Howard Dean - Early life and education, Personal life, Vermont political career, 2004 presidential candidacy

US politician and physician, born in New York City, New York, USA. He studied at Yale University (1971), gained his MD at Albert Einstein College of Medicine (1978), and then set up in private practice with his wife, Dr Judith Steinberg Dean. Entering politics as a Democrat, he served in the Vermont House of Representatives (1982–6), becoming lieutenant governor (1986–91), and then governor (1991–2002). Late in 2003 he emerged as a front-runner in the race to secure the Democrat nomination in the 2004 US presidential election, but after failing to win a number of key primaries he dropped out of the race early in 2004. He was elected Democratic Party chairman in February 2005.

Howard Brush Dean III
Howard Dean at a 2004 "March for Women's Lives" rally
79th Governor of Vermont
Term of office: 1991 – 2003
Lieutenant Governor:	Barbara Snelling, Douglas A. Snelling
Successor:	Jim Douglas
Born:	November 17, 1948 New York City, New York
Political party:	Democratic
Profession:	Doctor / Politician
Spouse:	Judith Steinberg Dean
Religion:	United Church of Christ

Howard Brush Dean III (born November 17, 1948) is an American politician and physician from the U.S. state of Vermont. A Democrat, Dean was elected to the Vermont House of Representatives in 1982 and was elected lieutenant governor in 1986. Dean was subsequently elected to five two-year terms, serving as governor from 1991 to 2003 making him the second longest-serving Governor in Vermont history, after Thomas Chittenden (1778-1789 and 1790-1797).

An early front-runner in the 2004 Democratic Presidential nomination, Dean denounced the 2003 invasion of Iraq along with Democrats who he felt should have more strongly opposed the Bush Administration and showed strong fundraising ability; Dean formed the organization Democracy for America and later was elected chairman of the Democratic National Committee in February 2005.

Early life and education

East Hampton and New York City childhood

Dean was born in the Town of East Hampton, New York, to Howard Brush Dean, Jr.

Howard's father worked on Wall Street for Dean Witter Reynolds; Dean's genealogy includes Richard Maitland, as well as three lines of descent to royalty: "through colonial forebears Thomas Trowbridge of New Haven and Mrs. Agnes Harris Spencer Edwards of Hartford, and also through Dean's great-great-grandfather, James William Maitland (died 1860) of New York, who was descended three times over from James IV, King of Scots who led the Scottish troops in the Battle of Flodden and was the grandfather of Mary, Queen of Scots."

Political opponents have been reluctant to seize upon Dean's privileged early life.

The Yale years

Dean attended Yale University. Dawson was quoted in the New Yorker as saying:

At Yale, Dean was a member of the Zeta Psi fraternity. In 1974, Dean's younger brother Charlie, who had been traveling through southeast Asia at the time, was captured and killed by Laotian guerrillas, a tragedy widely reported to have an enormous influence in Dean's life;

The move to Vermont as a doctor

Dean received his medical degree from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in 1978 and began a medical residency at the University of Vermont.

Personal life

Dean has kept an unusually strict separation between his political career and his personal life. She had shunned the limelight of the campaign until Dean's later much-publicized "scream" gaffe.

Though he was raised an Episcopalian, Dean joined the United Church of Christ in 1982 after a dispute with the local Episcopal diocese over a bike trail (see below).

Vermont political career

In 1980, Dean spearheaded a (successful) grassroots campaign to stop a condominium development on Lake Champlain, instead favoring the construction of a bicycle trail.

On August 14, 1991, Dean was examining a patient when he received word that then-Governor Richard A.

Dean was faced with an economic recession and a $60 million dollar budget deficit.

Dean also focused on health care issues, most notably through the "Dr. Dynasaur" program, which ensures near-universal health coverage for children and pregnant women in the state; Facing calls to amend the state constitution to prohibit either option, Dean chose to support the latter one, and signed the nation's first civil unions legislation into law, spurring a short-lived "Take Back Vermont" movement which helped Republicans gain control of the State House.

Dean would receive some flak during his 2004 presidential campaign for another decision related to the civil unions.

