Dean to Democrats: Campaign Nationwide

[Rose Siding]

WASHINGTON - Howard Dean (news - web sites), who is weighing a bid for leadership of the Democratic Party, will call on Democrats to fight for victory across the country instead of ceding wide swaths of the South and West to Republicans.
.........
Now Dean is one of at least seven candidates who is considering whether to run for chairmanship of the Democratic National Committee (news - web sites). On Monday, Dean was meeting with Democratic leaders in Congress.

Dean spokeswoman Laura Gross said while other Democrats are talking about whether the party needs to move farther to the left or the right to attract voters, Dean plans to focus on the need for "destination, not direction" during an address at George Washington University on Wednesday.

Gross said even if Dean decides against running for DNC chairman, the former Vermont governor intends to work for his vision within the party. After dropping out of the presidential race, Dean started Democracy for America, which raised $5 million in nine months and helped fund 748 candidates in 46 states at every level of government.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&u=/ap/20041206/ap_on_re_us/dean_democrats

[nadinbrzezinski]

1. This is teh way it has to be

we must fight for every vote EVERYWHERE

[QC]

2. Gee, the red state/blue state obsessives won't like this.

I guess they'll start accusing Dean of being DLC now. People get awfully cranky when you try to take their favorite corporate media oversimplifications away from them.

[MaineDem]

3. He's meeting with the State Party Chairs this week in Florida

He and other potential Chairs will be at their meeting in Orlando.

[Radical Activist]

4. That's a good point

I thought Jesse Jackson was right when he spoke the Saturday after the election about the need for Democrats to campaign in all 50 states. He brought up that Republicans were able to pick up seats in the Senate, House and local level because the national party helped in states that were not swing states. The decision of the DNC to only play in the swing states probably cost us a few seats in the Senate. I'm glad that kind of thinking is catching on.

[madfloridian]

5. The fact that 4 of the 7 DEC offices here were Dean people.....

even in this very very conservative area....shows you the need for this. Betty Castor should never have lost to Martinez by 1.1%...never. Someone should be right on top of it.

The people here are ready for change, the party leaders are not.

[Maat]

7. Howard Dean is the person who could lead the Democratic ..

party out of its doldrums. If the insiders do not choose to understand this, then I can't help them. He is unifying, has a good understanding of the concept of grassroots, and he's inspirational.

Ickes or somebody like that is an insider's choice.

Ideally, I suppose, there might be a co-chair, an insider and Howard Dean. Maybe then more than one part of the party could be recognized.

[realFedUp]

6. Telling the truth is a liberal value

and an American value. Howard is a fiscal
conservative and a humanist and
he cuts through the politalk to get at the
heart of a problem, diagnoses it and helps
work for the solution.
Those of us who aren't Democrats anymore,
need his leadership to continue pointing out
the truth, to inspire us to continue working
to get the truth out and defend us when we're
right. The established Democratic leadership
in this country has proven it's not doing
the job of getting the truth to the people.
Howard is the one who is perceived as the
one who will make the reform changes needed
in the business-as-usual mentality in the
Democratic Cabal.

[PassingFair]

8. Alrighty then...

Let's let the Committee members know how we feel about this, shall we?:

http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/deanfordnc


Not meaning to offend half of the voters in my state, but
LETS GO BLUE!

[depakid]

9. Kerry's biggest mistake

was not following Dean's lead and nationalizing the election.

This isn't sour grapes- I've been talking about the importance of nationalizing the efforts against Republicans and their policies in general since my 1st posts on this board way back in the spring of 2001.

Dean had it right- and if you recall, was practicing what he preached last fall with Dem candidates in many states.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

10. Kerry, Geppy, Clark, Graham, Kooch, Sharpton, Edwards and

Mosely Braun are also on top of this...

That's a given!

[juliagoolia]

14. I wish rummy had gotten toasted.

what the hell kind of switch is this thing..

dang dude..

I think we need very strong precint organizations.
We need to hold princint meetings instead of town halls meetings and get to know the issues of everyone in the damn county at the local level.

just my take on it. we have to take it local and take it nationwide.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

16. That's my

sarcasm switch.

[ClarkUSA]

11. I like the idea of Dean as DNC Chair with a COO type at Operations

but I have read that he refuses to pledge not to run in 2008.

Whoever becomes the DNC Chairman cannot run for President at the same time.
We need a fulltime Chairman.

That's why Vilsack sidestepped the process.

Guess who'll win Iowa in 2008?

[JNelson6563]

17. He could get a lot done in 2 years

and hand it over to someone else who's competent.

Julie

[struggle4progress]

12. Damn right! eom

[Withywindle]

13. The man's talking sense!

There are no throwaway states or throwaway races. I hope to see the national party make more of an effort everywhere in 2006 when there isn't a Presidential election taking up all the energy and functioning as an excuse for neglecting smaller races.

[JohnOneillsMemory]

18. Ya mean 1/2 the country as slave states isn't a good compromise?

Agreed. Moderation in stopping fascism is not 'pragmatic.'

[Dr Fate]

15. Straight talking, tell it like it is Democrats like Dean...

gotta love em.

[JNelson6563]

19. More on Dean and DFA success

• One of the two new Democratic United States senators was a "Dean Dozen" candidate--Barack Obama (D-Ill.). Obama and the other new Democratic senator, Ken Salazar (D-Colo.), received contributions from DFA.

• One "Dean Dozen" candidate won her race for Congress, Allyson Schwartz (D-PA) and DFA contributed to five of the fourteen incoming freshman Democratic Members of Congress.

• Some of the notable non-federal success stories include:

• Both of the new Democratic governors are "Dean Dozen" candidates: John Lynch (D-NH) and Brian Schweitzer (D-Mont.)

• Two "Dean Dozen" candidates won their mayoral race: Peter Corroon was elected as mayor of Salt Lake County, Utah and Tom Potter was elected as mayor of Portland, Ore.

• Democracy for America contributed more than $600,000 to 634 candidates for non-federal office. 319 of those candidates won--a 50% win-loss record.

• "Dean Dozen" candidates were elected to state legislatures in 16 states. Candidates for legislature who received Democracy for America contributions, but were not part of the "Dean Dozen," were elected in an additional 12 states.

• Democracy for America played a large role in regaining several legislative chambers for the Democrats, including: the Colorado House and Senate, the North Carolina House, the Oregon Senate, the Vermont House and the Washington Senate. DFA also helped secure a tie in the Iowa Senate.

• "Dean Dozen" candidates were elected to the bench in Alabama and Georgia.

• "Dean Dozen" candidates also won races for soil & water commission, supervisor of elections, township clerk, county commission and constable.

Governor Dean commented on the election results:

"The Dean Dozen candidates and the hundreds of other candidates that Democracy for America supported are the future of the Democratic Party. Win or lose, these fiscally responsible, socially progressive citizens fought to take our country back and helped spread the message that to change America, Democrats must compete everywhere, including the red states."

http://www.democracyforamerica.com/features/2004/11/17/dean_dozen_success_stories.php

Truly a leader.

Julie

[Eloriel]

20. I thought DFA helped 1,000 candidates

In any case, I think about 1/3 of them were successful, which isn't too bad.