]

NEW HAVEN, Conn. --His speech interrupted several times by applause, Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean delivered the party's game plan for unifying Democrats and winning back the White House on Sunday.

"This is a national race. This is about what happens to America," said the former Vermont governor and 2004 Democratic presidential hopeful. "The (Republicans) don't get to say what the playing field is anymore."

His appearance drew about 175 people to New Haven's Belvedere hotel for a state Democratic fund-raiser. Dean has undertaken the task of recasting the party's image, making it one of values, community and reform. Unlike his well-publicized rant at a campaign stop during the 2004 run, Dean was mild but measured on Sunday. Getting the message out, he said, was paramount.

"We want our country back. We are all in this together," he said. "We are tired of a president who thinks it's OK to divide people to win the presidency."

http://www.boston.com/news/local/connecticut/articles/2005/10/09/dean_fires_up_connecticut_democrats/?rss_id=Boston.com+%2F+News

[mhr]

1. Ok - But What About Dumping The DLC

Until that happens we are doomed and rhetoric becomes nothing more than hot air.

See DLC designs on stealing the party here:

Behind The DLC Takeover

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x5008122

[madfloridian]

5. The DLC is not part of the DNC...The DLC is a think tank.

It has policies to draw the party to the right. That is a very old article, we have made some progress since then.

[mhr]

7. How So - I Volunteered 1,000 Hours To A Congressional Race

Only to watch DLC pollsters and consultants give the candidate bad advice.

Further, I watched the party totally disregard all the voter fraud issues in 2004.

"I didn't leave the party, the party left me."

Jim Jeffords

Just as true for me as it was for him and the Republicans.

[Cha]

2. I have Dean's picture

on my wall and it quotes..

"Together, we're taking our country back!"

Connecticut Dems need to get fired up and get a real Dem to run in the primary against joementum, bush enabler extraordinare..thanks for nothing lie berman.

[patricia92243]

3. 175 people. Don't like that! n/t

[Cha]

4. There does need to be

more people out there who are interested in getting our country back.

I hope Dean comes around here to talk ..I would love to meet him.

[madfloridian]

6. There were two events, both kind of expensive.

http://dems.info/index2.php

$75 and $500.

Don't know if that explains it or not. I notice Lieberman is not mentioned at all. I notice Jim Dean was there also. There has been talk of DFA perhaps supporting someone to run against Lieberman, so that might have not gone over too well there. I can't remember the other group who talked of it as well.

[Hekate]

12. I got into an early fundraiser in 2004 by being a volunteer

I helped take other people's money and still got to hear Howard Dean speak!

Hekate

[Cha]

26. Tres Cool!

I really want to hear him speak in person some day.

[Cha]

25. I would donate $75.00 to

get myself to a fundraiser to meet The Gov! :)

[Carolab]

10. Depends on who they are.

At the ACLU speech I attended in April in Mpls. there were about that same number. But the crowd looked very influential. Tix were $60 each.

[kskiska]

8. And he did it right in The Chimp's birthplace.

Good for him.

[AuntiBush]

9. Poetic Justice!

Go Dr. Dean!

[madfloridian]

11. Great blog write-up on this. Picture as well.

http://shadowbfa.blogspot.com/2005/10/fiona-has-all-luck.html

Fiona is the one who gave him that sweet kiss on the cheek over a year ago CT. This is a cute write-up.

[Califooyah Operative]

13. thanks, nice pic. nt

[Larkspur]

14. I couldn't make this event. I had promised to help my town with Walking

Weekend and New Haven is 2 hour drive one-way from my town, so there was no time to head over to Dean's rally after the Walking weekend group left on their tour.

As far as challenging Lieberman, I haven't heard if CT-DFA is supporting any challengers. I'm not in the loop much because CT-DFA is centered around New Haven and Fairfield, which is the opposite corner of CT from me.

[madfloridian]

15. Nothing definitive, I just heard this through the Kos grapevine.

I am not familiar with this guy, but I know he would likely have DFA backing. Don't know if it is just supposition. I had heard some other stuff, but probably nothing will happen. There are some very interesting comments there, much more than is in the post itself.

http://valabor.dailykos.com/story/2005/9/28/231854/127

[Zomby Woof]

16. Same old tired crap from Dean

Rhetoric and "firing up the base" - the 2 things Dean does best. Actually, make that three - he knows how to raise funds (and then where do they go? The ether?).

But that is the extent of his abilities. His hot-button firebrand rhetoric masks the fact that he has NO AGENDA and NO PLAN for the Democrats to actually WIN. He just strokes his base and makes them feel good for handing over more money.

Check these clichés:

"This is about what happens to America!"

"We want our country back!"

Goddamn, Dean, is that the BEST you can do? I am afraid so.

I would like to say that the Democrats deserve better, but since they rolled over so easily to let Dean and his supporters bully their way to the top of the DNC, I am not so sure.

We will not win back Congress in 2006 or the White House in 2008 on clichés and rhetoric.

Dean is an embarrassing disaster.

