Dean's turned into a real "typhoid Mary."
"Richardson Distances Himself From Dean
- By TIM McCAHILL, Associated Press Writer
Tuesday, June 7, 2005
(06-07) 19:46 PDT BEDFORD, N.H. (AP) --
Howard Dean is not the Democratic Party's spokesman, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, the latest party leader to distance himself from the outspoken chairman, said Tuesday.
"I believe Governor Dean is a good chairman. He's doing a good job," Richardson, the head of the Democratic Governors' Association, told reporters at the start of a two-day visit to New Hampshire. "He's not the spokesman for the party. It's governors, it's senators, it's party leaders."
Last weekend, Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del., and 2004 vice presidential candidate John Edwards criticized Dean for his recent remarks.
Dean told a group of progressives that Republicans "never made an honest living in their lives," a comment he was forced to explain a day later. The one-time presidential candidate also said House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Texas, who has not been accused of any crime, ought to go back to Houston where he can serve his jail sentence.
Richardson said Dean is doing a good job as party chairman, but added: "Nobody's error-free. I wouldn't have made the comments he did."
Edwards said that Dean is not the party's spokesman. "He's a voice. I don't agree with it." Biden said, "I don't think he speaks for the majority of Democrats."
In response, Karen Finney, a spokeswoman for the Democratic National Committee, said Dean "is a voice for the party and we have a number of voices who speak for the party."
Richardson has been mentioned as a possible 2008 presidential candidate, but he played down any speculation during his foray to New Hampshire, site of the first presidential primary.
"My message to voters is keep your powder dry. We've still got 3 1/2 years," he said.
Richardson spoke at a political breakfast Tuesday that is a common stop for potential White House hopefuls. He was also scheduled to meet with state and local Democrats in New Hampshire.
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A possible 2008 presidential candidate criticized last year's nominee, John Kerry, on Tuesday for adhering too rigidly to Democratic Party doctrine.
"One of my critiques of Senator Kerry, and I campaigned hard for Senator Kerry, was I can't tell you where he ever broke with anything in Democratic orthodoxy," Virginia Gov. Mark Warner said in an interview with The Associated Press. "We've got to rethink the way we talk to the American people, what we lay out as to where we're headed."
Warner was in Iowa, site of the party caucuses that kick off the quadrennial nominating process, to talk about high school education and prepare for a meeting later this year of the National Governors Association. He is chairman of the organization.
Warner traveled with Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack, another possible 2008 candidate, and did little to quiet speculation about his future aspirations.
"I can honestly say, to quote my colleague from California, 'I'll be back,'" Warner said, a reference to the movie line often uttered by actor-turned-governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.
The criticism of Kerry was the latest from a Democrat. Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said in a Rolling Stone magazine interview that Kerry ignored rural America in his presidential bid.
Warner said Democrats must find a way to expand the party's appeal. If Democrats continue to "hope that if everything breaks right we can get to a 17th state and somehow 270 electoral votes, we do this country a disservice and we do the Democratic Party a disservice," Warner said.
"Democrats aren't the majority party in this country. We've got to convince some other folks to think about voting Democratic." |
