Why this Vermonter supports Howard Dean...

I posted this on another thread that's getting buried. I'm giving that post it's own thread because I believe I raise a very important issue that I haven't seen talked about. And I want at least a few people to see it before it's buried into oblivion. The post is in response to being asked if people with candidates from their home states supports their hometown candidate. Here is my response:

I wouldn't support anyone else. Why? Because he was a great Governor who is honest, sensible, gets things done, works hard, has more energy than a room full of 8 year olds with ADHD and he has always done everything based on what he honestly believes is in the best interest of the people he serves...and it IS the people he serves. He also is the only one in the race whose last job was being the executive of a state for 12 years. He inherited a mess when he took that job and did a fine job cleaning it up and I think he's the most prepared to clean up the mess we find ourselves in now thanks to Bush. No matter how good any of the others are on any other number of issues...they don't have the recent executive experience of balancing budgets and running the show. Sorry, but foreign policy experience doesn't qualify anyone to handle the debt and economy issues. There are policy advisors and a cabinet to help in that area. Aside from that...anyone can get foreign policy right if they simply look at the facts and proceed in a fair, just and respectful way. It's common sense based on facts. But you can't just stick someone with none of the budget and financial experience in office because that's a lot more complicated and easy to screw up and make a bad call on.

Dean is the one I have faith in to fix the domestic messes. I don't see anyone else with the experience or ability to handle that. Graham perhaps, but it's been a long time since he was executive of a state and I have no idea what kind of job he did. Dean did awesome...which is why my state had a $10 million surplus this year when almost every other state is in dire straits.

eom

I just hope other people read it and think about what I said.

running for President. Yes, it's hard to believe that this little old lady from California would even know him, but in my search for politicians who were in favor of national health care I ran across him. I even thought back then, I wish he would run for President, but back then the race with Gore and Dubya had just began.

Then after a disappointing election I discovered DU. Many months later a DUer who called herself Centaurmyst started promoting Howard Dean on this site. We were all favorable to his platform then. I don't know what happened to Centaurmyst, but Howard Dean has surely loomed as a star in this campaign.

Thanks for the post assuring us that we are not wrong.

I believe "Centaurmyst" has her own Dean Blog!

But he's always been an honest, up front politician. But then any politician in Vermont who isn't doesn't last long. Integrity is a very big thing in these parts. :)

how long it's been since Centaurmyst 1st came to DU?

I come and go myself so I noticed she wasn't around the last few months especially since Dean is getting so hot, I started thinking of her.

I can't seem to find it now, and I did not bookmark it. They may still be here.

from Vermont about Dean! I have People from Vermont come into the Co-op where I work and they say .."Go Guv"! They like Dean, too!

I'm glad you wrote this out for us to read! Were you there that day that Dean started his campaign? I believe it was June 23, 2003? On a Monday? :kick:

Just wondering? :-)

I did get to see him in NH in June, though. I've seen him several times while he was governor, minus the crowds chasing him around, though. Vermonters are pretty laid back about seeing famous people, though. I am pretty certain I saw C. Everett Koop in my town a few weeks ago and no one was pestering him. Michael J. Fox and the Rockefellers own property nearby where I live and they don't get hounded here, either. We're a pretty casual bunch of people. A lot of Vermonters are going to local events to see our old Governor speak just because we're so amazed at the level of fire and rhetoric we're seeing from him. It's both exciting and a little novel to us because we hadn't seen that before. He's always been really dependable and steadfast. And he's saying the same kinds of things he always did...just in a much different way. You're putting your vote with the right guy.

I was so touched I copied it from the blog commnets:

Governor,

It's some years since we met at Riley Rink in Manchester after you signed Act 60 and not quite so many years since you were campaigning here as well. We were on opposite sides then, but I never doubted your sincere manner and have always had the greatest respect for you. Differences on one issue, do not preclude support on another. This Bennington County Republican, like so many others, is strongly supporting you. As Eisenhower once said, when asked about his party affiliation, I say "American".

Other bloggers, it took a lot of guts for the Governor to appear in our town to take the heat and try to explain the statewide property tax. Lesser men would have avoided it. Howard Dean doesn't duck issues! That's why all of us are here today.

As one "flatlander" to another, you're doing the right thing. No handlers, no fakes, no testing the waters. Just continue saying what you believe in. The GOP likes to talk about a "bit tent". "Dean for America" is the biggest tent this country's ever seen. God's speed, good luck and go easy on the donuts!

Posted by Joe in Vermont at August 31, 2003 02:17 PM

I'm pretty sure that it started because a little girl in a poor town sued the state because her school wasn't as good as the schools in richer towns. She argued that she was entitled to as good an education as the kids in wealthier towns. She won. Just like with Civil Unions, Dean could have avoided addressing the issue...but he didn't. Act 60 makes the school funding even throughout the state. A lot of people from rich towns were really mad because some of their property tax dollars were going towards the funding of schools in poorer towns. There are still some adjustments being made to ACT 60, and has been throughout it's existence. But that's to be expected. Again, Dean has always chosen to do the right thing over the easy thing...and despite how mad Vermonters have gotten at him when he goes against the grain in this way...we respect him all the more because he stood his ground on principle. How can you argue with that, no matter how much you don't like it? You just can't.

I never really understood why rich people get better schools than poor people. I guess if I had kids and high property taxes I would be complaining, too, but it just seems like common sense.

I'm glad you liked it.

And it's going to happen. It has to!

I don't think it could ever be prevented at this point. Almost 100,000 on meetup, over triple that signed up on the campaign website. He's going to break Clinton's record for the highest quarter fundraising for a Democrat this quarter of over $10 million...and Clinton was an incumbent president when he did it. There are so many Dean "foot soldiers" out there pounding the pavement bringing more people in that there's just no way to combat it...Bush could raise a billion dollars and still not be able to stop Dean.

thanks for reviving it.

for the morning crowd...

:) :bounce:

and another gratuitous kick just because I think these points are really important!

He comes across as very competent, rational, and willing to do what is right and defend himself from the consequences when that isn't popular. I think he'll make a great President.

There will be times when he'll make you mad as hell at him, but when all is said and done, he rarely gets things wrong. Not only does he know his stuff, but he won't cave in to pressure when he knows he's doing the right thing. Stubborn as a mule, he is. Oh, and as you can see by the whole Delay thing, he's not in the least bit afraid of the press.

For those who missed this.