Chairman Howard Dean Addresses General Session of DNC's Fall Meeting in Phoenix

Phoenix, AZ - This morning, Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean addressed the General Session of the 2005 DNC Fall Meeting in Phoenix, Arizona.

Listed below are some excerpts of Gov. Dean's remarks:

2006 DNC Spring Meeting in New Orleans
"The next meeting of the Democratic National Committee will be in New Orleans, April 20th-22... We believe it's the beginning of a new New Orleans and we're very proud to be among the first conventions to be back in New Orleans at this time. Thank you all for support. And, thank to all of you who went down there [in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina]."

Building Community to Build our Party
"It isn't about what I say. It isn't about what the video says. It isn't about what the television has to say. It's about person-to-person contact. Our job when we leave here is not just to make our party stronger. It's for you as individuals, not as Democrats, but as individuals to talk to those who did not vote with us last time."

Progress at the DNC under Gov. Dean's Leadership
"We're having some fun at the DNC. Several weeks ago, we had thousand house parties to get ready for the 2006 elections. We didn't wait for 2006... One week after the 2005 elections, we're getting ready for the 2006 elections. We had a thousand house parties. We had 67 in Texas, 80 in Florida, 60 on college campuses all across America in every single state. We have 126 staffers working now on the ground in 42 states. We'll have them in 49 states by the end of the year."

Democrats Will Offer "Real Program of Reform"
"The collapse of confidence in the Republican leadership is not enough to elect Democratic leadership. We have to stand up for what we believe. It is not a good idea to think we're going to win like the Republicans did. We're going to win like the Democrats do by standing up for what we believe and showing the world that we are better leaders for America. We're going to offer a real program of reform."

Health Care As Job Creation Issue
"We are going to insist that this country join the 36 other countries in the world that somehow manage to both balance their budgets and provide health insurance to every one of their citizens.... This is something to support if you want jobs in America. I was in Michigan not too long ago. [There were] big headlines in both statewide papers: General Motors sends two billion dollars of investment across the river to Windsor, Ontario. Those are jobs that leaving America because General Motors can't pay their health care bills here. We need a program of health insurance that works for everybody in America."

Democrats Will Offer Real Security
"We want a strong national defense and Democrats will offer real security. We have seen the hollow promises of this Republican Administration who claimed all through the last election that you were somehow safer if Republicans were elected... I can't promise you that when the Democrats take over that we won't have to send our troops somewhere in the world. If we have to do that, I can promise you that we will be honest with our soldiers, honest with our citizens and honest with our allies."

Democrats Embrace the Moral Values Debate
"We will talk proud about the values that make this party great. We will not run from the debate about moral values. We will embrace it. Because Americans believe that it is immoral to let small children go to bed hungry at night and cut school lunch programs. Americans believe that it is immoral to let people who have worked hard all their lives to be bankrupted by health care emergencies... Americans believe it is immoral for the federal government to intrude in personal and family private decisions. We want their government out of our lives."

Together, American Can Do Better
"The Democratic Party is tired of a divided America. We'll take over in 2006 and 2008, so that together America can do better, and we will do better."