Dean Pledges to Rebuild Democratic Party in Conservative Regions

[Placebo]

New national Democratic Chairman Howard Dean promised Saturday to rebuild the party in the most conservative regions of the country, help develop state and local organizations and let congressional Democrats set the tone on policy.

Electing Dean on a voice vote during their winter meeting, Democrats put the party's leadership in the hands of the skilled fund-raiser and organizer whose sometimes caustic, blunt comments can lead to controversy. The physician now must contend with a state-by-state political map in which Republican red overwhelms Democratic blue.

"I'll pretty much be living in red states in the South and West for quite a while," Dean told reporters. "The way to get people not to be skeptical about you is to show up and say what you think."

The normally outspoken Dean appeared to be trying to shift his role from flamboyant presidential candidate to cautious party chairman.

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[stray cat]

1. I think Dean can do it.

[Rhiannon12866]

3. I do, too. This gives me hope. n/t

[Dr Fate]

2. As long as the PC DEMS dont freak out on him, he can do it.

Just dont take him out of context like what was done with his confederate flag decal comment- let him do his job!

[Downtown Hound]

4. I think he can do it

His main focus should be on getting people that normally don't vote in these conservative areas to come out and vote. That would tip the balance back in our favor.

[hippiechick]

5. "Flamboyant" Presidential candidate ?

Dean ?

No, Mr. "Photo op on an Aircraft Carrier in a flight suit with a stuffed jock" is FLAMBOYANT.

But that's just my opinion.

[AlinPA]

6. Rove-controlled media will go all out to trash him.

[NEOBuckeye]

9. Oh, Fuck Karl Rove already! He can't trump the will of The People!

If he has even a fraction of the political sense that people say that he has, he ought to be quaking in his boots right now at the prospect of a grassroots-revitalized Democratic Party.

I say, "bring it on!" They tried trashing Dean once already. But you can't keep a good man down. Now he's back and so are the Democrats!

[98geoduck]

17. Rove is gonna get his ass handed to him by Dean.

Not much dirt to dig up on Howard, and Dean is savvy to his methods. Should be some interesting times ahead.

[HereSince1628]

7. Well if he means Wyoming, I want my DNC contribution back!

I'll be disappointed if the Laurentide states get forgotten again.

I guess planting a new vineyard is flashier than doing the maintenance on the old one.

[Eloriel]

8. ???? What are you saying?

Really. I don't understand any of it.

He plans to spend a lot of time in the Red states which have been so ignored and forgotten that they're in serious disarray. This is part of his 50-state strategy of "showing up." Showing up in 50 states is part of his strategy to get Dems elected at all sorts of levels on the way to getting a Dem elected to the White House and basically building the party up again to what it used to be, grassroots-wise.

Isn't Wyoming a Red state? He'll be there. What are the Laurentide states? I've never heard that term.

Why do you think you'll be disappointed? From everything I know, Wyoming will be prime real estate in Dean's plans -- as will be most of the South and West.

[HereSince1628]

10. Laurentide states are those that form Laurentia

I have nothing against a 50 state strategy, indeed any Democratic strategy better be a 50 state strategy.

But if it means spending 99% of the effort in recent red states and 1% in the few states that were recently blue, I still will feel taken for granted.

We also have senatorial races to win, we also have congressional delagattions to build, and we have more electoral votes to worry about hanging onto than the great basin and rocky mountain states.

And like you most democrats don't even think of us as a region, most of the country just thinks of us as rusty.

[Rainscents]

11. Dean said... I will be in red state for a while.

He didn't say, he was going to be there for 4 years.

[Eloriel]

20. Laruentia

not exactly a common reference.
http://www.google.com/search?q=Laurentia&sourceid=mozilla-search&start=0&start=0&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official
Thanks ever so much for the non-reply.

[TroglodyteScholar]

12. Oh, thank Bob

Maybe we'll get a few glimpses of him down here, then. GA could be a Dem stronghold if we could just get some people off of their asses.

[Cha]

13. Right, Dean was real "Flamboyant"..!

As opposed to a retarded chimp.


I am so down with this..

"Dean says that no one is "pro-abortion," but "we are the party in favor of allowing women to make up their own minds about their health care."

And Democrats are not for "gay marriage," but "we are the party that has always believed in equal rights under the law for all people," he says.

Democrats should never be on the defensive about their stance on national security, according to Dean, because they were the first to recognize the need for a Department of Homeland Security and the need to invest more in strengthening homeland defense.

Dean is determined to seize the moral high ground from Republicans, arguing that Democratic values to help the poor and protect children are more in line with religious values than Republican tax cuts for the wealthy and budget cuts for social programs."

[w4rma]

14. I think Dean is often 'misunderestimated'. (nt)

[Stepup2]

15. I think he can do it too

What he can't do, is please everybody all the time, including many dems.

He needs to explain where he stands very clearly and very carefully, especially on the hot button issues. And we all need to be just as clear so that the discussions on issues are not taken out of context, or blown into feeding frenzy material on either side.

[Nashvilliberal]

16. He's the perfect man for the job

Perhaps the best at skillfully articulating Democratic positions in such a way that middle Americans would want to be included. He gives me hope.

[Adenoid_Hynkel]

18. Hey Dean, come to WV and give anti-choice republicrat Joe Manchin hell!!!

and build up support for our great Senator Robert Byrd's reelection- He's gonna need every bit he can get!

[Adenoid_Hynkel]

19. "flamboyant presidential candidate"

gotta love that lib'rul media!

"Hell, son, yew know who else they call flayboyant? Them hom-o-sexuals, that's who!"