Dean for DNC Chair - Democratic Underground

WilliamPitt

(1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore

Tue Jan-11-05 08:17 PM
Original message

Dean for DNC Chair

Received via email from Progressive Democrats of America:

DEAN FOR DNC CHAIR

By Steve Cobble
PDA Political Advisor
www.pdamerica.org

On Wednesday morning, November 3rd, even as George W. Bush was claiming victory,
Progressive Democrats of America (PDA) launched two bold “fight-back” initiatives:

(1) PDA immediately joined the “Ohio vote count” fight, which led to the historic
January 6th challenge by Rep. Conyers, Rep. Tubbs-Jones, Sen. Boxer, and friends;
and
(2) PDA launched its own “Draft Dean for DNC Chair” effort along with Grassroots for
America and PDA board member Pam Paul who was instrumental in connecting PDA with
the Dean netroots and the current Dean staff.

PDA’s leadership also sent a letter to Governor Dean encouraging him to run, and to
keep the energy alive that the Dean, Kucinich and Sharpton campaigns had injected
into the 2004 campaign. Just last week, PDA was introduced to the DFA’s January
MeetUps, so we could continue to work closely together for change. (And it was at
PDA's founding convention in July, of course, that PDA brought together Dennis
Kucinich, Howard Dean, John Conyers, & Barbara Lee in Roxbury, MA to help keep
progressive grassroots energy alive for the future.)

Now we are on the verge of helping “the Democratic wing of the Democratic Party” to
take a giant step forward by electing former Vermont Governor Howard Dean as the new
Chair of the Democratic National Committee next month.

The importance of this potential victory can not be overstated. Electing Governor
Dean as Chair of the DNC will be a victory for reform, for the internet, for small
donor fundraising, for volunteer action, for antiwar politics, for standing up and
fighting back, and for progressive values.

Howard Dean is the only candidate running for DNC chair who is a progressive
reformer, opposed the war in Iraq, raised millions and millions of dollars from
small donors, has both held executive office and practiced internet-based “netroots”
activism in his campaign, and who believes in change from the grassroots/netroots
up.

Howard Dean is not afraid to fight back when the GOP cheats, slanders, and distorts.
Howard Dean can handle the TV disinformers, the talk radio thugs, the Freeper
punks, and whatever Swift Boat-type liars the RNC drags out for their next round of
dirty tricks.

And amazingly, even though the Democratic Party is overwhelmingly opposed to the war
in Iraq (especially the way the Bush cabal has handled it), pro-choice (particularly
when the next Bush Supreme Court appointee will put the right to choose in
jeopardy), ready to defend Social Security (the FDR rock upon which the New Deal
Democratic Party was built), and solidly for universal health care (an area where
Dean had marked success as Governor of Vermont) only Howard Dean among the current
serious DNC candidates is on the “Wellstone side” of all these issues.

Oh, one more thing. When Howard Dean became Governor of Vermont in 1991, it was a
red state. In the previous president election, a Bush had defeated the Democratic
nominee from Massachusetts 51-48%. But since Howard Dean became Governor, Vermont
has gotten bluer and bluer. Which makes Governor Dean the only candidate running
for DNC chair who actually led his state as it switched from red to solid blue…

When the netroots first began pushing “Dean for DNC”, one party hack was anonymously
quoted attacking the idea, saying that it would be as “bad” as when Ron Brown ran
for DNC Chair. Well, that's interesting disinformation. I was on Ron’s campaign
for Chair, and here’s what happened:

*Ron Brown won, defeating 4 serious opponents.

*The Democrats held the House and Senate in ’90 & ’92.

*Bill Clinton won the Presidency in 1992.

If that’s our template for the next 4 years, the party hack’s comparison is not an
attack, it’s a compliment!

Dean for DNC. It’s the next step for reformers. And PDA is ready to roll…