Only I'd like to see him elected to the presidency.

He's brash and prone to stick his foot in his mouth but his heart is in the right place.

Rare, among politicians in this day.

doctor's know what it's like to work for a living.

of sounding like a toadie ;) I agree. I was thinking the same thing when I first heard his remarks. As usual he didn't phrase it well, but it is a kick in the ass the Dems need. Sadly some people need rhetoric to get into action. I think the GOP fears the following and activism that Dean brings to the table.

If Dean can get the Democratic Party in the news and get a discussion opened about wether or not the Republicans represent only white christian males or have to work for a living , and do all of this without being an elected official I do not see how this harms the Democrats.

I do not want to see Dean so marginalized that he becomes the Democrats version of Ann Coulter, and I don't think his comments go that far.  But it does my heart good to hear news coverage of a statement about who the Republican's represent.

The backlash from the story was also priceless.  I saw plenty of nice graphics which proved to me that only 78% or so of Republicans were white christain men.

If Dean can get this level of coverage of this type of thing now, imagine what will happen when he starts talking about health care, prescription drugs, and Social Security next year.

except somebody from Clinton's or Bush's Royal Families. People here are starting to make questions. What are they hiding in the small circle?

Edwards proved his efficiency too. A wolf disguising himself as a sheep.

Wednesday, June 8, 2005

Apologizes for Omitting Insults from Recent TiradeDemocratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean apologized today for calling Republicans "pretty much a white, Christian party," saying that he failed to mention that they were "fat and ugly" as well.

Dr. Dean offered the clarification at a press conference at the DNC headquarters in Washington, D.C., telling reporters, "Any characterization of Republicans as white and Christian is unfair, since it totally omits the fact that they are pretty much the party of the fat and the ugly, too."

http://www.borowitzreport.com/archive_rpt.asp?rec=1149&srch=

:)

Dean Tells Dems: 'People Want Us to Fight'

Saturday June 11, 2005 9:16 PM

AP Photo DCKW104

By WILL LESTER

Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) - Howard Dean said Saturday that positive responses from supporters have reinforced his determination to keep talking tough despite suggestions from some congressional Democrats that the party chairman should tone down his rhetoric.

``People want us to fight,'' Dean told the national party's executive committee. ``We are here to fight.''

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uslatest/story/0,1282,-5067889,00.html

A spokeswoman for the Republican National Committee said Dean would rather sling mud than discuss serious matters.

``Dean's inflammatory rhetoric makes it clear that Democrats have no vision and would rather pander to the maniacal fringe than talk about the important issues facing our country,'' Tracey Schmitt said.

washingtonpost.com

Dean Urges Appeal to Moral Values

DNC Chairman Calls for Democrats to Adopt GOP's Language to Woo Voters

By Mike Allen

Washington Post Staff Writer

Sunday, June 12, 2005; A05

Unrepentant after a week of controversy over his inflammatory remarks, Democratic Chairman Howard Dean told party leaders yesterday that casting traditionally liberal issues in moral terms is a key to breaking Republicans' eight-year hold on the White House.

Dean acknowledged that he sees his party's national campaign apparatus as being "30 years behind" the one fielded in November by the Bush-Cheney campaign, and said the solution is for Democrats to be tough, describe themselves boldly and get organized in all 50 states.

"People want us to fight, and we are here to fight," Dean said during a quarterly meeting of the party's 64-member executive committee. "We are not going to lie down in front of the Republican machine anymore."

Dean's aides said he now realizes he needs to choose his words more carefully but plans to keep the pressure on Republicans.

Several key Democrats had said early last week that Dean should resign but concluded by week's end that there was no viable movement to oust him. Dean yesterday embraced his reputation for volatility, saying he is being buoyed by activists and donors. At one point, Chicago alderman Joseph A. Moore had trouble getting recognized and joked that next time he would "jump up and down."

"That's my job!" Dean said, and the room shook with applause.

The Democratic National Committee's lead pollster, Cornell Belcher, said that religious people who have been stymied economically represent a huge opportunity for the party, and that the challenge is to portray moral values as "not just gay marriage and abortion."

It amounted to a call for the party to reclaim Reagan Democrats, the blue-collar social conservatives who have voted largely Republican for the past 20 years. In a possible future play for President Bush's voters, the party announced the creation of a Veterans and Military Families Council.

The party, determined to compete in what Dean called "the Mississippis and the Kansases," has vowed to put paid organizers with four-year commitments in every state, and is starting a monthly donation program for small givers.

Dean and the pollster provided the most specific blueprint yet for a party where a multitude of factions and potential candidates are competing to point the way back from Sen. John F. Kerry's (D-Mass.) loss to Bush, 19 states to 31 states. "We have not spoken about moral values in this party for a long time," Dean said. "The truth is, we're Democrats because of our moral values. It's a moral value to make sure that kids don't go to bed hungry at night. . . . It is a moral value not to go out on golf trips paid for by lobbyists."

