Thank you, Howard Dean
I?ve said it before, and, with the media feeding frenzy this past week, it looks like it's time to say it again.
Thank you, Howard Dean! Thank you for speaking for us when no one else was publicly criticizing the president two years ago. Thank you for continuing to speak uncomfortable truths about race in America, and correctly pointing out what is obvious to so many of us?that there is genuine diversity at all levels of the Democratic party, as opposed to the "window dressing" diversity we see in the Republican party.
Thank you for saying "We are going to embrace pro-life Democrats because pro-life Democrats care about kids after they're born, not just before they're born." I am one of those Democrats, and have often felt like I needed to keep that a secret, because people like me often feel like persona non grata among our fellow progressives. Not only do you often speak for me, but statements like that one are another example of how well you *listen* as you talk to Democrats all around the country.
But perhaps most of all, thank you for making possible an amazing community that I never could have imagined a mere two years ago. My worldwide blog family is the closest thing I?ve ever seen to the Beloved Community described by Martin Luther King. I?ve laughed and cried with Kimmy Cash, becoming genuinely connected with this young woman in California (as well as her family) even though we have never met in person. (But in less than a week we will finally meet at Democracy Fest.)
And a farmer in Iowa named one of his calves after me--how cool is that?
People consistently misunderstand just what it is that made so many of us loyal supporters of yours. It's not just because you opposed Bush's immoral and unjustified war in Iraq--it is because, time and time again, you have "had our backs" and spoken honestly and openly about matters that were important to us. And because you had our backs, we want you to know that we have yours. Grassroots supporters are organizing a "Support Howard Dean Day" on June 15. We are writing letters to the editor, we're donating to the DNC in your honor, and we are collecting signatures on a "Howard Dean Speaks for Me" petition at an amazing pace.
So, once again, Thank you, Howard Dean. We're still swinging bats for you, and we're really glad we've got you on our team. Together we *will* take our country back!
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ANOTHER VOICE
Dear Governor Dean,
I'm writing to tell you not to change one whit. I agree with everything you have been saying. I'm sick and tired of listening to the "talking heads" carping about how far to the left your views are. I'm sixty-six years old and I've been a Democrat longer than they have been alive.
You are a real Democrat. Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt would agree. The great Senator Paul Douglas would agree. And, most importantly, my father, Martin J. Walsh would agree!
I grew up in a world where "good Democrats-not far left Democrats" told me that my father was a Commie; that he was destroying the American way of life; he should take us back to Russia. His horrible sin was working for SWOC (Steelworkers Organizing Committee) under the auspices of the United Mineworkers. This was the forerunner of the United Steelworkers of America. People like the Bushes and good, decent Americans were hiring the Pinkertons and other goons to beat my father and other organizers because of their un-American goal, which was to get a living wage for working men. I don't want a Democratic party who wants to appeal to people who think Ronald Reagan, the Bushes and their ilk are great American heroes. I want a Democratic party that speaks out for all the Americans who have made this country. I want a Democratic party that keeps trying to bring universal health care to our great country. I want a Democratic party that stands for justice and fairness for all, not just for the rich and powerful. And, I want a Democratic party that will try everything in its power to avoid war.
I am a Navy veteran. My brother served twenty-six years as a naval officer. My late husband served thirteen years before being lost at sea while serving on board USS Wasp. My current husband of thirty-four years is a graduate of the United States Naval Academy and is a retired US Navy Captain, he served thirty years. My eldest daughter was misdiagnosed while a patient in a US Navy hospital at the age of seven. She is now forty years old, blind and multiply-handicapped. There is no one who has paid a higher price to be an American than I. I have earned the right to speak my mind and I want you to be my voice.
Yours sincerely,
Barbara W-E--