As governor, Dean was endorsed by the National Rifle Association several times, furthering his moderate image;

Elections as Governor of Vermont

Year	Democratic	Percent	Republican	Percent	Other (>5%)	Percent	Other (<5%)	Percent
1992	Howard Dean	74.73%	John McClaughry	23.04%	N/A	0%	Scattering	3%
1994	Howard Dean	68.6%	David F. Morse (Independent)	7%	Scattering	5.4%
1996	Howard Dean	70.5%	John L. Gropper	22.4%	N/A	0%	Scattering	7.1%
1998	Howard Dean	55.6%	Ruth Dwyer	41.1%	N/A	0%	Scattering	3.3%
2000	Howard Dean	50.4%	Ruth Dwyer	37.9%	Anthony Pollina (Progressive)	9.5%	Scattering	2.2%

Source: Vermont Secretary of State

2004 presidential candidacy

Dean began his bid for President as a "long shot" candidate. His campaign slowly gained steam, and by autumn of 2003, Dean had become the apparent frontrunner for the Democratic nomination, performing strongly in most polls and outpacing his rivals in fundraising. This latter feat was attributed mainly to his innovative embrace of the Internet for campaigning, and the majority of his donations came from individual Dean supporters, who came to be known as Deanites, or, more commonly, Deaniacs. (Critics often labeled them "Deany Boppers", a reference to his support from young activists)

During his presidential campaign, conservative critics labeled Dean's political views as those of an extreme liberal;

Message and themes

Dean began his campaign by emphasizing health care and fiscal responsibility, and championing grassroots fundraising as a way to fight special interests. By challenging the war in Iraq at a time when mainstream Democratic leaders were either neutral or cautiously supportive, Dean positioned himself to appeal to his party's activist base. Dean often quoted the late Minnesota Senator Paul Wellstone (who had recently died in a plane crash) as saying that he represented "the Democratic wing of the Democratic Party".

Dean's approach organizationally was also novel. Dean adopted a coffee shop strategy to visit grassroot activists in all 99 Iowa counties, but he lacked the campaign infrastructure to get voters to the polls that his opponents had.

Those committed to the policies of the Democratic Leadership Council -- which supported the use of force in Iraq -- found the otherwise moderate Dean a threat not only to their position on the war but to their stranglehold on post-Clintonian Washington. Thinly-veiled DLC "527" organizations funded relentless PR coverage of Dean's "scream" in order to beat back his suprising candidacy, as the conventional wisdom in Washington did not expect a campaign based on the president's lack of credibility to gain the support that Dean had garnered. Quite simply, Washington did not intend for Dean to become a threat to the campaigns of longtime party loyalists Gephardt and Kerry; Dean's campaign was supposed to draw a percentage of the party's left-wing away from Nader (and to some extent, Kucinich). Nobody in Washington expected to see the widespread anger that Dean's campaign corralled, and DLC leaders were shook to the point of nipping his movement in the bud in order to maintain control of the electoral process.

Use of the Internet

Dean's presidential campaign was remarkable at the time for its extensive use of the Internet to reach out to its supporters. The Dean campaign also encouraged its supporters to join monthly Meetups, which would lay the groundwork for volunteers at the local level.

Fundraising

In the "invisible primary" of raising campaign dollars, Howard Dean led the Democratic pack in the early stages of the 2004 campaign. In the third quarter of 2003, the Dean campaign raised $14.8 million, shattering Clinton's record. All told, Dean's campaign raised around $50 million.

While presidential campaigns have traditionally obtained finance by tapping wealthy, established political donors, Dean's funds came largely in small donations over the Internet;

Dean's director of grassroots fundraising, Larry Biddle, came up with the idea of the popular fundraising "bat", an image of a cartoon baseball player and bat which appeared on the site every time the campaign launched a fundraising challenge. One of these suggestions led to one of the campaigns biggest accomplishments - an image of Dean eating a turkey sandwich encouraged supporters to donate $250,000 in three days to match a big-donor dinner by Vice President Dick Cheney.

In November 2003, after a much-publicized online vote among his followers, Dean became the first Democrat to forgo federal matching funds (and the spending limits that go with them) since the system was established in 1974. Bush declined federal matching funds in 2000 and did so again for the 2004 campaign.)

In a sign that the Dean campaign was starting to think beyond the primaries, they began in late 2003 to speak of a "$100 revolution" in which 2 million Americans would give $100 in order to compete with Bush.

Endorsements

Though Dean lagged in early endorsements, he acquired many critical ones as his campaign snowballed. Dean received the endorsement of former Vice President and presidential candidate Al Gore, on December 9, 2003. In the following weeks Dean was endorsed by former U.S. senators Bill Bradley and Carol Moseley Braun, unsuccessful Democratic presidential candidates from the 2000 and 2004 primaries, respectively.

Iowa results and the "Dean Scream"

On January 19, 2004, Dean's campaign suffered a blow when a last-minute surge by rivals John Kerry and John Edwards led to an embarrassing third-place defeat for Dean in the 2004 Iowa Democratic caucuses, representing the first votes cast in primary season. To the surprise of the Dean and Gephardt campaigns, Dean finished third in Iowa behind Kerry and John Edwards, with Gephardt finishing fourth. Since Dean had spent months leading Iowa tracking polls, his third-place finish was widely considered a sign that the campaign was losing momentum. Most analysts blamed intense negative campaigning between Dean and Gephardt as the reason for their losses. The Atlantic Monthly's Joshua Green reported that in early January, the Wesley Clark campaign had leaked information to the press showing Dean to be "unelectable." Though every campaign, including Dean's, sends negative information to the press about rival candidates, Green claims the media turned against both Clark and Dean.

Dean attended a post-caucus rally for his volunteers in Iowa to deliver his concession speech, aimed at cheering up those in attendance.

Dean conceded that the speech did not project the best image, jokingly referring to it as a "crazy, red-faced rant" on The Late Show with David Letterman. The incessant replaying of the "Dean Scream" by the press became a debate on the topic of whether Dean was the victim of media bias.

On January 27 Dean again suffered a defeat, finishing second to Kerry in the New Hampshire primary. As late as one week before the first votes were cast in Iowa's caucuses, Dean had enjoyed a 30% lead in New Hampshire opinion polls;

Iowa and New Hampshire were only the first in a string of embarrassing losses for the Dean campaign, culminating in a disappointing third place showing in the Wisconsin primary on February 17, 2004. Two days before the Wisconsin primary, campaign advisor and former AIPAC chairman Steve Grossman "announced" through an article written by New York Times Dean campaign correspondent Jodi Wilgoren that he would offer his services to any of the other major candidates "should Dean not win in Wisconsin." This "scoop" further undermined Dean's campaign. The next day, Dean announced that his candidacy had "come to an end", though he continued to urge people to vote for him, so that Dean delegates would be selected for the convention and could influence the party platform. This latter victory, a surprise even to Dean himself, was due in part to the lack of a serious anti-Kerry candidate in Vermont (John Edwards had declined to put his name on the state's ballot, expecting Dean to win in a landslide), and in part to a television ad produced, funded, and aired in Vermont by grassroots Dean supporters. Cohen of Philadelphia, said Dean's decision, ultimately emulated by Kerry, to forgo primary federal matching funds and exceed the matching fund spending limits "marked the day the Democratic Party became a serious contender for national power in 2004."

Campaign timeline

May 31, 2002 - Files paperwork to run for 2004 presidential election March, 2003 - Campaign signs deal with Meetup.com to integrate Meetup functionality directly into the main page of the campaign website June 23, 2003 - Formally announced candidacy for President in 2004 November 8, 2003 - Announces intention to forgo federal campaign financing (and hence primary spending limit), following online vote of supporters December 9, 2003 - Receives endorsement from former Vice President Al Gore, angering former Gore running mate Joe Lieberman January 6, 2004 - Receives endorsement from Bill Bradley, former US senator and Gore's rival for the Democratic Party presidential nomination in 2000 January 15, 2004 - Carol Moseley Braun drops out of the race and announces her support for Dean, saying that "Governor Dean is the candidate best-equipped to bring Americans together, to renew our country, and restore our privacy, our liberty and our economic security." January 19, 2004 - "Dean Scream" after Iowa Caucus January 28, 2004 - Appoints Roy Neel as CEO of his campaign, essentially replacing campaign manager Joe Trippi. Trippi resigns after being offered a lesser position February 18, 2004 - Dean ends his campaign for president after coming in a distant 3rd place in the Wisconsin primary on February 17, 2004 March 2, 2004 - Dean wins a primary in his home state of Vermont March 18, 2004 - Dean launches Democracy for America, an advocacy group dedicated to returning political power to the community level March 25, 2004 - Dean endorses John Kerry

See also U.S. Democratic Party presidential nomination, 2004, U.S. presidential election, 2004 timeline.

Post-campaign & Democracy for America

Following Dean's withdrawal after the Wisconsin primary, he pledged to support the eventual Democratic nominee. Dean endorsed Kerry on March 25, 2004 in a speech at The George Washington University in Washington, D.C.

On March 18, 2004, Dean founded the group Democracy for America. This group was created to house the large, Internet-based organization Dean created for his presidential campaign. Dean turned over control of the organization to his brother, Jim Dean, when he became Chairman of the Democratic National Committee.

Dean strongly urged his supporters to support Kerry as opposed to Ralph Nader, arguing that a vote for Nader would only help to re-elect President Bush because he believed that most who vote for Nader are likely to have voted for Kerry if Ralph Nader was not running. Dean argued that Nader would be more effective if he lobbied on election law reform issues during his campaign. Dean supported several election law reform issues such as campaign finance reform, and Instant Runoff Voting.

Successful campaign for DNC Chair

Dean was elected Chairman of the Democratic National Committee on February 12, 2005, after all his opponents dropped out of the race when it became apparent Dean had the votes to become Chair.

Many prominent Democrats opposed Dean's campaign; Dean satisfied his critics by promising to focus on fundraising and campaigning as DNC Chair, and avoid policy statements.

