Howard Dean to Run for DNC Chair
by Gov. Howard Dean, M.D.
As I
have traveled across our country, I have talked to thousands of people
who are working for change in their own communities about the power of
politics to make a difference in their own lives and in the lives of
others. Every group I have spoken to, I encouraged them to stand up for
what they believe and to get involved in the electoral process —
because the only sure way to make a difference is to step up and run
for office yourself.
Today, I'm announcing my candidacy for the Chairmanship of the Democratic National Committee.
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.
As
important as organization is, it alone can no longer win us elections.
Offering a new choice means making Democrats the party of reform —
reforming America's financial situation, reforming our electoral
process, reforming health care, reforming education and putting
morality back in our foreign policy. The Democratic Party will not win
elections or build a lasting majority solely by changing its rhetoric,
nor will we win by adopting the other side's positions. We must say
what we mean — and mean real change when we say it.
But most
of all, together, we have to rebuild the American community. We will
never succeed by treating our nation as a collection of separate
regions or separate groups. There are no red states or blues states,
only American states. And we must talk to the people in all of these
states as members of one community.
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.
All of
this will require both national perspective and local experience. I
know what it's like to lead hands-on at the state level and I know what
it's like to run for national office.
With
your help, this past election season, Democracy for America, already
started creating the kind of organization the Democratic Party can be.
This past election cycle, we endorsed over 100 candidates at all levels
of government — from school board to U.S. Senate. We contributed
almost a million dollars to nearly 750 candidates around the country
and raised millions of dollars for many more candidates.
Together,
we helped elect a Democratic governor in Montana, a Democratic mayor of
Salt Lake County, Utah and an African American woman to the bench in
Alabama. Fifteen of the candidates we endorsed had never run for office
before — and won.
I also
have experience building and managing a local party organization. My
career started as Democratic Party chair in Chittenden County, Vermont.
I then ran successful campaigns: for state legislature, lieutenant
governor and then governor. In my 11-year tenure as governor, I
balanced the state's budget every year.
I served
as chair of both the National Governors' Association and the Democratic
Governors' Association (DGA). And as chair of the DGA, I helped recruit
nearly 20 governors that won — even in states like Alabama, Georgia,
North Carolina, South Carolina and Mississippi.
All of
these experiences have only reaffirmed what I know to be true. There is
only one party that speaks to the hopes and dreams of all Americans. It
is the party you have already given so much to. It is the Democratic
Party.
We can win elections only by standing up for what we believe.
Thank you and I look forward to listening to your concerns in the weeks ahead.
Governor Howard Dean, M.D.
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