Dean and DNC have hired new pollsters...discusses new poll on C-Span.

[madfloridian]

I will try to transcribe it from the tape from earlier. It is very interesting how he is talking about it. He spends a lot of time on the 27% they say went Republican as a backlash against the Democrats, perhaps earlier than this last year. This is the group he thinks we need to pay a lot of attention to.

He said they have real fears that their children are being put in danger by the Democrats, and he says that we are not addressing those fears properly.

Mehlman is on now, Dean should be on at about 10:25 or 10:30. This was an excellent speech, and it was well received.

One of the highlights to me of the speech was the way he referred several times to how happy he was George Bush had endorsed civil unions. He lingered on the topic, and then he said that Cheney shared those views as well. I think it is good he emphasizes that in speeches. He takes delight in it.

He makes it clear that government had no business in the Schiavo issue, none at all. He also goes after the Social Security personal accounts and blasts Bush for proposing them.

If I can find it again, there is an article by a Jeffers from Louisiana, who was on the DNC transition team. He said it was hard, intense work, very involved. He said there were meetings with governors and mayors and more. Most intense planning he had seen. I will see if I can find it again.

[Erika]

1. I saw Dr. Dean in Tennessee on CSpan earlier

He brought up these 27% who think that democrats don't have moral values. Dr. Dean did an excellent job in explaining the democrats are the ones with real moral values.

[FreedomAngel82]

6. Will there be a video of this anywhere?

I know CSPAN will have it up. And is there any repeats coming up? I missed it. :(

[madfloridian]

2. Here is the article about the intense transition.

http://www.2theadvocate.com/stories/040305/opi_shields001.shtml

SNIP..."For most people, being holed up in Washington for 30 days working 15 hours a day, seven days a week wouldn't sound like that much fun. But Ben Jeffers dived right in. The former Louisiana Democratic Party chairman recently completed a month-long stint in the nation's capital as part of the transition team for new Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean. The duty involved meeting with Democratic state party chairpeople, governors and mayors as part of Dean's plan to rebuild the Democratic Party from the ground up.

"It was pretty intense," Jeffers said. "It was certainly the most intense transition team that I've ever been part of."

Nationally, Democrats are still reeling from their close election loss to President Bush in November. And no clear Democratic frontrunner has emerged for the 2008 presidential race. The recent election was particularly bruising in Louisiana, where Bush won with 58 percent of the vote and voters elected their first Republican senator in more than a century.

Jeffers, however, is not dismayed. Though some have questioned the selection of Dean as party chairman, Jeffers is enthused about the former Vermont governor's plans for the party.

"I'm not at all down about our prospects," said Jeffers, who operates his own management consulting firm. "I think the party needed someone to come in and restructure the party from the grass roots up and that is what he is doing."

[Eloriel]

4. OMG - what a concept

ASK the people what they want/need/etc.

The duty involved meeting with Democratic state party chairpeople, governors and mayors as part of Dean's plan to rebuild the Democratic Party from the ground up.

Alone among the Presidential nominees, he listened to the people. That also changed HIM, which he was very upfront about and I observed the changes in him as time went on. Some of his positions on things softened or became more liberal (the Palestinians was just one). It was a joy to behold.

I don't think non-Deaniacs ever fully appreciated to what an extent Howward Dean made the difference he did, had the following he did, because he LISTENED to The People, and because he genuinely, GENUINELY wanted and intended to give power BACK to The People, something that was so revolutionary, SO unacceptable that they had to stop him.

And at times like this, as I tear up thinking of what might have been and what we "lost," I always have to remind myself of what I think it was Ted Rall said -- "At least they didn't kill him."

I am convinced in my heart that he really was THAT dangerous.

[madfloridian]

5. Eloriel, here is something I posted that is archived now.

Oddly enough, look at the source. This is quite interesting.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

I seldom quote the Washington Times, since it is part of the Rev. Moon
empire. However, for some unknown reason they sometimes have fair articles
about Howard Dean. This is a good one. I will also send another article in
another mail. He went after Rick Santorum last night.

http://washingtontimes.com/national/20050328-125300-2917r.htm

The brothers Dean
"I thought Jim Dean made sausage."
Such is one familiar refrain whenever conversation of late turns to brothers
Howard Dean and Jim Dean, who together, one might argue, are steering the
Democratic Party into the 21st century.

We know the former as a past governor of Vermont and unsuccessful 2004
presidential candidate who recently took control of a Democratic National
Committee in need of jump-starting. The latter isn't as well-known.

"Let me introduce my brother, Jim Dean -- the new chair of Democracy for
America," Howard Dean told a Washington audience recently. "Jim has been a
tireless supporter of the grass roots and ... like many of you, he wasn't
very political until recently. He was drawn into political life because of
his deep concern for the credibility of our political process."

And whereas Howard Dean is the new chairman of the DNC, Jim Dean, in his
brother's absence, has become chairman of Democracy for America (DFA), a
political action committee inspired by Howard Dean's presidential campaign.
Founded one month after he withdrew as a candidate for the Democratic
nomination for president, the DFA supports progressive candidates -- from
school boards to the White House -- while fighting "the far- right-wing and
their radical, divisive policies and the selfish special interests that for
too long have dominated our politics."

Bottom-line goal: rebuild the Democratic Party from the ground up.
"It really started out as an initiative similar to what Ralph Reed did
during the 1980s -- trying to bring back progressive politics into places
that have not had progressive politics for a long time," Jim Dean tells
Inside the Beltway, referring to the former Christian Coalition leader who
gave voice to a "silent majority" that has since propelled Republicans to
the White House. A former market researcher, Jim left the business world in 2001 to, as
he tells this column, "hit up family and friends for money because nobody
had heard" of Howard.

"I must say it was a remarkable campaign," Jim says. "And what he is
doing now, in many ways, is more remarkable than his running for president.
He got up off the ground to keep this job going." Last year, the DFA supported 800 candidates for local, state and national office. This election off-year, it has kept busy drafting state
referendums and opposing President Bush's partial-privatization plans for
Social Security. In the past six weeks, the DFA has expanded from 350 to 470
groups in all 50 states. For all that, Jim credits Howard.
"He's sure worked hard enough," he says. "He'll outwork just about
anybody."

[Voltaire]

8. You hit the nail on the head

and that is exactly what made him dangerous...to BOTH parties. No politician in this day and age believes in the PEOPLE having the POWER. Except Howard Dean. Which is why I still love him and still hope he is my President some day.

[madfloridian]

9. In the book, he tells how he changed on the campaign trail.

There were big changes in his views and his reactions to things. Very interesting.

[OzarkDem]

10. MBWA

Management by walking around - you can't beat it for effectiveness in turning an organization around.

This is all very encouraging news, now he has to work on our leaders inside the Beltway - that may be a little more difficult. Somehow I think he's up to the job.

[madfloridian]

11. MBWA....I had never heard that.

Thanks, I like that one. Yes, that is what he is doing.

[Cha]

3. Always with the progress..

Democratic Chairman Dean!

Gotta love him!

[FreedomAngel82]

7. I think he's doing great!

I'm so proud to have him as our chairman and one thing I really think is great is how he's on the road and working together with people and we're working for our goals as a party. Mr. Dean is doing great!