So let me get this straight. Howard Dean, the chair of the Democratic National Committee, catches flack from Republicans, the media,
and Democrats for a few tough-handed comments he made over a few days ago about dishonesty from the Republican leadership and the need for Democrats to stand on principles to defend the ideals of American democracy. How bizarre.
Well, this message goes to all the critics in the media, the Republican Party, and particularly Senator Joe Biden, former Senator John Edwards, and all the other Democrats who delight in eating their own.
Sit down and shut up.
(There's more)
I expect the Republicans to attack Chairman Dean. I expect the media to attack him. What I don't expect, and actually resent, are Democrats who attack him. One, it shows they lack loyalty. And two, it shows they have no understanding of history.
If they spent a bit of time reading about former Democratic leaders, they'd know that Democrats like FDR, Eleanor Roosevelt, Harry Truman, Adlai Stevenson, and Lyndon Johnson talked just as tough as Chairman Dean. They didn't back down one inch. And the fact that we've got Democrats criticizing the chaiman for following in the brave tradition of past Democrats is astounding.
So, here goes:
Tough Quotes from Democrats
"Carry the battle to them. Don't let them bring it to you. Put them on the defensive. And don't ever apologize for anything." - Harry Truman
"I never did give them hell. I just told the truth, and they thought it was hell." - Harry Truman
"The elephant has a thick skin, a head full of ivory, and as everyone who has seen a circus parade knows, proceeds best by grasping the tail of its predecessor." - Adlai Stevenson
"Do what you feel in your heart to be right, for you'll be criticized anyway. You'll be damned if you do and damned if you don't." - Eleanor Roosevelt
"It is important that the United States remain a two-party system. I'm a fellow who likes small parties and the Republican Party can't be too small to suit me." - Lyndon Johnson
"A conservative is a man with two perfectly good legs who, however, has never learned how to walk forward." - FDR
"I ask you to judge me by the enemies I have made." - FDR
Next time you hear the media, the Republicans, Joe Biden, John Edwards, or any other Democrat criticize Chairman Dean for speaking tough, just remember the words of FDR, Truman, Johnson, and the many other Democrats in the past who defending the everyday folks of America with strong words and even stronger actions.
Why some Democrats don't understand this is beyond me.
(This item was cross-posted on the Alabama Democratic Party blog by "BlueBeliever": http://www.aladems.net/nucleus/index.php?itemid=271)
Update [2005-6-6 22:52:17 by BluePatriot05]: "X" brought this to my attention, so I am adding it here. It is from John Edwards.
John Edwards: Dean and I agree
The right-wing machine has made a lot of noise about a so-called disagreement between John Edwards and Howard Dean. But Edwards himself says on his blog that there's no story:
Instead, how about: Nonsense! We are both talking about the Republicans and their failure to address the needs of working people. We both agree with this basic truth: This Republican president and this Republican majority are not doing what they should be doing for working people in this country. That's a core belief we need to fight for. And what's more, we agree that we - all Democrats and all working people - should be complaining, criticizing, and generally speaking out about this critical failure of the Republican party and offering our positive vision for America. And we have.
Howard and I have been saying the same thing about this for years. Hear that? The same thing. For years.