[From the diaries by susanhu. Beautifully written, FloridaGal — as always.]
You have already started to change the party and together we have transformed this race.
That is what Howard Dean said in his announcement when he dropped out of the presidential race in February of 2004. He said a few other things as well. I don’t think he knew then he would be the DNC chair. He formed DFA just a month later.
He made it clear he would not go on his own to form a 3rd party. He often said he talked about it, but that it would simply not work.
Here is what else Howard Dean said when he dropped out of the race.
He ruled out running as a third-party or independent candidate, but he also said he and his supporters would continue to be a force for change: “We are not going away. We’re staying together unified, all of us.” He vowed to “continue to campaign for change,” working to keep his issues alive. The fight … can and must continue’
“There is enormous institutional pressure in Washington against change, in the Democratic Party against change,” Dean said. “Yet, you have already started to change the party and together we have transformed this race. The fight that we began can and must continue.
Historians will judge, but Dean and his devoted supporters are convinced that they more than anyone else defined the Democratic debate through his unwavering criticism of President Bush, the Iraq war and Democrats who helped Bush push his agenda through Congress.
“Because of your work, we have already written the Democratic Party platform,” Dean declared Monday night at an exuberant Madison rally that harkened to the heady days when he was more focused on a running mate than exiting the race.
I was not at first sure of exactly how much he meant that. But he has shown staying power, acting like a leader showing the party how to go on the offense. He said several months ago they were just learning to an opposition party. He was most surely right on that one.
I thought about 3rd party as well. I was raised pretty moderately, sort of turned liberal since Bush took office. Now some of my friends here in my area and I had to make some decisions. We decided to start getting positions within the party and changing the old ways of doing things. We have partly succeeded, but a way to go yet.
I for one have decided that Dean meant what he said, my husband and I and our friends trust him to keep working to get the party into a fighting machine. I am angry at many of our Democrats, but I have decided to work with the party to change things. Someone in a post said Dean should have more power in the party. He can have that, but only if those of us who want change are willing to work with him.
He is not liberal, but he is practical and sensible and cares about the people more than corporations. He’s a virtual bulldog about things when he knows he has people behind him. So I am. I wish us luck. …
This picture is from February 18, 2004 when he withdrew from the campaign. On March 18, 2004, he went to Seattle to announce Democracy for America…just one month later. He has not looked back and not wavered, though essentially he knows the DC don’t exactly welcome him with open arms…nor do they especially welcome us either. They have their own old ways.
Watching so many so adamant about leaving the party. Our DFA meeting was tonight, and we all felt about the same. We need to keep working and not leaving.
Democrats on some issues are standing together better than before. There is hope.
hmmm, well, I’ve been wavering… but maybe I ought to wait until Nov, and see what Howard Dean hath wrought on our behalf as chairman of the DNC.
But in the meanwhile I’ll continue to investigate all other options.
Fine with me. Wish it could be different. Think what we could all do together. I guess that is one way of looking at it.
Sure wish I could find someone I agree with on everything. Sure is hard.
I may have to settle for a fighter I agree with a lot of the time.
primary elections. I shook hands with him, told him I thought he’d get the nomination. He said, “I hope so.”
I have quite a lot of respect for Howard. He has learned the essence of Lakoff’s concepts. I see no other leading D figure on TV who does as well at it as Howard. He knows what he wants to convey, and he does that while refusing to be distracted by the “millionaire mannequins”. He should give seminars on that for the rest of the Ds.
There is no other viable party in ND, so rather than quitting to a third party, the question becomes where to best place one’s time and money.
For example, influenza pandemic preparedness is severely lacking in the US and ND, while both Canada and Manitoba already have plans, although subject to revision as events develop.
I may just need a “sabbatical” to recharge.
After some 3.5 decades of political involvement I’m at a total loss trying to make sense of recent developments, particularly the filibuster vote. No one else I know has any great explanations either, just some wild-assed guesses.
