stephanie
05-11-2007, 08:49 PM
Carla Marinucci, Chronicle Political Writer:poke:
Thursday, May 10, 2007
(05-10) 13:26 PDT -- Democratic National Committee chair Howard Dean - who once drew criticism by dismissing the GOP as a "white Christian party'' -- told a San Francisco audience that his party should open its arms to a new group of converts: young evangelical Christian voters.
"We ought to reach out to those folks ... and not be afraid,'' Dean told an audience of about 125 at a $50-a head Democratic National Committee fundraiser Wednesday night at the Palace Hotel. The national party chairman noted that in the wake of the 2006 midterm election, nearly 30 percent of evangelical Christians now identify themselves as Democratic voters, up 10 percentage points from the previous election.
Dean credited the jump in numbers to the party's recent aggressive outreach. "We went out and advertised on Christian broadcast networks ... because in the evangelical movement, young people are changing America -- and they're changing the evangelical movement.''
"People don't want to go to church anymore ... and come out feeling bad because they happen to know somebody who's gay,'' he said. "People want to go to church because they know what they can do about poverty, about Darfur, about the environment.''
Dean specifically cited the positive impacts of Christian leaders such as Rick Warren -- author of the best-selling "The Purpose-Driven Life,'' and pastor of the Orange County-based Saddleback Church -- and of young pastor Joel Osteen, the televangelist sensation who has welcomed House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to his Houston-based Lakewood Church.
"Those people don't beat up on other people to make their point and raise a lot of money,'' he said. "And we need to reach out to those folks, and work with them, and not be afraid. There is common cause with folks that we never thought we had common cause with.
"That's how you grow (the Democratic Party) to be inclusive and to control America again ... by representing everybody,'' Dean said. "You're respectful of the voters, and you ask everyone for help.''
Dean spoke about what he termed positive signs for grassroots activists in the Democratic Party as they look toward the 2008 presidential elections, including Pelosi's leadership in the House and the country's increasing disenchantment with the war in Iraq.
Dean also noted California's new role in the primary process with its early Feb. 5 presidential primary.
Dean, the former Vermont governor, blazed to prominence during the 2004 primary campaign with an effort for the Democratic nomination built in large part on an aggressive Internet organization that tapped millions of small donors and the enthusiastic backing of the first vigorous anti-war advocates. Although his campaign was unsuccessful, Dean predicted the focus of the 2008 campaign will be "all about grassroots and knocking on doors.''
"The era of the one-way campaigning is coming to a close ... and those 30-second ads are not going to cut it anymore,'' he said.
Dean said he is raising money for the party to prepare it for what he expects will be a nasty 2008 election.
"We know we're going to get swift-boated right around February next year,'' he said, referring to attacks on 2004 Democratic nominee John Kerry funded by private donors. But he vowed "this time, we're going to have $18.5 million in this special fund, ready to say to the nominee -- 'here you go, go fight 'em off and do whatever you have to do.' ''
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/05/10/BAGD4POMP26.DTL
Thursday, May 10, 2007
(05-10) 13:26 PDT -- Democratic National Committee chair Howard Dean - who once drew criticism by dismissing the GOP as a "white Christian party'' -- told a San Francisco audience that his party should open its arms to a new group of converts: young evangelical Christian voters.
"We ought to reach out to those folks ... and not be afraid,'' Dean told an audience of about 125 at a $50-a head Democratic National Committee fundraiser Wednesday night at the Palace Hotel. The national party chairman noted that in the wake of the 2006 midterm election, nearly 30 percent of evangelical Christians now identify themselves as Democratic voters, up 10 percentage points from the previous election.
Dean credited the jump in numbers to the party's recent aggressive outreach. "We went out and advertised on Christian broadcast networks ... because in the evangelical movement, young people are changing America -- and they're changing the evangelical movement.''
"People don't want to go to church anymore ... and come out feeling bad because they happen to know somebody who's gay,'' he said. "People want to go to church because they know what they can do about poverty, about Darfur, about the environment.''
Dean specifically cited the positive impacts of Christian leaders such as Rick Warren -- author of the best-selling "The Purpose-Driven Life,'' and pastor of the Orange County-based Saddleback Church -- and of young pastor Joel Osteen, the televangelist sensation who has welcomed House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to his Houston-based Lakewood Church.
"Those people don't beat up on other people to make their point and raise a lot of money,'' he said. "And we need to reach out to those folks, and work with them, and not be afraid. There is common cause with folks that we never thought we had common cause with.
"That's how you grow (the Democratic Party) to be inclusive and to control America again ... by representing everybody,'' Dean said. "You're respectful of the voters, and you ask everyone for help.''
Dean spoke about what he termed positive signs for grassroots activists in the Democratic Party as they look toward the 2008 presidential elections, including Pelosi's leadership in the House and the country's increasing disenchantment with the war in Iraq.
Dean also noted California's new role in the primary process with its early Feb. 5 presidential primary.
Dean, the former Vermont governor, blazed to prominence during the 2004 primary campaign with an effort for the Democratic nomination built in large part on an aggressive Internet organization that tapped millions of small donors and the enthusiastic backing of the first vigorous anti-war advocates. Although his campaign was unsuccessful, Dean predicted the focus of the 2008 campaign will be "all about grassroots and knocking on doors.''
"The era of the one-way campaigning is coming to a close ... and those 30-second ads are not going to cut it anymore,'' he said.
Dean said he is raising money for the party to prepare it for what he expects will be a nasty 2008 election.
"We know we're going to get swift-boated right around February next year,'' he said, referring to attacks on 2004 Democratic nominee John Kerry funded by private donors. But he vowed "this time, we're going to have $18.5 million in this special fund, ready to say to the nominee -- 'here you go, go fight 'em off and do whatever you have to do.' ''
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/05/10/BAGD4POMP26.DTL