HOWARD DEAN DECLARES



You can read his speech here.

Sans press pass, your humble TFM correspondent went to the Hyatt Regency Embarcadero in San Francisco, to watch Dean's declaration speech on tape with around 1,200 people in the room (as well as over 30,000 people in various meet-ups across the country). Everything was buzzing, the energy level was very high, with everyone brandishing big Dean signs, donning buttons, arranging house parties, networking, and just being enthusiastic in general. The night was hosted by actor and overdub-guy Peter Coyote, who as memory recalls, had previously been a Kucinich supporter.

Dean's speech was received in the room much as it was received as it was delivered in a town square in Burlington, VT. Cheers on the screen coincided with cheers among us Bay Areaites. The speech itself was solid, and hit on the major themes of what looks like a spirited Dean campaign: Health care for all Americans, a foreign policy that reflects true American values, increased fiscal responsibility, and end to tax giveaways to the very rich few at the expense of social security and medicare, and above all, a general desire to take back our country. Later, Dean appeared live via videophone, and talked to the SF audience about the campaign, the utilization of the internet (for which Dean particularly stands out), and more.

One last note: as most recaps of the speech have noted that some shmuck was standing a ways behind Dean and holding a large sign that read "Nader: 7% in Vermont; vote Green Party". It drew a laugh in the room in SF, and it set off a brief melodrama as a number of Dean supporters in Burlington strived to obscure the Nader sign with their own.

I found the Green's action there to be inappropriate. I'm not alone in this opinion; ask the Vermont Green Party:

"Although it was a surprise to see that banner, we cannot control the actions of every Green, nor would we want to," stated Chevrier. "We don't want to limit anyone's actions, except for the use of physical violence. Ours is very much a grass roots movement. The appearance of opposition signs at political type rallies and events is a common practice and is part of our free speech rights in the United States. While the leadership of the Vermont Green Party may not agree with this particular action we respect the right of individuals to express their view points." (italics mine)

There you go. Anyway, I thought to myself, "wow, someone really wants to give Bush a 2nd term, huh?"

Dean is in a good position now. More important than state polls at this point in the process, is that Dean has the advantage of having more "buzz" than the other candidates, particularly on the internet; it is likely that he will finish very strong in the now-ongoing MoveOn.com primary. He's in a virtual tie with Kerry in New Hampshire, and his stock is only rising.