Howard Dean Comes to Tennessee: Says Days of Writing Off the South Are Over!

Howard Dean was greeted with a standing ovation at Vanderbilt University here in Nashville. The new DNC Chair told the students: "If you want to make American democracy strong, you have to do more than just vote. You have to run for office."

He spoke about the Republican habit of passing legislation aimed at dividing America. The charismatic Democrat added: "I will never divide this country by race, gender, or sexual orientation -- we need to win ... by appealing to the very best of America and not to the very worst."

He said that if Democrats hope to win Tennessee, they need to start by showing up in the state.

Dr. Dean urged his audience to become politically active. He asked: ''How many people in the audience think they can't be just as good a president as George W. Bush?" The audience roared with laughter.

''It's not about Republicans and Democrats, but about democracy that works," he added. "I'd rather see someone go to work for a Republican campaign than sit on their butt.''

Dr. Dean didn't limit his Nashville visit to the upper-class white side of town; he also spoke at Nashville's historically and predominantly Black Tennessee State University (TSU).

There too, he was greeted with a standing ovation.

Students from TSU, Fisk, MeHarry Medical College, American Baptist College, Middle Tennessee State University and Nashville State College turned out to hear Dr. Dean and welcome him to the state. The blogger from Whitescreek Journal was there, but unfortunately I didn't get to meet him. Of course, members of Democracy for Tennessee were there.

There was no charge to hear Howard Dean speak.

House Speaker Pro Tempore Lois DeBerry was there. As noted elsewhere, Governor Bredesen (D-LOL) failed to turn out to welcome the DNC Chair to the state. Like the Governor of Mississippi, Bredesen had better things to do than give anyone the impression that he is a Democrat. This was a move not exactly designed to win the hearts and minds of the state's democratic base.

While Dean was in Tennessee, the GOP ran attack ads on radio stations across the state. The ads poked at both Dean and Bredesen. They suggested that both democrats were (gasp) liberal. The GOP ads had the desired effect; they made Bredesen's cowardice starkly visible.

Dr. Dean answered the charge. The cowardly governor did not.

''I've been called worse things than a liberal,'' Dean said. ''The reason the Republicans call names is because they have nothing to say about balancing the budget, creating jobs or doing anything about health care or education.''

At TSU, Dean said that if Kerry had won the election, we'd be moving toward universal health care instead of eliminating millions of citizens from the health care rolls. Governor Bredesen plans to cut 323,000 Tennesseans from TennCare, the state's health care plan for the poor.

Dean told the predominantly Black audience that Black males had voted in record numbers during the last election. He said they need to be even more politically active. He urged students and everyone in the audience to run for office.

Although Dean spoke at length about the need to embrace conservative democrats, implicit in his remarks was the understanding that Tennessee has a desperate need for democrats who stand for something other than their own self-interest. Tennessee has a desperate need for democrats who can be distinguished from republicans.

Dr. Dean told the audience that the conservative Wall Street Journal recently reported that a white person with a record of drug convictions has a better chance of being called back for a second job interview than a Black person with a clean record. He said he doesn't limit his comments about race to predominantly Black audiences because white audiences are the ones who really need to hear that racism exists.

There were a number feminists in attendance. When Dr. Dean spoke of a Matriarchy in his office, we applauded. The DNC Chair said that when he asked his office staff if there wasn't a need for some gender balance, they replied that qualified males were hard to find.

The Democrat's comments on gay rights were minimal. Obviously, Dean was aware that TN Democrats have joined Republicans in an effort to forbid gays from adopting and foster parenting. Obviously, Dean was aware that TN Democrats have joined with Republicans to pass an anti-marriage amendment (which will be on the ballot in 2006). Dean said he knew that Tennessee is not going to have same-sex marriage. He urged students to run for office.

A "Pro-Gay Marriage" button was spotted in the exceptionally diverse audience.

When Dean asked for questions, long lines formed. Almost without exception, questioners expressed an almost embarrassing gratitude to Dr. Dean for actually coming to Tennessee, or for breaking the national party's misguided tradition of writing off the South.

Howard Dean has something that few Tennessee Democrats possess. He has the courage and conviction to speak his mind. Here in Tennessee, we are accustomed to democrats who say one thing to gays and another to straights, one thing to whites and another to Blacks, one thing to pro-choice constituents and another to anti-choice constituents. Dr. Dean presents a stark contrast to democrats who speak out of both sides of their mouth.

And that may be exactly why Governor Bredesen did not want to get too close to Howard Dean. If the Governor of Tennessee got too close to Howard Dean, he might look small.