Tuesday, September 24, 2002
Dean says he'll lead Democrates to center http://www.dailyiowan.com/news/280294.html
IT looks like Dean is making progress in Iowa, where they no longer preface his name in the headlines as VT's Governor:
Vermont Gov. Howard Dean fields questions at the IMU on Monday evening about his plans to run for president in 2004. The event was sponsored by the University Democrats. Joanne White/The Daily Iowan
Dean, who has announced that he will not seek re-election as governor, has been compared with Carter, a small-state outsider up against a field of big-name Democrats.
"I love Iowa," he said. "I often tell people that if you steamroll Vermont, you have Iowa."
Vermont Gov. Howard Dean fields questions at the IMU on Monday evening about his plans to run for president in 2004. The event was sponsored by the University Democrats. Joanne White/The Daily Iowan
Dean, who has announced that he will not seek re-election as governor, has been compared with Carter, a small-state outsider up against a field of big-name Democrats.
"I love Iowa," he said. "I often tell people that if you steamroll Vermont, you have Iowa."
Dean asks for proof on Iraq http://www.press-citizen.com/news/092402dean.htm
Dean is in Iowa, this is from the Iowa Press Citizen, here are some excerpts from his speech:
Dean, who spoke Monday night at the Iowa Memorial Union, also said he would endorse a pre-emptive strike against Iraq if it can be proven that Saddam Hussein has access to weapons of mass destruction and the means to discharge them. He said President Bush has never proven that case.
"Pre-emption is not off the table, but the moral high ground does matter," Dean told the audience of roughly 60 people. "It's important that others respect our decision, and it's important that we respect our own decision."...
Dean described himself Monday night as a political moderate who can balance budgets, reduce the deficit and spend wisely on social programs that reduce child abuse and make health insurance accessible. He also said he was pro-choice and in favor of rights for all people, including those who are gay.
"I'm tired of being bullied by the right wing," he said. "We're going to bring this country back to the middle. Our president has taken us so far to the right, we've forgotten what the middle looks like."
Julie Thomas, a Democratic candidate for Iowa's 2nd Congressional District seat held by Republican incumbent Jim Leach, introduced Dean. Also a doctor, Thomas said Dean inspired her to run for elected office.
"He recognizes it's important to invest in children ... if we want to have a good outcome," she said.
Richard Twohy, a 57-year-old Iowa City resident who attended Dean's speech, said he was impressed with the Vermont governor's perspective on the issues raised Monday night.
"Everything that he said in the speech, I agree with; that's incredible," Twohy said.
Monday, September 23, 2002
Listen to Howard Dean http://www.onpointradio.org/shows/2002/07/20020703_a_main.asp
From Boston's NPR affiliate, WBUR (website: wbur.org) comes this interview with Dean. It's an audio link, requires RealAudio. Here is the direct audio file link.
The promo text on the website reads:
Howard Dean says he's running for President, and on paper he's quite a candidate.
He's the longest-serving Democratic governor. He signed the first law in the country to allow gay unions. And, he's got the endorsement of America's favorite president-that-isn't: Martin Sheen.
In real life, most Americans would pass Howard Dean on the street without a second glance. Can a candidate with just about zero national name-recognition actually make a viable run for the nation's highest office? Tonight, Howard Dean, the invisible candidate.
Saturday, September 21, 2002
Dean says task of getting noticed accomplished http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/bfpnews/news/2000h.htm
Heavily quoted, good info on how it's going in Burlington:
MONTPELIER -- Howard Dean's first task as a presidential candidate was being noticed and taken seriously among the large cast considering a 2004 race.
He believes he's been successful, and now Vermont's soon-to-retire governor is turning his attention toward raising the money that also will be a test of his viability on the national stage.
"We're in the mix," Dean said at a news conference devoted primarily to state issues this week. "Now we've got to raise some money."
Recent national news media coverage supports Dean's contention.... "If you read a story now on the national level about who's running for president, it's not John Kerry, John Edwards and Al Gore," said Kate O'Connor, who is coordinating Dean's presidential campaign. "It's John Kerry, John Edwards, Al Gore and Howard Dean. So that's a huge accomplishment for us to be seen as a credible candidate. And he's being taken seriously."
The campaign has rented new, larger offices in Burlington to be closer to a student volunteer base at the University of Vermont and other nearby colleges. The office happens to be across the hall from the Vermont office of the Secret Service, a fact that the staff likes to point out. There are six full-time paid staffers and four UVM student interns who are earning class credit. The campaign has hired two fund-raisers, one with Vermont roots and the other with a national reputation raising money for gay and lesbian organizations.
Carolyn Dwyer, who has raised money locally and nationally for Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., is working out of Burlington. Julie Tagen is working out of her home in Washington. She most recently was the development director for the Victory Fund, which backs gay and lesbian political candidates. She also raised money at one time for the Human Rights Campaign, the nation's largest gay and lesbian organization.
"We know that's the next step," Dean said of fund-raising. The campaign is being careful now not to raise too much money, O'Connor said. Federal matching money for presidential campaigns does not begin flowing until January 2003. So anything raised now can't leverage additional cash. "We obviously are going to rely very heavily on the presidential matching program," she said. "Our immediate fund-raising goal is to raise enough to keep going. For us, it doesn't make sense to raise $10 million right now because none of it can be matched."
The campaign is identifying potential donors and will be going to them after January to begin the big money push, O'Connor said. That's also when Dean will be leaving office as Vermont governor and plans a formal announcement of his candidacy.
In the meantime, Dean continues with a heavy travel schedule. "Our strategy is to target the states that we obviously think he can do well in because he has a message that resonates there," she said. She mentioned Colorado, Wyoming, Idaho and Oregon as nontraditional presidential states but ones where Dean believes his prospects are good.
He's also traveling to early primary and caucus states and elsewhere for strategy sessions. He's already met with President Clinton and Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y. Next week he travels to Atlanta to seek advice from the man he considers his mentor: President Carter.
Thursday, September 19, 2002
The Pulse of Vermont: Dean's presidential campaign http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/vpr/news/news.newsmain?action=article&ARTICLE_ID=396252
New poll results indicate that Vermonters have ambiguous feelings for Governor Howard Dean's presidential campaign. George Bush would get 44% of the Vermont vote and Dean would receive 36%. Others were undecided or favored neither candidate.
(Davis) "If at this stage of the campaign, Dean cannot even show potential supporters that he's beating the president in his home state, those supporters are going to wonder what the staying power of the Dean campaign is."
(Dillon) Davis suggests that there are several factors working against Dean in his home state. First, Vermonters are used to Dean as governor and may have a hard time picturing him as president. Second, with the nation facing a dangerous international situation, the public may want to support the president. Still, Davis says it's hard to imagine a candidate winning a presidential race without being able to carry his home state.
(Davis) "If at this stage of the campaign, Dean cannot even show potential supporters that he's beating the president in his home state, those supporters are going to wonder what the staying power of the Dean campaign is."
(Dillon) Davis suggests that there are several factors working against Dean in his home state. First, Vermonters are used to Dean as governor and may have a hard time picturing him as president. Second, with the nation facing a dangerous international situation, the public may want to support the president. Still, Davis says it's hard to imagine a candidate winning a presidential race without being able to carry his home state.
Wednesday, September 18, 2002
Dean is holdout among Democratic presidential hopefuls backing aggressive Iraq policy http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/archive/2002/09/18/politics1559EDT0733.DTL
"The president has to do two things to get the country's long-term support for the invasion of Iraq," Dean said in a telephone interview. "He has done neither yet."
Who’s for real in Democrats’ race: Iowa caucus list shows Edwards,Dean, Kerry are serious entries http://www.msnbc.com/news/809551.asp
Shelia's list is the subject of the article, a carefully culled and cross-checked computer list of the 105,000 adult Iowa Democrats who have attended presidential caucuses-- The cost — complete with phone numbers, post office boxes, cell phone numbers (the works) is $65,000. So far, Dean and Edwards have been the only ones to buy the list (which is a sure sign of running. Kerry is apparently about to buy the list. Here's Freidman's presentation of Dean:
THE STOCKBROKER’S SON
Dean — son of a stockbroker, Yale grad, physician who moved to rural Vermont to practice medicine — has a “narrative,” too: the Good Doctor who wants to heal society’s wounds, especially its medical programs. Small and compact, with a low-to-the-ground wrestler’s build, Dean has a no-nonsense sense about him, and a combative streak. Though he is a fiscal conservative (and a proud opponent of gun control) he is an unabashed liberal in other ways: for civil unions, for Hillary-style “national health” care and very dubious about U.S. military action in Iraq. He isn’t on the floor of the Senate to debate the issue, which, from his point of view, is a good thing.Doing it the old-fashioned way, Dean is traveling the key “early” states exhaustively, meeting people one or two at a time, planning the grass-roots seeds he hopes will sprout at the right moment. His model isn’t really Clinton, it’s even more antique: Jimmy Carter.
Dean’s rise is a mixed blessing at best for Kerry. Now there will be two New Englanders competing for votes in the always crucial New Hampshire primary; on the other hand, the burden won’t be as great on him to win it convincingly. Edwards just needs to stay in the mix there as he points toward his own must-win backyard brawl in South Carolina. All of which means: In 2004, gaining “momentum” in the Iowa caucuses is going to be critical. That hasn’t always been the case in recent years. It will be this time. Which, in turn, makes Sheila’s List a bargain.
