Presidential hopeful Howard Dean
gets a big show of support in S.F.
"I don't think this president's tough on
defense at all. .
. . He had enough money to give $3 trillion away to
Ken Lay and the boys . . . "
Carla Marinucci, Chronicle political writer
Democratic presidential hopeful Howard Dean --
showered with enthusiasm by 1,100 service workers
in San Francisco on Saturday -- charged that
Republican candidate for governor Arnold
Schwarzenegger has been wrong to dismiss
"hard-working Americans" as "special interests."
Dean received a standing ovation from the Service
Employees International Union Local 250 convention
Saturday at the Marriott Hotel and received an
equally enthusiastic reception at an impromptu rally
for 600 supporters in Yerba Buena Gardens. Amid a
sea of support signs, one read: "Maybe we won't
have to go to Canada after all."
The former Vermont governor, speaking to reporters
at a news conference, also attacked the recall effort
against Gov. Gray Davis and endorsed Lt. Gov. Cruz
Bustamante, the major Democrat in the replacement
part of the Oct. 7 election.
Dean, a long shot when he began his bid for the
Democratic presidential nomination last year, has
seen his grassroots campaign catch fire. He has
moved steadily up in the polls among the nine
Democratic candidates and used the Internet
extensively to help generate millions of dollars in
campaign contributions and sign up thousands of
volunteers.
Surrounded by union supporters in San Francisco on
Saturday, Dean was asked his reaction to
Schwarzenegger's contention that he would accept
no money from such unions because they constitute
a ''special interest" group.
Dean looked at the women surrounding him at the
podium, and recited their occupations: nurses' aides,
food service workers, and physical therapists.
"Not exactly special interests," Dean said wryly. "I
call them hard working Americans. And their tax
money got taken away so it could go to (Enron head)
Ken Lay and Arnold Schwarzenegger. . . . I wonder
how big his tax cut was?"
Dean, who appeared in Los Angeles with Davis
earlier Saturday, won cheers in San Francisco for his
tough talk about Bush and the economy.
Sal Rosselli, SEIU Local 250 president, called Dean
"our kind of presidential candidate" -- who, as a
physician, understood the needs of health care
workers and patients alike.
"We need to bring Dr. Dean's expertise and
compassion to the White House," the union leader
said. "Dr. Dean has the fire and the knowhow to turn
this country around."
Dean appealed to union workers for help, saying he
plans to reach 3 million to 4 million voters who either
sat out the last election -- or didn't vote for a
Democrat.
"This time we're going to do it," he said. "They're not
only going to vote for a Democratic president, they're
going to vote to send (House Republican leader) Tom
Delay back to Texas."
Dean said his strategy would be different from other
Democratic candidates: "We're not going to start with
the swing voters," and try and convince them we're
conservative enough for them, he said. "We're going
to start with people who have been with us from the
beginning, African Americans, Latinos," he said.
"When we do that, the enthusiasm is going to spread
to those independents . . . they're going to vote
Democratic."
Dean reminded the crowd that he did not support the
war in Iraq -- a pronouncement which drew whoops
and cheers.
But he said, "I don't think this president's tough on
defense at all. .
. . He had enough money to give $3 trillion away to
Ken Lay and the boys . . .
but didn't have enough to pay for homeland security
for California and San Francisco."
Dean strongly defended union workers during his
speech.
"What the trade union movement did in this country
was to make it possible for working people to live a
middle-class existence," said Dean. "That built the
greatest country in the world."
The president, Dean said, "has lost 3.2 million jobs in
the private sector since he has been president. . . .
This country cannot afford four (more) years of
George Bush -- borrow and spend, borrow and spend,
borrow and spend. The credit card presidency. We
can do better than that."
Dean told reporters the attention on the California
recall is not hindering his effort to reach Democratic
voters in the nation's most populous state.
"It's not affected my message at all," he said. "We're
heavily, heavily into getting our message directly to
the people through the Internet."
Dean also said he supported Davis' move Friday to
sign a bill allowing illegal immigrants to get driver's
licenses, and said he, too, would have signed it as
governor. "Sure," he said. "How'd you like to have a
whole lot of people driving around with no license?"
Dean supporter Howard Vicini of San Francisco --
who helped start a group called Seniors for Dean --
said he has been deluged with support from around
the country, and now intends to mobilize first for Oct.
7, then for the coming presidential primaries.
"We're going to get seniors to the polls (on Oct. 7) as
part of the Dean campaign," he said. "They worked
with us, immediately. It's been amazing."
E-mail Carla Marinucci at
cmarinucci@sfchronicle.com. |
