Even in new role, Dean comes out blazing [View All]

[Rose Siding]

VANCOUVER -- The speech was billed as "Civic Engagement and Democracy in the 21st Century," but Howard Dean punched it up with some politics Tuesday night.

Dean, chairman of the Democratic National Committee and a former presidential candidate, talked about the importance of participating in a democracy during his college-sponsored speech at Skyview High School near Vancouver.

But he heard the loudest whoops and applause when he delivered campaign-style attacks on the Republican Party and the Bush administration. He also blasted proposals to privatize Social Security and emphasized the need for individuals to contribute money to political candidates to offset the influence of corporate giving.
He wasn't speaking as chairman of the Democratic Party, Dean said at the outset of the speech, noting that he committed to the engagement before he got his current job in mid-February.

"But I intend to be partisan," he said, to applause and cheering.
....
"The reason we need you to give money is because the political process on both sides -- but particularly on the Republican side -- has been utterly corrupted by people who give huge amounts of money from large corporations," Dean said.

With his voice rising, he continued, "The middle-class people get squeezed out of the political process. And people don't care, but they have a say.
....
The remarks, including a jab at President Bush, were so partisan that Don Carlson, a former Republican state senator from Vancouver, walked out less than 15 minutes after Dean began.

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