They seem to be tripping over each other in their rush to distance themselves from Dean's criticisms of the Reeps. Clinging to this notion that if they play nice, the Reeps will reciprocate.

Dean speaks for me. The Dems should be speaking for me, but apparently they're not interested in doing so. That's fine.

Last year, we had the prospect of kicking Gee-Dub out of the White House to motivate us. What's going to energize the left in the next election? Are the Dems just going to keep their fingers crossed that the Reeps put up somebody detestable?

If McCain or Powell are on the Reep ticket (even as Veep) in 2008, the Dems aren't going to have a chance with the center. They'd better think twice about alienating their base by going after Dean for speaking truth about the Reeps.

1. Dean will tone down the rhetoric.

2. Dean does not tone down the  rhetoric and party leaders force him to resign.

3. Dean does not tone down the rehtoric party leaders try to force him to resign but he refuses and the party is caught in a bitter conflict.

Dean has been faithful to the party in representing the "now that we're there, we can't leave. I hope his personal position is anti-war.

Howard Dean speaks for me on nearly every issue. The differences I may have I am willing to overlook. Barbara Boxer, Dennis Kucinich, John Connyers and Howard Dean all speak for me.

I am a proud Democrat from the Democratic wing of the Democratic party.

So, when the usual suspects are now out in the media bashing and/or distancing themselves from Howard Dean, I take it as a very good sign.

Dean is plain-spoken, and I like that. I don't care if he occasionally makes a "gaffe" or offends someone, as long as he is telling the truth and giving a voice to me and others like me. His words and actions have been under a microscope for a long time now, a scrutiny aided by self-serving members of both political parties. Dr. Dean's words have held up well under the test of time, and I personally don't care much about the short term "gotcha" scores being kept by those who never supported Dean in the first place.

I am personally sick of the Democrats who have been enabling the current Republican party and the corrupt Bush Administration by providing their votes, their voices, and even their assistance in taking down members of their own party.

Dean speaks for me, and he has my support. If the Democrats want to throw Dr. Dean over the side of their sinking ship, they will be saving nothing. If, instead, they will trust him to patch and steer that ship, there might be something salvaged at the end.

Hillary, on the other hand, I don't trust. I must make it clear it is NOT because she is a woman and I hope that that is not a charge that is leveled at Democrats like me. I
just don't know what she stands for----Today.
irsouth2

Elected Dems: work with the Chairman and we can take back this country. Today would be a good time to figure this out.

Equality

Social Justice

Moral Leadership

and Opportunity for all.

When Howard Dean met with the voting DNC members he told them "I am Howard Dean.  I like to build things. I am not Joe Trippi's creation.

And he set out a plan of action and he has followed it to the letter.

Howard Dean has never lied to me, he has never backed down from an important fight, and he never gives up.  When he fails at one attempt, he looks like another way to do it.  He is an articulate, passionate voice for millions of Americans abandoned in the past by the Democratic Party, and he fighting for them...
he is fighting for us.

Howard Dean speaks to me, because he listens to me and others like me who are willing to stay in it for the long haul, and do the hard work which must be done to lay down a path to the future for the Democratic Party which will finally end our long downward spiral.

Howard Dean speaks for me.  And makes me proud to be a Democrat again.

Silly question.

IE most DEMOCRATS didn't want him as President.  He came in THIRD for pete sake.

The reason you think he speaks for Democrats is because you only know the ones like you.

I am sick of Dean, Deaniacs and the whole un-Democratic wing of the party.

Its always this senator or that house rep or that PUBLICALLY ELECTED official has a spat with the FATCAT ELECTED Dean and you guys want me to side with Dean???

WTF?

Don't you know how DEMOCRACY works?  

The Democratic wing of the Democratic party believes in DEMOCRACY....

Google democracy.

Until the Beltway Democrats "get" that being polite to the worst administration we've ever suffered under won't get them/us anywhere, we're going to keep losing.  Polls show that people are becoming disenchanted with the Republicans, but they don't like the Democrats any better.  Why?  My opinion is that the Democrats make themselves look weak when they constantly attack each other.  If they won't stand up for each other what will they stand up for?

He speaks for me because I listen to what he says for longer than 30 seconds at a time. And it's a positive future not just for the Democratic Party but for America in general. It's because Dean and even the lower DNC members are suddenly excited about having a conversation about values and hope and not the hate and fear brewed by the Republicans in Washington.

Sure the Congressional Democrats are worried about embracing rhetoric that will cool their torrid love affair with corporate money. But they certainly ain't doing shit about Iraq on the whole and I'm glad that we have someone left who calls himself a Democrat willing to talk tough.

In every political party there are small
groups of people who climb to high
rank and trust, for which their motives
are to simply destroy the party.

In the case of Dean's statements, he was
encouraged to do so by a small group of
people who base their leadership around a
single group of people in San Francisco,
that Dean met the week before
he made those statements.

Just as the "Dean Scream" was made after
Joe Trippi encouraged Dean to do it, these
media savvy people encouraged Dean to
go out and make these statements about
religious, basically attempting to
portray the +California+ base as happy
with them, despite the fact that these
people have no real ties to the real
base of support in California, in, for
example, Silicon Valley (and yes, its
hit or miss, these people have friends
there, but not the right ones..) ,
and LA, and North California.

This was supposed to be a Californian
tactic, responding to huge amounts
of spending, and stealth maneuvering
by Ken Mehlmann and Karl Rove, in that
state, that is controlled by a Republican
Governor.

But unfortunately for Dean, he was too naive
to see that the real goal of this group
was national media circus. This group
in fact, was founded by a guy who wanted
to build a new news channel.  The
point of it was to distract.

Because the National Media was paying off
the head of this small group to
do it, since they were concerned about
having to run the Downing Street
memo as a story, and they basically
invested about 10% of the advertising
revenue that their models suggested they'd
lose, if they did have to run the
story.

Dean, meanwhile, being the naive person
that he is, went out there and made categoric
statements on more than two or three
occasions, suggesting clearly that
he was not speaking off the cuff - but
following a Public Relations strategy.

My advice is: Those people who influenced
the chairman in this manner not only
do not speak for California, they
do NOT speak for me.

The national media spotlight, I'm sure,
would encourage you to try to make
the most of this.

Bear in mind this: Dean's job is not
to define the party or its ideology,
but to run strong candidates and win,
win, win elections.   He is supposed
to be a part of the process, but if
that is an open process, there will
be dissent.

Just as there is a minority of white christians
in the GOP who wield power, so too the special
interests in the Dem party -

And they are selling something far more
viable - they're selling you the idea
that the grassroots will save you.

All the while, salting the earth..

Caveat.

" -- Democratic Party Chairman Howard Dean said Saturday that positive responses from key supporters have reinforced his determination to keep talking tough, "

http://www.cnn.com/2005/POLITICS/06/11/dean.attacks.ap/index.html

In the words of the great Groucho
Marx..

"Your honor, I rest my case."

I didn't originally support Dean (Edwards was my favorite) I don't agree with him a fair amount of the time, and yes, I think he could be more tactful.

That being said, we need someone who can get the Democratic message out there. We need someone who will stand and fight. Howard Dean is the one of a very small group of people who has been willing to do this lately.