Dean says we will not win just because we are right....

From his speech at Yearly Kos:



I did not expect his speech to get much attention here, and it hasn't...which is ok. However, it was a powerful speech for 8 in the morning after traveling from the Virgin Islands the night before...is that 3 time zones or 4? Anyway, his reception before the convention was amazing, a long standing ovation. Same at the end. He sounded more like the Dean we heard before.

I think what he said about not winning because we are right is so very true. We need to remember that as we head into November. It is being tough and working hard.

He speaks of Iowa in a casual way with a sense of what it was about:



The whole interview from AAR does not appear to be available in archive yet, but there is another segment online.

From the segment at Politics TV:
http://www.politicstv.com/blog/?p=199

The ending of the speech:



I know he is right about the disagreements, but it is sure hard to do sometimes. We have been so divided in this country, and he is right about it not being so much about what we want. It is about the country.

We have been right all along, and all it has gotten us is two botched, probably stolen, elections. We face an opposition that is determined to force a Christian theocracy, or as close to it as they can get, on all of us. They don't care whom they hurt in the process, and they sure as hell don't care about the Constitution.

"LET'S GO GET THOSE BUSH BASTARDS!"

His speech should get more attention.

One of the (very few) reasons I regret not having a tv is because I don't get to see people like Howard Dean make speeches like that.

It is very deserving of attention. Thanks. It's a very unselfish speech, it is a speech about America. I wish I were that unselfish and able to put my personal feelings aside.

More people should hear this and know what he said. The regular/mainstream/corporate media will not cover it....and it just won't get attention unless we give it.

C-Span did not tape it.

I have always loved Howard Dean, even before I met him when he was my governor.

Not once have I ever felt that he let us down.

:yourock: madfloridian.

And are getting positions in the local Democratic party as well.

We came into politics because of his plain talking. Still here.

:hi:

I don't usually care, but this is a heck of a speech that is just getting no attention.

If everyone heard the speech we might develop a fighting attitude, and that would just not please the MSM

in addition to being consistent, focused and knowledgeable of the issues.

Dean is like a vitamin shot in the arm!

putting us where we are for pulling dean down and giving us Kerry. i am sorry, kerry was not the one to take out georgie with a landslide that even diebold could not squash.

but then he is a Dick.

It was a pretty rough time.

unfortunately, it happens every election. If only those folks would decide to fight the GOP the way they fight Dems.

http://www.blogforamerica.com/archives/002665.html

Dean attacked everyone equally, but since he was the frontrunner everyone else piled on him and only him. That knocked him off his perch and gave it to everybody's number 2 choice: John Kerry. Gep was doing badly right from the beginning and had nothing to lose.

In spite of all that, I'm glad Dean is DNC chair. This is the best way to grow from the grass roots and build a more national party.

It has failed for the last 10+/-. I WANNA be NICE....... I just can't afford it any more.

of American values.

Short, powerful clips at Politics TV.

http://www.politicstv.com/blog/?p=201

Good interview. about a minute and a half.

Dean is absolutely right ... you can't win elections just because you are right ... no problem there ...

but Dean's words do nothing to change or repair the disagreements we have ... and they do less than nothing to those who see the Democrats as playing politics with the big issues or as having no clear position at all ...

this statement near the end of the speech was among the worst: "we've got to put aside whatever it is we disagree with and keep together" ... yeah, we got to "keep together" ... wonderful ... saying it won't make it happen!!

there's a path to the unity Dean correctly recognizes as being critically important ... just uttering the words is useless; it changes nothing and it doesn't demonstrate any leadership at all ...

if you want to heal the divide, you need to create a process for discussion and negotiation ... frankly, i don't think Dean has a clue about this ... Dean needs to push as hard as he can for a meaningful, intra-party dialog ... this dialog needs to be ongoing thru '06 and even thru '08 ... it's true Dean has no control over our elected reps and senators; still, that's no excuse to not even call for a party-wide process of negotiation on the issues ...

i see numerous posts honoring the diversity of views under the "big tent" ... Dean correctly sees there's a problem here and that we need to come together if we're going to succeed ... what he doesn't see is that unity has to be earned; you can't just say we should do it for the country ... that's just empty rhetoric ...

a second major failing of Dean's speech is the flip side of Dean's main theme ... yes, we won't win just being right; we have to work hard during the campaign ... what's missing here is that we also won't win, even if we work our asses off, if we can't differentiate our views from republican views on Iraq, can't provide real solutions to the massive budget deficits (what will the Dems cut besides bush's ill-advised tax cuts?), and can't convince Americans that we can do better protecting their jobs ...

how many reading this can articulate the Party's jobs program? how many know how the Dems will tackle the fiscal mess bush has created (again, beyond terminating the tax cuts)? and, other than calling bush incompetent, what exactly is the Party's official position on Iraq (hint: we don't have an official position) ...

