Dean at the helm!

At DNC helm, Dean tasked with rebuilding

Democratic chairman plans aggressive outreach to red states.

Former Vermont governor Howard Dean claimed the chairmanship of the Democratic National Committee by acclamation yesterday and used his opening speech to attack President Bush and the Republicans for "fiscal recklessness," saying the administration's new budget brings "Enron-style accounting to our nation's capital."
---
In his speech, Dean repeatedly stressed fiscal responsibility as a touchstone of Democratic policies. "We Democrats believe in fiscal responsibility, and we're the only ones who have delivered it," he said. He accused Republicans of "borrow and spend" politics, adding that the fiscal record of the administration shows that "Americans cannot trust Republicans with their money."
Dean said Bush's Social Security plan would shred the social safety net while piling more debt on younger Americans. "Social Security is one of the proudest achievements of the Democratic Party, and we don't intend to let it fall victim to a dishonest scheme that only serves to heap greater debt on America's young people," he said.
On national security, an area that proved to be a vulnerability for Kerry against Bush, Dean said Democrats stood for "strong and smart" policies and that there was no reason to be defensive about their positions.
"It was Democrats who pushed to create a Department of Homeland Security," he said. "It was Democrats who pushed to make our airlines safer. It is Democrats who are now working to make sure we close the remaining gaps in our security. It was Democrats who demanded reform of the intelligence community. And it is Democrats who are pushing for a foreign policy that honestly deals with the threats of today, and the threats of tomorrow -- like securing the nuclear materials around the world."

---
See also The Talent Show's great article on this event.
---
As a symbol of solidarity with the new direction that the Democratic party is taking, a fundraising link has been set up to be shared by the left-wing blogosphere. If you'd like to donate, click here