Howard Dean: Tea party the ‘last gasp of the 55-year-old generation’

By Daniel Tencer

Slams Obama's staffers' 'contempt' for liberals

The tea party movement represents "the last gasp of a generation that has trouble with diversity," Howard Dean told an audience Wednesday.

The former governor of Vermont and head of the Democratic National Committee told a breakfast hosted by the Christian Science Monitor that he expects the tea party to be a powerful influence in the 2012 election as it was in the 2010 election, but he doesn't see it as the future of American politics.

"I think it's the last gasp of the 55-year-old generation, not the first gasp of a new generation," he said. "It's a group of older folks who've seen their lives change dramatically. The country's not the same ... All of a sudden its here for them and they don't know what to do ... Every morning when they see the president they're reminded that things are totally different than when they were born."

Dean, who became a folk hero to progressives after his iconoclastic 2004 presidential run, suggested that the Republicans may find it more difficult to attract voters in the future, as the influence of the over-55 crowd wanes. But he said the GOP could still attract new voters, provided they change their message.

“They can get this younger generation," he said. "But they can’t get it on the backs of gays and immigrants, because many of their friends are gays and immigrants."

Dean also welcomed the staffing changes at the White House and criticized current White House staffers who he said had "contempt" for the president's progressive base.

Dean didn't name names, but the comment seemed targeted at Press Secretary Robert Gibbs, who announced this week he will be leaving the White House. In an interview with The Hill last summer, Gibbs criticized the "professional left" for their frustration with President Obama's policies, provoking anger among liberals.

Aside from Gibbs, economic advisers Paul Volcker and Larry Summers are also leaving.

"As they say, don't let the door hit you in the you-know-what on the way out," Dean said.

The following video was uploaded to the Web by the Christian Science Monitor.

Howard Dean: Democrats ‘need a spinal transplant’

By David Edwards and Sahil Kapur WASHINGTON -- One year after being swept into the White House and bestowed huge majorities in Congress, Democrats have seen their towering lead over Republicans evaporate. Why? According to previous DNC chairman Howard Dean, they're just not tough enough.

Dean declared Thursday that Democrats "need a spinal transplant" as the party is too quick to succumb to Republican intimidation rather than stand by their convictions and bring their ideas to fruition.

"Republicans are so irresponsible," Dean said. "They put the good of their party ahead of the good of the country, and when that happens they don't deserve to serve in office anymore."

Dean, also former governor of Vermont, staunchly defended the efforts of Democratic Sens. Tom Harkin (IA) and Jeanne Shaheen (NH) to reform the minority party's ability to block legislation using the filibuster.

Harkin said "the abuse of the filibuster by Republicans is unprecedented" and called it "reckless.

Dean said "Republicans have decided to wreck the system in order to get their way" and taming the filibuster has become necessary in order for Democrats to effectively govern.

Republican leaders Sens. Bill Frist and Mitch McConnell threatened to abolish the filibuster just years ago in 2005 when they controlled the majority in Congress. Now, the shoe is on the other foot, and they have no intention of letting it go.

"Our problem is we're not tough enough," Dean said, alleging that Republicans would have passed their legislation using reconciliation if they faced a similar degree of opposition from Democrats.

"Republicans are obstructionists," Dean said. "They have nothing to offer. They haven't offered anything."

During December's health care deliberations, Dean grew so frustrated with his party's willingness to dilute the legislation that after the public option and Medicare buy-in provisions were removed he declared, "kill the Senate bill."

After publicly sniping with the White House on the matter, he eventually tempered his stance and reluctantly agreed the Senate bill was an improvement, if a pyrrhic victory.

This video is from MSNBC's The Rachel Maddow Show, broadcast Feb. 11, 2010.

Download video via RawReplay.com

Rachel Maddow's complete segment explaining why the filibuster should be eliminated follows:

M.C.L comment: I believe the problem extend to people who call themselves Democrats, I've always said we got three kinds of voters in America the inform but lazy, the misinform and the outright dumb. The inform but lazy knows the deal but don't want to go for the extra mile they think hey I listen to every progressive program out there, I post comments on progressive sites, I call in progressive talk shows and I voted in more than one election why aren't the Democrats more progressive? Progressives should look at the example the right wing has given us from the last 40 years, The Republican party didn't go from a corporate party to a far christian right corporate party over night it took the nuts time to take over that party.. Democrats we gotta start off local i.e. getting good progressive dems elected to school boards and other local and state offices, fight to protect the Democratic majority I rather have douchebags like Ben Nelson and Blanche Lincoln than actually Republicans and finally Alan Grayson, Howard Dean or whomever your favorite progressive don't grow on trees we gotta find them, support them and most importantly get them elected.