Come Back to the Five and Dime Howard Dean, Howard Dean

[liberalpress]

Howard Dean is the new head of the Democratic National Committee and the Right Wing is literally salivating at the thought of a liberal, northeastern Governor at the party’s helm. They are beside themselves at the turn of events, which they perceive as the final nail being driven in the Democratic coffin.

But Howard Dean understands something Republicans don’t. No matter how hard the Republicans try to frame it, the issues dividing America are not built on the tensions that exist between Liberal and Conservative ideologies; they are instead based on the economic and “privilege” gap between the haves and the have-nots.

Republicans fail to understand is what Howard Dean is bringing to the Democratic table. While the Republicans are going to corporate boards and country clubs hitting up members for five-figure donations, Dean will be going to convenience stores and taverns and five-and-dimes getting single and double-figure donations.

Republicans will be reminding their base about the profits and benefits they’ve enjoyed during the last four years of Republican rule. Howard Dean will be reminding the Democratic base of the jobs and benefits they haven’t enjoyed during the same four years.

The irony of this whole affair is that Republicans paint northeast liberal governors as elitists when, in fact, it is they who appeal to those of wealth and privilege. Howard Dean will prove to be a populist.

And in a battle between populists and elitists, it’s the populists who have historically stormed (and taken) the castle.

[JaneQPublic]

1. Dr. Dean gets it.

Thanks for the post. It's an excellent read.

[moggie12]

2. Excellent post -- the populist economic message is what is needed

That's our Party's roots -- Andy Jackson fought for the working guy, and against the "speculators" out for a quick buck. I love Dean's populist message...

[bobbobbins]

3. I don't think the republicans are pleased Dean is the head of the DNC

I think they're scared shitless.

[liberalpress]

4. Take it from me..

I work at a right-wing talk radio station. They are extremely pleased, think of Dean as an angry loser, and consider his election a sure sign of a Republican in in '08

[NYCGirl]

5. Sounds like false bravado to me. NT

[liberalpress]

6. Me, too..

..but I think all right-wing talking points sound like false bravado, so don't go by me.

[janx]

22. And talking points. n/t

[fishwax]

23. I agree. If they were salivating about the thought of facing dean

than we wouldn't have had gop talking heads like novak and gop noise machines like fox saying what a horrible, just horrible, idea it would be for the dems to pick him.

[bobbobbins]

8. Yeah, i think they're just trying to convince themselves that its good

but deep down, they know they're in trouble

[madfloridian]

10. They have their talking points. The Dean thing is one of the points.

Talking points.

[KurtNYC]

19. They should talk to Rove

"Why Rove Fears Dean: He Might Be The 'Democratic Reagan'"

http://americanpolitics.info/apj/2003/03-11-13b.shtml

snip:
Rove is sure Gephardt would fail to win over voters in a face-to-face contest against Bush. After all, Gephardt never articulated a winning message in the past. He failed to make his case to the American people against Gingrich and now Bush. He failed to head off the abuses in the House or hold Republicans accountable for them. Under his leadership, Democrats lost ground year after year. Bush's hopes for 2004 rest with Richard Gephardt leading the Democrats to one more defeat. Rove fears Dean will lead Democrats to rousing victory.

That explains Rove's desperation. David Reinhard explains "Why Dean can win next November" in his article of that name: "Let us not be fooled by misguided conventional wisdom. Dean is a threat and Republicans better not ignore him." his is the considered judgment of two respected Republican pollsters -- Bob Moore and Hans Kaiser -- from Portland's Moore Information.

The GOP pollsters fear "Howard Dean can win because he believes in what he is saying, because he can semi-legitimately spin his record as governor into one of fiscal conservatism, and because he comes across as if he actually cares about people The difference between Howard Dean and the rest of the Democratic candidates is that Dean comes across as a true believer to the base but he will not appear threatening to folks in the middle."

[liberalpress]

29. Please consider...

that article referred to then candidate Dean. The republican party hacks where I work (and quite a few of the talk hosts are party stalwarts0 think that the republicans destroyed Dean in the primaries, painting him as a red-faced, angry screaming maniac. They think they plastered him with the dreaded "Liberal" label, a dangerous man who doesn't se anything wrong with legitimizing homosexual relationships.

Tht is the destroyed, discredited, powerless man they see as now in charge of an obsolescent party.

They believe their own rhetoric. And that will turn out to be the fatal flaw that leads to their demise.

[InvisibleTouch]

25. I hope they ARE pleased - and complacent!

Watching them get blindsided will be all the sweeter. :) :)

[mattclearing]

28. I said in another thread:the longer they underestimate him, the better n/t

[rigel99]

24. The Repukes

are scared right down to their greedy little bones.

They had to pay the media to take him down before Iowa...

he's got the money, and the broad support of the democratic base.

Dean is in, and he's taking names and kicking ass.

There will be a weeding out of corporate interests from
politics the likes of which you will never have seen, not even from a Kennedy.

Let's just pour a beer and enjoy the asskicking.

It's coming, hard and long... and if we can get election fraud in the hands of Dean, this will be his first major action!

Bring em on, Bushie babeeeeeee.... bring em on.....
Dean's cataloging your evil / criminal ways.....

[moggie12]

7. Nominating this for the home page

Just re-read this and like it even more than the first time. I love the "five-and-dime" analogy for one thing.

The problem with the Democrats in the past decade is that they've gotten too close to the "big money". We're not real Democrats if we're not screaming bloody murder about corporate giveaways, tax breaks for the mega-rich, etc.

