I am a proud supporter of Howard Dean and DFA.

I am reading threads the last few days that number into the hundreds. They are worded to marginalize us. Then they are continued until most everyone gets in a few words.

I am also watching our party the last few days. I am stunned at the votes I have seen. Yet if I criticize, I am kept after for ages. And Dean's name is evoked, and he is made fun of for not having a handy, ready to wear label pinned on.

So I don't mind that I am called rabid, because I am now. I am also cranky now, as I have been called. I have lost my country, and I am cranky.

We have in effect lost any control over our country. I am proud to support a man who had the courage to try to wake the party up, to try to get some change.

But now we are already planning for the next Southern Christian governor, who in the words of a local DECer.....will not offend Republicans.

I am proud I am a Deaniac... I am not proud of the party and their votes this week. They caved in....and they are going to cave in about womens' rights and gay rights if you keep making fun of someone like Howard Dean who won't cave on those issues.

And not being ashamed of it. If the party wants to go that way, so be it.

Dean was right on gun control though. We in the midwest and west and south, for that matter feel a lot differently about that issue than big city people, as a lot of people in these parts of the country are hunters. That was an issue in the last election, no matter what anyone says. You still have the freedom to think what you like. So does everyone else.

We should not do that at a Democratic forum.

and the will lose again against these mean people

the rw doesn't care about issues - they only care that photographs of bush have the usa seal around his head - and that they think he is their guide to God

they don't care about people, killing, or any of the things they say - abortion is an issue because they want more little christians -

that is the same as catholic church - if the church becomes irrelevant all of these preachers and congress people are out of a job and they will have to live like the rest of us

right now congress is more interested in keeping jobs that pay more than any other job they could have in the usa

This is Goddess40's mom. I love Howard Dean and although I worked my butt off for Kerry I never thought he was a better candidate than Dean. Dean stands up for what he feels is right and is not a caver. The DNC did a number on him in favor of Kerry. I do not know if Dean would have fared any better than Kerry but they could never have pinned the "flip flop" name on him. On the other hand, the press was horribly unfair to Kerry while bending over backward to kiss Bush's butt. Until the Democrats get some cojones and take on the press and the Repukes we will never pull ourselves out of this hole. It does not good to pacify them in hopes they will throw us a bone.

No doubt about that. I don't think anyone from our side would have won this time.

He was and would have been attacked much more and much dirtier. Dean - the people empowered candicate not mincing his words - was the guy the establishment, Rove and DLC alike and especially corporate media, was afraid of.

Yes, the fascists and their corporate media lackeys might have won against Dean, but against Dean it would have been pyrrhic victory, after a campaign that instead of just offering softer, smarter version imperialism as alternative to blatant fascist colonialism (I'm talking from outside US, mind you) would have gotten much of the truth out and energized people. DLC's choise of sculls and bones candidate left nothing but wreck, postponing the rebuilding of your society by years.

but Dean had the flip flopper label pinned on him in the primaries. I can only imagine what he would have looked like after the VRWC spent a few hundred million dollars amplifying his every flaw -- of which he had more than his share.

bush the idiot who is the FUCKING FLIP FLOPPER!

you're a broken record.

being afraid, and start standing for what you believe?

about being labeled as a flip flopper. He never pointed bush's failings out.

Dean would have taken bush and his rovian bullshit to task. Kerry brought a knife to a gunfight. Dean would have arrived in a tank.

excellent analogy :D

I agree with my mom 100%

I'm right with ya!

bumpersticker off my car..there was never any point in not supporting Dean for what he has done for our Country.

I can't believe the dems who voted for that budget bill..what good are they as Dems?

I wish we would have had a chance to see what Kerry could have done as President..I know he's still out there fighting for us in Congress.

And as the fascists take over our Nation..I take solace in the few who are fighting and won't give in.

I would like to hear an explanation from my Senators from New York..Clinton and Schumer..as to just why they felt it necessary to vote yes on this budget bill.

ill be there.

I STILL think he'd have made a great candidate. It's about time we got somebody with backbone. And we need him now, more than ever. I did move over to the Kerry camp, once he was the nominee. But I NEVER stopped loving or supporting or believing in Howard Dean. And I never will. He's never given me any reason to lose faith in him.

I, too, am PROUD and UNAPOLOGETIC about being a Deaniac. And I am NOT proud of our party for caving in. ON ANYTHING.

--snip--

It became clear in 2000 to most of the world and to those here who were paying attention that democracy was a label with limited content. The past three years have proven that this government is of, by and for corporate and secret agendas as well as grave and murky think tanks. Through citizen action led by Howard Dean, that oozing, creeping paradigm is being radically challenged. Radical means going to the root. Saying we want our country back means that we want the truth of America's original mission statement to be reinstated. It says that we want to be reintegrated into the fabric of what we believe about ourselves and what we have broadcast to the world that we are.

But to many Americans is there a comfort in having the king, as played by George Bush, run the show? Is there a quiet preference for a monarchy? Would we rather seek comfort in a feeling of helplessness and indifference and then scorn and distrust of those who have abandoned helplessness and indifference for activism? I think Howard Dean is almost like a human sacrifice to this impulse that wants to silence the person that says, Get up!