So it seems we’re in a whole new political paradigm. See my sig line links. The second link being the only known anti-dote in the event the first link is already in effect.
Susan, I wonder if you saw my diary about having our cake and eating it too, which I now realize I should have entitled “It’s Time To Disband The Democratic Party” — I would have easily gotten about ten times more hits.
It might be unrealistic, but I have to wonder whether a serious rebranding effort, together with defining a coherent message (the “core principles” I refer to in the diary), wouldn’t go a long way toward getting the Democrats out of the rut they’re in. I think we’re making some progress; I just don’t think it’s enough progress, fast enough, to stem the damage the Bush Crime Family is capable of doing.
I have pretty strong Dean credentials – weeks in Iowa, freezing my butt of in Wisconsin, Meet-Up host, hours and way too many dollars spent on progressive, local dems – but I refuse to rule out leaving the Democratic Party. If it can be changed and strengthened from within, so be it. If it takes some of us to say “enough” and go else where to get the party’s attention, so be it.
The well-being of the Democratic party interests me not at all. The well-being of my country is paramount to me.
I regret that Dean became chair of the DNC, though I worked to make it happen. The last time I was contacted for donations I said no. Not one dime to Rahm Emmanuel. Not one dime to Landrieu or Lieberman or Melissa Bean. The Dems keep pulling stunts like Casey in Pa and Duckworth in IL. I’ll give money and time to candidates of integrity who’s values are pretty much in line with mine.
To those of you who wish to stick with the Dems as a way to make things better, good luck. To those who choose a different way, good luck.
I love Howard. Not because I think he is right about everything, but because he is genuine and straight forward about what he believes. I honor his passion and his integrity and I honor yours, Floridagal, but I’m done with orthodoxy. Hopefully, these two separate camps can find ways to work construcively together on issues and on specific candidates.
It would be nice if Howard would diary at some blogs and directly address the issue of staying in the party. And stick around during comments to respond. He’s so good at responding in a an authentic manner with practical statements. I think it would restore hope with a lot of people.
I think Howard Dean made a mistake. And I think that he is both beginning to REALIZE that mistake, and that he knows he is now stuck with it. He COULD have started a third party the moment he realized what was up. The moment they ARRRGH-ed him out of conterntion. The momentum of his run would have carried a new party thirty yards up the field, and although it would probably have lost the election, when the utter ineptitude and weakness of the Democratic Party became evident through the lens of hindsight, he and his party would have been in a GREAT place for the 2006 + 2008 races.
But he he did not…and we suffered through that ridiculous Boston convention and the ludicrous Kerry lateral run that eventually went absolutely nowhere. Dean acceded to that farce, and it was a mistake.
He could have started a third party when it became clear that the Democratic powers-that-be…INCLUDING the crew over at the Daily Kos…absolutely refused to stand up and fight the results of the plainly stolen 2004 election. Because they were afraid of losing. Which ENSURED that they would lose even MORE. And also…BET on it…because they were told by their real handlers that it would be “bad for the country”. PermaGov-ese for “Lay off or we will yank your chain so hard that you will end up clerking in a 7-11 somewhere.”
But…he didn’t. He is a mainstream politician, after all, albeit a very good, honest and innovative one, and he went with the flow. That’s his job.
And it ain’t working.
Right now…with all of the bad things that have happened to BushCo, with all of the bad things that are happening to this country, I would not lay 4 to 1 odds that a Democratic majority will appear in either house of the US legislature over the next four years or so, nor would I even lay THOSE odds that we will have a Democratic President in 2008.
And the odds would be more like 100 to 1 if they included some sort of proviso that said legislatures and/or President would be in any way independent from the same corporate forces and power structure that is running the government at the present time.
BushCo Lite is the BEST that can be hoped for.
