This is the third in a three part series of diary entries about the candidate's visits to St. Louis this week (four if Clark ends up coming as he's said he's going to try to do).
The others are John Kerry and John Edwards.
Dean spoke to a room full of supporters at the Missouri History Museum this afternoon. The room was an auditorium which seats about 400, but there were people standing in the aisles, and rafters onstage, so the room probably had between 500 and 600 people in it. There were also a great number of people who were turned away into a second overflow room. Since I was one of the lucky ones to get a seat in the auditorium, I can't speak for the crowd in the other room; but I feel safe in saying that there were at least as many people as came to Mr. Kerry's rally on Wednesday.
The crowd is slightly more diverse than Kerry's (though much of that are the volunteers), but definitely skews younger. I overhear someone commenting that they are "concerned about Kerry, because he went along with 'all of it'." And of course that's another point in Dean's favor - he was saying the things that all the candidates are saying today eight months and a year ago when those things weren't as popular, and if Dean is not the nominee, he will deserve a tremendous amount of credit for setting the terms of the debate.
There are a significant number of people under 25 here, and I'm reminded of Dean's promise to energize people into the voting process that haven't voted before, which is especially true of folks in that generation. Pundits claim this is absurd, that this strategy never works, and Dean may not get a chance to prove them wrong or right in the general election, but whoever the nominee is, they ought to spend significant energy on mobilizing people who are fed up or don't care to vote. This election is that important, and there are a lot of people who realize that.
One comment, which pertains to all three of the events I've seen this week, is that the preparation for the crowds has been abysmal. Kerry's and Edward's were relatively open, but Dean did have a system for supporters to sign up ahead of time so that they could guarantee seats in the main auditorium, and still the crowd management and leadership at Dean's and Kerry's was awful. I realize that the people running this for the campaigns are volunteers and don't have a whole lot of experience in this sort of thing, but there's clearly a niche for volunteers to put together training on crowd control and the like. Lines were sprawled everywere at Dean and Kerry's events, and there's no way that anything resembling a first-come, first-serve program worked. The line outside at Edwards' event was continuous, but I can't speak to what went on inside as people filled the room where he spoke. At any rate, it's something campaigns ought to think about, because in at least some cases, it loses votes, and at the least, it reflects poorly on the candidates when the voters are shuffled around and feel like they're being taken for granted or being treated unfairly.
Bob Archibald, the curator of the Missouri Historical Society, began the event by touching on history and its importance, drawing particularly from Thomas Jefferson (whose larger than life statue adorns the lobby of the MHM). Jefferson, he says, knew that being President wasn't all about the here and now. Jefferson's accomplishments were intended to look towards the future, and impact the lives of future generations. For Jefferson, not the least of his achievements in this regard were the Louisiana Purchase and Lewis & Clark expedition, which both have significant local connections to St. Louis. I was disappointed that Dr. Archibald didn't mention Jefferson's everlasting pride in creating the University of Virginia (my alma mater), since education was to be the central theme of today's event; but I certainly understand his focus on Missouri.
Next, Dr. John Yerkovic (sp?), who is a Jefferson County, Missouri school administrator, spoke. He spoke specifically about the No Child Left Behind Act, and anecdotally related why he supports Governor Dean. It seems that Mr. Bush had visited St. Louis (Missouri being a "swing" state and all) and visited a school to talk about the "success" of NCLB. Afterwards, he went to a local fundraiser and raised $2.5 million for his campaign. Dean put out a press release commenting that Dr. Yerkovic's district is having to consider raising property taxes in order to make up for a shortfall to meet the mandates of NCLB. The money they need to raise is $2.4 million. The President has his priorities upside down, doesn't he? Raising $130 million for a primary campaign with no opponent, and refusing to fully fund our nation's schools under his own plan.
Howard comes out next, and is thrilled with the reception, which is loud and boisterous. He quips, "I hope this is how Missouri's gonna treat me on Tuesday." He starts out talking about Harry Truman (a Missourian), and why Truman is one of his idols. At one point, someone in the crowd yells, "Give 'em hell, Howard." Dean laughs, and says, "You know, Truman would reply, 'I don't give 'em hell, I just give 'em the truth, and the Republicans think it's hell."
The central theme of this event is education, and there's a blackboard on stage with the slogan, "Missouri for Dean: Standing up for Education." Dean goes into specifics of why NCLB is a failure, and how what Mr. Bush is actually doing is trying to make all the other states' school systems more like Texas, which consistently ranks in the bottom 5 in the nation. And of course, NCLB is, in part, based on Houston's program, which we now know was an utter fraud, and the man who ran Houston's schools is now our Secretary of Education. The insanity of it all boggles the mind.
