View Full Forums : ...pretty much a white, Christian party


Stormhaven
06-08-2005, 12:46 PM
http://www.cnn.com/2005/POLITICS/06/08/dean.gop.ap/index.html

(snip)
Dean defends remarks about GOP
Wednesday, June 8, 2005 Posted: 9:45 AM EDT (1345 GMT)

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Democratic Party Chairman Howard Dean on Wednesday defended his recent harsh criticism of Republicans, including his observation that they are "pretty much a white, Christian party."

Dean noted that he, too, is a white Christian. But he said the GOP is too narrow in its scope and the Democratic Party is far more diverse.
(/snip)

Panamah
06-08-2005, 12:57 PM
Well, perhaps the DNC needs to borrow a little of the inflammatory rhetoric that has come out of the GOP to fire up the grass roots....

Then again, it might backfire. We shall see.

Klath
06-08-2005, 01:21 PM
"pretty much a white, Christian party"
That's the least shocking quote in the article. The current republican party is pretty much a white, Christian party. The quote that republicans "never made an honest living in their lives" is the one I'd be pissed about.

Stormhaven
06-08-2005, 02:37 PM
Actually I thought all the other Democrats trying to distance themselves had the funnier quotes:

(snip)
The former Vermont governor also recently raised eyebrows when he told a group of progressives that Republicans "never made an honest living in their lives," a comment he was forced to explain a day later. The one-time presidential candidate also said that House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Texas, who has not been accused of any crime, ought to go back to Houston where he can serve his jail sentence.

Democratic New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson said Tuesday that Dean is doing a good job, but is not the party's spokesman.

Last weekend, Sen. Joe Biden, D-Delaware, and 2004 vice presidential candidate John Edwards criticized Dean for his recent remarks, saying he doesn't speak for them.

Biden, asked about Dean Wednesday during an interview on the Don Imus radio show, also said the chairman is doing a good job.

"A lot of things he does say, I agree with," Biden said. But he also said that Dean "has views that are slightly different than mine .. .But look, he's a lightning rod. ... It's probably good that there's a guy out there that's a lightning rod ... ."
(/snip)

Fenmarel the Banisher
06-08-2005, 03:13 PM
An even worse problem for Democrats and Dean is the fact that they are falling way behind the GOP in cash donations. Including small single individual donations. If anything that's what will hurt them more then Dean's colorful quotations.

Aidon
06-08-2005, 05:05 PM
Hmm, that could be because of people like Noe in Ohio...who made who donations to the GOP by filtering them through other people, to get around campaign finance laws. He's before a federal grand jury for that now.

He'll also probably end up before the Grand Jury for the 12 million dollars of ohio money that went missing while he was administering the State's coin investment.

I just hope investigators can show that money was used, at least in part, to help finance his illegal campaign donations.

Kalest MoonGlade
06-08-2005, 06:56 PM
The republican party has always had a white majority. THe same can be said for the DNC aswell. As far as christan goes, both parties have majority of self proclaimed christans and catholics. THe bigger difference is the GOP is trying to legislate christan laws, while Democrats are trying to keep the rights of minority non-christan's intact.

Kalest MoonGlade
66th Stormwarden of Stromm
~Dragejegerene~

weoden
06-08-2005, 10:13 PM
http://www.cnn.com/2005/POLITICS/06/04/dean.gop/index.html

In a speech Thursday before a Washington conference sponsored by the "Campaign for America's Future," Dean told the audience that many Republicans "had never made an honest living in their lives."

I like the above quote. I thought of Tersa Heinz Kerry.

Aidon
06-08-2005, 10:26 PM
And I thought of Georgie Boy.

Stormhaven
06-08-2005, 11:28 PM
I thought of the Ketchup Lady (Heinz) and her echoing statement about Lady Bush never having a real job.

Fenmarel the Banisher
06-09-2005, 04:37 AM
Ofcourse both parties have a mostly white/christian majority. I'm not sure of the actual census figures but, I'm sure someone here will find them. Something like 70% of the country is white and, 80% describe themselves as christian. So it would be pretty logical to assume that those people are spread out relatively evenly through both parties.

I think that what Dean is trying to do is stop an alarming trend from continuing. In the last election Bush made some gains in key demographics that where thought to be Democrat strongholds: Blacks, Latinos, Jews and, Women (Particularly married women). The gains weren't huge but, if the democrat advantage with these groups continues to shrink then the party will be hurting.

I think Dean's comment was designed to keep people in these groups "on the reservation". It's actually a pretty old standard tactic. I'm sure Terry Mc Auliffe said stuff like this all the time and, it went mostly unnoticed. Dean however is a lightning rod. Maybe he is just too vissible to be an effective party chairman.