MyDD :: Notes from Dean's NPR interview today. He rocked.

Notes from Dean's NPR interview today. He rocked.

by concerned democrat, Tue Jun 14, 2005 at 12:14:56 AM EST

He is getting better and better at getting his points out. This is a pragmatic, sensible interview. It is good to hear his common sense statements. We need more of our Democrats to talk like this.

Just some random notes I typed from the interview.

NPRs Ed Gordon interviews Howard Dean

Dean's interview on NPR today

A Talk with DNC Head Howard Dean
"News & Notes with Ed Gordon, June 13, 2005 · Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean has been busy doing what he proved in the last presidential race he does best: grass-roots organizing. But Republicans have attempted to chip away at one of the Democratic Party's most loyal voting blocs, African Americans. Dean discusses what Democrats are doing to stay relevant to their African-American base."

My notes:

"I may be controversial, but my allegiance is to people outside the beltway." (Good!)

"I want to be a great country again"

"No such thing as being too frank"...(then he lists all the corruption in DC)

He agrees "not in the best interest of the party" for him to be the center of attention....he says that is why the media is doing it. They want to deflect from facts of what they are doing.

He will not back off "white Christians" statement...then he quotes Danforth who agrees his party is a tool of the conservative religious right, not what it used to be.

Defends Obama, saying he got a distortion from the press. Media "truncates." "never respond to quote unless you have seen it yourself. "

National party message by 06

Significant number of black community in the room at DNC when decisions are made. Will be "incredibly" active in the black community.

Will be serious about the South.

And I do love this last statement:

Fundraising good..."1/2 million last two weeks...when the press attacks me our base is incredibly energized. " (Howard is noticing!)

Excellent interview, Chairman Dean.

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CD...thanks (none / 0)

for the link. This particular interview should be studied by people interested in how you handle media as a really good example of what Dean has been doing with the local media and specialized media during the first hundred days.

Clearly you can see that he takes questions which could put him on the defensive and uses them to enlarge on what he was "attacked" for to go on the offensive. And in the past couple of days, one can see that other Democrats are following his lead.

Last week has turned out to be a net gain for us, because most of us knew that Dean was deliberately avoiding the national media, and only when he had solid accomplishments to point to did he stick his head out to take what we knew was coming.

He has another grueling schedule of travel from now until the end of the month, and make himself scarse with the national media...while doing an intensive rounds of meetings and interview with the local press.

And he is making himself in demand, by rationing supply. It is a really smart strategy...

I don't mind when Republicans attack Dean because their rhetoric is so lame and so easy to answer, but clearly Dean has hit all the marks, and fed the beast, and won the week in my opinion.

Watching the DNC meeting, it was clear that they are thrilled with his leadership, and have no complaints. Even Don Fowler has been very good at defending Dean, if only because he knows damn well that the kind of stuff Dean was saying is exactly what he was saying to the troops when he was DNC chair....only nobody cared what the DNC chair said when he was chair!

by nanorich on Tue Jun 14, 2005 at 12:35:43 PM EST

Re: CD...thanks (none / 0)

Thanks for the link as well. I would've missed an excellent interview w/o this post.

nano, I hadn't thought about it, but I would have to agree w/ you that the has turned out to be a net win.

It's ironic that Cheney's recent statement that, and I'm paraphrasing here but I think that the language basically boils down to this extreme, the only vote Dean could get is his mother's. David Broder said something similar on MTP on 6/12, that no one will cast a Democratic vote because of what Dean says (he also implied that they might cast a Republican vote because of what Dean says; talk about doublethink!). Each of these statemnts is insulting to Dean personally. Cheney's statement in particular was as spiteful as anything my 3-yr-old might say when he is at his maddest.

When compared the original Dean statement... well there isn't really a comparison, because the Dean statement was true AND the motive/idea begind that statements was obvious, even without the context.

I also hadn't thought about the strategy behind Dean's scarcity. Of course I'd missed him in the Mass Media, but I'd just assumed that was the MM's decision because it's been obvious from day 1 that most MM commentators don;t share much perspective w/ Dean. Let's face it, Democratic pundits are damn near by definition DC Democrats (obviously there are some exceptions, but there are Congressional exceptions as well... Donna Brazil, Denny K... I'm typing in your general direction!), so I assumed that they were glad to let him get to the DNC chair, after all... how many times are we talking about what the DNC chair says?

When was the last time the let a Chair get the full hour of MTP by himself (Terry and Ed were friggin' joined at the hip)? HA! I bet Tim Russert's voting Republican in '06 just because Dean made him sit the full hour w/ Mehlman. He even bitched about it a little...

"But, first, two weeks ago, our guest was the chairman of the Democratic Party, Howard Dean. Today, equal time: the chairman of the National Republican Party. Ken Mehlman is here."
-TR, MTP, 6/5/2005

Ummm... was that me, or did he just imply that there is no way he would've had that guy on unless Dean had been on two weeks earlier. So Dean actually merited two hours on MTP. This is pretty much like convincing your wingman to 'take one for the team' when you go to a bar.

So to the media, Dean is a super-hottie.

In seriousness, though, so far I think that the Dem P has come out ahead, and are preparing well for '06. Before the primaries I'd never given to a sinle candidate. I gave a little to Dean. I moved in January, and when I moved, the first thing I did in town after I got my address was register to vote, because of the primaries. The election board didn't process my registration in time, and I had to go to OKC that day, but I was registered in Tulsa. I live in Stillwater (all OKC). That means I effectively added about a 2-hour commute to vote on top of my 2-hr commute. I usually spend about 10-15 minutes on the road each day. I would never have even thought about that for a presidential election, much less a primary! Since then I've given to the DNC, as well.

The problem has always been that even though I may not like the Republican candidates, that is a long way from liking the D. Now though, thanks to a combination of BW Bush and Howard Dean, there is almost no difference to me. Ivoted for BRAD CARSON! Ewwwwww. But hey, he had a D by his name.

Now... this may sound irrelevant, but until HD, I was someone who'd vote sometimes, and the usually I wouldn't necessarily vote on the whole ballot. That's not true today. I don't think that I'm particularly unusual.

That's why I think that the Democrats are doing well, and the chairman is good for the party. there's no way that the number lukewarm voters turned to core voters and small donors by Howard Dean is larger on the Republican side is bigger than the Democratic side. That's what the party needs... money and votes. I know it's more complicated than that, but to me that is the heart of the matter when it comes to HD.

And, the posts about the potential Democratic takeover in the Senate... I'm just going to take deep breath and reread that now... I need to digest that nugget...

McCain sucks!

by teknofyl on Tue Jun 14, 2005 at 03:21:42 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: CD...thanks and double thanks (none / 0)

I would have missed this as well. David Broder is a bigger idiot than Rush Limbaugh. Howard Dean is the most exciting and energizing figure in the Democratic party since Bill Clinton.

As far as retaking the Senate, that will only happen if the Democratic party is smart enough to start demanding an immediate exit strategy from Iraq. If idiots like Charlie Rangel and Joe Biden are running around demanding a draft to help Bushco continue an immoral and illegal war, who knows?

Humpty Dumpty is broke. All of the kings horses and all the kings men, can't put humpty together again. Trying to pretend that Bush's disaster in Iraq can be salvaged with "enlightened" Democratic policies is obscene. Joe Biden is obscene. Charlie Rangel is a misguided fool.

It's time for the Democratic party to stop throwing Bush life preservers.

by Gary Boatwright on Tue Jun 14, 2005 at 03:47:40 PM EST
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