After a meeting of the DNC’s 40-member executive committee at a downtown hotel, members said Dean was doing exactly what they elected him to do — build the party in all states and aggressively challenge Republicans.
“I hope Governor Dean will remember that he didn’t get elected to be a wimp,” said DNC member Gilda Cobb-Hunter, a South Carolina state representative. “We have been waiting a long time for someone to stand up for Democrats.”
Amen to that. Leave it to you, Parker, to find that great quote.
I love this woman Gilda Cobb-Hunter…
She is what grassroots looks like.
the best article ever on the state of the Black voter in the Democratic Party
I did, only because I checked in here and someone had posted it was on C-SPAN.
He was great. He is doing exactly what I hoped he would–not bend over for the big money with strings attached, just go to the grassroots and point out relentlessly how core Democratic values are core American values.
I won’t detail the content here, but I liked what Dean emphasized, and I believe the win in every county, in every state approach is our only hope. He’s playing for keeps. He’s not rattled by the bad press, although he does learn.
Our Karl Rove, Cornell Belcher, did a PowerPoint presentation on what they’ve learned from post-2004 polling combined with exit polls. He says there is clearly no mandate to “move to the right,” and that data shows the fact that Republicans have done so is hurting them rather badly. He showed that gay marriage and abortion specifically were actually quite low on voters’ priority lists, and had a much different interpretation of the middling importance of “moral values” to the voter.
I do think things are changing, and we all need to support the DNC and give them time to implement the plan that Governor Dean laid out clearly. He is a blunt speaker, but generally a great one, and no one should be hobbling him as he’s just getting out of the starting blocks. The party is changing, and we need to encourage that.
Diary this? It sounds like a fantastic counterpoint to all the “dump abortion” stuff that seems to have sprung up recently.
I agree with your interpretation of Dean. I wish we had someone like him up here in Canada.
From the same excellent Reuters article: