Howard Dean said Saturday that positive responses from key supporters have reinforced his determination to keep talking tough. Some congressional Democrats have suggested that the party chairman should tone down his rhetoric.

"People want us to fight," Dean told the national party's executive committee. "We are here to fight."

.....

One of Dean's predecessors at the DNC, Don Fowler said, "The controversy over this statement or that statement is a blip and only a blip." But Fowler complained about leading Democrats who aired their gripes last week. "Even if they don't like it, they should have enough sense not to make those comments," Fowler said.
....

Dean said he is bringing in $1 million weekly and that $100,000 was received, unsolicited, from online donors during a 24-hour period in the past week as the furor over his remarks grew.

Records show the DNC took in $13.8 million over the first three months of 2005, compared with $8.4 million during the same period in 2003, the last year without a federal election. Terry McAuliffe was party chairman then.

Dean has given more than $1 million from the DNC to state parties. He said the DNC plans to share some of the money Dean raises for the national party when he is in a state. Both of these moves are winning him support from state party leaders.

read full article from Associated Press

Relating info From Liberal Oasis:

According to ABC’s The Note:

...some Democrats believe Dean's ascension to party chair has generated unusual ill-will among some of the party's top fundraisers.

While The Hill, in reporting that three DNC fundraisers quit on Dean because of his focus on cultivating small donors, said:

Democratic fundraisers say that there is growing concern over what they call Dean’s lack of attention to major donors and that donors are much less likely to give money if they don’t have sufficient opportunity to meet with the party’s leadership.

All LiberalOasis can say to that is: Halley-Frickin-Loo-Yah.

Dean is attempting to fully put the party in the hands of the people and minimize the influence of corporate interests.

And the big money guys don’t like it.

.the congressional wing of the Democratic Party never liked him...

But Dean can’t succeed in empowering us in the grassroots, if we don’t empower him.

The Doubting Dems are fueling reports that Dean’s fundraising is lagging.

Media Matters shows how that is a “baseless claim,” but perception becomes reality.

Just like in the presidential primaries, the media won’t respect Dean until the money is unequivocally on the table.

When the media attacked Dean then, supporters responded by fueling Dean’s coffers.

Dean is under attack again. Let’s respond by filling the DNC coffers.

You can donate via LiberalOasis by clicking here.

GET OUT THOSE CHECK BOOKS! We have to get behind Dean, this is less about him and more about putting an end to the dominance of the inside the beltway corporate funded permanent minority strategy.

# posted by Jon Easton : 10:32 PM  0 comments