Dick Cheney, speaking about Howard Dean on Hannity and Colmes:
"I've never been able to understand his appeal. Maybe his mother loved him, but I've never met anybody who does. He's never won anything, as best I can tell."
Dick Cheney must not get out much. They must keep him well sequestered in his Undisclosed Location if he hasn't met anybody who loves Howard Dean. He must not use the Internets much, either. I think he's jealous that there's no
"Crushies for Cheney" website.
One thing I'm sure of... although the Veep said that Howard Dean is "over the top", where I come from... bringing someone's mother into the argument is WAY over the top. I wonder when Republicans will start to criticize Cheney for that statement? Yeah, right.
Yesterday I posted a diary about a proposal to consolidate our efforts in support of Howard Dean and the DNC. The idea was to coordinate to make a splash on Wednesday, as Support Howard Dean Day.
Part of the motivation is to show, in a tangible way, appreciation for the way Dean is reforming the party... and fighting back... but there's an important message that I don't think I emphasized sufficiently:
Solidarity.
This doesn't come easily for Democrats. We're a diverse party with a lot of voices that emphasize a variety of different issues and perspectives, and we have substantive disagreements. Which is fine.
What's not fine is to give aid and comfort to the Republicans... and when party leaders attack one another in the media, that's exactly what they are doing. And it isn't as if there isn't enough material to call the Republicans out on... that's what our talking points should be focused on.
So on June 15th, many of us are going to respectfully, politely, and firmly tell elected Democrats to avoid hurting the party by tearing into each other for the amusement of Fox, MSNBC and the Washington Times. Stop giving the chattering classes cover by allowing them to say some Democratic leaders say..., or worse... giving them quotes they can use to hurt us.
It's never going to happen that Zell Miller and Barbara Boxer are going to join hands and sing "Kumbaya" together. It's probably never going to happen that Zell Miller won't attack the rest of the party. But Nancy Pelosi? Joe Biden? Barney Frank? They should know better. We need to let them know that they should know better.
Even though Howard Dean's being maligned in the press... (and by some Democrats) the members of the DNC themselves are standing by Dean.
And some columnists are standing behind him. Let's add to that narrative.
Here's what you can do:
- Enlist your friends. Let folks know about this and encourage them to participate.
- Give money to the DNC.
- Call Democratic Elected Officials in the House and Senate
- Sign the Dean Speaks for Me
- Write Letters to the Editor
Here are some good articles to circulate to inspire and motivate:
William Rivers Pitt: Dean Was Right
Reuters Article: Democratic Leaders Back Dean, don't want 'wimp'
Dana Blankenhorn: A Master Politician At Work
Thom Hartmann: Dean Just Told Them The Truth and They Thought It Was Hell
Rob Kall: Dean is Doing What We Hired Him To Do
All these opinions showcase the great job Howard is doing... but we also need to demonstrate the problem: Democrats who really are making gaffes - by turning on our own. The following articles starkly illustrate how our own elected officials are giving talking points to our adversaries. And that has to stop.
Senator Obama Says Dean Using 'Religion to Divide'
Howard Dean: Does He Speak for the Democrats?