50-state strategy

After Dean became Chairman of the DNC, he pledged to bring reform to the Party. State party chairs have lauded Dean with praise for raising money directly for the individual state parties. Dean's plan is to seed the local level with young and committed candidates, building them into state candidates in future races. While it is likely this is more attributable to the short-comings of the Republican party in their dealings with the Iraq War and the scandals that occured shortly before the election, Dean's emphasis on connecting with socially conservative, economic moderates in previous Republican states appears to have made some impact.

Fundraising

Through grassroots fundraising Howard Dean has been able to raise millions more than the previous DNC Chairman at the same point after the 2000 election.

Controversial statements

Dean has made numerous controversial statements, both during his run for the presidency and during his tenure as DNC chair, mostly relating to either U.S. foreign policy or the Republican Party:

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Howard Dean

In response to his Iraq war radio comments, some Democrats, especially those in Republican-leaning areas, dissented with the chairman's opinion. Democratic representative Jim Marshall of Georgia said, "Dean's take on Iraq makes even less sense than the scream in Iowa; North Dakota Representative Earl Pomeroy was critical of Dean for making policy recommendations as chair of the DNC, telling a radio audience, "my words to Howard Dean are simple - shut up."

Believing that Howard Dean's comments will alienate many voters, various Republicans have been indifferent to and even welcomed Dean's remarks. Senator John McCain for example told Cybercast News Service outside a Rock the Vote event, "Howard Dean is the gift that keeps on giving.

On May 10, 2006, Dean went on the 700 Club and incorrectly stated that "[t]he Democratic Party platform from 2004 says marriage is between a man and a woman." The error resulted in widespread outrage against and criticism of Dean from homosexual and liberal groups and individuals, even after the DNC issued a statement the following day in which Dean wrote, "I misstated the Democratic Party's platform, which does not say that marriage should be limited to a man and a woman, but says the party is committed to full inclusion of gay and lesbian families in the life of our nation and leaves the issue to the states to decide. Howard Dean Delivers the Keynote Address at Yearly Kos on June 10, 2006

Other

Howard Dean on the Tavis Smiley show October 2006 Speech December 2004 Speech At GWU On The Democratic Party Photograph of the official portrait of Howard Dean at the Vermont State House by Sara Lovering List of contributors to Howard Dean's 2004 presidential campaign Dean's Iowa Caucus Rally E-Democracy's Top 50 Howard Dean Links Dean Campaign Organization Wiki Dean's genealogy - includes King James IV of Scotland Howard Dean's Vermont Country Baked Ham Recipe Podcast of TimesTalks interview with Howard Dean with New York Times contributing writer Matt Bai on the future of the Democratic Party

Preceded by: Peter P. Smith	Lieutenant Governor of Vermont 1987 – 1991	Succeeded by: Barbara Snelling
Preceded by: Richard A. Snelling	Governor of Vermont 1991 – 2003	Succeeded by: Jim Douglas
Preceded by: Terry McAuliffe	Chairman of the Democratic National Committee 2005 –	Succeeded by: Incumbent

Governors of Vermont

T. Chittenden • Brigham • Tichenor • I. Smith • Tichenor • Galusha • M. Chittenden • Galusha • Skinner • Van Ness • Butler • Crafts • Palmer • Jennison • Paine • Mattocks • Slade • Eaton • Coolidge • Williams • E. Fairbanks • Robinson • Royce • Fletcher • Hall • E. Smith • Dillingham • Page • Washburn • Hendee • Stewart • Converse • Peck • H. Fairbanks • Proctor • Farnham • Barstow • Pingree • Ormsbee • Dillingham • Page • Fuller • Woodbury • Grout • E. Smith • Stickney • McCullough • Bell • F. Proctor • Prouty • Mead • Fletcher • Gates • Graham • Clement • Hartness • Proctor Jr. • Billings • Weeks • Wilson • C. Smith • Aiken • Wills • M. Proctor • Gibson • Arthur • Emerson • Johnson • Stafford • Keyser • Hoff • Davis • Salmon • Snelling • Kunin • Snelling • Dean • Douglas

Chairmen of the Democratic National Committee This box: view • talk • edit

Hallett • McLane • Smalley • Belmont • Schell • Hewitt • Barnum • Brice • Harrity • Jones • Taggart • Mack • McCombs • Cummings • McCormick • White • Hull • Shaver • Raskob • Farley • Flynn • Walker • Hannegan • McGrath • Boyle • McKinney • Mitchell • Butler • Jackson • Bailey • O'Brien • Harris • O'Brien • Westwood • Strauss • Curtis • White • Manatt • Kirk • Brown • Wilhelm • DeLee • Dodd • Romer • Rendell • McAuliffe • Dean