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Edited on Fri Dec-31-04 03:38 PM by NoPasaran
A year ago Howard Dean was the front runner for the Democratic Presidential Nomination. We were two and a half weeks away from our expected triumph in Iowa, the first of a parade of victories which would lead to the convention in Boston and give George Bush that one-way bus ticket back to Crawford, Texas. And this strange wonderful movement called Dean For America which had come out of nowhere and was spreading like wildfire would be unstoppable in our determination to Take Our Country Back.
Of course things didn't happen exactly as we planned. Third place in Iowa. The scream. A month of desperation, of refusing to give up. I Am Howard Dean's Special Interest! And then the campaign was over, even though we would never use that word. And the reason we would not use that word is that it was the Dean presidential campaign which had ended, but the campaign of the Dean People continues.
Out of the ashes of Dean For America arose the phoenix, Democracy For America. We threw ourselves into the races of 2004, and we had our share of success. A lot of us went in not knowing a whole lot about nuts and bolts politics; we learned a lot by November. Now we need to assess our experiences and strengthen our organization. People are hungry for leadership---we can provide some, and teach others to become leaders themselves.
Everything I wanted a year ago I still want. This project of taking my country back turned out to be more difficult than it seemed back then. But I remain convinced that we do have the power to do it. Let us build on our victories and learn from our defeats. Onward to 2005!
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