Dean explains strategy about the party to Matt Bai, NYT audience, audio

[madfloridian]

http://journals.democraticunderground.com/madfloridian/182

Added to my journal because it is getting lost in GD. This is an audio of the interview done for Sunday With the Times in June. He is very outspoken, very clear on what he is doing.

He said one thing for sure that stuck out...he said we have to work in all fifty states to overcome that pastors are preaching in churches that they will go to hell if they vote for a Democrat. And that has happened here, and it is true.

If what is going on at DU is any indication, he may not get a chance to fully complete the plan. However it is important to understand it.

[madfloridian]

1. From June 4 CUNY graduate center....

August 01, 2006
Random Links
The New York Times posts an interesting interview of DNC Chairman Howard Dean by contributing writer Matt Bai as part of their TimesTalks podcast series.

Take Back the Capitol is an open source political video project where anyone can submit a short clip in response to the question "Why must we overturn Republican control of Congress?"

Categories: Media Buzz

http://politicalwire.com/archives/2006/08/01/random_lin...

Here is the link for the interview in Quicktime.
http://www.nytmarketing.com/talk/podcasts.html

Yes, it was on June 4th.

Sunday June 4
The New York Times Presents ''Sunday With The Magazine''
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 24, 2006--The New York Times Company (NYSE:
NYT):
A New TimesTalks Event With New York Times Magazine Editors and
Writers in Conversations With Some of Today's Headline Makers and
Trendsetters Including:

HOWARD DEAN, KARL LAGERFELD, OMAR MINAYA, JAMES BLUNT,
DAVE LIEBERMAN, DAISY MARTINEZ, GAIL SHEEHY, DEBORAH BERKE,
THOMAS JAYNE, VINCENTE WOLF AND MARK DANNER

Sunday, June 4, 10 a.m. - 10 p.m.
The CUNY Graduate Center, New York City

[madfloridian]

2. Mentions appt of right wing Christians to CDC and FDA

Bai mentions Lieberman as the centerpiece of a change in party ideology. Dean says his job is to get Democrats elected...he says DNC does not endorse incumbents either.

He wants to grassroots to have the full ability to express themselves even if it "makes some people uncomfortable".

[Cha]

3. It's really incredible how the

faux christians have taken over American pulpits and are preaching the opposite of what Christ was all about!

This Preacher is innovative and got a big write up in the nyt..

"After refusing each time, Mr. Boyd finally became fed up, he said. Before the last presidential election, he preached six sermons called “The Cross and the Sword” in which he said the church should steer clear of politics, give up moralizing on sexual issues, stop claiming the United States as a “Christian nation” and stop glorifying American military campaigns."

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x1763069

[madfloridian]

4. That took such courage from him.

We have a bunch of our Southern Baptist preachers here who need to get some courage.

[madfloridian]

5. Some more transcript from the interview. Bai did a good job.

Download by right click for WMP.

Matt Bai interview:

Very long welcoming ovation.

Bai says this unique politician admits he sometimes says things he should not say. Transformational figure in Democratic politics.A rare bridge between the last era of Democratic politics and the next.

Bai: He is notoriously frugal...some would say cheap. (audience laughs)

This is a guy who searches for his own flights on line because he wants to save the Committee money. He is a chocoholic. He is a junky for sugar. (laughter again as people know that and worry about it)

Bai says Dean has confided that he has told his kids they can do anything they want in life as long as it is not journalism. (much laughter.)

Bai was traveling with him to Las Vegas, then he went with him to Anchorage, Alaska. From Alaska to Portland, OR, then to Pittsburgh. Flights were grounded in Pittburgh so Dean drove to get to NY for the interview.

More later.

[madfloridian]

6. He fears if we get back in power, we won't do the things we need to do.

(I am going to keep adding to this post. This was a very important interview, and I know some will listen and read this...and that will make it worth it. This is transformational politics...and it won't be easy.)

Bai asked why he decided to seek the leadership of the party. Dean says he did not get his first choice (joke), a 3rd party would just not work, would be too bloody and divisive. He decided the best way to serve his country was to try to reinvigorate the Democratic Party.

Dean says he wants to put in a real long term business plan for success, win the 2006 elections so at least we can stop the hemorrhaging that is going on in the country and build a base from there.

He then says that if we succeed, which he has every intention of doing is that it is harder to change an institution which is in power than one which is out of power. But he doesn't think the American people can afford to have a weak Democratic party anymore.

The fear is they would say ok now we are back in power, things are ok. His 2nd greatest fear after not winning is that if we do we fail to get health care, we fail to raise the minimum wage, fail to start to balance the budget...

He says the Demcratic party has essentially been "non-functional as party" for about 30 years. The last race that was actually won by the "party" was in 1968.

The functions of the party have been taken over by the campaigns. (he is right about that totally.) He says he thinks Kerry's GOTV effort was terrific, but that was "John Kerry's GOTV effort" and the DNC played a secondary role.

He says the "party" has not really been driving things, but that is true on the Republican side.

More later.

[Norquist Nemesis]

8. As usual, he's absolutely correct! n/t

[bklyncowgirl]

7. That was a really nice interview

One of the things I appreciate about Howard Dean is that he really does have a comprehensive idea of the way he would like to move the party and the country and is able to express it in a straightforward and entertaining manner.

I also get the impression that he's not bullshitting us--at least not too much.

I haven't heard him in a long, non-adversarial interview in quite a while and this was a treat.