Dean is absolutely right to call for unity; he needs to do a hell of a lot more than that if he wants to demonstrate the leadership necessary to achieve it ... no, Dean is NOT the only one responsible to help build unity; frankly i see no Democrat with the right program to heal our differences ... but, Dean is the Party Chair and clearly needs to set the direction ... this speech doesn't come close to doing what is needed ...

I say Dean, you say wrong. I try to sound positive, you go negative.

At least for goodness sake, just for one day, don't dump on him when he is trying to get things done.

your post is totally non-responsive to the issues i raised ... i defined a clear agenda for what i believe is needed to reconcile the warring factions in the party ...

i did not say Dean was a jerk or that he was inept or any other sort of ad hominem attack ... i cited my reasons for seeing his speech and the core of his chairmanship as inadequate ...

just because you post a feel good happy thread does not mean others are not free to express their opinions ... Dean has failed to make any progress at all healing the rifts in the party ... as i said, he's right to recognize the importance of doing so ... if he wants to lead, he'll need to do much, much more than that ...

You say anything you want, no one attempts to silence you. That is just silly.

This was a sensible speech, and it does not deserve your dumping on it.

Nothing Dean does ever pleases you, so I am not surprised at the post. There is no compromising in your world at all, I fear....and things are so bad we might have to do so.

I am not going to get embroiled with you anymore....just backing away. Say what you want.

And as to healing rifts, I have not seen others making efforts at all. The very left wants perfection...which they will NOT get. It ain't gonna happen.

So you dumped, no one stopped you.

you always promise me that but you never honor your words ... might i recommend the "ignore" function? try it; you'll like it ...

you said "stop it"; i interpret that as telling me to shut up ...

you said: "This was a sensible speech, and it does not deserve your dumping on it." ... deserve??? what it deserves is to have people listen to it or read it and then provide their reactions to it ... it does not "deserve" to have everyone on the planet agree with it ... again, i provided my objections and you have yet to do anything but whine and attack me ... you have failed to respond to the issues i raised ... just whine, whine, and more whine ...

and then you offered this unsubstantiated drivel: "There is no compromising in your world at all" ... really??? you've talked to me on various issues, offered a compromise position between my position and your position, and i always refuse ... i just dig in and won't yield an inch ...

wanna back up that nonsense???

calling for a better process for ALL Democrats to have a greater voice in the Party is hardly a refusal to "compromise at all" ... your statement is a classic ad hominem attack that's based on nothing at all ... paint someone who disagrees with you as 100% inflexible - provide no support for your statement ... yeah, i'm a radical fringe extremist who absolutely refuses to compromise about anything no matter what ... :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

What ever part of the party you are in I want in the other.

Never see you around much.

Guess you heard we are having another hurricane teasing us.

addressing, actually. ;-)

You are right.

You may be aware of the fact that first the rest of the party needs to be created. How many states actually had Democratic parties when Dean first took the chair? Not enough. The days of running a 17 state national campaign are coming to an end.

Building the party is important and will take time.

Oh and if you think it's a good idea for Dean/DNC to issue a statement on Iraq on behalf of all Dems, I have news for you.

Julie

message machine to counter the GOP mammoth.

The Dem infrastructure was allowed to be weakened since 1997. Gore and Kerry HAD the votes to get into office, but the Dem infrastructure lost them by their lack of attention to the most important details overseen by so many individual county election boards.

Dean has his work cut out for him. The machine he inherited was a weak one.

It probably won't be done by 06, hopefully better by 08.

He introduced Dean for the speech, and I liked what he had to say.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/6/10/111857/408

"Simon Rosenberg is introducing Howard Dean with what he sees are the three most important things Dean has introduced to politics: getting past tarmac hits and tv spots to build a grassroots national campaign, the 50 State Strategy, and teaching people not to be satisfied."