[hogwyld]

17. He speaks for me!

Besides, fund raising, as distastful as it is, is a necessary evil. TV ads, newspaper ads, signs, etc. all cost money. A lot of it to get our message out. I like that he appeals to the base as that is where most of the activist volunteers come from. I am so sick of these "play it safe" repug wannabees from the DLC running things. Let's see, we've lost the presidency twice, lost the senate, lost the house. We need to go back to what made us great. Working people, unions, helping the disadvantaged. Be proud of what we are, progressive and liberal!

[kster]

18. When he talks about the "vote stealing machines"

then Dean will be speaking for me,if Dean doesn't talk about banning the machines everything you just said is meaningless.

[Stevepol]

20. I agree totally kster. I like Dean a lot, but why doesn't he get it?

Bev Harris showed him how easy it is to hack one of the central tabulators. He surely has seen the exit poll data.

Just common sense tells you that you can't have a democracy when your vote is counted by extreme partisans in SECRET, and nobody audits or checks the results to make sure they're accurate. This is the perfect prescription for disaster and that's what we've had since 2002.

I'm afraid I've stopped trying to understand. Eventually, somewhere, in one of the states, somebody will audit a ridiculous result, an obviously fraudulently counted precinct, and be able to sue Diebold or ES&S or somebody. But people have to really want to have a democracy again for this to happen. The lawsuit in NM is proceeding without any help whatsoever from Richardson, the (supposedly) Dem governor down there. In GA 02, Cleland never raised a whimper over his defeat, Roy Barnes ditto. Kerry just conceded and w/ lawyers and workers ready to go to the ends of the earth for him if he'd challenged the results.

I've pretty much resigned myself to living in a faux democracy for the time being. We're all in this together and people have to want a democracy before they can have one. When we want it badly enough, we'll be able to have it. To imagine we have one is just delusional at the moment.

[belle]

30. I think I trust Dean more than Bev Harris at this point, thanks.

[Zomby Woof]

22. I speak for myself, thank you

I shudder at the idea of handing my thinking and speaking over to a demagogue who relies on soundbites and clichés. The entire "Dean speaks for me!" mantra smacks of groupthink. The supporters or detractors of their chosen representatives must ALWAYS speak for themselves, lest the term "democracy" is rendered bereft of meaning. Yes, we try to choose people to represent us, but it must ALWAYS be conditionally and critically. The uncritical support Dean gets is akin to the hardcore uncritical support Bush gets from his 30% unwavering base - neither is healthy for a democratic atmosphere to flourish.

In reference to your last statement, I am proud of being a progressive and liberal. Dean is neither. He is a centrist and an opportunist - his stance on the Iraq War coming rather late to the game, and the main basis for his support. But getting past that issue, just looking at his leadership of the DNC is reason enough alone to question his credibility and competency, and do I ever question it.

As a Democrat, Howard Dean may represent me, but he is doing a piss-poor job of speaking or thinking for me.

[XanaDUer]

24. !!!

:yourock:

[lojasmo]

33. Thanks to the DNC 50 state strategy

We're now getting CD field organizers in every District in Minnesota.

This coming from the same group that put thirteen new democrats in our state house last fall.

Sure, actions speak louder than words. Thanks to Dean led DNC, we're getting plenty of productive action in Minnesota.

So, Woof...what are you doing, besides sniping at Dean over the internets?

[ConservativeDemocrat]

19. Honest question? Honest answer...

This is a newspaper report - of course the reporter is going to find some small slogan to print rather than the Democrats comprehensive strategy. Printing slogans rather than news is what modern "news" does.

You say: "he knows how to raise funds" (and then where do they go? The ether?).

No. Those funds are going to fund The 50-State Strategy. This is a bottom-up approach in which each State party is asked what it needs to be successful, and then the DNC hires organizers (3 or 4 per state, more if necessary) to help get that done. For instance, in West Virginia, they've just added a couple of experts in appealing to youth, because the average age of Democrats in that state is 54. Oregon has a different approach, as does Nevada, etc.

You may dislike Howard Dean, thinking that he is too repetitious, confrontational, and talks about national pride -- but believe it or not, according to the latest research, this is EXACTLY what appeals to voters. If high-flying rhetoric and detailed plans worked with the average "Bubba" voter, Kerry would be President right now.


- C.D. Proud Member of the Reality Based Community

p.s. Even though I love him as the DNC chair, I agree that Dean made for a horrible candidate. Never EVER tell people that they can't get a free lunch. They'll hate you for it and you'll lose.

[msongs]

21. or maybe the same old crap from you?

list all the things you are doing besides bagging dean?

Msongs
www.msongs.com/clark2008.htm

[xxqqqzme]

32. yea, that's a broken record!

same ole anti-Howard tirades.

[madfloridian]

28. LOL same tired old stuff.

Just pulling it out of the air...you really are going to have to let go of some of the hatred of Dean. It is not a healthy thing, you know. :hi:

[bigwillq]

23. Wish I knew he was in CT

Dean rocks! :bounce:

[Gloria]

27. How about getting Lieberman to stop sitting with Limbaugh at

dinners for Buckley?

[trogdor]

31. If I were Howard Dean, I'd have a sitdown with Joementum.

"Either get with the program, or suffer the consequences," I'd say. There has to be another Connecticut Democrat the party could throw their support to as a retaliatory measure. Failing that, withholding the party's endorsement should sting.

[goforit]

29. STAAAAY AWAAAY from Lieberman!!!!!!

:argh: