Democrats also need to learn from the success of Republicans in winning control of Congress in 1994 and contest all congressional seats, beginning with the upcoming elections, Dean said.
In that vein, Dean also said the Democratic Party needed to extend its scope so that it could one day hope to win elections in states like Mississippi and Alabama that have voted solidly Republican in recent decades.
He said the Democratic Party could expand because it could work to satisfy the four basic desires of the vast majority of the country: jobs that pay well, health insurance for themselves and particularly for their children, strong public school education and a strong and ethical national security policy.
“In Mississippi, 95 percent of the people care about the same things they do in Massachusetts and in New York,” Dean said.
Dean urged the Democratic Party to begin campaigning seriously in the Deep South and in other Western states now, even if the party’s labor might not bear fruit in the immediate future.
“Sooner or later, people in those parts of the country will get tired of voting on God, guns and gays and start voting on education and health care,” he said. “We need to send a progressive message to stop being afraid to Utah, Texas, Idaho and Alabama.”
Dean also bucked the wishes of the Kerry campaign by lambasting the Bush administration.
“You can’t call the president a fascist,” Dean said in a sarcastic tone.
“We’re not doing that this week, anyway,” he added while suppressing a false cough.
Later, when his microphone suffered a temporary malfunction, Dean implied that senior Bush advisor Karl Rove was spying on the speech.
“Obviously, Karl Rove has control of the microphone. Karl, are you here?” Dean said. “No—I guess it’s somebody in the White House doing that.”
Dean also insulted the Boston Herald for its coverage of Teresa Heinz Kerry, the Democratic candidate’s wife. Earlier this week, Heinz Kerry clashed with a reporter, urging him to “shove it,” after a sharp question.
“Did anyone see the Boston Herald this morning? My God—it’s the next thing to the National Enquirer,” Dean said. “You know what? Kerry’s going to win this election because of his wife. Isn’t she great?”
—Staff writer Alan J. Tabak can be reached at tabak@fas.harvard.edu.