| Topic: |
Politics > Politics-USA |
| User: |
"\Harry Hope" |
| Date: |
09 Aug 2005 08:32:40 AM |
| Object: |
"what, me worry" YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEA |
Dean Says Democrats Must Take Offensive
By CHRISTOPHER GRAFF
Associated Press Writer
BURLINGTON, Vt. - Howard Dean gives Republicans credit for one thing: They
have put the Democrats on the defensive and forced them to fight on their
turf. That, he said, is about to change.
"What the propagandists on the right have done is make people afraid to say
they are Democrats," Dean told a gathering of Vermont Democrats. "We have to
be out there. We have to be vocal. We have to be pushing our version of the
facts because their version of the facts is very unfactual."
After visiting 30 states in the first six months as chairman of the
Democratic National Committee, Dean said Monday he has found "There are
Democrats everywhere."
The key to success is making those Democrats proud of their party, Dean
said, by taking the offensive and fighting on Democratic turf.
"We need a message. It has to be clear," he said. "The framing of the debate
determines who wins the debate.
"Running away from issues is how you lose elections," said Dean, a former
Vermont governor.
"We need to position ourselves as the party of change," he said. "I think we
have learned that when big changes happen in the House and Senate, they
happen because one party nationalizes the race and becomes the change
agent."
Dean detailed his 50-state strategy to hire and finance from national
coffers organizers in every state, saying that the party is on track to have
organizers in every state by the end of the year.
"Vote by vote, precinct by precinct, door by door, year by year and election
by election, we will take this country back for the people who built it," he
said.
In his speech Dean talked about the growing diversity in America and how
well that diversity meshes with the message and membership of the Democratic
Party.
"The face of the Democratic Party is such that it looks like all of America
will look in 2050," said Dean.
Dean's speech Monday night came at a fund-raiser for the Democratic National
Committee.
Among those attending were U.S. Sens. Patrick Leahy and Jim Jeffords, as
well as U.S. Rep. Bernie Sanders, who is seeking Jeffords' seat in the
Senate. Both Jeffords and Sanders are independents but both caucus in
Washington with the Democrats.
State Sen. Peter Welch, a candidate for Sanders' House seat, spoke at the
reception, as did Scudder Parker, who is challenging the re-election next
year of Gov. Jim Douglas.
___
August 8, 2005 - 10:39 p.m. EDT
--
U.S.A.F. VET.
3rd LES CAB, PI
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