I also like that Dean referred to Simon's efforts in running ads for the Hispanic community and doing an outreach with them. I knew they were doing it, glad Dean is on board with it....I and others had wondered.

That is the reality. They will not let him set the message. He keeps putting out stuff, and they keep ignoring.

Rahm wants to control it, so does Schumer, so does Pelosi. They really don't want him to do it.

There is a long long page up at the DNC site under agenda, which is pretty good.

However, we don't need to worry about agenda when we can not even get the media to notice us. We need to organize and pass the word locally, which is what he is doing.

Though I caught flak in an earlier thread about Harry Reid, we have to push our Congressional leaders to get on board with Dean and begin promoting a unified message.

I hate to think I'm out here working my ass of when a small effort on their part to work together could accomplish far more.

http://www.dnc.org/agenda.html


1. Honest Leadership & Open Government
2. Real Security
3. Energy Independence
4. Economic Prosperity & Educational Excellence
5. A Health Care System that Works for Everyone
6. Retirement Security


The link above gives detailed information for each point.

Check out Barbara Boxer's segment, too.

It makes me smile to know that those two
are working for us. We couldn't have better.

He brings out the best in people. At least those who are open to what he is communicating.

I heard (or read*) where a guy mentioned he had stopped smoking because Dean had been such a motivating force for him. I can see that.

He's one of the few in Washington who's in politics for the right reasons.

Yo go, Howard!

"That in the end, what we owe is the American people, not ourselves, not our party, not our movement--we owe the American people to restore American greatness. And that means in the middle of our fighting, we've got to put aside whatever it is we disagree with and keep together"- Howard Dean :patriot:

it is impossible to shrink the world (or America) down to a size that will fit in someone's pocket. I think there was an old "Twilight Zone" show like that many years ago.

It was about hate...

The 50 state strategy is long overdue and I'm convinced it's superior to saturation on top of saturation.

Lots of work to do. Glad Dean is leading the way! :toast:

Thanks for posting MF.

Julie

Precinct by precinct here is so hard. One step forward, two steps backward. County Dem meeting tonight with the tropical storm/hurricane just about over us...not conducive to good attendance. Important meeting, too.

...energy policy. There is an urgent issue that would garner support. It seems the Democrats are stuck in a 20 year old framing of the issue--where they are afraid to tell people we can use less energy.

Be right, fight like hell and don't scapegoat! Great message!

Part of figthing like hell is shutting down the RW smear machine, and not buying into their lies!

is a powerful speech after traveling from the Virgin Islands the night before!

I had a really interesting nice retro dream about Dean last night and I woke up and was determined to remember that I dreamt about Dean and then I went back to sleep and had another Dean dream.

I say retro because he was running for Prez and he was being funny, charming, and personable.

Looks like he got a buzz cut and I like it!

Dean has gotten pretty good at doing this..

"That in the end, what we owe is the American people, not ourselves, not our party, not our movement--we owe the American people to restore American greatness. And that means in the middle of our fighting, we've got to put aside whatever it is we disagree with and keep together, because block by block, vote by vote, precinct by precinct and year by year, we will take America back for the people who built it. Thank you very much."

Couple of Q&A from a post at Kos.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/6/10/112214/777

The Repubs have much more money and think they can just buy every election. Well, that shows how desperate they are. People vote in the election, not dollars.

I wish they'd do something about ensuring fair elections though, especially in the banana republic known as Ohio.

I'm having a district team meeting this week -- a brain-storming session about getting our message out to potential volunteers and voters. This information is vital to our message, and I was hoping to be able to come up with some good quotes from good role models. Who other than Dean for our team meeting? This quote you posted is perfect for one of the fliers we plan on putting together:



Thanks. It also segues nicely into another meeting I'm having with some guys who've been passing on some reading material to me and who are trying to dredge up some $$$ from some wealthy donors for advertising. One of the guys lent me "Crashing the Gate", which I just finished.

It deserved more attention than it was getting. Glad to be of help.

Thanks for all you do.

and if we don't take care of that problem the pukes will steal the election (again!)?

This was an important speech.

"The Democratic Party is the vehicle for changing America"....still sticks in my mind.