Belcher, the pollster, said the emphasis that many voters placed on moral values in November is "not a call to move to the right." He said that a lot of what he called "faith voters" -- those for whom religion plays an equal or more important role in determining their vote than conventional issues such as education -- "are up for grabs." He said those voters can be reached by acknowledging their fears about raising their children.

more

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/11/AR2005061100609.html

Cheney slams Howard Dean as 'over the top'

Sun Jun 12, 2005 1:51 PM ET

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Vice President Dick Cheney slammed Democratic Party boss Howard Dean as "over the top" in a television interview to air on Monday, saying Dean had helped Republicans more than Democrats.

"I think Howard Dean's over the top. I've never been able to understand his appeal. Maybe his mother loved him, but I've never met anybody who does," Cheney told Fox News Channel.

"So far, I think he's probably helped us more than he has them. That's not the kind of individual you want to have representing your political party," Cheney said.

more

http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=politicsNews&storyID=2005-06-12T175049Z_01_N
12660421_RTRIDST_0_POLITICS-CHENEY-DC.XML

yano Dean must be doing something right :)

the strong words. I would, however, like to hear from someone who disagrees. Anyone? Bueller? Ferris?

I'd feel more confident about judging that to be the case if Cheney was saying it on a "liberal media" broadcast network rather than to the faithful base on Fox News as if it was approved talking points, poll tested.

I have not been commenting on all of this to date because I am truly keeping an open mind on it. I truly don't know whether Dean's way is the correct choice right now, or that of the Senators who told him to pipe down.

This is Lee Atwater that Dean is practicing. It is a dangerous and sometimes effective tool, it can backfire badly.

Those that do it must apply it tactically at the right place in time. Decades of polls show attack politics work at certain times, usually in the primary process, and hurt very much after a presidential candidate has been chosen. This is because it speaks to the fringes, the base.

One article you posted on similar says it very succintly for me:

Dean Tells Dems: 'People Want Us to Fight'

``Dean's inflammatory rhetoric makes it clear that Democrats have no vision and would rather pander to the maniacal fringe than talk about the important issues facing our country,'' Tracey Schmitt said.

http://agonist.org/comments/2005/6/9/75633/31685/9#9

I think both views expressed there are true and poll tested. It all depends upon when you do it.

The passionate "fringes" like the attack politics, but it turns everyone else off.

Karl Rove learned how to practice it in a very sophisticated manner, to rile "the base" at the right time, and knew when to shut them up and put them in the closet at other times. I just recently saw a debate clip of Bush and McCain in the South Carolina presidential primary, that reminded me of all of this--the dirty Atwater tricks of name-calling were the issue that they were accusing each other of. Bush disavowed it, even though he did it, he had surrogates out name-calling and smearing McCain, but he didn't want to be associated with them.

Complicating all of it now is the role of bloggers. If every Tom, Dick and Harry involved in party politics is going to be blabbing every spat and ego-inspired disagreement every step of the way as it happens, then there will be no control of "the message," and none of this may work as it used to.

It's all interesting, and I just don't have any judgment yet. I think it's unknown territory. And I don't know yet whether Dean is practicing it smartly or not.

"I think Howard Dean's over the top. I've never been able to understand his appeal. Maybe his mother loved him, but I've never met anybody who does," Cheney told Fox News Channel.

Would that be like "I never met John Edwards" during the debates? That kind of non-meeting?

to stop the Atwater attack game and to move on to "the vision thing." At a certain point in time, pointing out the other guys faults does not suffice.

I think Dean is playing it smart, but it is early in the game. Some things I've seen is that the "new moderate rep bloggers" see it as Dean keeping the eye on the extreme right and cutting them off. Who is going to pay attention to moderate republicans when the extreme right gets all the press. haha I find this really funny. :) Its make much easier to equate bad with republican this way.

I think "they want us to fight" is the rallying call.

Howard Dean Responds To Cheney's Mom Comment

(AP) BOSTON Democratic Party Chairman Howard Dean, responding to criticism from the vice president, said he doesn't "care if Dick Cheney likes my mother or not."

The vice president said in a recent interview that Dean was not the type of person to lead a political party and mentioned the chairman's mother.

"I've never been able to understand his appeal. Maybe his mother loved him, but I've never met anybody who does. He's never won anything, as best I can tell," Cheney said in an interview on Fox News Channel's "Hannity & Colmes."

Dean was elected governor of Vermont five times between 1992 and 2000. He ran for the 2004 Democratic presidential nomination but closed down his campaign after stumbling in the early primaries.

Dean has recently described the GOP as "pretty much a white, Christian party" and said many Republicans have "never made an honest living." Republican leaders have called on him to apologize, and even some Democrats have distanced themselves from his remarks.

Dean, in Boston on Monday for a fundraiser, told fellow Democrats that the party can win in traditionally Republican states.

"But we gotta be there and fight in order to do it. And believe me, we are going to fight back. I don't care if Dick Cheney likes my mother or not. We are going to fight back," Dean said to cheers and applause. "I think it's great that Dick Cheney went after me, to be honest. At least they notice there's a Democratic Party that's not going to put up with this stuff any more. So there's a lot we're gonna do."

http://wcco.com/topstories/topstories_story_172115108.html