lifeonq.com

Thank You Howard Dean

A little over five years ago, my intense but private political interest became an active obsession.  I was frustrated and worried by the George W. Bush “victory” in the 2000 election and by a war of little value and of even less justification..  Early in the 2004 Presidential campaign, I heard a speech by Dr. Howard Dean.  What I want to know, he said, is why so many Democrats are supporting George Bush’s war in Iraq.  I wanted to know too.  Looking into Dean’s record as the former Governor of Vermont, my attention intensified when I learned that Gov. Dean had led the state that gave gays and lesbians a first step toward equal rights via civil unions.  We were facing a gay marriage amendment to the Georgia Constitution, and I was offended and infuriated by the bigotry and hate of my fellow Georgians.

I had never before been active in any political campaign.  But I went to a Howard Dean meetup and found the energy, compassion and company of like-minded volunteers infectious and inspiring.  It was so “un-American” at that time to question President Bush or to be of the opinion that <gasp!> war is neither good nor the answer.  It was cathartic to sit at Manuel’s Tavern and talk about such things over a beer with people who, like me, would ultimately organize and work for Gov. Dean’s campaign.

Gov. Dean’s 2004 presidential campaign started what Sen. Barack Obama and his campaign have now finished.  Dean for America pioneered the idea of a broadly distributed, loosely organized campaign where individual groups around the country operated with autonomy.  The national campaign sent out requests for support on specific campaign strategies, details on positions and appeals for action through canvassing, phone banking, and fundraising events (so many of them “house parties” held in private homes of ordinary people).

As importantly, and perhaps ultimately more importantly, the Internet was exploited as a campaign tool as never before.  Blogging was a brand-new concept back then.  I wrote my first posts ever on the Georgia for Dean blog, and even was honored with a post or two on the national blog.  As you can see, blogging became a habit that I cannot break. Today, the Dean for America community lives on as Democracy for America, as does Georgia for Dean, which is now Georgia for Democracy.

As a volunteer for Georgia for Dean, I met some of the most amazing people I’ve ever encountered.  Many were brilliant.  Most worked hard, sometimes to the detriment of paying work or other basic needs like sleep.  All were committed, sincere and passionate about changing the direction of our country. Many people whom I now consider to be my closest friends were met at Dean meetups and Georgia for Dean activities.  My friend Brian led Out for Dean Georgia.  He does not like this title, but I tell him he is my personal hero.  Brian was discharged from the U.S. Army because he is gay–after serving in Afghanistan (and many other tours of duty) as a bomb technician who protected our troops by defusing and destroying IEDs and other bombs.  (You can read my post about Brian here.)  My friend David was responsible for the blog for Out for Dean Georgia and was active generally with Georgia for Dean.  He is a true friend.  I love him and trust him with my life.  My friend Kimberly is one of the most brilliant PR professionals I’ve ever met.  I respect her greatly and value her insight on both political issues and general PR/marketing issues, where we share a similar vocation.  I have great fondness and respect for many others I first met through Dean for Georgia.  We didn’t all get along all the time.  We disagreed, sometimes heatedly, on strategy and tactics.  But we had a common goal, and today we all celebrate together.

Howard Dean’s campaign ultimately unraveled (or, more accurately, was unraveled for him by a media campaign of replaying his post-Iowa caucus “scream” until the video clip took down his chances win the Democratic nomination).  But we “Deaniacs” never gave up.  I went to South Carolina in advance of Super Tuesday and endured the cold and Republican insults on the street corners of Columbia.  We continued to canvass, to blog, to hold events, to write letters to editors… but a President Dean was out of our reach.  Still, us Deaniacs fought.  Many made a deliberate decision to stay active in politics, determined to play a role in the Democratic Party.  The staid members of local Democratic committees were downright alarmed to see Deaniacs attending local party meetings and running to represent Democrats on local issues.  As a result, Howard Dean made his way to Chair of the Democratic National Committee.  Dean’s 50-state strategy is being credited for playing a significant role in Barack Obama’s victory as well as Democratic success in Congressional races.  And the social media tools and techniques pioneered by Dean’s team were perfected by Obama’s campaign.  They include blogging; individual Website fundraising; small donations encouraged by campaign and individual e-mails appeals; localized, dentralized campaigning run with extraordinary freedom; individually created tools; and volunteer canvassing and phone-banking, to name a few.

I am so happy today, so relieved to have a Democratic president-elect and Congressional majority.  I am so proud of Howard Dean and all those who supported him.  Gov. Dean, you deserve a lot of credit for the Democratic victories yesterday.  Thank you. My fellow Deaniacs:  We ultimately did get our country back.  Thank you.  I see a hopeful future for America.  I see a transformative leader in Barack Obama.  And to resurrect a phrase from 2004:  I see Dean people.