This blogger logs my interest in and support for Dr. Howard Dean's run for the Presidency in 2004.

Links

Dean For America (Official Campaign Site)
My picture at a recent Meetup (see http://dean2004.meetup.com). I'm on the left.
Howard Dean 2004 Portal

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I'M GOING TO VERMONT!!! I've accepted a job with Dean For America in Burlington, Vermont to work on the Dean campaign, and couldn't be happier!

One of my friends asked that question I've had to answer a lot lately: Why are you so passionate about Dean? Here is my response:

At a time when I could hardly stand to be an American, someone I had never heard of stood up before the nation and said we should not be going to war in Iraq. This is WRONG. I sat up and took notice. Who is this guy? Is he for real? I started reading his positions and saw quickly that here was someone who had solid experience as a five-term governor. Here was a man so bright he cruised through medical school in 3 years. Here is a guy that not only said the war was wrong BEFORE we went to war, but reiterated that sentiment even at the very height of its popularity, when 70% of the country was in favor of it. When the press, trying to (perhaps?) do him a favor tried to say Dean was backing down, Dean stepped up and said no, I still oppose the war. They had given him an out, and he didn't take it. THAT REALLY got my attention. Then I heard about his support for civil unions in Vermont, even when it nearly cost him his last re-election. Later I was to find out he wore bullet-proof vests during that campaign because he had received such credible death threats. But the clincher for me was not that he was doing and saying everything right, and not that he was standing all alone in the process. At the Winter Conference of the Democratic Party last year, Dean opened with these amazingly bold questions, which spoke right to the heart of my own concerns:

"What I want to know . . . is why in the world the Democratic Party leadership is supporting the President's unilateral attack on Iraq?

"What I want to know . . . is why are Democratic leaders supporting tax cuts? The question is not how big the tax cut should be -- the question should be: Can we afford a tax cut at all with the largest deficit in the history of the country?

"What I want to know . . . is why we're fighting in Congress about the Patient's Bill of Rights when the Democratic Party ought to be standing up for health care for every man, woman and child in this country?

"What I want to know . . . is why our folks are voting for the President's No Child Left Behind bill that leaves every child behind, every teacher behind, every school board behind and every property tax payer behind?

"I am Howard Dean. And I'm here to represent the Democratic wing of the Democratic Party."

And that was it. I was smitten, in the political sense. This guy is IT. THIS is the guy who can beat George Bush. What appeals to me is his strength as a candidate via his experience and knowledge, and his courage in standing up not only against Bush but against his own party when they have sold out our ideals. He had a stellar record in Vermont, managing to cut taxes, increase health care coverage, protect the environment and balance the budget. And he was no magician. He tried to get single-payer health care passed. It failed miserably. What did Dean do? Did he, as the Clinton administration did, throw up his hands and give up? No. He fought a smarter fight. And inch by inch, incrementally, he brought better health care to his state. THAT is perhaps his most impressive achievement - proving himself a true master of the "Art of the Possible" as politics is often called.

And there was more. On Tim Russert's Meet the Press, Dean showed True Grit. When Russert tossed off a sneaky hit and run comment, Dean seized on it and would not let Russert off the hook. Look at that, I thought. There is a fighter. There is someone who is not going to stand by and let Bush set the agenda, as Gore did. There is someone who is going to fight back if called a liar. This guy has gravitas.

But there's still something more. He has a powerful charisma about him. Something in him, his anger, his outrage, has tapped into the anger I have felt for so long. And it's an anger born of love, love for what could be in this country, not an anger born of hate. And his campaign is not only allowing, but encouraging unprecedented grassroots participation that is bringing a whole new set of people to politics. That can only be a good thing. He is not a leftist. If he were a peacenik, I wouldn't waste a vote on him. But he's not a peacenik. He's not even that much of a liberal. But he is a solid, principled man who believes that government can be both of the people and for the people. By supporting this man, with all his brains, savvy, courage, and charisma, and I think I'm holding the winning ticket to starting finally to reverse a serious trajectory of horrible events set in motion one gray day in Dallas back in November of 1963. FINALLY, we have a true leader again before us. I can think of nothing better to do with my next 15 months than to spend every waking minute trying to get him elected. Maybe I'll spend some dream time at it too, come to think of it. ;-)

posted by Real History Lisa Pease at 8:11 PM

 
We're going to hit 75,000 people signed up for meetups across the country tomorrow. We are indeed changing the face of politics in this country. Now we need to change the face in the White House! ;-)

I've been swamped with other projects and haven't been able to blog much of late. There's so much to read I'd rather be doing that than blogging, at the moment. But all things come around and I will be back in force again soon. Meanwhile, enjoy the remaining summer days!

posted by Real History Lisa Pease at 8:34 AM