Last Wednesday marked the end of a remarkable campaign in which Howard Dean shot from an asterisk in the polls to front-runner status before falling almost as dramatically as the votes came in. But even though his quest for the presidency failed, Dean succeeded in many ways.
He created an enduring grassroots campaign by empowering hundreds of thousands of volunteers to run his campaign at the local level, rather than dictating from above. He brought thousands of new people into the Democratic fold who had never been involved in politics before, including many young people. And his innovative use of the Internet for organizing and fundraising is a model that will be used extensively for years to come.
By tapping into his Internet base for campaign contributions, Dean revolutionized the way that campaigns are financed. Rather than rely on wealthy donors and special interests, Dean raised $50 million from 300,000 ordinary Americans, more than any other Democrat in history. He has proven we can go toe-to-toe against special interests and win.
Dean wrote the Democratic platform by refusing to let Bush off the hook on issues like the war in Iraq, No Child Left Behind and the Patriot Act, to name a few. Dean also championed populism and progressivism from the beginning, asking his supporters to help change America by empowering people, not the powerful. His fearless candor helped Democrats realize they can beat Bush by running as Democrats, rather than weak-kneed rubber stampers. He was able to give a backbone to Democrats again. Less than a year ago, national party leaders were afraid to challenge Bush on important issues when his poll numbers were high. Dean stood up for what was right when it was unpopular to do so. Now Democrats have finally reclaimed their position as a respectable opposition party.
Dean accomplished much in just one year. But his efforts and the efforts of all of his supporters cannot and will not stop now. Bush is looking more vulnerable now than ever, and we all need join together to send him back to Crawford, Texas.
But there are other tasks we must continue as well. Democrats need to consolidate the gains that the party has made, including making special interests a thing of the past, engaging grassroots efforts, and maintaining a strong Democratic party based on principles. We have the power to improve our party, to change America and to win back the White House in 2004-and that is exactly what we are going to do.
