Is Dean minority friendly?

[angee_is_mad]

I was leaning toward Dean, and I continously made excuses for the lack of diversity at his meetups and his outreach to the minority communities(particularly African-American), but now I feel he isn't the democratic wing of the democratic party. Unless, that wing is democratic party of Strom Thurmond.
I know this is harsh, but as an African-American woman who was supporting him inspite of the lack of inclusion, his remarks hurt me deeply. Particularly, since I am from the south and see those pickup trucks everyday!
He talks a good game, but I'm starting to realize that his tent isn't big enough for me and Gephardt is looking very inviting!

[quinnox]

1. Well, what do you think about the confederate flag

Dean recently said he wants to be the candidate for those that fly that flag.

Edit: I didn't read your post fully before responding.

Yea, I can understand why you feel that way, in light of recent events.

[Atlant]

2. The biggest Dean house party I've ever seen was hosted by...

The biggest Dean house party I've ever seen was hosted by an African-
American couple here in Nashua. THEY certainly seem to think
that Dr. Dean is minority-friendly.

It seems to me that the only people raising this question are the
people who support another candidate.

Atlant

[angee_is_mad]

12. WRONG!!

So what if the biggest house party was hosted by an African-American. Armstrong Williams, Clarence Thomas, Conde Rice, Ward Connelly are all Black so what is your point?
And you are wrong, because if you had ever read any of my past post you would have known that I was a Dean supporter inspite of going to meetups and being nearly invisible and still defending him to family and friends. Now, those same family and friends are saying to me "We told you", and I now feel that they were right!

[Atlant]

14. No, I'm not "WRONG".

Here's the first part of what I said:

> The biggest Dean house party I've ever seen was hosted by an African-
> American couple here in Nashua. THEY certainly seem to think
> that Dr. Dean is minority-friendly.

The first statement is certainly a fact. This particular house party
was the biggest house party I've ever seen, Dean or not.

The second statement is my observation, but I speak to this
couple fairly frequently so I believe that my statement is still
correct.

The third statement I made is that it seems to me to be the Dean
opponents who are claiming he's not minority friendly. That you
"were a Dean" supporter does not change my opinion. In fact,
I've never noted your pro-Dean posts in the past and they
would, in fact, be irrelevent if you are not now a Dean supporter;
you'd still fit my thesis.

Atlant

[JohnKleeb]

3. Well youre not the only person who was leaning Dean who didnt like this

A friend of mine felt the same.

[Demobrat]

4. Is Dean minority friendly?

I don't know. Do minorities have friends and family in Iraq? Do minorities need health care for their kids? Do minority seniors ever need prescription drugs? He seems to think they do.

[angee_is_mad]

13. the other candidates

They do not feel this way also? I was a Dean supporter because he said he was bringing the democratic wing back to the democratic party, and now I know it was all a lie! It's more like bringing the republican wing into the democratic party!

[slinkerwink]

5. full quote

"I intend to talk about race in this election in the south because the Republicans have been talking about it since 1968 in order to divide us. And I'm going to bring us together, because you know what? White folks in the south who drive pickups trucks with confederate flags decals in the back ought to be voting with us and not them, because their kids don't have health insurance either and their kids need better schools too."

To really win the election against Bush, we need to go against the Republican's Southern Strategy. This is all Dean is doing by making those people with Southern flags realize they are voting against their economic self-interests.

This is Dean's follow-up quote on this matter:

"I want people with confederate flags on their trucks to put down those flags and vote Democratic--because the need for quality healthcare, jobs, and a good education knows no racial boundaries. We have working white families in the south voting for tax cuts for the richest 1% while their children remain with no health care. The dividing of working people by race has been a cornerstone of Republican politics for the last three decades--starting with Richard Nixon. For my fellow Democratic opponents to sink to this level is really tragic. The only way we're going to beat George Bush is if southern white working families and African American working families come together under the Democratic tent, as they did under FDR."

You can't fall for the other Dem candidates' race-baiting tactics like Al Sharpton's tactics.

[w13rd0]

6. Wouldn't you prefer to live in a world...

...where those that drove those pickup trucks realized they had more in common with you than they might have previously been willing to admit. I have wanted to see more diversity as well, but at the same time, I know alot of people are "holding their cards" because they've heard it all before. The reason it is conspicuous with Dean is because his support base is so large and is growing. No one says, "Gee, I just don't see much diversity at the Gephardt Meetups." There's a reason no one says that.

[Woodstock]

7. Dean always follows up these remarks with remarks about racial unity

I've listened to a LOT of Dean's speeches, and he's been using this approach for a long time (as far back as January.) These remarks ("those with confederate flag decals on their pickup trucks should vote Democratic") are directed at white self-named rednecks, who are now the exclusive domain of the Republicans. Dean discusses how Bush harnesses their racial fears and prejudices to get them to vote Republican with talk of "quotas" and "welfare" - and it works, as their votes largely go to Bush. Dean tries to get them to see that Bush isn't looking out for them (duh, he's looking after rich people.) And most importantly, Dean always follows up these remarks with comments that working people of ALL races need to work together for better lives. He says that Bush uses these words to divide us, but we should be united. Dean doesn't have a prejudiced bone in his body.

[Padraig18]

8. Dupe.

Continues a flame war from another thread.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=634990&mesg_id=634990

[Woodstock]

10. agree, this thread should be locked

it's also about the confederate flag and Dean

[Padraig18]

11. I've alerted on it. n/t

[angee_is_mad]

15. No it isn't

I am talking about how I feel as a minority and the perceive lack of outreach by Howard Dean!

[Padraig18]

17. Your continuing a flame war.

There is a perfectly good thread going for you to express your feelings here: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=634990&mesg_id=634990

[wryter2000]

9. I don't blame you for being really upset.

I'm a Dean supporter, but I'm really upset about his references to the Confederate flag. I understand what he was trying to say, but there had to be another way. I'm hoping this will be an opportunity for massive learning and that we all come out at a better place at the end. I won't support anyone who isn't sensitive to racism in this country.

[ScreamingMeemie]

16. Locking...

Please feel free to post in this thread:

http://democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=634990&mesg_id=634990

[Atlant]

18. In the Nashua (NH) office, ...

...they have (umm, counts on fingers) six paid staff and one intern.
One of the paid staffers is an African-American. Now this (16% or
14%) may not seem like amazing minority support, but NH is a
VERY white place (something like 96% white), so I think this
speaks well of Dean's commitment to minorities and minorities'
positive feelings about Dr. Dean.

Atlant

[DuctapeFatwa]

19. There is no need for him to be. Minorities are irrelevant

Minorities and low income people, among which minorities are disproportionately represented have been successfully marginalized to the point of virtual disenfranchisement and are therefore irrelevant in Politics, Inc.

The polarization is now so extreme that a political solution is not realistic, so Dean as well as the other well-heeled and well-funded candidates should concentrate their efforts on soundbytes that will appeal to their affluent, mostly white, suburban supporters and volunteers, and their staffs should focus on proposals that will maintain the status quo and implement the PNAC strategies to reassure their big money sources, while at the same time rewording them to be more appealing to that segment of the American voting elite who dislike the phraseology of the original documents.