I skipped out on the event, for reasons having nothing to do with our fine national chairman and having more to do with the state party giving an award to the worst staffer we've ever had, the first one I've seen who actually did more harm than good. But I thought the blogosphrere might appreciate the local coverage:
Dean said he intends to pour on the pressure.
Bush and the Republican-controlled Congress have failed the test of leadership and have failed to defend that nation, Dean charged.
Democrats' alternative, he joked, will be a platform that looks much like a GOP platform of the 1970s -- starting with fiscal responsibility.
Beyond that, he said, Democrats will offer plans to balance the budget, create jobs in America by investing in America, develop a national health insurance plan, maintain a strong national defense -- including equipping soldiers properly, cooperating with other nations and "balancing the budget so we're not in debt to the likes of the Saudis and Chinese who may not always be our friends."
An "attack on Social Security is not just an attack about money and privatization," Dean said. "It's an attack on the United States of America."
Looks like nothing new for national headlines; sometimes a local reporter will miss something but not this guy, the Gazette's long-time political reporter.
The Des Moines Register didn't play the story as big and sent Tom Beaumont, who's a better journalist than David Yepsen but not considered the Top Dog. They're probably pouting becaus ethe dinner was in Cedar Rapids and not Des Moines.
"During his remarks, Dean said almost nothing of the controversy. His only reference to it came as he implored Democrats to distinguish themselves from Republicans if they expect to win.
'We need to be blunt and clear about the things that we're going to fight for. People have criticized me for being blunt. I do that on purpose. I am tired of lying down,' he said to a standing, cheering crowd of 500."
Politics, Iowa
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