Howard Dean, whose revolutionary bid to lead the Democratic Party fell short one year ago with the collapse of his presidential candidacy, received a second chance to rebuild the party on Saturday as he was elected chairman of the Democratic National Committee. The former Vermont governor tapped into the grass-roots support that once fueled his presidential campaign to win over skeptical Democratic activists, who unanimously selected him to lead the party for the next four years. While pledging not to run for president in 2008, Dean said his work would pave the way for Democrats to win in all regions of the country. "If we want to win nationally, we have to start winning locally," Dean said. "Today will be the beginning of the re-emergence of the Democratic Party. The first thing we have to do is stand up for what we believe in." With Republicans in control of the White House, Congress and the majority of state capitals, Dean billed himself as the man to shake Democrats from their doldrums, vowing to make the party competitive in Southern and Western states. Before being handed the party's reins, Dean worked to convince Democrats that he had learned from the mistakes of his campaign, which was diminished by his controversial statements and unpredictable behavior. I'm not nuts. Well, not anymore. Yes, really.
In his acceptance speech, Dean said Democrats "cannot win if all we are is against the current president and his administration." But moments later, he lashed out against the budget proposed by the White House, saying: "It brings Enron-style accounting to the nation's capital and it demonstrates once again what Americans, all Americans, are now beginning to see--you cannot trust Republicans with your money."
Oh, no! Ennnnnnnnnronnnnnnnnn! Coming up next... Hallllllllliburrrrrrrrrton! Any other outdated buzzwords for evil I can throw out there?
| "Tippecanoe and Tyler, too"? |
Okay. Let's see. 1.Euthanasia 2.Euthanasia 3.Surrender in Iraq and tax you into the Stone Age.
"I think I'll be living in red states in the South and in the West for quite a while," Dean said. "That's where we need a lot of work. I think that's where the people who are most skeptical about the Democratic Party are."
He probably takes the Dimbo line that if they were dumb enough to vote for Bush, his superior intellect will make them easy pickins . Maybe John Fn Kerry can give him some of those "man of the people" tips that worked so well for him in the campaign?
To gain the support of a Democratic establishment he had once campaigned against, Dean pledged to leave legislative discussion to others, including Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), both of whom had reservations about his candidacy. When attempts to find other candidates failed, the congressional Democratic leaders agreed to support him if he promised not to meddle in policy.
I figure these two figured he wasn't screwy enough...
On Saturday, the Republican National Committee declined to criticize, with Chairman Ken Mehlman issuing a statement saying: "Howard Dean's energy and passion will add to the political discourse in this country and he will be a strong leader for his party."
...and he said to himself, "Karl Rove was right. With you're dealing with these people, this job isn't nearly as hard as it looks."
In replacing Terry McAuliffe as chairman, Dean emerged from a field of more than a half-dozen serious contenders, winning over Democrats skittish about elevating a politician from a Northeastern state with liberal traditions.
So let's get another one in there! They'll never get it, will they?
Even as Dean prepares to travel across the country, several admirers said they hoped he would stick to his blunt, straight-talking ways. "I think you will see his bluntness, his directness, his energy and intellectual honesty," said Scott Maddox, the Florida chairman. "I'm a pickup truck-driving, gun-owning Southern chairman, with a bulldog named Lockjaw, and I'm perfectly comfortable with Howard Dean as chairman of the national Democratic Party."
As long as that paycheck don't bounce, and I can keep this high paying party hack job, Howard's my man.