I'm meeting Gov. Dean next Weds--ask him aquestion

[Capn Sunshine]

He has graciously allowed me to spend 15 minutes interviewing him for general distribution.

Anthing you want to ask?

[madfloridian]

1. I was waiting to hear about that, you lucky guy.

No questions, just green with envy. Enjoy. :hi:

Hope you had a good Thanksgiving.

[Cheswick2.0]

2. Shouldn't this thread be: I'm meeting Gov Dean, ask him anything?

I posted my question elsewhere.

[janx]

3. Same here. I'm dying to know though, just how much insider

pressure he's under re the DNC position, and I also wonder where it's coming from.

[JNelson6563]

4. Hey Cap'!

I just sent Gov. Dean an e-mail inviting him to speak at our Truman Dinner in May. Ask him if he got the invite and gimme a plug, willya? We could really use a shot in the arm of what Dean is so good at administering.

Enjoy you lucky dog you! :-)

Julie

[Capn Sunshine]

5. Julie

send me more details via email or PM
either here or there is fine

[WI_DEM]

6. How would he pull the party together as a DNC Chair (if he seeks

the post) with elements like the DLC so vocally against him?

[PassingFair]

7. Ask him

if he is following the recount fiasco in Ohio. At what point do we yell "foul"?

[Capn Sunshine]

11. the Voting scandal is my first question

I've been giving him stuff all along on this issue from both BBV and Verifiedvoting.org.

[Rose Siding]

8. Please ask, would DNC post preclude '08 run?

Would he really be able to effect progressive change from within the party structure at the level of Chair? Traditionally, it has seemed a very back-room, big-money job that requires constant compromise.

If it came to preventing the position being handed to someone like the ex-governor of SC, who Clift called "Zell Miller without the bombast", it might be worth the sacrifice, but what a bitter pill.

Is there a chance that he could share the job with someone like Rep John Lewis or even Rosenberg? Or would it be possible to accept it for 2 yrs and then run?

Thanks, Captain

[madfloridian]

9. Ask him to give me a good reason to stay a Democrat.

Why is it worth it anymore? I see what is happening here in our area....we are going to be right wing or else.

[welshTerrier2]

10. and for my third wish, I'd like three more wishes ...

it would be great if Gov. Dean would agree to "one thread a week on DU" ...

i think this would be a great opportunity for him and DU to mix it up ... way back when his campaign consisted of a handful of staffers in his Burlington campaign office, I talked to someone on his team about DU ... they seemed very interested ...

so, maybe you could slip him a card with the DU url on it ... how cool would it be to have Governor Dean come here once a week to duke it out with us DU wizards ??

[Capn Sunshine]

12. He's aware of DU

and our "other place". There are so many fine websites asking for a piece of him, you have no idea. I suspect he'll limit his participation to DFA Blog and NYT /WaPo editorial pages. It's a time issue.

Strangely. not many mainstream Dems are aware of DU --maybe 10% when I attend a party function. I hope that more become aware of this venue, but most folks do not participate in online activities save for shopping.

[welshTerrier2]

13. yikes ...

could it be that i'm just not in the loop ???

what is the "other place" ?? PM me if you don't want to print it here ... thanks ...

sheesh, i thought i was in with the in crowd when they taught me the secret DU handshake ...

[mandyky]

14. I'd like to know

which _HE_ would rather do - run for Prez or be DNC Chair, or perhaps something else. Please let him know that many of his supporters still see him as a leader for us, no matter what he chooses. DFA is very important - so also ask how his being DNC Chair might affect DFA?

Dean has had my support since his DNC Winter Meeting Speech, and personally I don't trust the DNC and the Clintonistas not to try and sandbag Howard Dean again somehow.

Also ask him how long he is willing to try to change the party from within, if it becomes obvious the party machinery starts pulling us further right.

[unfrigginreal]

15. Damn, you are one lucky dude.

Ok, here goes.

Governor, some of the most damaging attacks against you during the 2004 campaign, excluding other Presidential campaigns, came from small but very loud contingents of special interest groups in the Democratic Party. I'm specifically referring to attacks made on you for the confederate flag statement you were making to try to open communications with underpriviledged Southern whites, the evenhandedness remark for dealing with the Israel-Palestine issue and the wimpy but liberal statement you made while trying to discuss fairness in criminal sentencing. In each case, enough pressure was mounted to force an appearance of backtracking on your part. Adding one more vocal but small contigent, gay activists' that were upset that you signed the civil unions bill in darkness and that you didn't support gay marriage.

My personal opinion is that you were correct in each of the above situations before you modified your stance. I'm not interested in losing the one voice of reasonableness that I have seen in this Party in over a decade.

Now, to the question, since those groups still wield significant power in the Party establishment, would you be forced to compromise your positions as chair of the DNC or would the power of the chairmanship put you in the position of moving the Party toward your WINNING message?

[hippiechick]

16. I really want to know about pharm reform and assisted suicide.

Why is it that assisted suicide for the mentally competent - but terminally ill - is still illegal ?

I feel that pharm companies, insurance companies, and health care providers keep the elderly and terminally ill on a treadmill of sorts, using them for experimental drugs which decrease their quality of life, increase dependency on other drugs to avoid side-effects, and continue to mercilessly drain these families' resources while they rake in the profit.

I would like to know why these parasitic companies are allowed to exploit people like that rather than allowing the patient, in conference with their relatives and their physician, to make the decision for assisted suicide.

Thanks !


:hippie:

[NoPasaran]

17. A question about the grassroots

Is it realistic to expect that the massive mobilization of the Democratic grassroots seen in this election can be repeated in future election cycles?

[Capn Sunshine]

18. WELL< WE HAD TO MOVE IT TO NEXT WEEK

He got hung up with Pelosi and I missed our window. His schedule is insanely tight. But I'm talking to him Thursday about a reschedule.

But hey, I got bumped for Nancy Pelosi! Mooving up in the food chain.
Wait 'til I see Pelosi again! :evilgrin: