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February 12, 2005
Take the Doctor's advice: Stand up for what we believe!
On February 12, our national party elected former Vermont governor Howard Dean as the new chairman of the Democratic National Committee. Dean promises to stand up to the Republican agenda and make sure that Democrats properly inform American voters about the details of the Democratic alternative. In Virginia, we must agree with his statement that we, as Democrats, will tell voters who and what we are; we won't let Republicans do that. (By Rick Howell)
Even those of us who did not support Dean for president can readily acknowledge that he will bring to the DNC chair an energy, motivation, and a purposeful determination to put our party's ideas before the American people in a way that is not compromised, hesitant or doubtful. The doctor, in this case, has the right prescription.
In Virginia, we face an election year in which Governor Mark Warner's legacy of fiscal responsibility and moderate leadership is threatened by the conservative ideologues in the other party who want to take power. Jerry Kilgore seems determined to exploit fear and emotion over the death penalty, while Bob McDonnell, a poster child for the religious right, will stop at nothing to become the next attorney general, with the intent of running for governor.
I'm sure that Dean, soon to survey our situation here in Virginia, will realize that we (along with New Jersey) will be the first test case of his new leadership. As Virginia Democrats, we must make sure that Virginians don't fail to understand what we stand for, why, and what proposals we offer. If we can't make this case to the voters, we don't deserve to win.
We know the other side is wrong. We know we have at heart the interest of all the voters of Virginia. Let's not hesitate to take our case to the people, and to spell out in no uncertain terms what we stand for, and what are our prescriptions for Virginia's future. If we do that, we will win in 2005.
Tim Kaine is poised to be a great governor of Virginia. Anyone who knows him at all knows how hard he will work to make his case. Let's take a cue from new DNC chair Dean, and do the work necessary to make Kaine our next governor. Winning elections like the ones in Virginia in 2005 - including legislative races - is the formula for bringing our party back to power at the national level. Howard Dean knows it. We must know it. And we must make the voters know it, too.
Rick Howell is chairman of the Amherst County Democratic Committee. He can be reached via e-mail at NewCenHowell@aol.com
Posted by rickhowell at February 12, 2005 05:39 PM
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