Isn't that a lot for one state to get as a chair leaves office and a new one comes in? McAuliffe did that at the last minute, too.  Other states are not getting 5 million by any stretch.

Just wondering.

This thread is so very sad, considering so many of us worked together last year.  It is heartbreaking really.

Here is only a portion of what he has said about Katrina and its aftermath. Being critical without knowing what he has done is not fair to him or to the party.

As to Blanco, if she appeared that way to you...how could you even begin to blame Howard Dean for that.  She has kept her distance from him when he was at rallies there.  She is responsible to speak up for herself. Howard can not do that for her.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,169326,00.html
DEAN: "Well, that's three things you can do. You can run the biggest deficits in the history of the country, which we're doing right now. You can rebuild New Orleans. You can get rid of the estate tax. Now, the Republicans, including Senator Frist, chose to get rid of the estate tax and evidently they say they're going to build New Orleans, which means we're going to have twice as high a deficit. When is this going to stop?

These people are completely irresponsible financially. We need to balance a budget someday in this country and to spend $750 billion giving a tax break to 20,000 American families as opposed to the rest of the other 300 -- 380 million of them I think is morally wrong.

We did have moral choices to make. We've made the wrong choices again and again and again, and we're paying for this very dearly. Moral choices, not just in terms of favoring getting rid of the estate tax over dealing with the deficit, but moral choices in terms of downgrading FEMA, not putting the money into the levee reconstruction, this is the wrong moral choice."

http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0509/15/pzn.01.html

ZAHN: The polls would indicate that the American public overwhelmingly supports the idea of rebuilding New Orleans. The president expected to lay out a specific plan tonight. What kind of a bounce do you think he'll get in the polls?

DEAN: "I can't say that. But I can tell you what had better be in the plan. First of all, FEMA needs to become an independent agency again, as it was under President Clinton.

Second of all, the bankruptcy bill needs to be put off. It takes effect in about a month. There are going to be hundreds of thousands of people from Alabama and Mississippi and Louisiana who are going to be in hoc for the rest of their lives if that bankruptcy bill isn't put off. And that needs to be done. That needs to be put off for a year for everybody in America, or give a special exemption to people from those states.

Thirdly, we cannot pass an extension of the estate tax. Sooner or later people in this country are going to wake up and understand that if you have $750 billion around to give to 25,000 American families, you'd be better rebuilding New Orleans, rebuilding Mississippi, rebuilding Alabama and then having some left over to start paying down the deficit and start investing in American jobs again."

And also from the Ed Schultz show on September 8th, transcript courtesy of Renee at the Shadow DFA blog.

" Howard: I do think it would. I do think that getting rid of the leadership in FEMA--there's a couple things that have to be done. First of all, we have to keep the focus on the victims, and not on the bureaucratic bungling that's going on in this Republican administration. And immediatlely we've got to do things like--people like you. I mean, what you did, and your web site--I mean it's not just you, there are people all over the country that are doing things. Well, here's what I think the federal response should be. First of all, we need to recognize that these people need health insurance and most of them have lost theirs, if they had it in the first place. So we've gotta get them health insurance.

Secondly, we need to make sure they can rebuild when the time comes. And that means we've got to suspend this ridiculous bankruptcy bill that was passed a little less than a year ago. That starts on October 17th. None of these folks is going to get a fresh start if that bankruptcy bill is not suspended for a year or so.

Thirdly, we need--look, the first response of the Republican leadership in the senate was to take up the estate tax cut, which benefits 3000 American families--the wealthiest families in America. If there's $750 billion in loose change floating around in the budget, that needs to be spent on reinvesting in America. Nobody's invested in urban America in a long time--nobody's invested in rural America for a long time--"

And there is more:
http://www.bestsyndication.com/2005/Dan-WILSON/Current-Affairs/09/091105-howard-dean-new-orleans.htm
September 11th 2005

Howard Dean

Former Democrat Presidential candidate Howard Dean told members of the National Baptist Convention of America on Wednesday that race played a major role in the death toll from hurricane Katrina.  The National Baptist Convention is a black religious group with roughly 3.5 million members in 3000 churches.  

"We must ... come to terms with the ugly truth that skin color, age and economics played a deadly role in who survived and who did not," Dean said.  He made the comments to the Baptists' Political and Social Justice Commission.  

Dean went on to tell the commission that Americans have a moral responsibility to not ignore the devastating effects of damage caused by the hurricane when it hit the Gulf Coast.  "People are poor in different parts of the country. They are not refugees. They are Americans," he said."

Ordered the DVD and sharing with my DFA mailing lists.  Thanks.  

Sounds like it will be pretty special.  

You must have missed his message entirely.  It was a hard message.  It would have been nicer to just know he could change things.  He can't without us. We are the ones who have to do it.

He is only the catalyst...we are the change.

Goodness, he is the chair of the whole party.  He must care what they think.  

It seems to me that more can be accomplished by letting the Republicans handle this.  We won't have the fight against it that we would have if we tried to do it.

