Dean to Vie for Presidency in 2004

Author: Kathleen Fleury

In May 2002, Vermont Governor Howard Dean announced his intention to run for president in the 2004 election. Having governed Vermont for 11 years, Dean has acquired an impressive list of achievements in the areas of environmental protection and health care.
Dean's young campaign has already taken off. He has visited a number of states, addressing what he feels are the most important issues and proposing a plan to take America forward. Rick Ridder '76 will serve as Dean's campaign manager. Ridder has worked on numerous campaigns, including Bill Clinton's 1992 bid for the presidency, and is enthusiastic about Dean's campaign.
What steps lie ahead in the next few months? Ridder said although Dean is often thought of as the "health care candidate," he has "new ideas and real solutions" to other problems. Ridder said that although Dean does have rather liberal social views, he is a fiscal conservative who would strive for "a balanced budget, and who is capable of making necessary cuts." Dean's socially liberal and fiscally conservative standpoint should make him an attractive candidate to many voters.
In the next few months, Ridder and the campaign team will work to boost Dean's exposure and name recognition across the country. To accomplish this, Ridder noted that the team should be "cognizant that there are many groups who support Dean," and should use support from these groups in a way that will allow him to broaden his political associations and provide support in his campaign.
Dean considers health care, fiscal responsibility and the future of education and the environment the most important issues in the upcoming election. Dean noted his opposition to President Bush's recent tax cuts on his campaign Web site: "Ask most Americans if they would rather have a tax cut or better health coverage, roads and bridges, and schools for their children. They will choose the latter. They also understand -- despite hollow Republican promises -- that we cannot do both."
Dean is also critical of the Bush administration's environmental policy. According to a statement on the governor's Web site, "The record of the Bush administration on environmental matters is fatally flawed." Dean also notes on his Web site that as president he would promote renewable energy sources, instead of cutting funding for renewable energy, as Bush has done. The governor is a proponent of conserving wild lands and confronting urban sprawl.
Dean also disapproves of the Bush administration's foreign policy objectives. He has criticized Bush for failing to address the link between oil-dependent energy policies and the financial backing Washington provides for countries such as Saudi Arabia. Dean says that rethinking energy and foreign policy will turn our attention to the inconsistency of aiding nations that provide protection to terrorist networks like al Qaeda.
Dean, a doctor, believes health care is of utmost importance. The United States, he believes, should not be the last industrialized country to ensure health coverage to all its citizens. Dean has said he understands "the fear facing families without health insurance."
Some of his views, such as his belief in legalizing civil unions, may prove to be too liberal for today's political milieu. Dean has said that he will accept civil unions if state legislatures endorse them first. In a speech to the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association convention in Philadelphia on Sept. 14, he said, "As president of the United States, I will recognize civil unions, which will then allow full equality under the law as far as the federal government is concerned."
Former Vermont Governor and Bicentennial Scholar in residence Madeline Kunin said she believes Dean "has made rapid progress on the 'list' of presidential hopefuls. He has an advantage of being new and fresh, and being strong on the most critical domestic issue, health care. Being a physician also helps because it makes him more of a public servant and less of a politician." Kunin noted, however, that getting the nomination may prove difficult, as could "raising the kind of money that is necessary for a presidential primary campaign."
The campaign, held in Burlington, will pick up steam in the next few months. Ridder said that they are always looking for new faces on the campaign trail, and would welcome support or help from College students interested in getting involved.