Then, to my surprise, Dean starts to talk about specific problems in education, and how we can fix them. One problem is in early childhood. He says we send our children to school at 5, but they need help before then. Of course, many parents do get their children proper healthcare during those precious developmental years, but many do not. In Vermont, Dean tells us about his programs for home visits if parents wish, in order to follow up with care, and make sure children are progressing at the proper rate. He also points out that these children will now graduate high school and go to college, rather than dropping out and going to prison. His program has proven results, as it's reduced child abuse by 40%, and child sexual abuse by 70%. This is important for a larger reason, because it reminds everyone that Dean isn't a legislator - he's an executive, and he's done the things he's suggesting, albeit on a smaller scale.
The crowd might be more riled up because it is filled with primarily Dean supporters as opposed to the more curious crowds for Edwards and Kerry that felt like they had more undecided voters; but the reception Dean gets throughout his speech is more energetic than the other two candidates. Several times, he has to stop and wait for a standing ovation for one comment or another.
Dean talks about the #1 factor in children's success at school, and that's parental involvement. It's a theme he'll return to in the questioning period, but he cites statistics from Vermont that even if a parent only goes to school for sporting events, that parent's child will do better on average than a child whose parents never visit the school. He talks about acting vs. talking, and the fact that showing your child that education is important enough to take your time to go to the school and meet with teachers is a huge inspiration to children. He also proposes, as Bill Clinton did, paid leave for parents to visit schools during working hours; up to 24 hours a year.
Dean returns to the experience theme next, reminding us both of how there was no middle class tax cut because of increases in property taxes, education and healthcare that more than cover up whatever federal income tax cut middle class Americans got; and how he knows how to balance budgets. He takes another swipe at Bush here, pointing out that Bush has never balanced a budget either; because in Texas, they don't trust governors with the purse, the lieutenant governor has control of the budget.
Finally, like Edwards, Dean asked for our help. He needs our votes, and he needs us to call to 10 people, and to ask them to call 10 people. Dean spent a good deal of time interspersed throughout discussing his contention that government needs fundamental change at the top in order to get anything done. His central evidence of this is the fact that Harry Truman put universal healthcare in the Democratic platform in 1948, and we can't get it passed because both parties take significant contributions from corporate interests who are not interested in having universal healthcare.
Dean takes three questions from the crowd at the end. The first concerns transparent government, and the questioner wants to see copies of legislation before they're voted on so he can make up his mind whether to support them or not. Dean says he would try to do this, but he's not a legislator, so he can't promise that; but he can promise that he would put bills up for inspection by the public before he signed them.
The second question is from a young boy who is home schooled and wants to know Dean's position on homeschooling. Dean talks mostly about how they handled homeschooling in Vermont, and that he's certainly in support of it. He also hearkens back to his comments about parental involvement, and comments how the sacrifices that homeschooling require are a testament to the importance of education, and that most homeschooled students perform better than average on tests support his earlier point that parental involvement in education stimulates children to learn.
The final question is from a young mother who wants to talk about tort reform, and specifically a bill before Congress granting blanket liability to gun manufacturers. Dean agrees that this is ridiculous, but fairly reminds the crowd that he has been endorsed by the NRA (though he chuckles and says they won't endorse him against Bush), and of his state's rights position on guns, as a segway into the fact that he feels the same way about tort reform. If a state decides they have a problem with lawsuits, they ought to look at it, but he doesn't think it's the federal government's business.
After being told that he needs to visit the overflow room before he leaves, Dean nods and gives his final statement to the crowd. He talks about the greatest loss we've suffered over the past few years, and it isn't jobs, or faith in the economy, or the loss of moral leadership (though one could certainly argue its the over 500 soldiers who've given their lives in Iraq). Dean says the loss is a loss of community. He weaves this in with the 60s, and Martin Luther King, Jr. and Bobby Kennedy and the four little girls in the Birmingham church. We had a sense of hope then, that anything was possible; and the worst part about Mr. Bush is that he's really only interested in scaring us into electing him. This is part of what's turned a lot of people off to the political process, and Dean wants to bring them back to the table and talk about a positive future.
He shakes hands with the folks onstage and the event empties. All in all, Dean has won back my support, if it was ever wavering. I will cast my primary vote for him on Monday, and not because he was the last one to get to talk to me in person. He reminds me why I've supported him all along; and I saw nothing today of the cariacature that the national media had foisted on us the last month or so. This is a sober, reflective man who wants what's best for American just as much as you and I do. He's the best candidate in the race out of many superstar candidates, and the difference that sets him apart is his experience. He knows how to govern, and ultimately, that's what we want in a President.