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Today your representatives elected new Party leadership. But more importantly they endorsed the idea that our Party must always be led by the people — because your participation makes the Democratic Party a powerful force for change. Our success depends on every single one of us taking responsibility for our Party's future. We have to commit to an active role in the political process. And we have to grow the Democratic Party in every single state so we can protect the values that bring our Party — and the vast majority of Americans — together. We have new leadership and...

Word around the newsroom here today is Terry has been asked to step aside and Howard Dean will be named new DNC Chairman.

At the very moment Democrats are claiming to distance themselves from abortion, they run back towards it by making Howard Dean -- a former doctor for Planned Parenthood -- their public face. Though the press almost never mentions it, Dean did an OB/GYN rotation for Planned Parenthood in the 1970s and later served as an executive board member of Planned Parenthood New England, meaning that he directly oversaw the largest abortion provider in the region. Were the Democrats sincerely moving to the middle on abortion, selecting a former overseer of abortion would have been the last thing to do. Now...

EDITORIAL BOARD Saturday, February 12, 2005 All in all, it's been a pretty good couple of sports seasons for New England teams. Boston wins the World Series, and the Patriots win another Super Bowl. New England pols, however, are about to go 1-1 when Vermont's governor becomes head of the Democratic National Committee this weekend. The loss was, of course, the one U.S. Sen. John Kerry, D-Massachusetts, racked up in the 2004 presidential race. Oh, well, you can't win 'em all. Republicans are rather gleeful about the prospect of Dean taking over the national Democratic apparatus. Some Democrats are as...

WASHINGTON - Democrats elected Howard Dean (news - web sites) chairman of their national party on Saturday, casting their lot with a skilled fund-raiser and organizer whose sometimes caustic, blunt comments can lead to controversy. The 447-member Democratic National Committee (news - web sites) chose Dean on a voice vote to replace outgoing party chief Terry McAuliffe. The former Vermont governor and presidential candidate had promised to rebuild the state parties, take the offensive against Republicans, and better explain party positions on issues. Democrats are eager to renew their campaign to regain political power, though some admit to a bit...

The message is loud and clear. Democrats have learned nothing from their free-fall from power. Hard-line liberals [anti-American closet socialists] line up to crown their new king and it looks like Howard Dean is their man, the likely new head of the Deaniac’s National Committee. Once again, we have proof that the “enlightened ones” may not be so “enlightened” after all… They understand their need to appear more centered, but they don’t understand their need to become more centered. As they whine about their image problems, they continue their march to the left. Is Dean more centered than say, Kennedy,...

In this world, those who can lead generally do, by default. Those who can’t lead usually follow, also by default. Those incapable of either become Democrats today… The operative words for all modern DNC initiatives are “dissent”, “disorder” and “obstruct”. That’s why their new party leader is the king of dissent Howard Dean. The more outrageous and obnoxious ones screams of dissent, the better their chances for a leadership roll in today’s DNC. The party has chosen to define itself by the 10% in America who don’t like anything about America, those who see America as the evil empire, capitalism...

Here's another reason why some Democrats are fretting over installing antiwar former presidential candidate Howard Dean as chair of the Democratic National Committee. He might cede national defense to the Republicans. That's the charge from associates of another former presidential candidate, former NATO boss Wes Clark. Seems the Clark and Dean teams have been warring over the future of the Democratic Party, and now that threatens to spill into the public if Dean, as expected, wins the chairmanship this Saturday. Here's the fight: Clark wants the Democrats deeply involved in foreign policy and the war, and Dean's team isn't as...

WASHINGTON - Howard Dean (news - web sites) promised cheering supporters Wednesday night he would harness their energy to lead the Democratic Party back to power in the halls of Congress and the White House by 2008. The virtually certain incoming chairman of the Democratic National Committee (news - web sites) rallied hundreds of young supporters, and a few he called "young at heart," in a campaign-style appearance at a Washington nightspot within view of the Capitol. In his first public appearance since clinching the chairmanship, he gave a glimpse of the kind of uncompromising leadership he plans for the...

If you've seen "Invasion of the Body Snatchers," you'll know how I feel about the state of the current Democratic Party. The film, as you'll recall, depicted the bodies of decent, normal citizens being taken over while they slept by alien entities marching in conformist and destructive lockstep. In its original 1950s version, the film was meant to portray the McCarthyism of the time. But it strikes all too close to home for Democrats who once fought everything McCarthyism represented but who now are stuck in a reactionary groupthink of their own. The culminating act of this sad transformation will...

