Welcome to Crawford, Howard Dean....from Wayne Slater's blog.

[madfloridian]

Howard Dean started the day in Crawford, Texas. Wayne Slater points out that he was greeted enthusiastically as he got off the bus by...a PUMA.

Welcome to Crawford, Howard Dean


Howard Dean Visits George W. Bush's Hometown

Howard Dean might have gotten a bit more than he bargained for today when he jumped off his bus this morning in Crawford to launch a multi-state Democratic Party registration drive. The first person he met was Guila Jackson, who demanded that the party put Hillary Clinton's name into nomination at this summer's national party convention.

"We want a nominee who's elected, not selected," she said, gripping Dean's hand as he sought to get away. Jackson's part of a pro-Hillary group, PUMA - Party Unity my Ass. When the Democratic chief finally broke away, he found himself face to face with Dixie Barton of Waco, a Republican who gave him an earful about Congressional support for AIDS funding in Africa and Democratic opposition to oil exploration off the U.S. coast.

While in Crawford this morning Dean suggested that the ranch would make a good retirement home.

Dean in Crawford



Dean spoke for about 15 minutes in Crawford, hitting on Democratic themes such as opposition to the war in Iraq, the economy and healthcare.

Dean noted that his appearance in Crawford was designed to make a statement in the shadow of the Republican leader’s ranch, joking that he was looking forward to seeing the ranch become “a retirement home.”

The Democratic chairman called on Texas Democrats to help others register to vote and to talk to them about voting for Sen. Barack Obama.

“One of the things we’ve discovered is you can run all the television you want and have all the robo calls you want, but if you want to make a real difference you’ve got to knock on your neighbor’s doors,” he said.

Dean also equated Obama’s opponent, Sen. John McCain, to George W. Bush, calling it a third term for the current president.

Then the bus headed to Austin for the Register for Change official Kick-off at Netroots Nation.

Register for Change Tour Hits Austin

At noon (central time) today, Howard Dean's Register for Change bus tour came to Austin. This was after hitting Crawford earlier in the day, where Dean reported that about 100 people attended the rally.

The Kos post makes clear that "Register for Change isn't in Austin only because Netroots Nation is here. This tour is part of the voter registration effort that will aim to get new voters all around the country, even in traditionally red areas. In other words, this is the fifty state strategy in action."

[Muttocracy]

1. Dean needs Secret Service. sigh.

[damntexdem]

2. He didn't get more than be bargained for, just a little inconvenience.

It's just that there are some nasty critters infesting Texas, so one must be able to handle them.

[madfloridian]

3. Chris Bowers just posted his Dean interview at Open Left...VERY interesting.

http://www.openleft.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=7006

He debunked the Hillary on the ballot ads...short and sweet.

I just had a twenty-minute interview with Howard Dean. Three important notes:

At the rally beforehand, there were chants of "four more years." When asked if he would run for another term, he said that he wasn't thinking about it. In fact, he said that since Barack Obama would be the next President, and since the President traditionally chooses the next DNC chair, he did not anticipate being around for four more years. In short, he was happy with his term, and wasn't running again.

When asked about the ads criticizing him and Speaker Pelosi for Clinton supposedly not being on the ballot at the convention, he scoffed. Clinton will be on the ballot at the convention, and will be speaking there. Dean indicated that the rules were so clear on this matter, that the groups running these ads and spreading these rumors must be associated with the other internet rumors going around, such as Obama being a Muslim. He also speculated that McCain supporters might be behind these rumors.

That ad was by the Denver Group...and the PUMAs say the same.

Dean said that his main goal as chair has been to build a permanent political operation for Democrats in all fifty states, and that this goal is on the brink of being accomplished. He also said that he thinks there is no going back from the fifty-state strategy, and that this sort of broadly based political operation is here to stay for Democrats even after he is no longer chair. He was clearly very proud of this accomplishment. I was clearly in love with him.

Jonathan and McJoan will have the complete audio up later today at Daily Kos and MyDD.

[madfloridian]

8. "In short, he was happy with his term, and wasn't running again."

