I am so grateful that the Democrats have selected Howard Dean as their leader. His methods of “reaching out” to so-called “Red” America, which includes most Washington counties, like this one, are likely to ensure Republican control of the government for a generation.

His latest laugh-out-loud attempt at outreach came when he tried to deride Republicans as “a white, Christian party.” This from a guy who was governor of the least diverse state of the union, and whose party’s last three nominees for president had no people of color in positions of power (second tier commerce secretaries notwithstanding). Mr. Dean represents a party who has done nothing for minorities in the last 30 years except take their votes for granted, filibuster qualified Hispanics, African Americans and women nominated for the judiciary, and thwart minorities’ pursuit of the American dream with the “soft bigotry of low expectations.”

Mr. Dean’s comments are especially laughable when you consider that he is talking about the party of the first African American Secretary of State, the first African American woman National Security Advisor and Secretary of State, the only African American on the Supreme Court, the party that overcame the Democrat filibuster of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (see a pattern there?), and, oh yeah, ended slavery. 

I, for one, would much rather be a part of a party whose philosophy is that anyone can succeed in America as long as government stays out of their way, than a party that tries to divide this great nation into little groups and says to some of those groups, “you can’t make it unless you put us in power so we can give you what you can’t get on your own.” 

It’s certainly no surprise to learn that Mr. Dean and the Democrats think being a Christian is a bad thing. It’s only surprising that he would admit it. I know that Republicans are proud to be the party that welcomes Christians (along with anyone else who believes in the American dream), but does that mean that Mr. Dean thinks the Democrats are the party of the anti-Christians? 

Jeff Adams

Coupeville