The Democrats have lost the White House, the Congress, most governorships and most state houses because of their liberal views, which are miles away from those of most Americans ("Top N.Y. Dem Keen on Dean," Feb. 3). Now, along comes Howard Dean as the new head of the Democratic National Committee. So long, Democratic Party. No supporter of the Republican Party could have dreamed up a better scenario. Jon Pally Staten Island ***** For whatever reason, the Democratic Party continues to shoot itself in the foot. It's bad enough that we have Nancy Pelosi, Ted Kennedy, Dennis Kucinich, John Kerry...

Ailing Democrats Put Their Faith in Dr. Dean Some Fear Choice Will Add to Red-State Blues By Dan Balz Washington Post Staff Writer Friday, February 11, 2005; Page A01 Two questions swirled around the Democrats as their national committee assembled yesterday to select a new party chairman: Can Howard Dean cure what ails the party, or is Howard Dean symptomatic of why those ailments may be so difficult to cure? The former Vermont governor is poised to claim the party chairmanship tomorrow. His victory represents a personal triumph one year after his presidential campaign was in ashes and symbolizes the...

The presumptive chairman of the Democrat National Committee, Howard Dean, today laid out his vision for America's future under Democrat leadership. Seeking to quell accusations that the DNC stands for little more than self-perpetuation and the denigration of President George Bush, Mr. Dean summarized his vision in one word: "protection." He released the following outline that details what he called "a majestic, sweeping vision touching almost every area of life and governance." "The DNC, under Howard Dean's leadership, envisions a future of... -- protecting misguided burglars from gun-toting homeowners. -- protecting the Social Security system by declaring an end to...

Democratic Party activists, recovering from a stinging November election loss and a fresh round of soul-searching, rallied around Howard Dean on Friday and promised a grass-roots drive to make the party competitive in the South, Midwest and Mountain states. With the election of the former Vermont governor as chairman set for Saturday, Democrats put aside lingering doubts about the party's future and opened a two-day party meeting with promises to keep the heat on President Bush. "The time for introspection and second-guessing is over," said New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, a possible Democratic presidential contender in 2008. "It's game...

<p>According to sources working under deep cover, Democrats plan to vote for Howard Dean to head their war-torn party this Saturday, in a passionate show of support for doctor-assisted suicide. (Upon hearing this, Hillary fainted.) It's called the vote for DNC chair, or -- with Dean the certain winner -- the 'Meet your 72 Virgins' vote. Despite the heightened terror alert in Washington, authorities say there are no plans to ban traffic near the DNC during the balloting. Invoking the recent Iraq election, Democrats say the momentous vote for DNC chair represents the power of the ballot over the bombers -- they mean Bush and Cheney. Besides, when we start sealing off streets, the terrorists win. They mean Bush and Cheney.</p>

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- As the Democratic National Committee opens its annual meeting, a new poll of DNC members suggests party leaders want to see some serious changes and believe former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean will do an excellent job as party chairman. The CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll released Thursday indicates the members who chose to reply to the survey also overwhelmingly believe the party should draw clear distinctions between itself and the GOP and should work to defeat the Republican agenda over the Bush administration's final four years.

WASHINGTON - Howard Dean (news - web sites) promised cheering supporters Wednesday night he would harness their energy to lead the Democratic Party back to power in the halls of Congress and the White House by 2008. The virtually certain incoming chairman of the Democratic National Committee (news - web sites) rallied hundreds of young supporters, and a few he called "young at heart," in a campaign-style appearance at a Washington nightspot within view of the Capitol. In his first public appearance since clinching the chairmanship, he gave a glimpse of the kind of uncompromising leadership he plans for the...

Blasted by the pundits, the Democrats' new party chair can't be all bad Democratic pols are trying to get it up for Howard Dean, but they are very confused when the former Vermont governor and presidential candidate says he "admires" Newt Gingrich more than Bill Clinton, and that Christian-right big Ralph Reed "created a real success" with the right, and how "Clinton led the Dems into complacency and defeat." The pros are mostly cautious. Asked about her worries, soccer mom surrogate Nancy Pelosi said, "No more worries . . . I know he will work very well with Senator Reid...

Kerry Donates $1 Million to DNC to Aid Dean in Grassroots Efforts By Will Lester Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON (AP) - Sen. John Kerry is contributing $1 million to the Democratic National Committee to support efforts by the next chairman, Howard Dean, in building grassroots support for the party at the state level. "Join me with a contribution of your own to show the incoming DNC chair that you want to support organizing in your own community," Kerry wrote in an e-mail to about 3 million supporters on his e-mail list. "A new DNC chair will be elected at the...

Dear XXX, I want to talk to you today about the future of the Democratic Party and about a dramatic step that we can take to make our party stronger. In 2004 you did something amazing. You helped build the largest, most aggressive grassroots effort in history -- and that has fundamentally changed the face of Democratic politics. Thousands of you have written in about how to continue the fight. I believe the answer is to transform the movement you built into a permanent grassroots presence for the Democratic Party in every state across this nation. If we want to...