Howard Dean - oh, and Mr. Obama, too.
But, this diary is about Howard Dean.
I want to thank Dr. Dean for several things.
He inspired me in 2003/4 to get involved for the first time in a political campaign. I even spent $1000 of my money to travel to Iowa and slog from house to house in 5 degree temperatures. At the age of 28, he inspired me to donate money for the first time to a political campaign. He made me believe that good politicians still existed, people willing to talk honestly about issues - people willing to listen to the average voter, even let us influence his campaign in major ways. He made me take my cares and beliefs and actually use them to change my country for the better. I am grateful!
Thank you, Dr. Dean, for taking a cowardly, broken, splintering Democratic party and helping it regrow. You have expanded us back into the entire country, out from our few liberal enclaves. You have helped to make progressives and liberals feel proud once again.
Thank you, Dr. Dean, for being the leading anti-war voice in our party in the previous election. When most of our Senators and Representatives were cowardly voting for Bush's policy, you not only criticized Bush for he and his cronies' disastrous management of the war - you forthrightly challenged the entire premise of the war...and, each successive premise that they came up with as the one before fell flat as it met with reality. At a time when few credible voices were standing up to President Bush, you reinforced my sometimes wavering feelings that this war was misconceived, mis-launched, and disastrously mishandled in nearly every way.
Thank you for last night. I damn near cried in joy and pride when Senator Obama said he would be the nominee. I am so proud of him, and of our nation. When I went to bed last night, my son was restlessly semi-sleeping in my bed because he has a cold. I whispered in his ear that tonight America, his America, was changing again, in a beautiful way - and, hopefully, he'd be a participant and beneficiary of that as he grows up (he's only 17 months old right now). I know that my son, adopted from Viet Nam, growing up with a single white father will face many challenges - from adoption to racial issues to having a single, gay, white, Jewish, atheist dad. But, I also know (or at least hope) that some of those challenges might be a little easier during and after President Obama's years in office. Howard Dean, I know you played a large part in allowing our party to nominate Mr. Obama (and his belief in the 50-state strategy) - and, I think you're probably pretty happy about him being our nominee - and, I'm cool with that.
I think it'd be cool to see you given a cabinet position, maybe HHS.
Thanks, Dr. Dean, I will never forget what you've done for my country.
What would you thank Dr. Dean for?