Howard Dean

Howard Dean (born November 17, 1948) is a controversial member of the Democratic party and the current chairman of the Democratic National Committee. Dean received a medical degree from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in 1978. He was elected lieutenant governorof Vermont in 1986 and became governor in 1991 upon the death of Richard A. Snelling. During his governorship he balanced the budget, cut taxes twice and fought to keep socialized health care. In 2004 he ran for President of the United States on a very liberal platform. While he was the front runner for a period of time, he lost to Massachusetts Senator John Kerry. After his third place finish in the Iowa caucus, Dean quickly gained notoriety as an internet fad of sorts, due to his "unconventional" concession speech. Especially notable was the "Dean Scream" which has parodied countless times on the internet. Many say this scream lead to his drop as national frontrunner. On February 12, 2005, Dean was elected chairman of the Democratic National Committee (DNC), despite opposition by prominent Democrats such as House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid.

Quotes

• "I think with a lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court, you can't play, you know, hide the salami, or whatever it's called." --urging President Bush to make public Supreme Court nominee Harriet Miers's White House records.

• "You know, the Republicans are not very friendly to different kinds of people. They're a pretty monolithic party. Pretty much, they all behave the same, and they all look the same. ... It's pretty much a white Christian party. --speaking about the lack of outreach to minority communities by political parties.

• "I still want to be the candidate for guys with Confederate flags in their pickup trucks."

• "We've gotten rid of (Saddam Hussein), and I suppose that's a good thing."

• "The idea that the United States is going to win the war in Iraq is just plain wrong."

• "Now that we're on dog pee, we can have an interesting conversation about that. I do not recommend drinking urine…but if you drink water straight from the river, you have a greater chance of getting an infection than you do if you drink urine."

• "Not only are we going to New Hampshire ... we're going to South Carolina and Oklahoma and Arizona and North Dakota and New Mexico, and we're going to California and Texas and New York! And we're going to South Dakota and Oregon and Washington and Michigan. And then we're going to Washington, D.C. to take back the White House, Yeeeeeaaaaaargh!" --The notorious 'Dean Scream' from Howard's concession at the Iowa caucus.

2004 Presidential Elections

Dean, who during his presidential campaign once declared, "If Bill Clinton can be the first 'black president,' I can be our first 'gay president.'

DNC Caucus Meetings

February 11, 2005 in a series of special interest group meetings took place at the Hilton Washington. Seven seperate groups, seven meetings the same day; had their agenda made known to the Democratic party and specifically DNC chairman Howard Dean. He did not disapoint and was greeted with standing ovations.

• Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Caucus, "You are among the most persecuted people in the history of mankind," says Dean

• National Seniors Coordinating Council, "Democrats have a lot of work to do among seniors," says Dean
• Women's Caucus, "Women are not an interest group, "they are a majority." says Dean

• Native Americans, some who are angry speak out for the community "I'm sick of the DNC treating Indians like an ATM machine that has to be courted every couple of years," Kaylin Free of Oklahoma. Dean says "Yes, this has to stop."

• African American caucus, Dean addresses 150 members, "We're gonna need lots of help from y'all", "We Democrats don't pay enough attention to our core groups ", Dean quips. "You think the RNC could get this many people of color into a single room?", "Maybe if they got the hotel staff in there."

• The Asian Pacific Islander American Caucus, a subdued gathering of 15 members disputing quarter vote representation instead of full votes. Dean said he'll look into it without any promises.

• Hispanic Caucus, Dean laments the a loss of support from Hispanic voters. He takes a question from the audience. Before Dean can finish, a rare insight to the man emerges. Vice chair of the Transgender Caucus, Gloria Nieto, a teary-eyed actor explains to the Hispanic Caucus about her female partner that she wed in Massachusetts last year. Gloria says "she hopes that her community will always be respected within the Democratic Party." He walks from the podium to embrace the women in an affectionate hug. Dean is crying.

  "That's why I'm a Democrat,"

Medical Doctor

Howard Dean, in addition to being a governor, started his career in medicine. He fails to uphold the modern version of the Hippocratic Oath by supporting abortion. The Hippocratic Oath says "Above all, I must not play at God" Also, "with special obligations to all my fellow human beings"

Gays

On April 25, 2000, Governor Howard Dean signed thr law HB 847. In title, no mention of the term marriage. However, the law does offer a non-exclusive list of twenty-four legal benefits, protections and responsibilities for spouses of civil unions.