SEATTLE--In a speech here today, former Democratic presidential candidate Governor Howard Dean, M.D., announced that he was launching a new political organization, "Democracy for America," to support progressive causes and candidates and continue the grassroots activism that powered his presidential campaign.

"We will begin with this proposition. In 2004, to start taking back America, we must take back the White House. We must expose and defeat George W Bush and his radical agenda. Our new enterprise will help in every way possible. We intend to focus on key battleground states, mobilizing our national network of supporters and the groundbreaking organizing tools we developed during our campaign. We will help some with support through our political action committee. I will travel to speak on behalf of candidates. We will put to work our national grassroots network and organizing tools to help candidates win," Dean said.

In his remarks here today at the Westin Hotel's Cascade Ballroom, Dean laid out the four founding principles for Democracy for America:

1. a commitment to a strong, sustained grassroots involvement in democracy;
2. a commitment to promoting an America where candidates and office holders tell the truth about policy choices and stand up for what they believe;
3. a commitment to fighting against the influence and agenda of the two pillars of George W. Bush's Washington: the far right wing and their radical, divisive policies, and the selfish special interests who for too long have dominated politics; and
4. a commitment to fighting for progressive policies, like health care for all, investment in children, equal rights under the law, fiscal responsibility, and a national security policy that makes America stronger by advancing progressive values.

"It's clear that George W. Bush is a failed president. On George Bush's watch, America has lost three million jobs, including many good manufacturing jobs that have gone overseas. There are solutions to this challenge. But George W. Bush shuns the labor and environmental standards that would make global trade work better and protect more American jobs," Dean said, in remarks as prepared for delivery.

"The first round of Bush television ads was widely condemned for seeking to exploit the 9-11 tragedy. But what was also troubling was the effort in these ads to blame the weak economy on someone else-maybe President Clinton, but not George W. Bush. He's been President for three years and two months, and yet the weak economy is someone else's fault. That's not leadership; it's abdication," he continued.

"I will do everything I can to help John Kerry beat George W. Bush in 2004, to revitalize grassroots democracy, and to move America in a better direction," Dean said. "To defeat George W. Bush, we must stand up strong for our principles, not paper over our differences with the most radical Administration in our lifetime. To win, we must aggressively expose the ways in which George W. Bush's policies benefit the privileged and the most extreme ideologues. To win, we must confidently advance a policy agenda rooted in hope and real American values--opportunity, integrity, and community."

Dean explained that Democracy for America would have five goals:

1. Recruit and encourage progressive candidates to run for office at every level. We will help them find the resources to campaign successfully with small donations from grassroots supporters, to begin to break the stranglehold special interests have on the political process.
2. Raise funds for Congressional candidates for whom financial support could be the key to winning, and whose election will be key to winning back a House of Representatives that has become the tool of the Republican right wing.
3. Develop strategic partnerships with other progressive organizations to maximize resources for candidate recruitment, training, and organization.
4. Build relationships with other political initiatives to focus on the failed, destructive policies of the Bush administration.
5. Harness the power of the Internet to enlarge and support our grassroots organization committed to taking back America from special interests that control the right wing leadership of our Congress and the White House.

Dean explained that he also hoped to encourage supporters to continue their efforts through Dean Corps, the former campaign's grassroots community service effort, and to get involved in local politics. He also thanked the more than 600,000 Americans who had supported his presidential bid, saying, "We may not have won the nomination. But you changed the debate in 2004. You toughened the Democratic message and readied this Party to challenge George W. Bush. And you have changed politics forever, showing that a campaign that is truly powered by ordinary Americans can emerge from nowhere and build support."

The complete text of the governor's remarks, as well as more information and the ability to sign-up for Democracy for America's email list is at www.democracyforamerica.com.

• Saturday, One-Year Iraq Anniversary March & Rally, 11:00am at Delores Park in San Francisco. March to Civic Center. Register voters on the parade route!

About 75 enthusiastic Dean supporters gathered at the Plough and the Stars in San Francisco on March 3. This special Meetup was the first held after the suspension of Howard Dean's campaign for President. Participants discussed how to continue the fight for fundamental political change during the primaries, through the November election, and beyond.

The group approved by acclamation the three founding principles of the new Unity Movement, a network of some 80 Dean groups:

• to work to send as many delegates pledged to Dean as possible to the Democratic Convention. (California had already had its primary the day before the meeting.)
• to create a movement to advocate for the principles articulated by Howard Dean.
• to work together in coalition with a broad range of groups to oust George Bush in 2004.

The group resolved to set up a new organization that could do voter registration, Get Out the Vote, fundraising, etc. all under our own banner when possible. Longer-term work would support progressive candidates here in San Francisco by helping build a progressive-Democratic alliance and to increase the influence of "Dean Democrats" in the Democratic Party.

Possible structures for the group were discussed: to form a Democratic Club; to seek (or not) Democratic Party affiliation; to register as a PAC, etc. In any case, the group will be the local affiliate of whatever formation Howard Dean announces on March 18.

The gathering priortized issues by importance. The top five vote getters were (in order of priority): healthcare for all; a national security policy implemented in conjunction with our allies; renewable energy; slowing media conglomeration, and fiscal responsibility.

Two committees were set up to make proposals at the next Meetup on April 7. An Organizational committee will explain how to legally register an organiation, draft a charter, and proposed governance structure, among other subjects. Contact Paul Hogan if you want to participate in this committee: 415-378-2558 or 415-341-1514. A Purpose and Platform committee will discuss the principles for which we stand and how to work locally on the issues identified above. To participate, contact Tom Brown, tomananda@comcast.net, 415-826-0693.

In upcoming actions, the group was encouraged to take part in the demonstration against President Bush on March 4 in Santa Clara (now over) and to do voter registration at the anti-Iraq War demonstration in San Francisco March 20 (contact Will Easton at weaston@igc.org) and also voter registration at the LGBT Pride March June 27 (contact Mariva Aviram at mariva@yahoo.com.)

The next Meetup will be at the Plough and the Stars Pub, 116 Clement Street near 2nd Ave. (Inner Richmond - Muni lines 1,2,4, or 38) in San Francisco, Wednesday, April 7th, 7:00 pm. See you there!

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Former Democratic front-runner Howard Dean won the primary in his home state of Vermont on Tuesday even though he quit the presidential race last month. CNN and Fox projected the former Vermont governor as the winner in the state, beating front-runner John Kerry.

About 50 Dean supporters marched to City Hall in San Francisco on Feb. 29 to urge people to vote for Howard Dean and send as many Dean delegates to the Democratic Convention as possible.

BURLINGTON--Governor Howard Dean, M.D., issued the following statement today (2-23-04) in response to Ralph Nader's announcement:

"When I announced last week that I am no longer actively pursuing the presidency, I urged my supporters not to be tempted by any independent or third party candidate. I said I would support the nominee of the Democratic Party, because the bottom line is that we must defeat George W. Bush in November, whatever it takes.

"This year, our campaign has made the case that, in order to defeat George W. Bush, the Democratic Party must stand up strong for its principles, not paper over its differences with the most radical Administration in our lifetime. In order to win, the Democratic Party must aggressively expose the ways in which George W. Bush's policies benefit the privileged and the most extreme ideologues.

"I will do everything I can to ensure that the 2004 Democratic nominee runs as a true progressive, as a champion of working Americans and their hopes for a better future. I urge my supporters, and all other Americans committed to progressive values and honest government, to stick with us, and stick with the Democratic Party, so our cause can prevail in 2004.

"Ralph Nader has made many great contributions to America over 40 years. But if George W. Bush is re-elected, the health, safety, consumer, environmental, and open government provisions Ralph Nader has fought for will be undermined. George Bush's right-wing appointees will still be serving as judges fifty years from now, and our Constitution will be shredded. It will be government by, of, and for, the corporations--exactly what Ralph Nader has struggled against."

Following is an article by William Greider on Howard Dean's accomplishments in changing U.S. politics and the fierce opposition to many of his ideas by the political and media establishment. The article appeared in the March 8, 2004 issue of The Nation.

In forty years of observing presidential contests, I cannot remember another major candidate brutalized so intensely by the media, with the possible exception of George Wallace. Howard Dean contributed some fatal errors of his own, to be sure, but he also brought fresh air and new ideas, a crisp call to revitalize the Democratic Party and at least the outlines of deeper political and economic reforms. The reporters, as surrogate agents for Washington's insider sensibilities, blew him off. Dean's big mistake was in not recognizing, up front, that the media are very much part of the existing order and were bound to be hostile to his provocative kind of politics. To be heard, clearly and accurately, he would have had to find another channel.

For the record, reporters and editors deny that this occurred. Privately, they chortle over their accomplishment. At the Washington airport I ran into a bunch of them, including some old friends from long-ago campaigns, on their way to the next contest after Iowa. So, I remarked, you guys saved the Republic from the doctor. Yes, they assented with giggly pleasure, Dean was finished--though one newsmagazine correspondent confided the coverage would become more balanced once they went after Senator Kerry. Only Paul Begala of CNN demurred. "I don't know what you're talking about," Begala said, blank-faced. Nobody here but us gunslingers.

The party establishment, limp as it is, was correct to target Dean with tribal vengeance. From their narrow perspective, he represented a political Antichrist. The unvarnished way he talked. The glint of unfamiliar, breakthrough ideas in his speeches. His lack of customary deference to party elders (and to the media's own cockeyed definition of reality). What the insiders loathed are the same qualities many of us found exhilarating. I already feel nostalgia for his distinctive one-liners:

Howard Dean's message to supporters, Feb. 18:

Today my candidacy may come to an end—but our campaign for change is not over.

I want to thank each and every person who has supported this campaign. Over the last year, you have reached out to neighbors, friends, family and colleagues—building one American at a time the greatest grassroots campaign presidential politics has ever seen. I will never forget the work and the heart that you put into our campaign.

In the coming weeks, we will be launching a new initiative to continue the campaign you helped begin. Please continue to come to www.deanforamerica.com for updates and news as our new initiative develops. There is much work still to be done, and today is not an end—it is just the beginning.

This Party and this country needs change, and you have already begun that process. I want you to think about how far we have come. The truth is: change is tough. There is enormous institutional pressure in our country against change. There is enormous institutional pressure in Washington against change, in the Democratic Party against change. Yet, you have already started to change the Party and together we have transformed this race. Along the way, we’ve engaged hundreds of thousands of new Americans in the political process, as witnessed by this year’s record participation in the primaries and caucuses.

The fight that we began can and must continue. Although my candidacy for president may end today, the most important goal remains defeating George W. Bush in November, and I hope that you will join me in doing everything we can to support the Democrats this fall. From the earliest days of our campaign, I have said that the power to change Washington rests not in my hands, but in yours. Always remember, you have the power to take our country back.

Gov. Howard Dean M.D.  

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