On Thursday, July 14, 2005, Gov. Howard Dean, Chairman of the Democratic Party, addressed the NAACP National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The video of the speech as well as exerpts are
linked from dfasv.org. It was a speech in which Dean was very much in command of himself and his audience, persuasive, and delivered a speech all Americans can be proud of. It was a wonderful, riveting, inspiring speech in the guv's natural style. But, GOP Chairman Ken Mehlman also spoke, right after Dean. What I intend to do here is give you an account of Howard Dean's speech, and compare and contrast with Mehlman's.
As I said, Howard Dean's speech was a great one, and I think you will agree with me if you see the speech. Oh, and he is becoming a life member of the NAACP!
The proudest moment for me was when Howard Dean publicly and proudly announced his support for a Constitutional amendment giving all Americans the right to vote. He mentioned that in Bush v. Gore (2000) the Supreme Court established that there is no federal right to vote. That, he said, showed the need for a federal voting rights amendment. But he went further. Couragiously, he declared that felons ought not to have their voting rights taken away. Voting in a democracy is a responsibility, not just a right, he reminded us. Rehabilitation is the goal of our legal system. Then what sense does it make for the same system to take away their right and responsibility to vote, while we are asking them to be responsible members of the community? This was a very very couragious thing to do for Howard Dean. This is not particularly politically correct or popular, but it is, I believe, the right thing. No surprise there. Howard Dean is known to take on the establishment in favor of what is right.
Howard Dean is also master of framing, and he did it well here. He spoke about social justice, economic justice, and tied in each policy issue into the fundamental principles of justice, equality, and fairness. In the same breath, he said that the Democratic party will never again take the African American or other minority vote for granted. He updated us on the new ways that the DNC is now working: of their decision making body of 13, a majority are women and minorities. Equality is more than words and a outreach desk, and Howard Dean showed it.
Last but not least, he did not let the dirty legacy of the GOP party go unnoticed. "The southern strategy lives today," Dean announced, twice.
Ken Mehlman's message, on the other hand, was very tiny on substance - in fact he was booed from time to time for trying to sell social security phase-out and destroying public education - and quite big on persons and history. The term "party of Lincoln" was far more often in his address than "Republican." His religious fundamentalist appeals did not sit well with the audience, either. I also think he made a big mistake when he tried to tell African Americans what they should do. He said something to the effect of how it is not in the best interest of African Americans to continue to vote Democratic. For all his talk for "equal opportunity", his rhetoric was hollow and he did not provide policy depth appropriate for a party in power.
But make no mistake, Ken Mehlman is an extremely politically astute person. He did not go to the NAACP convention because he thought he would get many more African American votes for Republicans. He went for two reasons. First, to dispel the GOP Party's national image as - as Howard Dean said - a white Christian party. Whatever they say in public, Mehlman knows how true Howard Dean's words are. Second, he sees this as a part of the GOP's minority vote focus in general. He thinks that their social security destruction plan, packaged in the disguise of "reform" and "ownership" can draw minorities who are generally less fortunate in terms of being able to save than their white counterparts. No, it's not funny. They actually think they can chip away some minority votes with this.
So in the end, Ken Mehlman tried his best, and did his job as the GOP chairman. But his counterpart is not Terry McAuliffe, it's Howard Dean. The Republicans can only hope to chip away at our minority vote base if Democrats take them for granted. Howard Dean made it clear that not only is that not going to happen on his watch, but that he is going to mount a counterattack and beat back the GOP divisiveness with an appeal to an American community, social and economic justice, and equal rights under the law. The GOP party will continue to appeal to racial divisions and try to portray Democrats as wimps and of weak morality. But I believe that in Howard Dean, they have met their match.
Now only if the beltway Democrats will stop doing the GOP's work for them!