As noted on the front page of Blue Jersey, Howard Dean was invited by the TCNJ College Democrats (of which I am a member) to give a speech and answer questions this evening at The College of New Jersey in Ewing, NJ. Dean's speech was both entertaining and informational, He touched on a wide variety of topics, including his presidential campaign and the importance of grassroots and netroots campaiging, the importance of the younger generation, and the role of the Democratic Party (and the DNC) in spurring positive change in our country.
Gov. Dean noted the growth in the use of the internet in campaigning, but spoke of the necessity for politicians to use the internet to actually listen to the voters, instead of just using it as a fundraising tool. Dean spoke about the beginnings of his presidential campaign, and the importance of the internet and the netroots in spreading his original message of change. He then spoke about how President Obama used this model and expanded on it, saying that Obama should be referred to as "Dean 6.0", citing the President's many advances in online networking and fundraising as a key step forwards in political campaigning.
The Governor then spoke of his capacities as the head of the DNC, and the advancements the DNC underwent as he was chair. He explained how the DNC used the RNC as a model, but expanded the RNC's organizing techniques by placing paid DNC staffers in every state in the country. He spoke about how many people in the Beltway mocked this strategy, and then spoke for a few minutes about how Washington DC was lagging behind the rest of the country. Using examples of crowds and dedicated supporters in states like Montana and Alaska, Dean explained the advances the 50-state strategy heralded.
After speaking for a while about the 50-state strategy, Dean then spoke about message framing and cited the debate over gay marriage. Dean forcefully spoke about how the Democratic party was often too cautious in spreading its ideals, and that the Republican party has been branding our party as the party without values. Using gay marriage as an example, he said that Republicans have for too long controlled the debate, talking about how the Republicans state that marriage should be between a man and a woman, but Democrats do not push back appropirately. Dean said that the Democrats should not go along with the Republican frame, but should instead create the notion that Democrats support equal rights for everyone, and thus support gay marriage. Using this debate, he said that Democrats would then be able to meaningfully debate with Republicans, and that voters would be able to decide which position they would like to take. He also spoke about abortion, and how many Democrats refuse to debate abortion rights, believing that it is too controversial of an issue to debate. Dean proposed that Democrats should not shy away from the "controversial" issues, and should welcome all debate with open arms, citing again the notion that Democrats support equal rights for everyone.
After his speech, Dr. Dean opened the floor to questions. The questions ranged from healthcare reform to the progressive income tax (a question asked by a member of the college Republicans) to the war in Afghanistan. Dean detailed his support of the public option in President Obama's plan, and stated that he would not support a plan that did not provide a public option to citizens. He also spoke about the Republican frame that a public option would force the closure of hospitals and destroy jobs, and how the public option would allow communities to decide for themselves as to what care they needed. Gov. Dean then spoke about how capitalism is the best economic system that we can use, but that the free market does not work in healthcare.
The progressive income tax was the subject of another question. Dean reiterated his support of the progressive income tax, saying that the extremely wealthy should have a higher tax rate, but that the tax should not fully equalize society, again speaking in the support of capitalism. In the same answer, Dean noted a problem with the welfare system, saying that handing a free check to people dehumanizes them, but added that welfare is a necessary safety net and should be improved.
After a question about Afghanistan war coverage, Dean spoke about how the President Obama has taken a courageous stance and said that Obama is the first president to acknowledge that this war cannot be won militarily. He said that he supported the war because of the costs to women if the Taliban or a similar extremist government were reinstated. Saying that while air strikes could curb terrorism, only trainers and military support can help set up a new, more democratic government that can protect rights for women and other groups who would be reduced to near-slaves under a Taliban government.
There were some entertaining moments in the speech and in the questions, and the audience laughed when Dean said that Bill Clinton won because he "knew how to touch many people". After the laughter subsided, Dean laughed and said that he has the utmost respect for Bill Clinton, despite his personal flaws. One of the questions asked later on asked Dean about what superpower he would choose if he could be a superhero. Overall, however, the speech and questions and answers were all extremely informative and I thoroughly enjoyed the event. Howard Dean is a great man, and I look forward to his continued involvement in the Democratic party.
crossposted at Blue Jersey