Top Democrats Back Bush on Waging Iraqi War: Hawkish consensus among possible presidential contenders could boost fortunes of Vermont Gov. Howard Dean http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/politics/la-na-prez18sep18(0,5869862).story?coll=la%2Dnews%2Dpolitics%2Dnational
Since Bush's speech last week to the United Nations, Sens. Joseph I. Lieberman (D-Conn.) and John Edwards (D-N.C.) have made clear they would back the use of force against Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, while House Minority Leader Richard A. Gephardt (D-Mo.) has suggested he would, as well.
Sources close to former Vice President Al Gore, the 2000 Democratic presidential nominee, say he will shortly endorse the prospect of military action. Even Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.), who has consistently raised questions about a potential strike against Iraq, appears to be moving toward supporting force, sources close to him say.
This hawkish consensus could leave an opening for a so-called peace candidate in the developing Democratic race. At the moment, Vermont Gov. Howard Dean, who's openly exploring a presidential candidacy, appears the most likely to audition for that part. The little-known Dean has been more critical of possible military action than any other potential candidate.
That could help him gain a foothold in Iowa, site of the first caucus in January 2004 and traditionally a state where antiwar sentiments run high among Democratic activists. But, on both substantive and political grounds, most leading Democrats appear to have concluded that opposing action against Hussein could be an insurmountable burden to carry into a 2004 race. "There is an opportunity in the primaries for an antiwar candidate, particularly in Iowa, but that disqualifies you for the general election," said a top aide to one of the likely 2004 candidates....
Dean, in an interview Tuesday, said flatly that he did not believe Bush has made "the case that we need to invade Iraq." Dean said he could support military action, even outside the U.N., if Bush could "establish with reasonable credibility" that Hussein had the capacity to deliver either nuclear or biological weapons against the United States and its allies. But he said that the president, to this point, hadn't passed that test.
"He is asking American families to sacrifice their children, and he's got to have something more than, 'This is an evil man,' " Dean said. "There are a lot of evil people running countries around the world; we don't bomb every one of them. We don't ask our children to die over every one of them." Such dissenting views could find an audience in the Democratic primary; polls have consistently found rank-and-file Democrats more skeptical of invading Iraq than other Americans.
There are many reasons to be unsure about the success of this invasion. It could be a successful precision attack, but it could also become a debacle of massive civilian killing that is seen in hindsight as reckless, shortsighted, and politically motivated-- like invading countries around election time when the Dow is breaking below 8,000.
With majority of Democratic voters are against invading Iraq. If Dean goes along with the other Democrats, there will be a vacuum of disconnect with the majority of Democratic voters-- especially if it does turn out to be a quagmire. On the otherhand, if only Dean remains aligned alongside the Democratic international ideals of peaceful defense over unprincipled aggression, he stands to become the strong alternative to the Bush & the DC candidates.
Monday, September 16, 2002
The Scrum http://thescrum.blogspot.com/
The Scrum --who says it's too early to start thinking about the 2004 Presidential campaign? This little outpost will keep track of all the early developments-- is a good reference for 2004 activity. The editor has affiliation with ABC's Political Unit, and gives more press to Edwards than anyone else-- Dean's sort of just below the radar usually. However, this isn't meant to be a criticism of the text. The Scrum serves up each political nuance, each 2004 press item, each campaign move from a nation press insider position. Check out The Scrum to glean insights from the 2004 presidential campaign process.
In mentioning "anti-gun control" alongside Edwards (and Dean's) semi-advocacy of the position, The Scrum points out that the first three primaries will all be in states where rural friendliness may be a political asset: New Hampshire, Iowa and South Carolina.
The early focus seems to be on the first three primaries. It's likely that we will see a winnowing of sorts that happens after the NH/SC dates. After those first three primaries, there are then a few middle states --AZ, MI, WA, with DE possibly being squeezed in there somewhere as well-- before the two consecutive Super Tuesday's that about wraps up the primaries.
In mentioning "anti-gun control" alongside Edwards (and Dean's) semi-advocacy of the position, The Scrum points out that the first three primaries will all be in states where rural friendliness may be a political asset: New Hampshire, Iowa and South Carolina.
The early focus seems to be on the first three primaries. It's likely that we will see a winnowing of sorts that happens after the NH/SC dates. After those first three primaries, there are then a few middle states --AZ, MI, WA, with DE possibly being squeezed in there somewhere as well-- before the two consecutive Super Tuesday's that about wraps up the primaries.
Dean Gives Boost to Orlando Ordinance http://www.datalounge.com/datalounge/news/record.html?record=20218
This is a report from The Orlando Sentinel about the remarks that Dean delivered to an audience assembled by Out & Equal, a local advocacy group.
Dean has embarked in recent months on a whirlwind schedule of speaking engagements as he builds support for his bid for the Democratic nomination for president in 2004.
Governor Dean will be in Portland on the 24th of October. There is a medical conference where is is speaking, as well as some campaigning in Portland, and SW Washington-- possibly with WA 3rd CD Representative Baird. Washington is an important early primary state, and will resonate strongly with Dean's message.
Sunday, September 15, 2002
Vermont's Dean Would Recognize Civil Unions If President; but not try to push a Civil Union bill though Congress. http://www.365gay.com/newscontent/091502PresidentMarriage.htm
It's a sensible position, as the cultural divide continues, there's no reason why VT, NY and OR should not be able to transcend the bigotry of other states. It's a fine needle to thread though, if Dean wants to win any states in the rockies or south.
“As president of the United States, I will recognize civil unions, which will then allow full equality under the law as far as the federal government is concerned,” Dean said in a speech to the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association convention in Philadelphia.
Dean said it was not the federal government’s role to become involved in marriage statutes. He pledged that if elected he would do all he could to undo the Defense of Marriage Act, passed during the Clinton administration, which prohibits the federal government from recognizing marriages between any couples except one man and one woman.
He made a point of emphasizing he was not advocating full marriage rights. Nor was he pressing other states to enact civil union legislation.
“What I am not going to do is tell every state they have to pass civil unions,” he said.
Campaign Schedule for September
Courtesy of Lawrence, here's Dean's campaign schedule for the rest of this month:
| Sunday, September 15, 2002 | 1:00pm | Speak at North Dakota Democratic Party lunch, Holiday Inn, Grand Forks, North Dakota |
| Friday, September 20, 2002 | 6:00pm | Speak at AFL-CIO COPE dinner, Southfield Weston Hotel, Southfield, Michigan |
| Saturday, September 21, 2002 | 6:00pm | Speak at Keene County Democrats spaghetti dinner, Keene, New Hampshire |
| Sunday, September 22, 2002 | 5:00pm | Speak at National Education Association's State Presidents' meeting, Radisson Hotel, Burlington, Vermont |
| Monday, September 23, 2002 | 5:00pm | Attend reception for Julie Thomas, candidate for Congress, Iowa City, Iowa |
| 6:00pm | Attend reception for University of Iowa Young Democrats, Iowa City, Iowa | |
| 7:00pm | Address students at University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa | |
| Tuesday, September 24, 2002 | 12:00pm | Attend lunch for Julie Thomas, candidate for Congress, Iowa City, Iowa |
| Thursday, September 26, 2002 | 6:00pm | Reception for New Hampshire Senate Democratic Caucus, Manchester, New Hampshire |
| Friday, September 27, 2002 | 11:30am | Keynote speaker, American Lung Association of Maine Annual Meeting, Marriott Hotel, South Portland, Maine |
| Saturday, September 28, 2002 | 7:00pm | Keynote speaker, OutVote 2002, Menger Hotel, San Antonio, Texas |
| Sunday, September 29, 2002 | 11:00am | Keynote speaker, Stonewall Democrats of Austin brunch, Austin, Texas |
Friday, September 13, 2002
Vermont Governor visits Clayton County as he seeks Democratic presidential nomination http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=5334277&BRD=97&PAG=461&dept_id=407704&rfi=6
"People in Iowa are similar to those in Vermont," said Gov. Dean this past week as he relaxed on a park bench along the banks of the Mississippi River in Guttenberg.
Sunday, September 08, 2002
Dean ahead in 2004 poll http://www.mydd.com/archives/00000334.htm
It's an online poll (though not one where you can cast multiple votes) but still, Dean's ahead with those who are ahead of the curve. Also on MyDD, an entry "The Republican Cultural Wars are Turning Inward-- Speed It Up With Dean" was made about a week ago, with many interesting comments that follow.
Friday, September 06, 2002
'Clean house in D.C.,' urges Vermont's Dean http://desmoinesregister.com/news/stories/c4789004/19145472.html
More news from Iowa, where they are still headlining Dean's name in conjunction with Vermont. Dean is going to be practically living in the early primary states during 2003. Here are some excerpts:
Vermont Gov. Howard Dean said Thursday that only by "cleaning house in Washington" can Iowans hope to receive more from Medicare, the health care program for the elderly.
"To be boldly partisan about it, as long as you have Republican congressmen in the majority, this is never going to change," Dean said while traveling in northeast Iowa. "The Bush tax cut plan is what's causing this."
Dean said it is unreasonable to expect lawmakers from states such as Louisiana and Tennessee, where medical providers are reimbursed at twice the rate of those in Iowa, to support Medicare changes that would take money away from those states to help reduce the disparity. "You're going to have to add money to the Medicare system," he said. "But that is impossible under a president who is putting us back into deficits."Republicans control the U.S. House. Democrats hold a one-seat majority in the Senate.
