Dean: "I'm Running"

Howard Dean formally announced his bid for DNC Chair yesterday by circulating a letter to his supporters around the country. See http://www.blogforamerica.com/ for specifics. He's also been making the rounds at regional DNC events to outline his prescription for what ails the Democratic Party. Check out the televised discussion on C-Span. They seem to be running it regularly. Here's an excerpt from his announcement:

"The Democratic Party needs a vibrant, forward-thinking, long-term presence in every single state and we must be willing to contest every race at every level. We will only win when we show up and fight for the issues important to all of us.

Another integral part of our strategy must be cultivating the party's grassroots. Our long term success depends on all of us taking an active role in our party and in the political process, by volunteering, going door to door and taking the Democratic message into every community, and by organizing at the local level. After all, new ideas and new leaders don't come from consultants; they come from communities.

That word—'values'—has lately become a codeword for appeasement of the right-wing fringe. But when political calculations make us soften our opposition to bigotry, or sign on to policies that add to the burden of ordinary Americans, we have abandoned our true values.
We cannot let that happen. And we cannot just mouth the words. Our party must speak plainly and our agenda must clearly reflect the socially progressive, fiscally responsible values that bring our party—and the vast majority of Americans—together."

Pretty compelling stuff.

He's also getting support from interesting quarters. Rep. John Murtha (pro-life, pro-Iraq War) of Pennsylvania, the Democratic Party of Puerto Rico, and (today) Rep. John Conyers of Michigan have all announced their support of Dean for Chair of the DNC. Strange bedfellows indeed! But, indicative of the breadth of support Dean is collecting in his bid for leadership of the party.


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