WSJ.. "Dean Is Back, and Not on the Fringe, Either" Must read.

[madfloridian]

This tells how Howard Dean is using the tactics of the right wing such as Ralph Reed and Newt Gingrich. I realize Dean is now being pretty much ignored here, and posts about him are not responded to very often. That does not bother us, but this article is about more than Dean....it is about tactics and making yourself heard. A good read.
Rob McKenna, running for Elections Supervisor in Hillsborough County, gets a mention. Great guy.

http://online.wsj.com/public/article/0,,SB108655747737429973,00.html?mod=todays%5Ffree%5Ffeature

SNIP..."He is studying the tactics used by Newt Gingrich, the former House speaker, and Ralph Reed, who helped make the Christian Coalition a political power. A decade after Mr. Gingrich and Mr. Reed, now a private consultant and adviser to President George W. Bush's campaign, helped usher in an era of Republican power, Mr. Dean hopes to begin to shift the balance back toward his progressive agenda.

SNIP...""Those people were very organized, they were very methodical about what they did," he says. If history is amused by the ironies, Mr. Dean believes it soon will have to sit up and take notice.


SNIP..."Conservatives dismiss the whole Dean phenomenon as an overhyped, second coming of the 1970s liberal George McGovernites that moved Democrats to the left for years after. But there are two distinctions -- ones that echo themes of the Republican "revolution" a decade ago. First, the record government spending and huge budget deficits under President Bush give Mr. Dean an opening to stress fiscal responsibility. Second, increasing unhappiness about Iraq lets him cast the elections as a moral struggle about what it means to be an American.

"We've lost our standing as the moral leader of the world," Mr. Dean says. "I want to be the moral leader of the world in how we provide for our people....I want to elect a president as good and strong as the American people."END SNIP.

Note his schedule given at the bottom of the article, just in the last 3 weeks, culminating today in NYC with SEIU rally for home health aides. From Oregon to Hawaii to Puerto Rico to NY.

[cjbuchanan]

1. Dean is leading a movement

And it is good for the Dem party.

Go Dean go.

[NMDemDist2]

2. although I didn't support Dean in the primaries I really respect

what he is doing today. He promised to support whoever was the Dem candidate with all his energy and he is certainly delivering. Kudos to Howard!

[calimary]

30. Well, I DID support Dean in the primaries, and I love him even more now!

My heart will always belong to Howard Dean. He's the reason many Democrats actually regained a little backbone. Kerry is lucky to get a boost up on his shoulders. Dean is not appreciated enough, and once again, he's absolutely spot-on. The more people who listen to him and take him seriously, the better off we'll ALL be.

[LittleApple81]

3. I don't think Dean is being ignored here. And everytime I can watch

one of his appearances on TV I do. I love the guy. WE OWE HIM SO MUCH.

[wryter2000]

4. Dean is the best

The Dean sign is still in my window. It says "Dean for America," not "Dean for President." I think his whole campaign was more about winning back our country than electing him president.

With his fine mind and his gift for oratory, he's going to be a tremendous force for good.

My only quibble is what's this Mr. Dean stuff? Surely, it should either be Governor Dean or Dr. Dean.

[madfloridian]

11. I noticed the Mr. Dean....I wonder if the writer is British?

That is how they refer to him, but not rudely. I have seen articles from UK which only use Mr.

One BBC interviewer used the title throughout.

[rumguy]

5. Dean should be our grassroots leader

He could be chair of the DNC. He could run for the congress, or even the Senate. He could get his own cable news show. Or he could just keep building DFA. Either way, I'm looking foward to seeing what he has up his sleeve.

[mzmolly]

6. Everytime I recall that Dean is out there working on this organization

I am filled with hope.

It's been a long time since I dared to hope. I am so thankful for Dr. Dean.

:hi:

[bpilgrim]

7. thanks for the update

i always liked deans fighting spirit and will forever be gratefull for his strong and courageous voice during those dark days leading up to the neoCONs ILLEGAL, preventive war, when he, practically alone amongst his peers, voiced his many legit criticisms of this catastrophy bush and his neoCON masters have wrought upon our terrorized nation. he spoke LOUD and CLEAR and expressed the very real concerns of MILLIONS of people around the world.

we want our country back :bounce:

:hi:

peace

[mzmolly]

8. Did you see this?!

No single individual, other than Mr. Kerry's future running mate, may be more important to the success of the Democratic ticket against President Bush. After all the bitterness of last winter, a Dean ally jokes that the two "blue-bloods have bonded." In some respects they resemble two senior vice presidents, who vied for the same chief executive job and now find common interest in staying as a team -- not breaking apart.

[madfloridian]

17. Wonder which "ally" that was, mzmolly? Interesting statement.

:hi:

[mzmolly]

23. Hey, that's a good question.

;)

[AntiCoup2K4]

9. Well, since Reagan is the topic of the week, here's a comparison....

Dean 2004 = Reagan 1976.

And hopefully, the Dean revolution will be able to undo all the damage that the "Reagan revolution" has caused :(

[Bandit]

10. Dean is now a syndicated columnist and Gore is soon to bring his

new TV Network on line. Our voice will not be silenced. We shall overcome.

[belle]

31. Woo hoo hoo!

[wyldwolf]

12. I've always preached this

...but was shunned by many on the left nd here at DU for suggesting it.

I always believed we should freep online polls... that our radio voices should be just as combative... and that our campaign tactics just as organized and methodical.

Some said we'd be stooping to their level.

I said we'd win.

Congratulations, Mr. Dean.

Someone gets it.

