DNC Chairman Candidates Focus on South.. Sure...

COLLEGE PARK, Ga. - Seven candidates for chairman of the Democratic National Committee promised Saturday to address the concerns of Southern voters, saying they had learned the lessons of the past two elections.

It's amazing that it took another ass whupping (right, I know that we 'almost' won, and that means a whole lot, considering the disadvantages, etc, etc.) and another two months for the Democratic elite to condescend to facing the people of the South.  Check back to the diaries and comments of the summer, and you will see that plenty of us were shouting at y'all for disregarding the South and for Kerry's playing it safe in a few comfortable states; it's a shame that they again refused to take us ignorant, backwards southerners seriously when they had a chance.  When Dr. Dean bought up the issue of guys in pick ups with Confederate flags, he was torn and new one, and the Democrat establishment who never had to think twice about, say, M-to-M busing were falling over themselves to be the first ones to express affected indignation over his comments.  Dean was right then, and he is right now.

"You want to know my Southern strategy, show up," said Howard Dean, the former Vermont governor who dropped out of the presidential race during last year's Democratic primaries.

more at yahoo...

I know that I will hear a lot more grousing about how Democrats (that is NE and West Coast Dems) don't need the South because it is full of all those conservative bible thumbers with whom they don't want to associate; every time I hear this, I watch one more of my neighbors realize that he or she doesn't need a party that forsakes and insults them.  Regardless, I think it will become very clear 2 and 4 years from now that this new attention promised to the South will just be lip service to the fact that this meeting happened to be in GA this week.

•  Dean / CSPAN

  I heard Dean make that comment and afterwards he made the point that he was the only primary candidate who spent any substantial time in the South.  He also stated, that yes.. winning Alabama won't happen anytime soon, but by going down there and letting the people get to know you goes a long way.  They may not vote for you, but the animosity towards that candidate / party won't be as intense.

  Also, CSPAN will air the Southern Caucus meeting tonight at 6pm for those who are interested.

  by JenAtlanta on Sun Jan 09, 2005 at 11:10:28 AM PDT

  •  Only primary candidate?

    Come on Jen, Dean would not say something like that, cuz it is so obviously wrong - Edawrds and Clark are from the South.

    by Armando on Sun Jan 09, 2005 at 01:35:49 PM PDT

    •  I know, I know

      But that's what I heard.  I've emailed a friend who was there with me.. so perhaps she'll be able to clear it up.

      by JenAtlanta on Sun Jan 09, 2005 at 01:41:36 PM PDT

•  In GA

  I'm down here in GA and you are right!  A lot of people tend to think everyone down here is some ignorant uneducated pickup driving nimrod.  Well that is only partly true, I've met some of the most intelligent people in my life here in GA.  And most here are conservative because the conservatives actually pay attention to the people here.

  I am originally from Chicago and now live near Atlanta, I have seen both sides of the coin.

  by ScrewJack on Sun Jan 09, 2005 at 11:11:05 AM PDT

  •  i should be clear

    There is nothing driving a pickup that makes one ignorant....peep my ride.

    by ashleyGA on Sun Jan 09, 2005 at 11:39:17 AM PDT

    •  Very nice

      I have a Jeep Wrangler with slightly oversized tires :-)

      by ScrewJack on Sun Jan 09, 2005 at 11:59:03 AM PDT

•  Leadership.

  It's the leadership, stupid.

  If we don't provide leadership for ALL Americans, we won't win.  period.

  by alxt on Sun Jan 09, 2005 at 11:17:06 AM PDT

•  Dirty

  I think most democrats especially northern feel like the south is an incredibly dirty place they'd rather not touch unless they had to.

  Even this diary is hardly getting commented on which indicates to me that my point is proven.  The republicans have a strong hold on the south and middle america and that is going to kill the democratic party.  They cannot simply cater to the largest cities and expect to win elections.

  by ScrewJack on Sun Jan 09, 2005 at 11:30:31 AM PDT

  •  Dirty South

    I think a lot of urban, NE folks know more about Iraq (or think they do) than they do about the South (or the Midwest, I would reckon).

    The South is a schizophrenic, textured place that is beyond the bounds of the simple one liners of 'you lost, get over it' or 'toothless hayseeds' that are used to soothe a lack of understanding about one's own country.  I've lived in NYC and Philly, and I have seen plenty of toothless cretins up there!

    by ashleyGA on Sun Jan 09, 2005 at 11:44:52 AM PDT

    •  Right

      none of us know anything about the South - sorry, disagreeing with you does not make us ignorant of the South.

      by Armando on Sun Jan 09, 2005 at 01:34:19 PM PDT

  •  Er try again

    I have posted on the front page about this, but I'm sure neither you nor the diarist like my opinion - we can't win in the South and we MUST NOT tailor our message for the South. If the South likes our message fine, but if not, as I expect it will not, so be it.  We win without the South.

    by Armando on Sun Jan 09, 2005 at 01:33:33 PM PDT

•  The joys of martyrdom....

  The posters to date seem to take great pleasure in being misunderstood and disregarded by effete, elitist Yanks like myself.  It's a two-way street.  Candidly, much of the Republican leadership comes from the South, and much of the Republican leadership makes me want to vomit.  If progressive Southerners want to make the case for their existence, they need to speak up.  Effete elitist Yanks like myself can't speak for you.

  It would be helpful if Southerners could explain how Dems could change their message to capture more of the Southern vote, that wouldn't result in the creation of a second Republican party.  Speaking for myself, I have no great problem with ditching gun control.  If that will return more Southerners to the Dem fold, welcome aboard.  However, if the key to getting Southerners to vote Democratic is to gut reproductive rights and shove gays back in the closet....well, there's already a party that runs on that platform and it's called the Republican party.  I think the Dem party has a lot to say about values that should resonate with religious voters - Jesus's words about loving one's neighbor and going the second mile fits far better with the Dem platform than with the selfishness promulgated by the Republicans.  But it seems to me that many Southern voters close their ears to words that aren't spoken in a Southern accent, and then whine that nobody understands them.  

  by Conshieguy on Sun Jan 09, 2005 at 12:44:18 PM PDT

•  a party with a national narrative

  doesn't need to either pander to or give up on the south. as a resident of the party's ATM, california, the DLC "we need a southern baptist or we'll loooose!" shtick bugged me, but neither do i appreciate or agree with many of the barbs thrown at the south, here or elsewhere. my feeling is that we ought to offer everyone a part of the same national vision, and even if we are unlikely to win in the south for a decade or so, we ought to be willing to put some effort into standing up for a worthy lost cause all the same. building up the southern grassroots (bluegrassroots?) and nurturing local candidates, increasing the black and youth turnout, and treating every region with respect ought to help us win in the end, or at least do better than we've managed on the state and local level.

  dean's on the right track. contest everything.

  by wu ming on Sun Jan 09, 2005 at 12:48:20 PM PDT