You are exactly right about five-figure donations versus small donations. "Five and ten dollar donations" by millions of average Americans will send a message. I made a post to that effect, asking people to donate when Dean sends out his first request for money as DNC chair -- hundreds of thousands of small donations will show that we are all behind him and the Party's (new, hopefully) populist message. This was my post (kind of wordy, but it's in there somewhere):
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x1584144

I thought it was great that Kerry gave $1 million of his leftover funds to Dean and the DNC for their grassroots rebuilding effort. Much of the money Kerry raised was from small donors so it's enormously appropriate that it will be spent this way.

[liberalpress]

9. To praphrase "Fearless Leader"

I think the Republicans "mis-underestimate" us. Bouyed by ther own apparent grass-roots success in this last election, they now think they own the franchise.

WHile that may be true for now, Howard Dean owns the patent.

[zulchzulu]

11. Please don't let all his be all about Howard Dean

He'll have his chance to do his job, but let's not turn him into some "rock star"...we have work to do...not runway admiration walks.

If you really think that the Democrats are going to get enough money to run against the Repugs without corporate contributions, you have a lot to learn about politics. Dean (who worked a lot with IBM as VT governor) is no stranger to that reality.

[liberalpress]

12. Don't misunderstand me..

This is not all about Howard Dean. It's about you and me, and the guy next door and the guy across the street who hasn't voted in years because he thinks there's nobody out there who represents him.

It's not about refusing or not going after corporate donations. There are many so-called "blue" corporations who are alays willing to help.

What this is about is a broad political base. Wealth and power and privilege are small and narrow. The working class is broad and deep. I believe the Democratic Party is now in a poisition to regain the support it has abandoned during the past two decades.

[madfloridian]

13. It is about the fact that we got our message out.

I think the war and the Democratic support of it was the turning point. Now we notice and now we realize what was happening to our party.

And we can get our voices heard. Dean will have to please all, but other groups will have his back....one in particular called DFA. We plan to run candidates in primaries against Democrats who vote with Republicans on important issues. That will be us doing that, not him.

Howard Dean gave us the feeling we could do it, and once you see results you are empowered.

Of course they will need some corporate donations, but they are not getting as many now anyway. Much of their money is not the result of Terry or Kerry, but because we stayed and worked and donated.

[liberalpress]

15. ...and we are now providing something else.

We are providing hope. Republicans are the party of the present. Democrats should be the party of the future.

When Republicans say "look how good things are today. We did that," or response should be "Think of how good things will be tomorrow. Together, we can do that."

The party with the better vision of the future wins everytime.

[moggie12]

14. Very good points

Hero worship will be counterproductive -- Dean's populist economic message is what's important and shouldn't be overshadowed by cult worship. I hope Dean supporters don't get their expectations too high and be disappointed when the Party doesn't "change" overnight. It seems clear that Dean will lead the grassroots rebuilding effort while Reid, Pelosi on others lead the charge in regard to fighting Bush on the policy front.

As to your second point, also a very good one, it's critical that we realize we shouldn't and can't be "anti-corporate" or "anti-business". Sounding that way would be the death knell for the Party. Just like Dean did when he was a Governor, Dems need to work with the business community to increase our economic strength, create jobs, etc. Corporate contributions are not bad per se. They are only "bad" if taking them affects policy decisions (for example, if taking huge sums from the hedge fund industry results in Democrats not speaking out for the need for hedge fund regulation then I'd say we shouldn't take them).

[janx]

26. moggie--Dean's populist message is what attracted Deaniacs

to him in the first place. It's not about Dean. It's about all of us.

[Eloriel]

20. You're such a hoot, Zulch

Just can't help yourself being antagonistic in SOME way about Dean. Okay, go right ahead if you must. I think he'll win you over eventually.

And oh -- don't make him into a "rock star?" Too late. He already is. :D At least for some of us.

[zulchzulu]

27. I do stuff with DFA...but I guess I should...um...what?

I'm not "antagonistic" about Howard...I just don't think we should make it all "about Dean"...relax, my brother..er..sister.

[JNelson6563]

21. Don't misunderestimate the power of leadership

From the county level on up it makes a huge difference. The lack of leadership, or, as I like to call it, "leadership through apathy", has being the one of the biggest detriments to our party I can think of.

Slowly, bit by bit, this is changing and it goes from top to bottom. I hope you like change, there's about to be a lot of it. :-)

Julie--in on the takeover

[liberalpress]

30. Good point, julie..

..and remember this. We don't actually know how many people out there are hungry for what a populist candidate has to offer. I suspect a lot of Bush's support came from people mistaking him for a populist. Just imagine how well they'll recieve actual populists when we Democrats start fielding them.

[Placebo]

16. But you're forgetting the religious aspect of it...

you know, all those poor white folk who voted Republican last time around because of Jesus. How will Dean help capture those people? Wandering around convenience stores and taverns like some begger isn't going to hook them. The Republicans are a scary synergy between Big Business and Big Religion, how the hell is Dean, or anyone for that matter, going to pierce that shell? If it was all about economics, we'd have swept 2004 no problem.

[liberalpress]

17. About Democrats and religion...

Don't forget that the religious fundamentalists are a very small portion of the American religious community. There are vast numbers of "mainstream" Christians, Jews, Buddhists and others who have never been mobilized. The next elections will be won by the party that can expand and mobilize its base. I believe Republicans are nearing full capacity. Democrats have just begun.

[liberalpress]

18. Unabashed self-serving kick