Howard Dean Dean's site has
Dean's site has very detailed issue statements on a very wide variety of issues, along with sections on "The Dean Record," which describe his accomplishments as Vermont's governor.
Economic Plan: Dean wants to spend $100 billion over two years to foster job growth, with a number of programs that seem similar to New Deal "put the country to work" initiatives. His economic philosophy is in favor of international trade, with "strict and enforceable labor standards" and environmental considerations. This sounds great to me. Dean's economic document notes that he has presided over 11 straight years of balanced budgets in Vermont.
Health Care: "Governor Dean believes it is time for the United States to join most of the nations of the developed world and guarantee its citizens health care insurance that cannot be taken away." Although he is not advocating a single-payer system, his plan contains many specifics and seems like a reasonable plan to make sure all American are insured. It's a hell of a lot better than the nothing we've got now.
Civil Rights: Dean signed Vermont's same sex civil unions law, and while he falls short of suggesting similar rights be instituted on a national level, he pledges to take steps to ban workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation and end "don't ask, don't tell" in the military. He uses tough language against the Patriot Act, but doesn't offer as many specifics there.
Iraq: Dean seems to have a fairly standard Democratic Iraq stand, suggesting that NATO should be drafted to maintain order there, other countries ought to help pay for reconstruction, and that the UN's "Food for Oil" program ought to become a more general "Oil for Recovery" program.
I understand Dean is one of the frontrunners in the nomination race, and from what I read today, he would be a fine challenger to Bush.
Comments