Dean Stumps For DNC Chair On Gay Inclusion

[davidinalameda]

http://www.365gay.com/newscon05/01/013105dean.htm

Howard Dean hasn't lost any of his feisty support for gay issues as he stumps for the chairmanship of the Democratic Party.

In a speech to about 300 supporters at a New York union hall on Sunday Dean blasted Republicans for using gay marriage in the 2004 presidential campaign to hide the party's "ineptness" in other areas.

The GOP ran on the issues of "guns, God and gays" Dean told the audience at the Local1199 SEIU health care workers' hall.

[cthrumatrix]

1. Faux is afraid of Dean.... obviously, truth is frightening to Faux

[Ian David]

2. Dean was lukewarm to gay causes until the Primaries

I think he's seen the (pink) light at the end of the political tunnel.

He's seen how the gay community charged full speed ahead alongside him, and then hesitatingly fell-in behind Kerry.

At least, that's how it looked from what I saw.

I don't know very many gay people (even in Massachusetts) who were behind Kerry until after Dean was out of the running. Actually, I don't think I know ANY.

[Larkspur]

3. I think Dean got a big hint of this Repuke strategy during his last

re-election bid as Governor of VT. The Repukes targeted him because he signed the Civil Unions bill and the poured money into VT and into his Repuke opponent's coffers. Dean found out then that when you strike back against the Repukes head-on, not mealy mouthed, is when the Repukes make mistakes. Of course, if the Democrat has good credentials -- Dean had saved VT from fiscal ruin -- it helps with repudiating the Repukes.

[davidinalameda]

4. and I really don't want to hear how he supported

civil unions in Vermont

they were shoved down his throat while he was governor

[Ian David]

5. Thank you. Dean wasn't a big fan of civil unions at first

It was shoved down his throat and snaked its way in the back door.

And even on the campaign trail, Dean kept saying he was in favor of civil unions but NOT gay marriage.

The fact that he signed the law gave him a lot of street-cred with the progressive and gay communities.

Besides, he was a lot more fun than Kerry.

[dsc]

6. That is blatently false

First the Vermont Constitution could have been amended. I posted how on several occassions. It was a lengthy process but it wasn't that hard.

Second, according to Moats book, Civil Wars, Dean single handedly prevented Senate Democrats from not passing civil unions and calling for a commission. In short, no Dean, no Civil Unions.

[davidinalameda]

9. please

the Vermont Supreme Court gave Dean and the legislature two choices

marriage or civil unions--they went with the easier of the two

[dsc]

13. I have posted on at least six occasions

how the constitution could have been amended. It wasn't trivial but it wasn't anything like impossibe either. It is a blatent falsehood to pretend it couldn't have been done.

[dsc]

15. By the way here is one thread in which I posted this

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=108&topic_id=74078

It isn't the original post but it is in the thread.

[David Zephyr]

11. Thanks for helping prevent one person's grudge from becoming myth.

Dean rightly deserves the credit and affection he has received from the gay and lesbian community.

[David Zephyr]

10. Hardly "shoved down his throat"

While it was the courageous couple and the courts that deserve the lion's share of the credit for this victory for civil rights, Governor Dean did not hide from the issue and embraced the court's ruling.

[Warpy]

7. He'd better discover economic populism fast

The politics of inclusion won't get Democrats elected, I'm sorry to say.

Economic populism will, as Clinton's campaigns demonstrated. Now, if only Bill had followed through once he'd gotten elected.

[ProudToBeLiberal]

8. he has discovered economic populism...

I mean creating more jobs, healthcare for all isn't that economic populism?

[Zhade]

12. Hell, I'm not a Deaniac and *I* know he's already discovered it.

You didn't hear all those times he talked about the false tax cuts, for example? How no one actually got money back because of all the state and local tax increases to cover the Feds' cuts to social benefits?

How could you miss that?

[Rockerdem]

14. Why should Dean have to "stump" on this???

Its worded as if others in the Democratic Party held substantively different views. Who are these anti-gay Democrats who are campaigning for the DNC chair slot?

[NashVegas]

16. the "Stumping"

the article specifically refers to is the DNC chair, not the civil unions issue. I think.