Dean, who will speak at the United Auto Workers state convention in Des Moines today, is making his ninth trip to Iowa since the 2000 election.
ABC's Note states the Dean Stands out Against the War on Iraq http://abcnews.go.com/sections/politics/dailynews/thenote.html
Politicians are usually very reactive with their public positions. Dean is stepping out once again ahead of the pack.
There are so many good nuggets of 2004 politics in the Wall Street Journal 's sidebar-ish take under the header "Key Democrats Voice Doubts on Iraq Plan," that mostly what we will tell you here is that it is a must-read.
The Big Six (Daschle, Gephardt, Gore, Kerry, Edwards, Lieberman) all get mentioned in the piece, with good analysis and quotes, but let the record show that Gov. Howard Dean owns the third paragraph (mentioned after only Daschle) all by himself:
"And one 2004 Democratic presidential prospect, Vermont Gov. Howard Dean, declared that 'there's substantial doubt that [Saddam Hussein] is as much of a threat as the Bush administration claims.' Though Americans might initially rally to military action, 'that support will be very short-lived once American kids start coming home in boxes,' Mr. Dean warned Wednesday as he campaigned in Iowa."
In a companion must-read on the op-ed page, Al Hunt says Democrats are MIA on the issue, and he makes a bit of fun of Gore, Edwards, and Gephardt, while elevating the man who is still enjoying his CW/pundit moment in the sun, John Kerry, who, Hunt vaguely teases out, is getting ready to "soon" take a "stand" regarding the need for the United States to act against Iraq as part of an international coalition.
Thursday, September 05, 2002
Dean says Bush has not prepared U.S. for Iraq attack http://rutlandherald.nybor.com/News/State/Story/52530.html
(September 4, 2002, By MIKE GLOVER The Associated Press)
The Associated Press reports (in the Rutland Herald) that Dean has restated some of his opinions regarding Iraq. It's a good overview of his position on the issue (though it does rehash some of the tidbits from earlier articles).
Dean warned the president is badly mistaken if he thinks voters will blindly support an attack.
“He needs to first make the case and he has not done that,” Dean said. “He has never come out and said Saddam (Hussein) has the atomic bomb and we need to deal with him.”
Dean said he wasn’t sure why Bush wasn’t making his case more forcefully.
“It is in the minds of a lot of people and they are worried,” said Dean. “They want to support him, but he hasn’t given them a reason.”
Once Bush has verified that Hussein has weapons of mass destruction, Dean said Bush needs to make his evidence public and then be clear about the consequences of an attack.
“He needs to be forthright with the American people about what this means,” said Dean. “If we go into Iraq, we’re going to have to stay for probably five or 10 years.”
He warned that simply deposing Hussein is not enough. The United States would have to plant the seeds of democracy in a country with little such tradition, he said.
“Americans are going to have to die and a lot of money is going to be spent,” said Dean.
There's a lot more in this link about Dean's activities in Iowa, as well.
(link courtesy Lawrence)
Wednesday, September 04, 2002
Dean supported Yucca Mountain - via the Nuclear Energy Institute http://www.nei.org/index.asp?catnum=2&catid=229
Personally, I was very much in opposition of the Yucca Mountain waste repository, but it seems Governor Dean was not. Along with the other New England governors, he signed a statement in favor of Yucca Mountain:
"The Governors of all the New England states with operating or decommissioning nuclear power plants urge your staff to move promptly on the issue of disposition of spent nuclear fuel. Once the review process for Yucca Mountain has been completed, you should expedite the recommendation to the President for siting the permanent federal facility."
Dean's own statement reads, "I would also stress that last week's terrorist action makes it imperative that the federal government live up to its commitment to store spent fuel at a national facility." I'd be interested to know if his view has shifted since last September.
"The Governors of all the New England states with operating or decommissioning nuclear power plants urge your staff to move promptly on the issue of disposition of spent nuclear fuel. Once the review process for Yucca Mountain has been completed, you should expedite the recommendation to the President for siting the permanent federal facility."
Dean's own statement reads, "I would also stress that last week's terrorist action makes it imperative that the federal government live up to its commitment to store spent fuel at a national facility." I'd be interested to know if his view has shifted since last September.
ABC 2004: The Invisible Primary http://abcnews.go.com/sections/politics/dailynews/thenote.html
The ABC Political Unit always comes up with interesting information about the 2004 contenders, here's what they say about Dean today:
Here's the quote from the NH Paper: Democrats court labor at AFL-CIO breakfast
In case you missed last Saturday's Capitol Gang, Service Employees International Union chief Andy Stern told Al Hunt that Howard Dean is "making the most waves" for union people, "and basically because he's talking about universal health care … This is going to be a campaign about issues, and I think Howard Dean's taken a good start on it."
Take heed, as Stern's union is the biggest in the country.
Speaking of labor, Dean gets a "by the way" nod from the Manchester Union-Leader's reporter at the New Hampshire AFL-CIO Labor Day breakfast. "Dean, who is considering a run for the Presidency, told attendees that President Bush's tax cut had sent the economy into a tailspin because it wasn't directed at the right people."
Here's the quote from the NH Paper: Democrats court labor at AFL-CIO breakfast
Even Gov. Howard Dean of Vermont attended the event. Dean, who is considering a run for the Presidency, told attendees that President Bush’s tax cut had sent the economy into a tailspin because it wasn’t directed at the right people.
He also told attendees that he would work for universal health care if he was elected President, saying that Democrats will learn from “Harry and Louise.”
Harry and Louise were a fictional couple prominently featured in advertisements condemning the Democrats’ last push for socialized medicine, which took place early in President Clinton’s first term.
Dean also noted that all three Democratic congressional candidates are women.
“It is going to be a delight, after this November, to find that Judd Gregg is no longer going to be able to caucus with the New Hampshire delegation in the men’s room,” Dean said to cheers from the audience.
Tuesday, September 03, 2002
Howard Dean: fan of managed care http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/405541
I found an interview with Dean on medscape.com in which he discusses managed care. Registration is required, but I've created a catch-all account for our readers to use if they'd like to view the article in it's entirety. Login name is hd2004 and the password is abc123.
If Dean is going to stick his neck out in support of universal health care, then it is imperative that the electorate be privy to his thoughts on the issue of managed care. He seems to support HMOs, but also suggests ways to improve the quality of care and streamline the system.
Here's a quick excerpt from the article, which appeared in Healthplan Magazine, vol 43, number 3 sometime in 2000 (the site doesn't specify a publication date, sorry), and was conducted by Christopher J. Gearon.
A Fan of HMOs - An Interview with Vermont Governor Howard Dean, MD
When it comes to health care, Howard Dean, MD, governor of Vermont, has heard the beat of a different drummer. An internist, the Democratic governor considers himself "a fan of HMOs," and his views on managed care come largely from his training as a physician. A fiscal conservative, Dean has made increasing access to health care one of his administration's top goals. In April, he signed a bill into law that guarantees same-sex partners virtually the same rights as married heterosexuals.
At the national level, Dean has been very active on health care issues in his work with the National Governors' Association. Governor of Vermont since 1991, Dean has seen Vermont claim the fourth-lowest uninsured rate for the nonelderly in the nation. The state also is tops in childhood immunizations and has the lowest rate of uninsured children under age 19. In an interview with Healthplan, Dean discussed his favorable view of managed care, its shortcomings, increased health plan liability, the uninsured, and other matters.
If Dean is going to stick his neck out in support of universal health care, then it is imperative that the electorate be privy to his thoughts on the issue of managed care. He seems to support HMOs, but also suggests ways to improve the quality of care and streamline the system.
Here's a quick excerpt from the article, which appeared in Healthplan Magazine, vol 43, number 3 sometime in 2000 (the site doesn't specify a publication date, sorry), and was conducted by Christopher J. Gearon.
A Fan of HMOs - An Interview with Vermont Governor Howard Dean, MD
When it comes to health care, Howard Dean, MD, governor of Vermont, has heard the beat of a different drummer. An internist, the Democratic governor considers himself "a fan of HMOs," and his views on managed care come largely from his training as a physician. A fiscal conservative, Dean has made increasing access to health care one of his administration's top goals. In April, he signed a bill into law that guarantees same-sex partners virtually the same rights as married heterosexuals.
At the national level, Dean has been very active on health care issues in his work with the National Governors' Association. Governor of Vermont since 1991, Dean has seen Vermont claim the fourth-lowest uninsured rate for the nonelderly in the nation. The state also is tops in childhood immunizations and has the lowest rate of uninsured children under age 19. In an interview with Healthplan, Dean discussed his favorable view of managed care, its shortcomings, increased health plan liability, the uninsured, and other matters.
As assessment of Dean by those who've worked with him during his tenure as governor http://www.gwu.edu/~action/2004/dean/dean0702/deanmain.html
This seems to be a pretty balanced article. It includes commentary from both Democrats and Republicans who've worked with Dean since he took public office. There are both positives and negatives included in the article, which leads me to believe this is the fairest assessment I've read so far.
A sample of the negative, from Joe Acinapura, chair of the Vermont Republican Party: "He didn't do anything to reduce the regulatory burden."
A sample of the positive, from Con Hogan (a Republican, I might add - Anna), Dean's former Secretary of Human Services: "We had some beautiful arguments, and that's one of the neat things about this guy; he could push you to the wall behind closed doors, absolutely, and I had the privilege of being able to do the same. But the neat thing was that once that was over you never look back; neither party ever looked back. It was always looking forward."
Hmmm, looking forward - what a concept. =)
A sample of the negative, from Joe Acinapura, chair of the Vermont Republican Party: "He didn't do anything to reduce the regulatory burden."
A sample of the positive, from Con Hogan (a Republican, I might add - Anna), Dean's former Secretary of Human Services: "We had some beautiful arguments, and that's one of the neat things about this guy; he could push you to the wall behind closed doors, absolutely, and I had the privilege of being able to do the same. But the neat thing was that once that was over you never look back; neither party ever looked back. It was always looking forward."
Hmmm, looking forward - what a concept. =)
Travel tells who '04 hopefuls are http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/executive/president/2002-09-02-contenders_x.htm
This USA Today article presents Dean as the most active Presidential candidate as of yet. With his retirement in January as Governor of VT, he'll be campaigning even more, here are some excerpts, including early financial numbers:
"Just by the traveling you can see how serious I am," he says in an interview. He already has a full-fledged presidential fundraising committee. The others have yet to take an intermediate step — forming an "exploratory" committee. "Exploratory committees are silly," he says.
Dean, who returns to Iowa this week, readily admits that "money is my Achilles' heel." He has raised less than $200,000 since Jan. 1, 2001, according to the latest report to the Federal Election Commission on June 30....
Compare that to the brisk fundraising that the other prospects are doing through political action committees. Sen. Joe Lieberman, D-Conn., the party's vice presidential candidate in 2000, reported raising $2.4 million over the same period. Sen. John Edwards, D-N.C., reported receipts of $1.5 million... Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., who reported raising $6.8 million in 18 months. He still had half of it as of June 30 and he has no opposition this fall. Edwards isn't up for re-election until 2004 but has $2 million in his Senate campaign account. Lieberman, up in 2006, has nearly $700,000. House Democratic Leader Richard Gephardt, D-Mo., raised about $911,000 through his PAC and another $1.9 million in his re-election committee... Former vice president Al Gore has made 19 trips to the five states and raised $1.2 million.
While the others raise their millions, Dean is becoming a familiar overnight guest at homes across Iowa and New Hampshire. "It's more fun" than hotels, he says. "To stay up yakking with somebody until a ridiculous hour when you have to get up at 5 in the morning, that's something I like." Besides, he adds, "it saves money."
Monday, September 02, 2002
MetaFilter discussion - Veep McCain? http://www.metafilter.com/comments.mefi/19515
This MeFi discussion is interesting, and may be worth adding your own two cents to (especially since Haloscan seems to have crashed and I've been forced to disable the comments. BTW, I'm working on getting a forum added to the page).
The most intriguing idea raised by this MeFi thread is the possibility of a Dean/McCain ticket. I think McCain would make a fantastic vice president, and the two would go extremely well together (esp since some of McCain's staff from 2000 have already joined Dean). And think of the advantage and huge publicity, especially in declaring the joint ticket so far in advance! Remember the "veepstakes" nonsense last time after the conventions? By deciding the veep this far in advance, I think they can really make a solid entrance and steal a LOT of the others' thunder.
They could even call themselves the Supermen :)
The most intriguing idea raised by this MeFi thread is the possibility of a Dean/McCain ticket. I think McCain would make a fantastic vice president, and the two would go extremely well together (esp since some of McCain's staff from 2000 have already joined Dean). And think of the advantage and huge publicity, especially in declaring the joint ticket so far in advance! Remember the "veepstakes" nonsense last time after the conventions? By deciding the veep this far in advance, I think they can really make a solid entrance and steal a LOT of the others' thunder.
They could even call themselves the Supermen :)
Dean on the Issues http://www.deanforamerica.com/issues.htm
This is a link to the issues page on Dean's campaign website (which still is extremely lame.)
It's probably the most important thing to read if you are considering supporting him. There's a lot of info there, though also some notable omissions (such as no mention of the Israel-Palestinian conflict). Hopefully this page will expand as the campaign continues.
Why Few Senators Become Presidents http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?pagename=article&node=&contentId=A26390-2002Jun21¬Found=true
Why Few Senators Become Presidents (By David S. Broder, Sunday, June 23, 2002; Page B07 )
Here's another Broder article in the WaPo that is presciently devoted to Howard Dean as a topic, but doesn't once mention his name! It dates from June, which was actually before the landmark artcles in TAP/TNR. Note that it also precedes Broder's essay drawing heavy comparisons to Carter and Dean by about two weeks (see here)
In all of American history, only two men -- Warren Harding and John Kennedy -- have gone straight from the Senate to the White House. Bob Dole in 1996 was the last sitting senator to win a party nomination (though he resigned his Senate seat a few months before the convention) and, like most of his predecessors, he was whomped in the election.
In 2000, two men who had spent most or all of their public careers as senators, Al Gore and Bill Bradley, and a sitting senator, John McCain, were in the race -- and all three lost.
The statistics show that vice presidents (many of them, like Gore, former senators) and governors and former governors (such as George W. Bush and Jimmy Carter) have far greater success in winning nominations and in making it to the White House than do senators.
Sunday, September 01, 2002
O'Connor leaving to run Dean's presidential campaign full time http://rutlandherald.nybor.com/News/Story/52080.html
The campaign is in the process of moving out of Montpelier and into Burlington. This is a good strategic move, placing the campaign headquarters just across the lake from New York, and a quick drive down I-87 to Albany-- a powerhouse of regional politics. Dean's a Yankee himself, born in NYC, and already has commitment from some former top McCain staffers in NY to join the Dean campaign. Here are some excerpts from the article:
Trippi (who has run national campaigns for Brown, Hart...), laid forth his ideas on the campaign in the TAP article, which was looked at here, Trippi's strategy for the Dean campaign.
Kate O’Connor, who described herself as the “governor’s political director” in last month’s New Republic magazine profile of Dean, said the campaign was doing better than originally projected and a larger staff was needed to handle the growing work. “We’re ahead of where we thought we’d be,”.... O’Connor said the “Dean for America” headquarters was being moved from Montpelier to Burlington, and four other staffers were either hired or were being hired. The change is effective Sept. 1. O’Connor said fund raising was a big priority now. “We’re working on finding a national fund-raising director,” she said....
O’Connor said she would continue to travel with Dean on all his trips to drum up support for his dark-horse candidacy. While the governor is in Vermont most of this week, next week the political trips begin again. They are due to spend five days in Iowa, she said.
O’Connor has worked for Dean since he was lieutenant governor; she started as his only campaign aide. This fall will mark 13 years she has worked for Dean. Before that, O’Connor worked on the campaign of former Gov. Madeleine Kunin, and her first job after she graduated from Bates College in Maine with a degree in political science was answering the telephones at the office of New York Rep. Tom Downey (who was Al Gore's Governor Bush in debate prep before the tape-fiasco that had him stepping down, and Begala took his place--probably a bad replacement)...
Dean’s presidential office will be at 95 St. Paul St. and will be staffed with two field work staffers, a fund-raiser, and a staff assistant and O’Connor. O’Connor said she is moving to Burlington. The two political field workers will be Abby Trebilcock of St. Johnsbury, a recent University of Vermont graduate who was in an intern in the governor’s office; and Aaron Holmes, who worked for Massachusetts Democrat Steve Grossman’s campaign for governor until Grossman dropped out of the race.
For the past several months, O’Connor has been splitting her time between Dean’s campaign and her duties in Montpelier. O’Connor ran Dean’s re-election campaigns, but her lack of experience outside of Vermont has been noted in the national media profiles.
Trippi (who has run national campaigns for Brown, Hart...), laid forth his ideas on the campaign in the TAP article, which was looked at here, Trippi's strategy for the Dean campaign.
Profiles in Courage http://www.cs.umb.edu/jfklibrary/pica_essay_winner_2001_dziczek.html
Stephanie Dziczek, a student at Holmes High School in Covington, Kentucky won some kind of "Profiles in Courage" essay prize contest from the JFK library with this piece lauding Dean's decision to sign the nation's first law permitting gay civil unions. I'm interested in this because it seems to me that Dean's best hope in defusing the criticism he'll inevitably take for such a controversial action will probably be to try and do a bit of political jujitsu and say that his willingness to make tough, unpopular calls shows he's the sort of decisive, courageous leader the American people need in the White House.
"A Miniscule Operation" http://www.gwu.edu/~action/2004/dean.html
Besides lacking name recognition (which, I flatter myself, this site my help resolve) a major obstacle that seems to face Dean is his related lack of money. This description of the Dean machine seems to bare out the thesis that he's hurting for cash:
Normally, I take it, unpaid student interns don't rate a mention as key players on a presidential campaign.
Dean accomplished all this with a miniscule organization. Kate O'Connor, who serves as Dean's secretary of civil and military affairs and has run past Dean campaigns, oversaw the presidential effort on a part-time volunteer basis. A junior from Seton Hall University started as a full-time volunteer in mid-May 2002. Veteran Democratic consultant Joe Trippi, whose experience includes work on the presidential campaigns of Edward Kennedy, Walter Mondale, Gary Hart and Richard Gephardt, and his partner Steve McMahon have been the Governor's media consultants for the past five elections; they continue to advise Dean and would likely continue working with him in the event he decides to make a run.
Normally, I take it, unpaid student interns don't rate a mention as key players on a presidential campaign.
QUESTIONS FOR HOWARD DEAN: Is It 2004 Yet? http://www.nytimes.com/2002/07/14/magazine/14QUESTIONS.html
A Q&A session with the NYT's, here's a few (Howard Dean photo by Mackenzie Stroh):
You are arguably the least-known candidate running for the Democratic presidential nomination, even though you've served longer than any standing Democratic governor -- 11 years -- and according to a longtime observer of Vermont politics, you've been ''running for president since you were 15.''
That's abject nonsense. I realized that I could do this after my last election campaign for governor. I actually toyed with running before the 2000 campaign, but I realized at that time there was no way I was going to beat an incumbent vice president.
You know Bill Clinton well. Has he given you any advice on running for president?
He was very helpful in framing an issue that's become the most important one in the campaign -- economic security. People are not angry at business, but they don't trust it. What he helped me do is frame the issue without sounding like a foam-at-the-mouth populist. In my speeches, I talk about playing by the rules, which is a great way of talking about corporations without seeming antibusiness, which I don't want to do.
He governed a small state and went on to the White House. Is he your political role model?
I don't have the kind of political skills he has.
I will model my campaign more after Jimmy Carter's or Gary Hart's or even John McCain's.
Rate President Bush.
He's doing a fine job on the war on terrorism. I think he gets an F on domestic policy. I think the tax cut is irresponsible. His welfare proposal takes power away from the states and centralizes it in the federal government, as does his education bill. And he's done nothing on health care. So I find no redeeming social value in the president's domestic agenda.
Debunk the theory that only Southern Democrats can win the White House.
I was born a Yankee, and there's nothing I can do about that. But I'm an odd duck. I signed the most far-reaching gay rights bill in the country, and I have an A grade from the National Rifle Association. So who knows where this will go?
You are arguably the least-known candidate running for the Democratic presidential nomination, even though you've served longer than any standing Democratic governor -- 11 years -- and according to a longtime observer of Vermont politics, you've been ''running for president since you were 15.''
That's abject nonsense. I realized that I could do this after my last election campaign for governor. I actually toyed with running before the 2000 campaign, but I realized at that time there was no way I was going to beat an incumbent vice president.
You know Bill Clinton well. Has he given you any advice on running for president?
He was very helpful in framing an issue that's become the most important one in the campaign -- economic security. People are not angry at business, but they don't trust it. What he helped me do is frame the issue without sounding like a foam-at-the-mouth populist. In my speeches, I talk about playing by the rules, which is a great way of talking about corporations without seeming antibusiness, which I don't want to do.
He governed a small state and went on to the White House. Is he your political role model?
I don't have the kind of political skills he has.
I will model my campaign more after Jimmy Carter's or Gary Hart's or even John McCain's.
Rate President Bush.
He's doing a fine job on the war on terrorism. I think he gets an F on domestic policy. I think the tax cut is irresponsible. His welfare proposal takes power away from the states and centralizes it in the federal government, as does his education bill. And he's done nothing on health care. So I find no redeeming social value in the president's domestic agenda.
Debunk the theory that only Southern Democrats can win the White House.
I was born a Yankee, and there's nothing I can do about that. But I'm an odd duck. I signed the most far-reaching gay rights bill in the country, and I have an A grade from the National Rifle Association. So who knows where this will go?
Dean Watch 2004 http://www.politicsvt.com/features/dean%20watch.htm
Moe Robinson at PoliticsVT.com has a Dean page up that he updates regularly. It includes links to all the recent stories, and some of the events that Dean will attend. Dean will be traveling all over the country in 2004, and I encourage others to go out and hear him while the crowds are still small, get a chance to meet and speak with him perhaps. I did earlier this year in Seattle, and wrote On meeting Governor Howard Dean in his questful candidacy for President afterwards.
Here are some of his upcoming events, from PoliticsVT.com:
Upcoming trips for Governor Dean
August 29- Dean will deliver the Pi Sigma Alpha lecture at the 2002 meeting of the American Political Science Association, Boston, Massachusetts
September 4- Dean hosts fundraising reception for Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack and Lt. Governor Sally Pederson, Des Moines, Iowa
September 5- Dean hosts fundraiser reception for Ann Hutchinson, Democratic candidate for Congress, Waterloo, Iowa
September 6- Dean speaks at the United Auto Workers Convention, Iowa
Here are some of his upcoming events, from PoliticsVT.com:
Upcoming trips for Governor Dean
August 29- Dean will deliver the Pi Sigma Alpha lecture at the 2002 meeting of the American Political Science Association, Boston, Massachusetts
September 4- Dean hosts fundraising reception for Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack and Lt. Governor Sally Pederson, Des Moines, Iowa
September 5- Dean hosts fundraiser reception for Ann Hutchinson, Democratic candidate for Congress, Waterloo, Iowa
September 6- Dean speaks at the United Auto Workers Convention, Iowa
Vt Gov Dean outlines goals, possible run at presidency in 2004 http://www.browndailyherald.com/stories.cfm?S=2&ID=6326
This appeared in The Brown Daily Herald on Friday, February 22, 2002, and has some interesting comments that follow the article.
Here are some excerpts:
Dean said his main theme on budget issues was one of fiscal conservatism. “Social justice comes from a balanced budget,” he said. Dean cited his own terms as Vermont’s governor as an example of this conservatism. “People knew I wasn’t going to waste their money. We can’t start programs we can’t afford,” he said.... Prison reform, healthcare and education are some of the governor’s pervasive concerns, Dean said.
Starting early on in the first weeks of a child’s life and providing services through such venues as Vermont’s Success At Six intervention program, Dean said, would be more effective for reaching unemployed, discouraged, single or young mothers, cost effective for the taxpayer and ultimately, better the youth immeasurably....
“Governors come off to people as ‘I’ve been there, I’ve had to make the tough decisions,’” Dean said. “But in Washington, governors believe the President’s relationship to Congress is the same as between themselves and the state legislature, but Congress has much more power than they think. The President needs to say, ‘We’ve got to stick to a budget.’ You can’t borrow your way into prosperity, you have to build it.”
Here are some excerpts:
Dean said his main theme on budget issues was one of fiscal conservatism. “Social justice comes from a balanced budget,” he said. Dean cited his own terms as Vermont’s governor as an example of this conservatism. “People knew I wasn’t going to waste their money. We can’t start programs we can’t afford,” he said.... Prison reform, healthcare and education are some of the governor’s pervasive concerns, Dean said.
Starting early on in the first weeks of a child’s life and providing services through such venues as Vermont’s Success At Six intervention program, Dean said, would be more effective for reaching unemployed, discouraged, single or young mothers, cost effective for the taxpayer and ultimately, better the youth immeasurably....
“Governors come off to people as ‘I’ve been there, I’ve had to make the tough decisions,’” Dean said. “But in Washington, governors believe the President’s relationship to Congress is the same as between themselves and the state legislature, but Congress has much more power than they think. The President needs to say, ‘We’ve got to stick to a budget.’ You can’t borrow your way into prosperity, you have to build it.”
Saturday, August 31, 2002
For '04 Run, a Walk in Carter's Shoes http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?pagename=article&node=&contentId=A58176-2002Jul11¬Found=true
For '04 Run, a Walk in Carter's Shoes - Gov. Dean Is Unconventional Democrat
(By David S. Broder, Washington Post Staff Writer, Friday, July 12, 2002; Page A01)
Another article from mid-July, from the WaPo. Heavy on the Carter angle, and then has lots of details on his policy positions. Works in a folksy comment about making his own bed, and a self-deprecating one about how "It will be a breakthrough for me when my name is well-enough known that they can use it in a headline."
Jumping the gun? http://shop.store.yahoo.com/politicsus/howdeanforpr.html
This is probably a bit premature. It makes Dean look like a wannabe-Naderite. I doubt it has been approved by the Dean campaign, though.
You know, if Dean were to start up a shop, he might rake in some cash. He should take a cue from John McCain's example last election. Right now the official website is pretty anemic.
You know, if Dean were to start up a shop, he might rake in some cash. He should take a cue from John McCain's example last election. Right now the official website is pretty anemic.
Early in race, Dean running from obscurity http://www.cmonitor.com/stories/news/politics2002/0701dean_2002.shtml
Early in race, Dean running from obscurity - Conveying where and what Vermont is proves challenging
(By ELIZABETH MEHREN, Monday, July 1, 2002, Los Angeles Times)
Another character essay, this one dating back from early July, right about when the TNR and TAP articles essays were done. This one is skimpy on policy and focuses more on his background. Very short.
A presidential 'road not taken' ... yet http://www.csmonitor.com/2002/0522/p02s01-uspo.html
A presidential 'road not taken' ... yet. Vermont governor brings pluck, controversy, and song – but is his liberalism too far left for the 2002 election? (By Alexandra Marks | Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor, May 22, 2002 edition)
This is more of a character essay, from the Christian Science Monitor. Its short, and makes the usual points about the boldness of his position of the issues, but also gives more of a taste for his personality. Interesting tidbits about his hobbies and determination. And gives us this "action shot" of him during a 270-mile trail hike:
UNCONVENTIONAL: Dean completed a 270-mile hiking trail last summer. MIKE RIDDELL/AP
July 21st appearance on NBC's Meet the Press http://216.239.53.100/search?client=googlet&q=cache%3Ahttp%3A//stacks.msnbc.com/news/783870.asp
Sorry, the link is to Google's cache, the MSNBC site archives seem to be screwy. This is a great interview, Dean handles himself well under ferocious questioning by Tim Russert. I'll reprint the section with Dean below. It can't be a coincidence that Tim Russert closed the show with a videotape excerpt of an interview with Jimmy Carter, then on the campaign trail.
The interview with Dean is notable in that he clarifies his position on a lot of things. For example, he signed the Vermont law for gay rights, butt he is NOT in favor of a national one. He has a similarly states-oriented view of gun rights. And, when stating he is for something, he in unequivocal - look at his explicit support of teh farm bill, which he is clearly not trying to softpedal.
The interview with Dean is notable in that he clarifies his position on a lot of things. For example, he signed the Vermont law for gay rights, butt he is NOT in favor of a national one. He has a similarly states-oriented view of gun rights. And, when stating he is for something, he in unequivocal - look at his explicit support of teh farm bill, which he is clearly not trying to softpedal.
MR. RUSSERT: And we are back. Governor Dean, welcome to MEET THE PRESS.
GOV. HOWARD DEAN (D-Vermont): Thanks for having me on.
MR. RUSSERT: You’ve been in Iowa seven times, New Hampshire seven times, running for president, or hoping to. I want to go through and talk about some issues.
GOV. DEAN: Sure.
MR. RUSSERT: First, September 11: I went back and read some of the things on how you responded and let me share with you and our viewers. “What happened on September 11 is mostly a product of the enormous disparity between those who have everything those who have nothing.”
Are you rationalizing the behavior of the terrorists?
GOV. DEAN: No, absolutely not. But we have—this comes to the fundamental disagreement I have with the president on foreign policy. The president has been an isolationist. The president had withdrawn until September 11 from the world, and to this day, still refuses to sign many of the kind of international agreements that we have. I think the United States has to be involved, and I think the United States, contrary to what the president has said, has got to engage in nation building. We have failed to do that. So there’s no rationality for the behavior of the terrorists, and they should be prosecuted and I support the president’s war on terrorism. Where I’d fundamentally disagree with the president is the fact that America has withdrawn from the world and we, for our own national security and defense policy, ought to be building societies, we ought to engage in nation building in other countries and not do the opposite.
MR. RUSSERT: But when you say it’s mostly a product of the enormous disparity, Osama bin Laden’s a multimillionaire.
GOV. DEAN: Right.
MR. RUSSERT: The hijackers were all middle-class. They didn’t attack the United States because they were poor and destitute. They attacked the United States because they hate us.
GOV. DEAN: That’s right. And that is—and what I said has nothing to do with Osama bin Laden. It is the ability of other populations to support the notions of Osama bin Laden. Nothing that Osama bin Laden did can be forgiven or rationalized, but what disturbs me greatly and what I was talking about in that quote is the Palestinian children jumping up and down with glee on television over the fact that 3,000 Americans have been murdered. That is a product of our withdrawal from the world, and we cannot do that. Even to this day, the president has said we should not engage in nation building. The best thing for our national security in the long term is to engage in nation building.
MR. RUSSERT: So suicide bombers or Arafat are terrorists because of the United States’ behavior?
GOV. DEAN: No. I’ll try this again for the third time. There is nothing that excuses terrorism, and terrorists ought to be prosecuted to the full extent of the American ability to do so. And we’re doing so, and I think we’re doing a fairly good job of it. What has to happen, though, for a—we have to get populations to stop supporting terrorists. And what I’m interested in is changing Afghanistan, changing what’s going on in the Palestinian—among the Palestinians, so that there is no base of support for those terrorists, and that involves more than just military action.
MR. RUSSERT: Do you believe the military operation in Afghanistan has been successful?
GOV. DEAN: Yes, I do, and I support the president in that military operation.
MR. RUSSERT: The battle of Tora Bora was successful?
GOV. DEAN: I’ve seen others criticize the president. I think it’s very easy to second-guess the commander-in-chief at a time of war. I don’t choose to engage in doing that.
MR. RUSSERT: You are a physician. Do you believe that every American citizen should be vaccinated against smallpox?
GOV. DEAN: No. I do believe, however, that we should vaccinate first responders to both smallpox and anthrax. I think it’s very unlikely, frankly, that smallpox will be used as an agent, but I think the country is proper to be prepared for that eventuality, since the consequences are so grave if that happens. I would not vaccinate every American, but I do believe first responders, people likely to come in contact with the virus early on, should be vaccinated.
MR. RUSSERT: What percentage of people who are vaccinated for smallpox die with an adverse reaction?
GOV. DEAN: There is a small percentage, and that’s why you don’t want to engage in vaccinating the entire population.
MR. RUSSERT: How about giving potassium iodide to the populace to protect against nuclear fallout?
GOV. DEAN: I would not do that. I think it’s very unlikely atomic weapons are going to be used against us in a terrorist attack. I would be more concerned about a so-called dirty bomb. To have every American have potassium iodide might cause more complications than it’s worth. We do actually give potassium iodide tablets to people around our nuclear power plants, but I would not extend that further.
MR. RUSSERT: You heard Mr. Armey’s objection to the president’s TIPS Program, where cable installers, utility workers would observe what’s going on and report anything suspicious to the police. Do you support the president?
GOV. DEAN: I tend to support the president, although I have some reservations about this one as well. All I’ve seen is what’s been on television, and I have something in me that is bothered by the notion that Americans are going to be spying on each other. So if the president is simply asking people to be alert, I think that’s fine. If the president really is encouraging Americans to spy on each other, I have a problem with that.
MR. RUSSERT: You did say after the 11th that the United States may be prepared to have to sacrifice some personal liberties and civil liberties in order to fight the war on terrorism.
GOV. DEAN: We already are. I think when I got on the airplane to come down here, it took me about 25 minutes longer than it would have a year ago. And those are the kinds of liberties that we are going to be sacrificing and there may be some other ones.
MR. RUSSERT: You are a very strong supporter of the president and first lady Clinton’s health-care plan. It did not pass. A similar plan in Vermont did not pass. You now are saying you’re for universal health care. How much would that cost?
GOV. DEAN: It’d cost about half of the cost of the president’s tax cut, which I think should be pretty much repealed. I think the president’s tax cut is costing us a fortune, is preventing us from having decent roads, decent educations. It’s preventing us from having a Medicare prescription benefit. It was a terrible fiscal mistake. Ninety-eight percent of the people got a very small benefit. Two percent got an enormous benefit. It’s going to cost us construction jobs, because the Congress is cutting highway construction across the country.
If you repealed most of the president’s tax cut, half of that could be used and every American could have health insurance. I do not believe we should have President Clinton’s plan to be our base. We’ve learned from that. We’ve learned that we cannot radically reform the health-care system, but we can take the three existing systems that we already have-Medicaid, Medicare and employer-based insurance—and simply expand them so that everybody would have health insurance. It would cost us about half of what the president cut in taxes.
MR. RUSSERT: So you would repeal President Bush’s tax cut?
GOV. DEAN: Yes. Except there’s a few little things that I wouldn’t repeal. There are some retirement investment pieces I wouldn’t repeal, although I would have to add some so that lower-income workers could help pay for their retirement, not just people like me. And I would also raise the exemption on the estate tax so that small businesses and farms and so forth could be passed along without taxes. But other than that, I think most of the president’s tax cut ought to be repealed. It’s very bad economic policy.
President Bush’s father called this voodoo economics in 1980 when President Reagan, who’s running against Ronald Reagan—President Bush in this instance should have listened to his father. It is voodoo economics. Supply side does not work, and what’s happening in Wall Street today is a perfect example of that.
MR. RUSSERT: So you will be criticized for, in effect, raising taxes of all Americans in the middle of an economic downturn?
GOV. DEAN: Tim, if you ask Americans, “Should we raise taxes,” most of them are going to say no. If you ask Americans, “Would you give up your piece of the president’s tax cut in order to have a prescription benefit for Medicare, to restore our roads, to put some real money into the education bill so we don’t have the enormous unfunded mandate the president passed on us in the education bill?” most Americans would say, “Yes, I’ll give up a few hundred dollars or the $20 or $30 that I got in that tax cut in order to have decent roads, decent schools and a decent health-care system.”
MR. RUSSERT: Politically, can you survive being called someone who’s raising taxes on all Americans?
GOV. DEAN: I’m going to be called all kinds of things in this campaign, and the better I do, the worse things I’m going to be called. I’m out there to put a story in front of the American people that I think the American people will support as compared to the story that the president’s putting out.
MR. RUSSERT: One issue that you do support is the farm bill that the president signed. This is how The Washington Times described the farm bill: “Fourteen members of Congress, and some of the wealthiest American companies... will continue to rake in huge federal crop subsidies under the $248.6 billion farm bill... Conservative free-market advocates and liberal conservationists were aghast at the pork-barrel spending bill... ‘Why should multimillionaire hobby farmers and large, well-heeled corporations get lavish federal handouts while most family farms get nothing but a tax bill?’ Heritage Foundation President Edwin J. Feulner said... ‘The top 10 percent of farm-subsidy recipients collect two-thirds of the money...’”
“Leading corporate farm-aid recipients were billionaire David Rockefeller of Chase Manhattan Bank ($352,187); Ted Turner, top Time-Warner entertainment executive ($176,077); NBA player Scottie Pippen ($131,575); and five Fortune 500 firms-Westvaco Corp. ($268,740), Chevron ($260,223), John Hancock Mutual Life Insurance Co. ($211,368), DuPont ($188,732) and Caterpiller ($171,698).”
Anyone who’s looked at the farm bill in an objective way has said it is pork.
GOV. DEAN: Well, I’m not terribly sure The Washington Times qualifies as an objective way to look at the farm bill.
MR. RUSSERT: Well, The Washington Post—you can find any paper in the country...
GOV. DEAN: Right.
MR. RUSSERT: ...practically outside the farm bill.
GOV. DEAN: Let me tell you why I like the farm bill. First of all, it includes dairy and I come from a dairy state, and so if that’s pork, I’ll take it. Secondly, it is the farthest reaching environmental aspect of the farm bill that’s ever been passed in the history of Congress. I think the farm bill is transitional. Ultimately, I think that we need to change how we subsidize and help agriculture.
In New England, we had a model called the New England Dairy Compact, where no tax money was used. We need to do that with other commodities, such as wheat, soybeans, corn, in addition to milk. If we do that, eventually we’ll get this all off the taxpayers and we can put limits on how much production is actually helped by the compact. So I don’t think we should put limits on production, but we can put limits on how much is helped by the farm bill. But this is a very good transition, this farm bill, I think, to a place where we can ultimately do this off the budget.
MR. RUSSERT: And non-excessive.
GOV. DEAN: Maybe there are some excesses in it but you never get everything that you want in a bill. I’ve been a governor for 11 years. I’ve never yet signed a bill where I liked every little piece of it. And I’m very grateful to Senator Harkin, Senator Daschle, Senator Leahy and others, Senator Jeffords, for getting this through, because it means a lot to dairy farmers who have never been included in the farm bill before, and it also means, I think, a lot for the environment, and, ultimately, will show us the way to have a decent farm policy in this country.
MR. RUSSERT: One issue where you did receive national coverage was when you signed a bill for civil unions of gay couples in Vermont. David Broder, who was out on the campaign hustings, wrote this. ”[Gov. Howard Dean] supported and signed the state’s famous and controversial ‘civil unions’ law, allowing gay and lesbian couples to participate in a formal ceremony that confers on them all the legal benefits of marriage.”
And this from the Philadelphia paper. “Gov. Howard Dean spoke to a national audience of gay and lesbian rights advocates Sunday and embraced Vermont’s civil unions law with a fervor that residents of his home state rarely see. ...‘For me as a political figure, it was in many ways the most important event in my political life. There aren’t many people who get to do what I did,’ he told the powerful gay and lesbian advocacy group.”
The most important event in your political life. Why?
GOV. DEAN: First of all, let me say what the bill is and what it doesn’t do. What the bill does is say to those people who are not allowed to get married that you can have the same kind of rights that I have. In other words, we don’t have gay marriage, the bill says marriage between a man and a woman, but it also says there are about 350 rights that I have; for example, if I get terribly sick, my wife can come and visit me in the hospital. There’s a lot of insurance regulations that only married people can have. This allows gay and lesbian couples to have the same rights, same legal and financial rights, that I have as a married person.
Why was it, in some ways, the most important political event? Because 99 percent of politics, Tim, is about resource allocation. We argue over money. We can fight over money, and then we can compromise. You cannot compromise on human dignity and human rights. There is no compromise to be had there. I never got to have a discussion with myself about whether this made any political sense or not because I knew that whether I was going to win the next election or lose it, that every day I was going to have to look at myself in the mirror and decide what kind of a human being I was. And if I denied a whole bunch of human beings equal rights under the law simply because it was politically inconvenient and bad for my career, then there was really no difference between me and three-quarters of the rest of the politicians in this world. But I didn’t do that. I signed the bill. It took guts and I would be very interested to know whether anybody else running for president would have dared to sign that bill.
MR. RUSSERT: Would you be in favor of a national law approving of civil unions of gay couples?
GOV. DEAN: Absolutely not. One of the things that I deeply oppose in this president’s agenda is the federalization of things like our school system, the taking over of our welfare systems. I believe each state has to come to grips with civil rights. I think that gay and lesbian people are entitled to the same legal and civil rights that everybody else has but I think that every state has to come to grips with that in their own way.
MR. RUSSERT: With that logic, then, should each state have a right to determine its own laws on abortion?
GOV. DEAN: No.
MR. RUSSERT: What’s the difference?
GOV. DEAN: Because I’m a physician. And as a doctor, I feel very strongly that Congress and the president and legislatures and governors, with one or two exceptions, since there are two doctors that are governors, have no business practicing medicine. I believe that abortion is a matter between a woman, between her physician and her family and it is none of the government’s business.
MR. RUSSERT: But if a state can determine whether gays can get married, why wouldn’t you allow a state to determine whether or not abortion...
GOV. DEAN: Because we have national law that says that abortion is a legal right and that women are entitled to make their own decisions about that.
MR. RUSSERT: But if it’s a human right and a civil right for gays, why shouldn’t it be a national right?
GOV. DEAN: It is—I think it should be. The question I thought you were asking me was not do gays and lesbians have the same rights everywhere. They should have the same rights everywhere. But the question is how to get to those rights. We did civil unions. Maybe other states want to do it in some other way and they should be free to do so.
MR. RUSSERT: Do you think homosexuality should be taught as an alternative lifestyle in schools?
GOV. DEAN: No, and I don’t think it is. I don’t think it should be and I don’t think it is, for a moment. I think that kind of charge—you know, this bill, interestingly, now has the support of a majority of Vermonters in the most recent poll. It didn’t when I signed it. And one of the reasons was that people went around saying people are going to teach their kids to be homosexuals in schools. That turned out not to be true. And I think most people now understand, since this bill is about two years old, that that wasn’t true. This community is very misunderstood, and I included in what I’m about to say, have been—most of us who are heterosexual have been taught all kinds of things about the gay community which simply aren’t so.
And it was a very painful, difficult discussion to do this in the state of Vermont. And it’s probably a painful, difficult discussion we have have to have nationally since similar cases is before Massachusetts, one’s been decided in Hawaii, the issue came up in Georgia. This is not an issue that is going to go away. And I think in the long run, especially after September 11—look, I only get asked about this question by journalists and by people in the gay and lesbian community. Since September 11, we have the spectacle of 3,000 Americans being killed, every shape and size and religion and color, including every sexual orientation. One of the people who charged the cockpit on the plant that went down in Pennsylvania was an all-American gay rugby player. I think what the American people understand since September 11 is we are all one family. We live together and we die together and, therefore, everybody ought to have equal rights.
MR. RUSSERT: Let me turn to an issue that you seem to break away from liberal Democratic orthodoxy and that’s gun control. This is a brochure in your gubernatorial campaign from the NRA.
“In November we should return a truly pro-gun Governor to office by re-electing Governor Howard Dean.” And again, David Broder’s coverage of your campaign. “Dean bragged that he has ‘an A rating’ from the National Rifle Association... he argued that ‘as Democrats, we ought to say keep the federal laws we have, enforce them, but no new laws.’ Get the gun issue off the table. It cost Al Gore three states—and the presidency.”
Which states did Gore lose because of guns?
GOV. DEAN: I think Montana, Tennessee and West Virginia. There may be more, but those are the ones I would guess, given their patterns with previous elections.
MR. RUSSERT: Democrats in Congress right now are saying that at gun shows, you can buy a gun on Saturday or Sunday and there is no background check, because many law enforcement agencies are closed. They want to extend that deadline. Would you support that kind of gun control?
GOV. DEAN: What I would support—I do support closing the gun show loophole, but I would like to see InstaCheck, which is the same system that we have elsewhere, and I think if it takes keeping somebody on duty in law enforcement agencies, that would be fine. Look, let me explain to you why I take the position I do on gun control. In Vermont, in the last 11 years, we’ve had between a high of 25 and a low of five homicides per year. Most of them, the majority, are domestic related, not many of them have firearms and not one of them would be changed if we had gun control. We essentially have no gun control in Vermont. All we have is you can’t bring guns to school.
Now, I don’t believe for a moment that that’s appropriate for New York or Los Angeles or Washington, D.C. But the point I’m trying to make here is why does gun control have to be a national issue? We have some good federal laws. I support keeping them. We should close the gun show loophole with Instacheck and after that why can’t each state make its own laws? Why can’t each state address what they want to do about gun control as a state? Because what we need in Vermont is not the same thing as what you may need in Washington, D.C.
A guy in Tennessee told me, “Look, when you say gun control to me in Tennessee, it sounds like you want to take away the squirrel rifle that my father gave to me. When you say gun control in New York, it sounds like you want to get the Uzis and the illegal handguns off the street.” It’s two different problems. We have national laws. I’m not in favor of repealing them, but I think additional gun control ought be to be done on a state-by-state basis if the state wants it and we ought not to have a one-size-fits-all federal government approach.
MR. RUSSERT: But keep people traveling from state to state very easily.
GOV. DEAN: That’s right. And Virginia is a perfect example of this. New York claimed that a lot of their guns were coming from Virginia, so they had lax laws, so they signed a bill that said you can only buy one gun a month. That’s a Virginia law. It doesn’t apply to other states. It seems to me it addressed the problem in Virginia successfully. Why can’t we do that?
Democrats are getting killed on gun control. Democratic activists who basically are in favor of gun control are glad to see me coming in the West and the South, because they do not want to lose any more national elections on the gun issue.
MR. RUSSERT: Back home this is what the local papers reported, that “Howard Dean’s presidential ambitions are beginning to sour his relations with the Legislature, particularly among his fellow Democrats. ... ‘The bigger impact is the governor is not here to work with legislators and produce the leadership he has in past sessions to keep his agenda moving forward,’ said [Lt. Governor Douglas] Racine, also a Democrat. ‘There’s nothing like having the governor personally intervening to make a difference,’ he said. ‘He comes through one or two days a week and he’s not really in the flow of things.’”
GOV. DEAN: Well, that turned out not to be true. But, you know, as it turned out at the end, of course, I was there and did all the things that you have to do when you’re governor. At home, people are always complaining when you leave. And one year I stayed in the Legislature the whole time ‘cause they complained. Then they complained I was there too much. So, you know, we got through it. We actually are better financially managed than almost every other state in the country. We’ve cut our debt. We’ve increased our bond rating. We have a rainy day fund that will last us for three years. That’s the hallmark of my administration. I actually think we should—one of the reasons I’m running is to bring a balanced budget to Washington, because I’m so appalled by the way the Republicans are managing the economy.
MR. RUSSERT: But your Rutland Herald paper up there did a poll which shows this: George W. Bush, 45; Dean, 40. And whether or not Dean should run for president: approve of him running, 45 to 44. The man who took that poll—the pollster had this to say. “There clearly isn’t overwhelming support for [Dean] running. ...If I were him, these are not the numbers I would look for as a favorite son.”
Those who know you best.
GOV. DEAN: You know what? I don’t worry about it a bit because there’s only one other contender for the Democratic nomination who had better numbers than I did. You know, this president is a popular president. Every state sees—in every state, he’s very popular, including my own. I think those numbers are actually—and I know for a fact that they are better than every other candidate’s except for one running on over...
MR. RUSSERT: Who?
GOV. DEAN: John Kerry.
MR. RUSSERT: Vermont is 98 percent white...
GOV. DEAN: Yeah.
MR. RUSSERT: ...0.5 percent black, 0.9 percent Hispanic. How can someone who’s governed a state like that assume that he know the cosmopolitan makeup of the United States?
GOV. DEAN: First of all, I grew up in New York, which helps. Second of all, I’ve lived in 50 different—I mean, I’ve spent time in 50 different countries over the course of my life, which I, to be honest with you, suspect is more countries than the current inhabitant of the White House will have been to by November of the election year. So I have some—I’ve chaired the National Governors Association. I’ve chaired the Democratic Governors Association. I’ve traveled in 50 states. I think that I’ll be able to deal with the issue of full minority participation in America, which is really what Democrats have already stood for.
MR. RUSSERT: We have to leave it there. Governor Howard Dean...
GOV. DEAN: Thank you.
MR. RUSSERT: ...we’ll be watching. Thanks for joining us.
GOV. DEAN: Thanks very much.
MR. RUSSERT: Coming next, our MEET THE PRESS Minute. A Democratic governor of a small state, Jimmy Carter of Georgia, who went on to win the presidency in 1976. He appeared here in 1974.
(Announcements)
MR. RUSSERT: And we are back. “Jimmy who?” That was the question asked in political circles 28 years ago.
(Videotape, December 15, 1974):
MR. DAVID BRODER (The Washington Post): Just for the sake of the viewers who don’t know much about your political philosophy: Are you closer to a George McGovern Democrat or a Scoop Jackson Democrat today?
GOV. JIMMY CARTER (D-GA): I can’t answer that question well. I think on civil rights, on environmental questions, that I would be considered to be very moderate or perhaps liberal. Liberal by Georgia standards, moderate by the standards of most of the rest of the nation. On business and management of a government mechanism, on fiscal restraint, on refusing to waste the taxpayers’ money, I think I would be considered to be quite conservative.
MR. DOUGLAS KIKER (NBC News): You’re a Southerner, Governor Carter. Do you believe that the voters of the United States of America are ready to accept a Southerner as a serious presidential candidate, a national candidate?
GOV. CARTER: I think so. I believe that already, my candidacy has been accepted on a wide-ranging basis as a viable candidacy, and that the attention that it has received in the national news media is an indication that I’m considered to be a serious candidate. And as I say, I’ll be there when the last vote’s counted and I expect to win.
(End videotape)
All Politics are Local http://rutlandherald.nybor.com/deanspeaks/
This two-part interview with Dean from early July in the Rutland Herald proves that the life of a small-town governor isn't all ambitious nation-building schemes and attending fabulous gay civil union ceremonies. Indeed, it seems to mostly involve dealing with intensely parochial issues that couldn't possibly interest any non-Vermonter. It also shows Dean to be — unlike certain current White House occupants — articulate and knowledgeable about the issues he's supposed to be handling.
Friday, August 30, 2002
The Other Dean Blog http://www.sover.net/~auc/gov.htm
Someone seems to have beaten us to the Dean blogging beat with this site whose tagline Vermont's glibbest, most annoying politician wants to be your President, or maybe Vice-President sets the tone for Dean-bashing from a diverse array of ideological positions.
Florida? Try Vermont. http://www.nationalreview.com/comment/comment111300o.shtml
This is an attack piece on Dean by NRO, written by Stanley Kurtz who seems to really have it in for Dean. In certain ways though it is remarkably prescient (and will get more so if Dean gets more notice for the primary)
The main argument is that Dean's victory in Vermont for his 5th term as governor is a bad thing. Dean won because he took a stand and supported gay unions (winning despite conservative predictions of disaster).
Dean has also already been attack-dismissed by NRO's Corner and other conservative bloggers. To me, this smells of fear.
Wave of Election Reform Hits California http://www.thenation.com/thebeat/index.mhtml?bid=1&pid=24
Interesting Beat piece election reform, and mentions how Vermont is leading the way in election reform. Keywords: instant-runoff voting. Steven Den Beste has a critique of these kinds of voting systems, which I predict will make the blog rounds if this topic gets raised in a Dean context.
The Men Who Would Be McCain http://slate.msn.com/?id=2066390
More on the McCain comparison, from Slate.
An alternative to Bush is demanding to be heard http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,3604,781039,00.html
An interview in the Guardian, which goes into some detail about Dean's foreign policy positions. Dean is definitely very Wilsonian in his views.
Vermont's governor the only presidential hopeful offering a bold agenda http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/3946183.htm
A piece in the Philadelphia Inquirer. It takes note of some of Dean's bold policy positions, though recognizes that he doesn't have much to lose. It will be interesting to see if as we near 2004 primary season whether Dean modifies his positions. Since Dean doesn't have a website right now, these kind of pieces are useful as a means of getting him on record saying what he believes.
The Bruce Babbitt of Campaign 2004 http://www.cnn.com/2002/ALLPOLITICS/07/25/inside.buzz/
a puff piece on CNN.
Invisible Man http://www.thenewrepublic.com/doc.mhtml?i=20020701&s=cohn070102
Will the Democrats notice Howard Dean? Invisible Man (by Jonathan Cohn for TNR, Post date 06.20.02 | Issue date 07.01.02 )
Another lengthy profile on Dean, by TNR. Similar to the Prospect piece but has a lot of complementary information. Makes more of a comparison to McCain, but I think that's a flawed comparison. Dean is running less as a maverick politician (McCain) and more of a principled leader-turned-politician. The man is a licensed MD and has a very "Dave" kind of ring to his approach to issues.
The Darkest Horse http://www.prospect.org/print/V13/13/dreyfuss-r.html
The Darkest Horse : Vermont Governor Howard Dean is a fiscal conservative who's for gay civil unions, against the Bush tax cuts and running for president as the health-care candidate. (By Robert Dreyfuss for the American Prospect, Issue Date: 7.15.02)
Very detailed article on Dean, one of teh first ones that brought him to my attention.
Very detailed article on Dean, one of teh first ones that brought him to my attention.
first post!
Ok, here we go!
I'm devoting this blog to a collection of links I find about Howard Dean, Democratic governor of Vermont, and candidate for teh Democratoc nomination in the 2004 Presidential Election.
I voted for Gore here in Texas (actually, I vote-swapped with a Nader supporter in Oregon) in 2000. That was mainly a lesser-of-three-evils kind of choice. But with Howard Dean, I feel that there finally is a candidate who really meets my political, social, and economic criteria.
Libertarian civil policy, neo-Wilsonian foreign policy, conservative fiscal policy, liberal social policy. This is where I have evolved to in my own views, esppecially after September 11th. And that's what I see so far with Howard Dean. So, this blog will track him through the press online and I will see if he lives up to his potential.
Let's see where it leads us!
Election 2008 feed
Nation-Building feed
Archives
Obama 2008 - I want my country back
About Nation-Building
Nation-Building was founded by Aziz Poonawalla in August 2002 under the name Dean Nation. Dean Nation was the very first weblog devoted to a presidential candidate, Howard Dean, and became the vanguard of the Dean netroot phenomenon, raising over $40,000 for the Dean campaign, pioneering the use of Meetup, and enjoying the attention of the campaign itself, with Joe Trippi a regular reader (and sometime commentor). Howard Dean himself even left a comment once. Dean Nation was a group weblog effort and counts among its alumni many of the progressive blogsphere's leading talent including Jerome Armstrong, Matthew Yglesias, and Ezra Klein. After the election in 2004, the blog refocused onto the theme of "purple politics", formally changing its name to Nation-Building in June 2006. The primary focus of the blog is on articulating purple-state policy at home and pragmatic liberal interventionism abroad.