Change is going on.  Last week when Dean said the president was incapable of and did not have the credibility to attack Iran....I did not hear anyone attacking him.  Things are changing.

Let the Republicans make the plans.  Let the commander in chief act like one.

He can not come out publicly in support of any one person's plan.  He can not publicly criticize our party, but we can.  If you are not aware, there is a pretty big battle going on all over the party.

He has to stay out of it.  We don't.  I won't.

He was right to say the commander in chief needs a plan.  As chair, right now, that is about all he needs to say.  

Can't you see the Republicans have no plan, no way to make one, and they are trying to put the burden on Democrats?  

It is job of the commander in chief to have plans.

Howard Dean had best not get involved in plans being made by possible 08 candidates.  I doubt the others would appreciate it. As he said he will have to be perfectly neutral in 08 and before.

Have you noticed all the right wing media and blog want our Democrats to make the plans and fix Bush's mistakes?  Amazing how they do that.

"Mutual responsibility is a core value of progressives."

Yes, and it should as well be a core value of all of the party.  

I gather that I will probably have pariah status here, now. That's ok.  I understand.  

I do feel that the South could be won in the very best way of all....instead of pandering, instead of quoting figures from 1932, there is another way.  

Just stand up, speak out, and say what we think.  Point out the damage they have done to our country...speak out when given a chance instead of just saying that Howard Dean doesn't speak to me like so many do.  

People in the South are very human, mostly kind, they just don't hear much straight talk.  They usually like it when they hear it, just like people "up north" do.  

Even Dr. Dean is giving in on women's rights, and it is very disturbing to see.  

I can see now the way the party will win back the South is to be very much like the Republicans instead of standing up against them. Someday that will not work anymore. They are going to cave in on women's rights.  That is not winning, that is losing.

Sorry I offended.  But I am a party member, I pay my dues, I am important.

I do want you to know that my husband and I are very productive members of the Democratic Party.   We work hard, we also work hard and donate to DFA, as well as the DNC.  We are thankful God blessed us that we can donate to both.

I would hate that you think I am not a worthy party member because I questioned.  Some of us have been researching a lot on the trends at the DLC/PPI/Third Way websites.  Why? Because we feel that this time around, women are the scapegoats.  

I will not question again here at your blog, but I will question my party until the day I die. That is my job as an American citizen.  It is my job as a woman to protect the rights we worked hard to get.  

I was not blaming in my earlier question.  Most of us are simply Democrats, not bloggers.  We trust those we have been reading for years.

I did not want you to think I was not a "good" Democrat because I do not trust that wing of the party.  

Best of luck in your new endeavors.  I think they are a great idea.  I hope there is a place for the rest of us who don't believe in pre-emptive war and who do support full rights for women.  

A group which is going to control women's rights was allowed to give a presentation at the DNC in April.  There are several posts on this at DU and Booman.  If that is the future, we should question.  

I notice in your new post you refer to the blogsphere wondering.  I was not aware of that when I posted my question today.  

I am not a blogger.  I take part on blogs, but I never asked a question like that before.

I only asked the question because of the easy acceptance of the polls.  Because of the recent moves within our own party to emphasize building the military and to allow the control of women's rights.  

I also asked it because of the recent meetings at the DNC with groups that want to regulate the rights of women.  One of those groups did not support Kerry last year, yet they were allowed to announce their 95/10 plan at HQ.    

It is hard to see the changing atmosphere, and be hesitant to question.   I never meant it to be offensive.  I respect this is your blog, and I will be careful not to offend again.

Sorry.

It is expressing a vague feeling many have had lately about what is going on with the party.

I admire Simon, I admire all of you bloggers.  No offense meant.  Just a sense that 08 is here way too early, and there are agendas in place for our party that we don't understand.

I guess that is the way it is.  No offense was meant.  Sorry it came across that way.  

Actually I like what I have seen of Simon, but I need to know if he is a continuation still of the DLC mindset.  

I think we need to know, as wolves in sheep's clothing are appearing all over the place.  Here is a post about The Third Way which caught my interest.   I had heard of them, but I did not realize how controlling they were planning to be on the Democratic agenda.

http://www.boomantribune.com/story/2005/8/1/04759/79519

Again, will someone give me the html for posting a link.  I have done it quite often, but today it is not working.

I thought it was just like at Kos and Booman, but I can't get that to work.  I have posted links here before, but today the method does not seem to work.

Help.

I also think that online news media who are working FOR a certain group should clarify that as well.

At the website of the Third Way, a DLC group of Democrats which include Lieberman and Hillary...it states that The New Republic hosted a forum for the group at the Aspen Institute.  That indicates probable coordination of message.

In Ari Berman's article, The Strategic Class, he also mentions that Slate hosted such a conference (as well as TNR), though I have not found further reference.

I want to know when I getting spun around in circles.  I want to know if posts are part of a group effort or an individual's unrequited love for a candidate.