From Chris's interview:

"At the rally beforehand, there were chants of "four more years." When asked if he would run for another term, he said that he wasn't thinking about it. In fact, he said that since Barack Obama would be the next President, and since the President traditionally chooses the next DNC chair, he did not anticipate being around for four more years. In short, he was happy with his term, and wasn't running again."

[blogslut]

4. Aww, poor lonely PUMA

Incidentally, Howard's bus is teh awesome!



link: http://news.yahoo.com/nphotos/slideshow/photo//080715/480/d19a547c86744e068e89ef49293e2a63/

[sniffa]

5. Ah, they're such luntaics

Where was her sign? :shrug:

[ceile]

6. Crap!

If I had known he was in Austin, would have gone to see him. Looks like he was out front city hall....

[madfloridian]

10. He's giving the keynote tonight at 7:30..

The C-Span bus is there, but nothing on the schedule there yet.

[Bob Dobbs]

7. PUMA's for McCain

Not Democrats, never were.

[madfloridian]

9. Welcome to Austin, Howard Dean...more from Wayne Slater's blog.

Slater is the author of Bush's Brain.

Welcome to Austin, Howard Dean



Democratic Party chief Howard Dean got a better response in Austin at a noon rally adjacent to the Netroots conference.

"The South is going to rise again and when it does, it's going to be with a D," he said.

[madfloridian]

11. Rochester Turning blog has more plus a video clip at Netroots Nation.

http://rochesterturning.com/2008/07/17/howard-dean-at-netroots-nations-rally/

[madfloridian]

12. In case you missed it...Dean debunks the complaints from the PUMAs and Denver Group

From Chris Bowers at Open Left.

Interview with Dean

I just had a twenty-minute interview with Howard Dean. Three important notes:

At the rally beforehand, there were chants of "four more years." When asked if he would run for another term, he said that he wasn't thinking about it. In fact, he said that since Barack Obama would be the next President, and since the President traditionally chooses the next DNC chair, he did not anticipate being around for four more years. In short, he was happy with his term, and wasn't running again.

When asked about the ads criticizing him and Speaker Pelosi for Clinton supposedly not being on the ballot at the convention, he scoffed. Clinton will be on the ballot at the convention, and will be speaking there. Dean indicated that the rules were so clear on this matter, that the groups running these ads and spreading these rumors must be associated with the other internet rumors going around, such as Obama being a Muslim. He also speculated that McCain supporters might be behind these rumors.

I posted this elsewhere, but this should shut up a few people who might spend their ad money to do away with someone's campaign debt.

[madfloridian]

13. As the bus pulls away...a fight erupts over whether Obama is a Muslim.

More from Wayne Slater.

Hoping for a Democratic win in the South

As the bus pulled away, Ms. Barton, the Republican, and John Hampton of Waco, a staunch Democrat, got into an argument over whether Mr. Obama is a Muslim.

“His mother is a Christian,” said Mr. Hampton.

“Don’t attack me. I’m not your enemy, Obama’s your enemy,” said Ms. Barton.

The squabble escalated. He chided her for “saying those dumb things” and she countered with, “Who are you the authority of? You don’t know what you think you know.”

The bus was gone by now, carrying Mr. Dean and the message about how Mr. Obama would bring us together. But not here, not yet.

Thanks, Howard, for braving the political climate there in Crawford.

[liberal1973]

15. ;)

This Barton repub is a idiot.
(“Don’t attack me. I’m not your enemy, Obama’s your enemy,” said Ms. Barton.)

Now we know that the village that's missing the idiot is in the vicinity. :silly:

[awoke_in_2003]

14. PUMA is nothing but

Republican disruptors. There was a video out there of an interview of two of them on Fox. The guy was talking, and he swore he had voted for Democrats for the last 18 years. Thirty seconds later, he said he didn't want to see the DNC do to him what the RNC did to him in 2000. They are republican plants who can't even keep their talking points straight.

[madfloridian]

16. He's in Louisiana today.

Haven't seen anything about it yet.