Howard is a practical visionary - almost poetic in his common sense. There is a Yankee universality to him that would turn Air Force One into a necessary even hallowed vehicle as opposed to a scary cargo plane - an executive jet.

Inherent in the word president is the verb preside - to preside over the proceedings and activity of the country. Preside does not preclude leading. Provoke, challenge, inspire and then preside over the debate, the negotiation, the legislation. Howard is attentive and engaged. Thoughts have a chance - ideals have an arena - evolution is given the hope of progress.

http://www.commondreams.org/views04/0113-08.htm

Thank you, Howard.

"Provoke, challenge, inspire and then preside over the debate, the negotiation, the legislation. Howard is attentive and engaged. Thoughts have a chance - ideals have an arena - evolution is given the hope of progress."

If there is no provocation, no provoking, it is too easy to just go along for the ride.

Thanks for sharing that great article again.

Thanks for sharing it.

It's less about this position or that policy, it's the fact and success of Howard Dean that seems to agitate the personalities that prefer to kiss the ring of undeniable and brutal power. In that mindset, the very brutality and inaccessibility of power qualifies them to take their seat at the head of the American banquet - a banquet that doesn't guarantee but suggests plump crumbs will fall from the table.

Sorry about that. It was a good point, though. :hi:

This is an interesting statement.

It's less about this position or that policy, it's the fact and success of Howard Dean that seems to agitate the personalities that prefer to kiss the ring of undeniable and brutal power. In that mindset, the very brutality and inaccessibility of power qualifies them to take their seat at the head of the American banquet - a banquet that doesn't guarantee but suggests plump crumbs will fall from the table...."

someone like Dean as a nominee. Face it. Maybe it is for the best that we lose until we DO.

I could not agree more.

Dean stands for something and the stand patters in this party can't stand that.

I have tremendous respect and admiration for the man.

n/t

It was a great feeling being a Dean delagate to our county convention. I worked hard with others to wrangle other delagates from the other candidates, besides Kerry, to increase our number of delegates to the next level.

It was a hell of a lot of fun. That is the level where we take our country back. Precinct by precinct, caucus by caucus.

I'll be at my local DFA meeting on the first and I hope it's about the future, instead of moaning about the past.

An exercise at work over a year ago had us writing our "goals" on a piece of paper. I happened across it a few weeks ago and saw that my 3rd goal was "be a Dean delegate to the Boston convention". Waaahhhh!
Oh well, I became a precinct delegate instead and was sworn onto the county executive committee last week, wearing a suit, a smile and my Democracy for America pin.

I, too, will be at our Dec. 1 meet-up.

I STILL WANT MY COUNTRY BACK!

right now

Good for you. That's what we need people to do, start getting control of the levers of the party.


Good work. I live in Pierce County, Washington and we're pretty mcuh infested with DLC here. Hopefully, with some good outreach, we'll change that.


Keep punching away!

and I say to myself "Dean was right again". It happened to me again this morning when Jodie Allen was explaining the fallen value of the US dollar on CSpan's Washington Journal.

I'll always be a Deaniac! I am am not sure I'll always be a Democrat, especially if we only run southerners to win instead of doing the real work of building a Southern Democratic movement.

The long-term effects and how Greenspan was playing politics with his position.

What I learned during the constant Kerry bashing of the primaries was to separate those armed with facts and honest dissent from those who would merely attack for no greater reason than it was easier to do that than to research and present the facts maturely.

It changes the atmosphere.

To my county and state conventions (although we signed in for Kerry in Houston for tactical reasons).

I do disagree with the notion that no Democrat could have beaten the worst President in history, with nothing but four years' record of failure on all fronts and nothing to promise but more of the same. Kerry, Edwards, Clark or Dean could have and should have beaten Bush like a rug. I lay the blame for our defeat on the amazingly inept campaign waged by people who should known better.

Whether or not the Dem leaders in Washington like it or not though, I'm still working on the local level. I am proud and amazed at what we did manage to do this year, and we learned a lot in the process. We can and will grow stronger with every year. "You have the power" right now is a slogan. Someday not too far in the future it will be a fact.

Happy Thanksgiving!

and Governor Dean. Nice post, have a nice holiday. :hi:

Julie

I was never a big supporter of Dean in the primaries, but you can't argue with how the Dean fans organized and raised funds. When Dean called for a vote about his campaign financing, I was duly impressed, Democracy in action.

Now I'm a convert - I love Dean, and groups like MoveOn and DFA are the future as far as I can tell!

...all out assault on Dean. The Repugs just sat by and watched the Dems. eat their own.

But hey, you have the right to enjoy the grape kool-aid...

and what I hope is that he starts a new party.

I am finished with the Democratic party because, well, it is finished.

If it couldn't beat Bush, it couldn't beat a dead man.

The democratic party is utterly worthless and only exists to continue the illusion of a two party system in this country.

I don't know which party I will join yet, but i hope Howard Dean starts a new party, in which case I will join that. So will millions of others.

And we will finally have a leader who has some common sense and speaks the truth.

That will be refreshing.