Former Chairman of the Democratic National Committee and erstwhile presidential candidate Howard Dean discussed President Obama, healthcare, and the “50-state strategy” at the Institute of Politics forum last night, before heading to Kirkland House to receive the Harvard College Democrats Leader of the Year award.

Dean spoke before a packed audience at the forum, where he focused on the recent evolution in campaigning methods and the ways in which a changing ethos among Americans led to the election of the nation’s first African-American president.

“It’s a milestone election,” Dean said. “The most important thing Obama’s election means to us, I think, is not just [his race] but that this is a new paradigm shift in who runs America.”

Dean also discussed the power of the Internet in grassroots campaign movements, as well as the importance of using a “50-state strategy,” in which Democrats compete for votes in traditionally Republican states.

Dean spent most of his time responding to questions from the highly responsive forum audience. He received thunderous applause when he called for universal health insurance.

“A system of health care reform without a public option is not health care reform,” Dean said.

Responding to a question about the political impact of the Hispanic community, Dean criticized Republicans for their stance on Latinos.

“In the halls of Congress, the Republicans are pushing the fence against people whose names end with e, z, or another vowel,” he said.

After the forum, Dean headed to the Kirkland Junior Common Room for the College Democrats event.

Following an introduction by Events Coordinator Jason Q. Berkenfeld ’11, Dean spoke briefly before settling down for an informal, off-the-record discussion with the roughly 100 students in attendance.

Students asked questions dealing with everything from the debate over gay rights to the future of the Democratic party, now that it controls both the presidency and congress.

As the event concluded, Berkenfeld presented Dean with a Harvard College Democrats t-shirt, which Dean promptly donned.

After the event, Dean said he valued informal discussions about politics because of their power to motivate young people.

“The whole generation is more thoughtful and tolerant than we were,” he said. “They’re center-left, and I think that’s the future of this country as long as we don’t screw it up.”

Dems President Eva Z. Lam ’10 said she was thrilled with the response to the event.

“As a student, it’s a big leap for a lot of us to think of ourselves as participants in politics as opposed to observers,” she said. “This really helps break down the barriers.”

Dean was initially invited to Harvard by the Dems, but his friendship with IOP fellow Tina Flournoy led him to include an afternoon visit to her study group. He scheduled the IOP forum event soon thereafter.

—Staff writer Evan T. R. Rosenman can be reached at erosenm@fas.harvard.edu.