Howard Dean

DNC Chair 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 Governor of 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 front-runner. 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."

• "I hate the Republicans and everything they stand for..."

• "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.

• "The demographic trends favor the Democrats because we are an inclusive and accepting party. If you look at folks of color, even women, are more successful in the Democratic Party than they are in the white — excuse me [giggles] — in the Republican Party."

• "If Bill Clinton can be the first 'black president,' I can be our first 'gay president.'

Retirement

Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean plans to step down from his post when his term expires in January, aides said.

2008 Presidential Race

Under Dean's direction along with powerful allies, the Democrats succeeded in defeating Republicans for the Presidency. Congress maintained and slightly enlarged its Democratic majority party status.

2006 Congressional Races

By blaming Republicans for all the problems in America , with emphasis on ending the Iraq war, the Democratic Party gained the majority in both the House and the Senate.

DNC Caucus Meetings

On February 11, 2005 a series of special interest group meetings took place at the Hilton Washington. Seven separate groups in seven meetings the same day had their agenda made known to the Democratic party and specifically DNC chairman Howard Dean.

• Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Caucus: "You are among the most persecuted people in the history of mankind," said Dean
• National Seniors Coordinating Council: "Democrats have a lot of work to do among seniors," said Dean
• Women's Caucus: "Women are not an interest group, they are a majority," said Dean
• Native Americans: "I'm sick of the DNC treating Indians like an ATM machine that has to be courted every couple of years," said Kaylin Free of Oklahoma. Dean replied, "yes, this has to stop."
• African American caucus: Dean addressed 150 members, saying, "we're gonna need lots of help from y'all," and, "we Democrats don't pay enough attention to our core groups.... 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 would look into it without any promises.
• Hispanic Caucus: Dean lamented the a loss of support from Hispanic voters. He took a question from the audience. Before Dean could finish, an insight to the man emerged: Vice chair of the Transgender Caucus, Gloria Nieto, explained to the Hispanic Caucus about her female partner that she wed in Massachusetts of the prior year. Gloria said that "she hopes that her community will always be respected within the Democratic Party." Dean walked from the podium to embrace the women in an affectionate hug, crying.

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

Medical Doctor

Howard Dean, in addition to being a governor, started his career in medicine. He supports abortion.

Same-sex Civil Unions

On April 25, 2000, Governor Howard Dean signed the law HB 847. In the bill's title there is no mention of the term marriage, however the law does offer a non-exclusive list of twenty-four legal benefits, protections for spouses of civil unions.