archived: 13 - 19 Feb, 2005         Back                 Next

                        THE FIRST PRINCIPAL  

President Clinton, true to form, made a compelling observation this week about Democrats: 

"We've got to stop beating on each other and redirect our fire against the people we disagree with."  -- Washington Post 

Clinton personalized the point: 

"Every time I see somebody who identifies himself as a liberal saying I betrayed the liberal base of the party, I want to say 'How?” Clinton said, arguing that his presidency had boosted the middle class and the poor and that his policies had brought gains for women, minorities and gays. 

Sage counsel for all Democrats.  

                        CHAIRMAN DEAN  

Gov. Dean is Chairman.  The press continues its frenetic attempt to define what Gov. Dean’s victory really means for the Democratic Party.   

Two questions swirled around the Democrats as their national committee assembled yesterday to select a new party chairman: Can Howard Dean cure what ails the party, or is Howard Dean symptomatic of why those ailments may be so difficult to cure? – Washington Post 

TPJ has repeatedly written that the Democratic Party must find a way in which its various constituent groups can work together to, as President Clinton so eloquently stated, “redirect our fire against the people we disagree with.”   Gov. Dean has already started addressing that problem: 

Dr. Dean made his first public appearance as the presumptive chairman of the Party; he began to give some clues about how he will lead it. There were early signs that he plans to perform a high wire act, balancing the older, rabble-rousing image from his presidential campaign that appeals to his ardent fans with the one of a more muted consensus-builder that he has presented to win over skeptics in the Democratic Party establishment.

"Most of you know there are a lot of people in this city who are afraid I'm going to be very unorthodox - and I am," Dr. Dean declared to hundreds of mostly young supporters. . . .

In balancing his two constituencies, Dr. Dean seemed to acknowledge the challenge that Democrats everywhere describe. . . .

On Thursday, Dr. Dean spent about 20 minutes with Ms. Pelosi and Mr. Reid, the House and Senate Democratic leaders. The meeting was characterized by one Democratic Senate aide afterward as an improvement over the last few weeks of open discord, civil but also subdued. – New York Times 

In a speech to his supporters earlier in the week, Dean pledged to “work closely with top congressional leaders such as Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid and House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi and with Democratic officials at the national, state and local level.” – AP  

A report in the National Journal (not available online) gives this account of the meeting with Senator Reid and Representative Pelosi: 

Chairman Howard Dean agreed during a meeting Wednesday with Reid to cede full control of the party's policies and agenda to congressional Democrats and to provide financial and message support to Reid's efforts, Senate Democratic aides said.

Dean told Reid "he wants clear lines of communication [with Reid] to ... amplify what the Democrats up here are doing," an aide familiar with the conversation said.  

Democrats who opposed Chairman Dean, in turn, are uniting behind Gov. Dean.  Clinton has highly praised Gov. Dean in a speech this week.  Sen. Kerry informed his supporters: 

We have a strong Democratic Party - and we need it to be stronger. Strong enough to turn back George Bush's efforts to privatize Social Security. Strong enough to insist that every child in America has health insurance. Strong enough to elect candidates committed to Democratic ideals at every level of government and in every region of our country.

. . . Howard Dean will be elected as the new chair of the Democratic National Committee. He'll need the ideas, engagement and financial support of the entire Democratic Party to succeed.

Let's welcome Howard Dean and give him the groundswell of grassroots support he needs. 

Progressives have been the core of Gov. Dean’s victory.  We have to support that commitment financially.   

Click on the icon below to make a contribution to the Democratic Party to show Gov. Dean that we stand behind him.  Every dollar will count – every dollar sends a message that we are ready to meet the task of rebuilding a Party:
 

            REDIRECTING FIRE 

The reality remains that Democrats in Congress have yet to successfully stop Bush on any cabinet appointment or policy issue.  Republicans successfully passed legislation this week to limit class action law suits by a vote of 72 to 26. All 26 votes in opposition were Democrats.   

Democrats in the Senate appear to be united and willing to exercise the filibuster to stop Bush’s reckless Social Security plan. Early signs indicate that the Democrats are winning public support on the issue. 

Newsweek conducted a poll with these findings: -- Polling Report 

 The generational “gap” in attitudes is self-evident. Democrats must convince younger citizens that the Social Security system was excellent public policy when it was passed and the Social Security system is just as important and vitally strong today. 

The Democratic Party needs a common plan of action.  Gov. Dean could effectively start his chairmanship by organizing Democrats across the nation to: 

MoveOn and other issue organizations will mount their campaigns on the issue.  It is time that Chairman Dean and the Democrats mount a Democratic Party campaign.  Gov. Dean and the Democratic Party must show Americans: 

THERE IS A REASON WE ARE DEMOCRATS

NEXT- MICHAEL CARMICHAEL

Last Update: 03/23/2006