So it goes…
Starting another party would quite possibly ALSO have been a mistake, but it would at least have been taking a real shot at changing things if it worked. The Democratic Party…large and very powerful portions of it it, without a doubt..is NOT going to change because it is owned lock, stock and barrel by the PermaGov. By big business. It will POSE as if it is changing…just like the media that is owned by the same interests poses at providing “fair and balanced coverage” of the news. But when push comes to shove, there will be Dean and his ideas, forever”ARRRGH”-ed out of effective contention just like the token liberal commentators disappear from the networks at the first fog of war talk or voter fraud obfuscation when the real deal marching orders come down from above. Just like the Judith Millers and William Safires will always be a main and dominant component of the NY Times.
Owned.
Lock, stock and barrel.
Like I said…so it goes.
Dean paid his money and he took his chances.
And I think that he has lost.
Too bad.
A good man.
He could’a been a contender.
But now he’s just another promoter.
Working for the Man.
Too bad.
Later…
S.
After what the Dems and media did to Dean during the primaries, I just couldn’t get involved with the local party the way some of my “meet-up” friends did. I was just so angry and disillusioned. All I could muster was some GOTV work on election day and voting for Kerry. But I admire Dean for sticking with the party and working inside to change things.
Now I will content myself with working in the primaries to get Amy Klobuchar nominated to take Dayton’s senate seat and hopefully see Becky Lourey nominated to become our next governor. These are WOMEN I can believe in. And I’ll deal with the general election when its time for that.
All of you made the same points. You are going to leave the party even though it will hurt you on issues and every other way. There IS no third party. There is just a lot of angry people who will continue to fight over issues.
And the GOP will be laughing as they won’t even have any opposition anymore.
You are going to make yourselves feel better by tearing the party down when we actually have a leader. Yeh, that makes sense.
But you will feel better, thinking you made a difference.
Can we really stay in an organization that disregards and even disrespects us and what we stand for?
I’m still registered Democrat, and may just be too damn lazy to grab the postcard and check the “decline to state” box. But my energy level has been zapped by the events of this week. You know, 42 people voted against Alito. If those same 42 people had voted NO on cloture, the filibuster would have succeeded. So, what’s more symbolic, leaving a Party that some have felt has left them, or voting NO on Alito after voting YES for “business as usual”?
And of course, just because you’re not a Democrat doesn’t mean you can’t support Democratic candidates, whether with your feet or your checkbook (time, talent, or treasure). But even if I stay in the Party, I’m going to take an extra long look before investing money or energy in a campaign — that candidate is going to have to tell me why he/she is a Democrat, and the actions better match up with the words…
First: I’m now registered as an INDEPENDENT…I’m not leaving the country…yet. I will not give a single red cent to the DNC, DLC, DCCC, whatever acronym you care to choose, so they can continue to blow me off by selecting another safe, electable candidate who’ll bend me over for the sake of some non-existent, ineffective, incompetent, self-serving strategy of playing to the middle and losing some more ground.
Hell yes, I’ll probably vote Democratic at the end of the day, if I vote at all, because the alternative is even worse…I have for 40 fucking years…but they’re going to have to earn it. Show me mofos. Don’t come around with your hand out and a mouth full of platitudes, that don’t work any more.
The system is broken, quite possibly beyond repair. Working within the party will result in Bush Lite as AG says. If the party sees people leaving and taking their dollars with them maybe, and it’s a big maybe, they’ll pay attention and then you just might get some structural change. I am not optimistic.
I’ve been working for the Progressive ideas that the D’s used to stand for since the sixties…McCarthy, McGovern, up to and including the fiasco that was 2004…nothing’s better…it’s gotten progressively worse since 1980, and we’re losing ground on liberties and rights that many of us here fought for.
This ain’t gonna hurt me any more than I’ve already had. The republicans don’t have an opposition now and they’re not likely to no matter what Dean says or does as Chair of the DNC. He’s been co-opted…a fine old term from the 60’s and 70’s that is even more relevant today.
So tell me again how we’ve transformed anything. The D’s couldn’t even get half of their fucking caucus to support a filibuster…I’ve got a R-lite senator in Salazar who’s voting record, with the exception of his NO on Alito’s confirmation, and I think we all agree that his Yes vote for Cloture negates that, is identical to that of our Hard Right sen Allard…Bankruptcy Bill-Aye, Energy Bill-Aye, Rice for SoS-Aye, Abu for AG-Aye, Chertoff for SoHS_Aye, Roberts for CJ/SCOTUS-Aye, Negroponte for D/CIA-Aye….Yeah, we’re transforming things, I feel all warm and fuzzy inside…maybe I’ll turn the thermostat up to 60° and celebrate…but I’d better not because my mother’s Med-D company just sent her a letter saying they’d made a mistake accepting her and that she will not be covered. Happy Days here yet?
The system is Broken!
Wake the Fuck Up!
AG’s a hell of a lot closer to the truth than you want to, or perhaps can, admit.
end rant
Peace
regardless of the comments here. Why?
IMHO, It is better that we have this discussion now rather than later, release or redirect some of the “steam” before the kettle blows.
If the battle between the DLC faction and the progressive side of the D party has not been at least somewhat resolved prior to the next convention, I see a 1968 type debacle developing (hopefully, minus a Chicago cop-style riot).
So I appreciate that you are expressing your viewpoint and stimulating discussion. Hang in there!
if no one stays to fight. Bottom line.
But there will be plenty of people out there going it alone bragging how they really showed the Democrats, and the GOP will be immensely happy. The DLC will giggle and chuckle that everyone left without a fight.
Pardon me, but that does not sound like a good solution to me.
That’s the reason I don’t give up (at anything), whether it’s stabbers in my company, DINO’s in my party, or fascists in my government. Sure, I could go, and it sure is tempting to no longer associate myself with an imperfect situation or the fools who make it so, but in the end, I am not going to make their job so easy. In fact, I’m going to make their job absolutely impossible – I’m going to make them leave instead.
Those who are convinced that the 42 votes against Alito could have been transformed by the filibuster vote into a defeat for the nomination may be right. But there are some other possible scenarios, as well. A “deadlocked” Senate could have allowed the media and the rovians to do a job on the Dems, like they have done to Howard Dean and others. It could have also brought about the “nuclear option,” ending any hope of stopping a tyranny of the majority in the senate. I’m not saying this would all happen, I’m saying don’t assume that “if only the 42 had voted for filibuster” we would have achieved victory. That said, I would like to hear more discussion now about tactics and strategy, because there will be more votes in the Senate this year. And I wouldn’t mind hearing from Howard Dean, even though he may feel constrained from public comment.
.
The Republicans are in a sinking ship, call their bluff. The repugs have the presidency and majority in both houses of Congress. The period 2001-2006 is their responsibility, the mess in the Middle East and Iraq, Katrina, the high energy prices, a jobless recovery and the conservative appointments to the SC.
Who is Rove? Look at the change in rhetoric and content from George Bush in his speeches ever since the Libby indictment and revelations about Larry Franklin, Tom DeLay, Cunningham, Scanlon and Jack Abramoff. The White House is under fire from the corporate MSM today.
Look at the issues Bush targets in his latest SOTU speech. The Republicans are working toward the campaing issues for this fall and Election 2006. The Democrats should focus on the broken promises and the division created by the neocon policies of Bush and the christian extremists in this country. Division is policy in Rove’s White House, let’s watch the defeat of Karl as the year progresses. The pragmatic Republicans up for re-election just can’t take that chance, and will sound more moderate to reach the voters. The most heard line of Democrats this fall: “Too little and too late”.
The leadership of the Democratic party are always running behind the mood in the country, even polls cannot grasp the changes the populace want in daily life and the distance of the D.C. politicians to reality.
Democrats should show guts and be on the attack, always!
“But I will not let myself be reduced to silence.”
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