Coalition Wants Retraction From Dems, Apology From Dean

By Bill Fancher

June 16, 2005

(AgapePress) – Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean’s recent attack on the Republican Party, in which he called it a party of “white Christians,” continues to generate anger among members of both political parties.

Michele Combs of the Christian Coalition of America believes Howard Dean needs to take a closer look at the GOP’s emphasis on diversity. “If you look at President Bush’s cabinet, he has the most diverse cabinet of any president before him,” she points out.

A December 2004 USA Today article noted that in President George W. Bush’s first term, he matched the record that President Bill Clinton set in his first term for appointing women and people of color to the Cabinet. But at the same time, Bush had a more diverse inner circle at the White House; and since his re-election, Clinton’s successor in the Oval Office has made a series of groundbreaking nominations, appointing a more diverse set of top advisers than any U.S. president in history.

Combs feels Howard Dean’s comments about the Republican Party were not only inaccurate but irresponsible and hypocritical. “If he would have said it about the Democratic Party,” she says, “I think probably someone would have resigned over this. So, yes, I think it’s total hypocrisy [on the part] of the Democratic Party.”

Nevertheless, Dean’s fellow Democrats have come to his defense, urging the media to focus on “issues” rather than on the DNC leader’s comments. Some conservatives see this stance as ironic, coming as it does from the party that relentlessly attacked former Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott for informal remarks he made at former Senator Strom Thurmond’s birthday party, eventually driving Lott from his GOP leadership position.

Combs feels Howard Dean’s characterization of the Republican Party as being restricted to white Christians is a sad commentary on the state to which liberal discourse has deteriorated under his headship of the DNC. She says other Democrats need to quit defending Dean and acknowledge the untruth of his statements.

“I think they definitely need to retract those words,” the Christian Coalition spokeswoman says, “because we have good Christians in the Democratic Party and the Republican Party; and I just think it was an insult to all religions that are involved in both parties.”

In a recent statement, the Christian Coalition condemned Dean for his inflammatory statements injecting race and religious affiliation into the debate on national party membership. The president of the coalition says its members agree with those in Dean’s own party, such as Senator Joe Leiberman (D-CT), who feel the DNC chairman should apologize for his divisive remarks.

Christian Coalition Wants Retraction From Dems, Apology From Dean