Just back from the Burlington Meetup; about 50 in attendance, including Gov. Dean. Here's a short recap of what he had to say:
- Thrilled to have won the Vermont primary. (Also thrilled that Burlington High beat rival Rice in State Basketball Semi.)
- Spoke with Kerry this afternoon. Dean spoke with great confidence about beating Bush. He is firmly convinced that George Bush will have a long vacation awaiting him next January. (One thing I really like about Howard Dean is that he routinely refers to the Bush administration as radicals.)
- Planning to go public on March 18 with further plans for morphing DFA. Will then start from Seattle speaking and moving forward with the agenda.
- Taking back America is about more than defeating Bush. Would like to see his supporters doing everything from running for local school boards on up. The Christian right has been very effective at the local level, particularly in school board races, for the last 20 years. This is something which must be countered.
I spoke with him outside afterward and expressed my concern, as evidenced by comments I've seen here, that some, if not many, of his younger supporters are now ready to pack their tents and go home, unwilling to support John Kerry. He was genuinely surprised as he hadn't seen this sentiment on the DFA blog. This issue will be addressed as he is first and foremost focused on regime change.
He will be heard from soon and often and will be active in trying to take back the White House, the Senate, the House, the Vermont Governor's chair, and the Vermont house.