Dean visiting GOP strongholds

[cal04]

GO Dean
"The party has really lacked energy in the past couple years," he said, "and Dean brings that energy." (Rep. Paul Davis)


Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean on Thursday began a two-day visit to the GOP stronghold of Kansas, hoping to erase the notion that his party has surrendered so-called "red states" to Republicans.

Dean, the former Vermont governor and 2004 presidential candidate, who has been traveling the country this week in his maiden tour as DNC chief, is scheduled to speak at Washburn University in Topeka, then travel to Lawrence, where he'll speak at an evening rally Friday.

He is also scheduled to attend a fund-raiser in Lawrence, which sponsors hope will raise as much as $40,000 for the state party. On Tuesday, Dean will go to Mississippi, also a Republican stronghold, to keynote a fund-raiser for the state Democratic Party. Earlier this week, he spoke in New York.

Dean is likely to face a mixed reception in Kansas, which at 43 percent trails only Nebraska and Utah in the percentage of population registered as Republicans.
The state hasn't gone for a Democratic presidential candidate since 1964, and President Bush beat John Kerry among Kansans in November by 25 percentage points. That, Dean said, is precisely why he's traveling there. "I don't think Democrats are ever going to be a national party unless we bring our message to every state, and that includes Kansas," he told the Kansas City Star.


http://www.cnn.com/2005/ALLPOLITICS/02/24/dean.dnc/

[jedicord]

1. FINALLY someone from the DNC realizes that people will only

vote for what they know. I was so ticked when Kerry/Edwards didn't come to Texas, or even advertise here. If all a person hears is one message, that's the only one they'll believe in.

GO DEAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!

on edit: added "one" to "some" (oops)

[Claire Beth]

3. yes, FINALLY!!!! n/t

[knight_of_the_star]

2. Thank you Dr. Dean!!!

The best way to win a war is to take the fight to the enemy.

[Selatius]

4. The leadership shouldn't have abandoned rural states to begin with

It was probably a mix of incompetence and corporatism that led to this strategy of abandoning whole swaths of the country. They also shouldn't have abandoned their message of progressive economic values in favor of marginal alterations and fixes.

[Clarkie1]

5. This is great!

I hope Dean and the party continue to give more attention to so-called "red states." People are only going to be receptive to our values if we show that we VALUE ALL VOTERS and show voters that we will STAND FOR SOMETHING and CARRY ON DIALOGUE without compromising OUR VALUES.

[Guaranteed]

7. Great post.

:)

[LeaderlessResistance]

6. Will Dean Be Able To Stop Govt Torture

The United States Government now openly tortures prisoners through a process called behavior modification. They do it without a trial and the FBI elects itself judge jury and executioner of the process. I hope to bring this to the World's attention.

[atommom]

8. Welcome to Kansas, Howard! I'm looking forward to watching you

give 'em hell!

Probably the only way to turn this state around is to give it attention from national figures like this, and bring back progressive values. Even here, people's minds can be changed, if they see that there's a better way.

[candy331]

9. That, said Dean is precisely why he's traveling there. They'll get it

soon as he got it long ago.

The state hasn't gone for a Democratic presidential candidate since 1964, and President Bush beat John Kerry among Kansans in November by 25 percentage points. That, Dean said, is precisely why he's traveling there.