Chestertown, MD, March 23, 2004 — Washington College's Harwood Program in American Journalism presents former Democratic presidential candidacy contender, HOWARD DEAN, Tuesday, April 13, at 5 p.m. in the College's Tawes Theatre. The event is free and the public is invited to attend.
From blogs to meet-ups, from Deaniacs to disgruntled Democrats, Howard Dean has carved out a niche and built a new base in the world of national campaigning that likely will continue to challenge the steady-as-you-go Democratic machine and Washington-insider politics through this election cycle and for many to come.
A graduate of Yale and the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York, Dean began his political career as a state volunteer for Jimmy Carter's reelection, and in 1982 was elected to the Vermont House of Representatives. In 1986 he was elected lieutenant governor for the first of three terms in that position until assuming the governorship in 1991 after the death Governor Richard Snelling. Dean went on to serve five gubernatorial terms in Vermont. In May 2002, he first announced his intent to run for the presidency, formalizing it in June 2003 and campaigning on a platform that emphasized healthcare for all, fiscal responsibility and opposition to the war in Iraq. Dean's strident manner and left-of-center positions resonated with younger voters and with Democrats disillusioned with the party's centrist turn. While his supporters connected via the Internet, organized local meet-ups, and rallied around the issues, the media and his political opponents on the right and left focused on Dean's electability in the current political climate.
After fairing poorly in the primaries, Dean officially dropped out of the race on February 18, but he is not fading from the national political scene. On March 17, Dean announced the formation of his new organization, Democracy for America, which aims to strengthen and sustain grassroots involvement in the democratic process, hold politicians to a higher standard of honesty and openness about their policy choices, fight for progressive policies and battle far right-wing politics.
“Today, half of Americans don't even bother to vote,” said Dean. “People see what the problems are, but they are cynical about the system and prospects for change. Only through acting will people recognize the power they have to change this country.”
Although the primary season found him lagging behind John Kerry and other Democratic contenders, no candidate has done more to bring grassroots campaigning and fundraising into the Internet age than Howard Dean.
Howard Dean's visit is sponsored by Washington College's Harwood Lecture Series in American Journalism, established to honor the distinguished career of the late Washington Post columnist and ombudsman Richard Harwood, who served as a trustee and a lecturer in journalism at the College. Recent speakers in the series have included such political and media figures as Robert Novak, John McCain, James Carville, Judy Woodruff, Al Hunt, Mark Shields and Paul Gigot.
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