Howard Dean: "Here's what we will do"

[Capn Sunshine]

This video of a Howard Dean speech from this morning in Oakland, CA.

THIS IS OUR MESSAGE for '06.

Learn it, live it, be it.

"We deserve real solutions, thoughtful solutions, fair solutions."

[madfloridian]

1. "we are our brother's keeper" Amen.

:hi:

[AuntiBush]

14. We Sure Are - Dr. Dean was GREAT & Inspiring!

With speeches like that, we have an excellent chance of gaining back the House & Senate this year!

Time to make another donation do Dean. :kick:

[theHOMOagenda]

2. Let me guess

which group will be asked to suspend their platform for the 'good of the party'?

I really want to get behind him but history had not been kind to glbt dems. We got behind Clinton only to have him initiate DOMA and DADT.

Are there any assurances that these solutions will work for glbt americans?

We deserve real answers, thoughtful answers and fair answers.

[madfloridian]

3. Perhaps the Republicans will address your concerns. Your username....

is rather disturbing.

[theHOMOagenda]

4. Well I don't want to disturb you...

but I think it is a reasonable question.

And my name and site are just a lampoon.

[madfloridian]

5. Dean and the DNC have spent much time, had conferences, fundraisers for...

and has written letters to the editors to people with the same concerns you appear to have. He has covered it thoroughly.

[Capn Sunshine]

7. Watch the speech

get back to me with any questions. I think "we are our brother's keepers" includes you, unless you think otherwise.

[AuntiBush]

15. Aww...

He gave real answers and they were packed with the truth. If you watched the entire clip you would know the Democrats stand for just that - complete cross the board fairness. How much more assurance does one need.

You're username is a bit off the wall.

[madfloridian]

21. Yep.

Your aww...said it well. It is a bit off the wall.

:hi:

[theHOMOagenda]

28. Whatever

Okay, this is clearly the wrong thread for this so I won't fill it up with pro-gay crap. But one thing first.

We all want the DEMs to succeed and take back or at least restore balance to the govt. But GLBT's are real people and here is the latest:

Gay Activists Confront Democratic Senators
by Lou Chibbaro Jr.
Gaywired.com
Monday Mar 27, 2006

Eight Democratic senators listened to complaints last week from gay activists that they and their party colleagues have hindered progress on gay rights, according to several participants in the meeting. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) was among Democratic senators who met with gay activists last week and heard criticism that their party’s positions on gay issues were often ’tortured’ and ’hair-splitting.’ The activists say that by remaining passive or by taking ambiguous and "tortured" positions on same-sex marriage and other hot-button gay issues, the senators and other Democrats are hurting the gay rights movement.

The sometimes-blunt remarks by the activists came at a March 16 meeting on Capitol Hill organized by Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) in her role as chair of the Senate Democrats’ Steering & Outreach Committee. The meeting was closed to the media and public.

Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) also attended, along with leaders of more than 20 prominent gay rights and AIDS organizations.

"We talked about the way appear to be largely passive, doing nothing affirmative on LGBT issues in ways that actually are problematic for us and harmful to the work that we do," said Kevin Cathcart, executive director of Lambda Legal Defense & Education Fund, who was among the gay leaders who spoke at the meeting.

Cathcart said he told the senators the gay and AIDS groups appreciated the Democratic senators’ overall support on gay and AIDS related issues. But, he said, he also told them that gay leaders were worried that Senate Democrats and the party generally were not responding in a visible and assertive way to attacks against gay marriage and other gay rights efforts by conservative Republicans and conservative religious advocacy groups.

"Particularly the rhetoric they use around the things like marriage, where instead of advocating for fairness and inclusion, they actually advocate discrimination," Cathcart said.

Cathcart was referring to statements by most Democratic senators, as well as most Democratic members of the House of Representatives, that they oppose gay marriage but support civil unions or domestic partnerships as the best means of strengthening same-sex relationships.

Howard Dean, chair on the Democratic Party and a former presidential candidate, has also said he opposes gay marriage while supporting civil unions.

Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry, the party’s presidential nominee in 2004, was not present at the meeting and he, too, backs civil unions, even supporting an amendment to his home state’s constitution that would ban gays from marrying.

