Good article about Dean's 1st appearance back at VT Statehouse.

I like this article because it sort of is vintage Dean, and I like the comments Symington makes about him. It is what a lot of us have tried to get across about his centrist type of governing. She sounds appreciative of the activism he has started.

http://www.projo.com/ap/ne/1083954545.htm
SNIP..."Dean also said on the war in Iraq that, "Ironically everything I thought a year ago has come true, unfortunately for the country."

He said Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld had given a "relatively atrocious performance" during his testimony Friday before the Senate Armed Services Committee on the alleged abuse of Iraqi prisoners by U.S. personnel..."

SNIP...."In response to questions from the audience, Dean also said he had been a longtime admirer of Federal Reserve Board Chairman Alan Greenspan. But he said he had concluded recently that Greenspan was "partly responsible for the (economic) mess we're in," and had "stayed on a little too long. He chided the Fed chairman for saying recently that Social Security should be trimmed and the Bush tax cuts made permanent. "That amounts to taking money from middle-class and poor seniors and giving it to the chieftains of big corporations," Dean said. ..."

SNIP..."Rep. Gaye Symington, the House Democratic leader, said Dean's call to activism was already showing up among people she had been recruiting to run in this fall's elections. "This guy took a huge risk," she said, gesturing toward Dean. "He's just a regular guy (who) we sometimes felt like bashing over the head" when he was governor for taking stands not liberal enough for Democratic legislators....."

I have not seen this mentioned anywhere, but DFA collected a quarter of a million in 8 days to maintain staff, the blog, and to allow Dean to travel for progressive candidates in between his other speeches. This is going to be a viable organization as the state groups become more active. They are starting to add them to the blog now. As Dean said, change takes a long time.

Dean is the man.

When most of the Democratic party was cowering to the Republicans and public opinion, Dean had the courage to speak out against the war.

My vote will be for Kerry, but I remain grateful for what Dean believed in and the stand he took.

:hi:

and here is one of my favorite parts:

But Dean devoted most of his remarks to urging his fellow liberals to become more politically active. He said people should devote at least three hours per week to political activity.

"If you think you don't owe anything to this country then you get what we've got right now" - conservative Republicans controlling the White House and both houses of Congress, he said.

He said Democrats should adopt the strategy that national Republicans did in the 1990s and "contest every public office."

"If you think you don't owe anything to this country then you get what we've got right now" - conservative Republicans controlling the White House and both houses of Congress..."

That is why he is working so hard to get people to become activists. This is hard for me, to keep up the pace. I feel like just quitting....just kicking back. I try to remember what is at stake.

That is why my husband and I and most of our group here will vote for Kerry, but we will be working very hard to achieve the DFA goals.

:yourock:



:hippie: