Dean: Some of My Best Friends are Black

NewsMax ^ | January 12, 2004 | Staff

[kennedy]

Monday Jan. 12, 2004; 12:02 p.m. EST

Dean: Some of My Best Friends are Black

Hours before he was nailed by Rev. Al Sharpton in Iowa for not appointing any minorities to senior cabinet positions while he was governor of Vermont, Howard Dean was seen telling Canada's news roundtable, "The Editors" that some of his best friends were black.

"I had two African American roommates in my freshman year in college who developed into life-long friendships," Dean responded, when asked during an interview broadcast on Sunday how he could relate to common folk after growing up rich on Park Ave. and in East Hampton.

"They never knew any white people before they came to Yale. I didn't know any black people before I came to Yale. Yet we forged deep friendships as it moved along the timeline between when we graduated and when we went on to other things."

Dean said his two black friends have helped him win over black Southerners. "We now have an organization in South Carolina and Georgia in the African-American community because of what my former roommates were able to do for me there," he boasted.

Dean said he could also relate to Hispanics because he once worked at a ranch that employed Cubans.

"I've worked in Florida in a summer job in a ranch, which was principally worked at by Cuban exiles. So I learned to speak a little bit of Spanish there and I learned what it was like to lose everything and have to come to a new country. . . ."

Dean said the experience had taught him that his own life had been pretty easy, explaining, "I've known people whose lives haven't been so terrific and have been pretty tough and I'm very thankful that mine has been as relatively easy as it has been."

In fact, apparently Dean's family and President Bush's were once so friendly they even socialized together.

"George Bush and I have exactly the same background," he said. "In fact, interestingly, his grandmother was a bridesmaid at my grandmother's wedding."

But Dean said Bush is trying to cover-up his tony past, while he's proud of his aristocratic roots.

"[Bush] seems to want to pretend he grew up in Texas in a hardscrabble way, and I don't have any - I'm not ashamed of my background. I'm very proud of my parents and what they were able to achieve."

However, Dean's mother, Andree Maitland Dean, took trouble a couple of weeks ago to emphasize her son's egalitarian upbringing, telling the New York Times, "We didn't even treat the servants like servants."

[EggsAckley]

[kennedy]

Black people love him!

[Mr. Mojo]

Dean said he could also relate to Hispanics because he once worked at a ranch that employed Cubans.

I'm surprised the foot-in-mouth boy didn't say ......"I can relate because we've had a few Hispanic maids."

[Jaded]

LOL. True.

He can probably relate to Asians because he frequents a Chinese restaurant. This just keeps getting betta and betta.

[Support Free Republic]

Support Free Republic!

[Happy2BMe]

"Some of My Best Friends Are Black . . And Southern Rednecks, And Budhists, And Muslims, and Little Green Men From Mars . ."

[Tijeras_Slim]

He also remembers black churches burning in Vermont.

[theDentist]

Geez.... Howard Dean. The George Costanza of the Democratic Candidates.

[Nonstatist]

I can relate to the French because I once ate a can of Franco-American speghettio's-- out of the can, of course.

[Constitution Day]

ROFL!

[dead]

Some of My Best Friends are Black

"As were many of my maids, drivers and groundskeepers. Most of them were just like normal people, sorta!"

[SouthernFreebird]

OMG....is this real.....2 black friends.....2 rich black friends.

Well, I'm impressed.... he's managed to find 2 black people he likes out of the millions of Americans.....what a guy....AND he's got them working for him! you go boy!

[chiefqc]

"I had two African American roommates in my freshman year in college who I allowed to care my books, shine my shoes and prepare my meals for me".

I still refer to them as my boys, ah friends.

[doug from upland]

I'm waiting for Dean to say that if his brother were still alive, he would have happily been his best man at a wedding with a gay black who quoted Job.

[Labyrinthos]

I hope you all see as much humor in this as I do. Typical lib BS. I'm surprised he didn't say something like "I love Negroes. I think everyone should own one." The sad part is that even if he did, African Americans would still vote for the fool in large numbers.

[gov_bean_ counter]

"I had two African American roommates in my freshman year in college who I allowed to care my books, shine my shoes and prepare my meals for me".

I even learned to play the spoons so I could accompany them while they tap danced.

[stylin19a]

good grief......Dean tied up both major minority voting bloc in one article.

Next he'll be telling us he once ordered out for Chinese food and it will tie up that vote too ! </sarcasm off>

[EggsAckley]

LOL @ "a wedding with a gay black who quoted Job."