Jim Manley, a spokesperson for Reid, said the meeting was part of the Democratic senators’ regular outreach efforts to constituency groups, including gay and AIDS groups. He said the meeting marked the third time the Steering & Outreach Committee has met with gay and AIDS group representatives during the past four years.

"These are important meetings for Senator Reid and the committee," Manley said while declining to comment on the issues discussed at the meeting. "We never talk about what is discussed at these meetings. It’s more conducive to frank discussion if we keep these meetings private."

Clinton’s office did not return calls seeking comment by press time.

Diana Bruce, director of policy and government affairs for the AIDS Alliance for Children, Youth & Families, said she and other representatives of AIDS groups briefed senators on issues such as the pending reauthorization of the Ryan White AIDS CARE Act.

Others briefed the senators on gay-related issues such as the status of a federal hate crimes bill and efforts to repeal the Pentagon’s "Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell" policy on gays in the military.

Just remember WE are giving our MONEY despite this!

and BTW.. if you are so upset with my name... why don't you visit my site, click on the link for THE RUTH ELLIS CENTER and give some money to help get some of the homo children abused and discarded by people who are afraid off the streets of Detroit.

THAT! is my homoagenda!

That being said... good luck to Dean.

[madfloridian]

29. Where did you get the idea we were anti-gay here?

I can not imagine you thought that at all. Of course we are not. Governer Dean has made so many overtures, and they are often rejected.

I don't think you will find any of us here anti-anything but war and George Bush.

If the gay community turns their back on Dean's efforts, then they are hurting themselves. The Republicans are not about to support that community overtly.

BTW Clinton is out of office.

[madfloridian]

6. Capn, here are a couple of other clips from CA news.

http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=local&id=4043888

http://cbs5.com/local/local_story_090185047.html

Thanks for sharing that.

[adnelson60087]

10. In the CBS article...here is a snip from a Con...

Danny Diaz, a Republican National Committee spokesman, said Dean was twisting the facts on immigration.

"While Republicans are engaged in a debate to reform immigration so it benefits our country as a whole, Dean and the
Democrats are focused on manipulating the subject in a way that benefits no one but themselves," Diaz said. "It is clear that the chair of the Democrat Party does not feel constrained by the truth or the facts."

This guy is a complete waste of space and time. I wonder what "facts" Diaz feels Dean twisted. Besides, if this guy's a republican, how can he recognize lies coming from anyone if he can't recognize those coming from BushCo.

[madfloridian]

11. Is he the one who said Dean was trying to pick a fight?

One of them quoted the GOP state chair, sitting on his couch...saying Howard Dean was picking a fight. LOL

Dean's been saying they were going to do this since last summer...and they have.

[AuntiBush]

16. Me Thinks The GOP Protests Too Much

and that folks is a good thing as it means they know they can't hold a candle to Dem's like Dean. He speaks for everyone with integrity, honor, and with the message that the Dems will bring back honest government again.

[madfloridian]

17. "divide people, scapegoat them, set them aside, point the finger at them"

From the CBS article and video....

"Nevertheless, Dean accused Bush and fellow Republicans of demagoguery in the immigration debate, saying it fit with a long-standing pattern. He cited the president's opposition to the University of Michigan's affirmative-action program and Bush's decision to "pick on" homosexuals -- an apparent reference to the gay marriage issue in the 2004 election.

"In 2006 it's immigrants. That's what their strategy is on the Republican side: divide people, scapegoat them, set them aside, point the finger at them," Dean said. "Well, that may be good for the Republican Party, but it's bad for America, and we're not going to do that.

[MissMarple]

8. K&R

I just love Howard Dean. :applause:

[Kurovski]

13. I must concur.

And may I now commend you upon your remarkably fine taste in Democrats? :-)

[adnelson60087]

9. I like this message, but we need more about Iraq and jobs

before we get overly excited. It is so good to hear an intelligent voice representing our side of the ledger, and we need some serious discussion about immigration. I think this issue is not a distraction, like the gay marriage bug-a-boo in 2004. This thing has legs and a well hashed out plan can really put us over the top in November.

[madfloridian]

12. The party leaders are NOT going to be specific...

about leaving Iraq. Dean can't be, so it is sort of left hanging.

If you listen to the speech, one part of the plan is jobs in the sector of alternative energy development.

[Hekate]

18. transcript link? Dr Dean is still on the job.

[madfloridian]

19. I don't think anyone has transcribed the home made video.

There is some text in the post I made above about the video clips. Here are a few notes I took from the long video, though.

I made a couple of notes from this;
Dean said:
"we need to enforce the borders", we need to make them more secure, but "not vigilantes". We need to hire the appropriate Federal authorities and train them.

He said 11 million will not "be rounded up and sent back." He said it was "nonsense proposed by far right wingers". He said the president has a responsibility to reign in the right wing extremists in his own party."

He made it clear that he would not stand behind any Democrat who put out "proposals like that".

The interesting part is where he told about his trip to Mexico with two congressmen (I have a write-up somewhere on this). They met with all 3 of the candidates running for president there. He said they let those 3 know that although the president has turned his back on them in Mexico, we as Democrats would not do that. I remember from an earlier account all at the meetings agreed that Mexico had a certain responsibility to stop encouraging its own people to cross the border.

And here is the link to his Mexico trip to meet with the presidential candidates.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=132&topic_id=2168684

WASHINGTON, Oct. 19 /U.S. Newswire/ -- Following is a statement from DNC Chairman Dean, Congressman Becerra, and Congressman Grijalva on visit to Mexico and immigration reform:

Having just returned from a two day visit to Mexico City, Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean and Democratic Congressmen Xavier Becerra (CA-31) and Raul Grijalva (AZ-7) issued the following joint statement on improving the relationship between the two countries:

"We are grateful first and foremost to the Mexican people for their hospitality and warmth during our visit to Mexico City. We are also grateful to the presidential candidates from all three parties who took time to meet with us at such a critical time in their campaigns. We did not go to Mexico to evaluate the candidates, but rather to develop working relationships with the country's future leadership. Few relationships are as important to the United States as that with our neighbors in Mexico. We walked away from our meetings confident that the people of Mexico understand that if we are to find viable solutions to our common problems, we have no choice but to work together.

" President Bush turned his back on Mexico and on President Fox after Mexico refused to support the U.S. invasion of Iraq. He was wrong to have done so. A strong relationship with Mexico is critical to the United States, particularly to addressing key issues like border security, drug trafficking, immigration, and economic issues critical to both countries.

"Sadly, President Bush's immigration proposal yesterday confirmed what we already knew: the Republicans in Washington are more interested in using immigration as an election issue than in finding a real solution. The Republican Administration and the Republican Congress may not be ready to lead, but Democrats are."

I also have some pictures of the visit at the link.

[Hekate]

20. Thanks much

[tomreedtoon]

22. Why a handheld camera? Where's the Party's camera?

It angers me that the Democratic Party has their leader there, a man with an important message, and they couldn't have a man with a tripod, a steady camera and a direct feed from the audio board set up. It would have made the video better...good enough for broadcast stations to run, at any rate.

Why should Dr. Dean have to depend upon amateurs - probably working WITHOUT the approval of the event organizers - to cover his speeches on the sly? Once again, the Democratic Party doesn't want to get its message out. In this case, it isn't the usual excuse of laziness; it's stupidity. (Unless it's deliberately trying to muzzle Dean.)

[madfloridian]

25. You make a good point.

You need to post it at the DNC blog. They pay attention there.

[tomreedtoon]

30. If the DNC is too stupid to bring a camera, it's their problem.

And if I, an ordinary Joe, can come to such a reasonable and logical thing, and these highly-paid party pro's didn't even think of it, then I suspect that the Republicans have already won a third term for Bush, law or no law.

[Kenergy]

23. Excellent! Thanks for that post Capn...

I like Dean.

[AtomicKitten]

24. AMEN * AMEN * AMEN -- Thanks Capn

[lojasmo]

26. PS the "Brother's keeper" speech was ripped from Obama

Still a good one. Howard Dean (and Obama...I guess) speaks for me!

[madfloridian]

27. Childish game, but here we go.

I betcha they have all said that at one time or another.

However, a search will find that a part of Dean's campaign. Starting in 2003, late 2002.

Not that it matters. They all quote each other. Just saying this tit for tat stuff is silly.

If you want I can do a search, but it is just silly.