[Gin]

14. Howard is a force to be reckoned with and can say and do a lot

more as John Q. Citizen. He is in the perfect role for him at this time.

[napi21]

15. I think you're RIGHT! I was one of the "don't stoop crowd"

but I've changed my mind! Just in the past several weeks I've heard comments from Pubs like "whatever it takes", "win now and worry about a plan later", "lie if you have to, it's the win that matters".

To me that means fight fire with fire, don't go to a gun fight with just a knife, level the playing field.

We can "suggest" (lie) just as good as the Pubs, but we need to practice! They have a LOT more experience at it!!!

[belle]

32. I don't see what lying has to do with Dean's strategizing, frankly...

You fight fire with fire by being tough, being aggressive, moving in whenever you see an opening, and organizing, organizing, organizing. There's no need to simply make shit up when the truth is such an effective weapon, if disseminated properly, which is exactly what we HAVEN'T been doing for the last twenty years or so.

[NewJeffCT]

28. agreed - we need a LONG term strategy

The Right has been methodically warping the country and bending it to the right through sheer force of will & persistence. They started 30 years ago with framing language & the debate and we need to get it back.

Hopefully, Dr. Dean is the start.

[usregimechange]

13. I am a Deanie all the way! He will soon be Mr. Secretary. nt

[Brash]

16. Good for Dean! Good for America!

I think it's great that Howard is still able to find a way to change America. Although I'm troubled by Dean studying the tactics of ol' Gingrich, it's necessesary. Because although we are stooping to their level, we cannot win by playing fair when the other team isn't playing fair. Only by defeating the Republicans with their own dirty tactics can we restore civility to politics.

[newyawker99]

Hi Brash!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[madfloridian]

42. Hi Brash, welcome to DU.

:hi:

[madfloridian]

18. Pic from today's SEIU rally....important to work with unions.

Have not seen much about this rally for home health care aides in NYC today.

[saracat]

24. Is that Nicole Kidman

behind Dean?

[madfloridian]

25. I don't know....looks a lot like her, though.

Wondering now.

[madfloridian]

33. I tried to enlarge it, did a little, still can not tell. Looks like her.

However, she would likely be mentioned. The article I saw earlier did not give the name.

[madfloridian]

37. Someone said it can't be her. Hair is different now.

:hi:

[Armstead]

19. Glad he's keeping on

Deanism is a much needed dose of energy for the Democratic Party.

[Cheswick2.0]

20. He never was fringe

He isn't going to use dirty tactics. He simply tells the truth in a very forthright manner. I agree with the statement about him being more important to winning the whitehouse than anyone except the Pres/VP ticket. IMO he should be on the ticket.

[Eloriel]

21. I love this man

He is my FDR and Reagan all rolled into one.

And I love YOU for constantly bringing the news about him. Great article.

[madfloridian]

22. Thanks, Eloriel....we need his voice.

:hi:

[Redleg]

26. Dean deserves a hearty pat on the back.

Go Howard, Go!

[Generator]

34. Yes, I think when we win in November

We have Howard to thank.(stay on message, tell the truth and fight like hell!)

[madfloridian]

27. "I never really had a chance to look under the hood of the campaign..."

This is a very good explanation of what the campaign was about, and it was not really expected or known until later. It was a lot about political hunger for someone to say something real.

SNIP..."Mr. Dean's whirlwind presidential campaign was always about more than a single candidate. What has changed most is that he has begun to better grasp the political hunger it exposed. "I never really had a chance to look under the hood of the campaign until it was over," Mr. Dean admits."

[emulatorloo]

29. Thanks for posting this - AND GO HOWARD GO!!!!!!!!!

EOM

[stickdog]

35. Dr. Dean delivers dynamic discourse and dogged determination.

All we wanted was somebody with the guts and intelligence to tell the truth.

Dean stood up and said, "The emperor is naked" while almost everybody else was staring at the ground.

[madfloridian]

36. Music sites mentioned in article....also "Who let the Punks out?

Here are some of the music sites mentioned in the article. Some are for
sure controversial. I don't have to agree with or even like the music, but I do need to respect their right to be in politics. I am glad Dean recognizes and respects this right.
This is Kimmy Cash's website, I think.
Do it Yourself Politics
http://www.diypolitics.org/

http://www.musicforamerica.org/

Believe this was also Kimmy's website.
http://www.punxfordean.org/

Great article at the Nation:
Who Let the Punks Out
http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml?i=20040607&s=jones

Quite long, but very insightful.

[Just Me]

38. I will ALWAYS love Howard Dean for giving a VOICE back to the people.

I am glad he has chosen to be a leader in counter-linguistics!!

Frankly, we all should work to master linguistics: how to "frame" issues and better communicate our perspective.

What's crazy is, WE represent the common human interests across the spectrum (excepting, of course, those who hold economic/political power and definitely do NOT want to share it or empower others who may challenge it).

WE must make effective communication a priority, if humanity is ever to be better served.

[PretzelWarrior]

39. thanks for sharing this. He can make a real difference..by showing

that WE can make a difference. I will study his movement more and see about getting involved. We've absolutely got to energize those around us to take more steps in wresting control from the powerful interests Al Gore was so prophetically warning about.

[newsguyatl]

40. you're right, dean does get ignored here at du now

but he's not going ANYWHERE anytime soon. we're gonna be seeing LOTS of him, and for good reason.

dean's a fighter - he's a machine -- and his organization and support is gonna grow into a force to be reckoned with (and one that's gonna kick repub ass!

as i've said for over a year now, dean speaks for me!

[madfloridian]

41. Amen, Newsguy.

:hi: