For Dean and Dean Corps, it's in the bag

[dajabr]

By Annie Shuppy - The Daily Iowan
Howard Dean kicked off a two-day campaign swing through Iowa on Thursday by donning an apron and stuffing cans of green beans into grocery bags.

The Democratic presidential hopeful spent part of the afternoon at the Crisis Center, 1121 Gilbert Ct., bagging more than 320 pounds of food that Dean Corps - his volunteer initiative - gathered for local needy families. A frenzied crush of reporters followed Dean through the aisles of tulip-adorned Hy-Vee bags.

Dean Corps, which kicked off its first event in Iowa City, was created this summer to get the former Vermont governor's supporters involved in politics by contributing to their communities. Dean said the program will make a statement about bringing young people into politics through activism.

"We've headed this to show that we're interested in doing something other than getting votes," he told reporters. "We're emphasizing this is not just politics but also community service."

More: http://www.dailyiowan.com/news/448601.html?&mkey=495602

[thom1102]

1. First of all...

I want to say that I am a Deanie, I work for the campaign here in CT. But this is just laughable:


"We've headed this to show that we're interested in doing something other than getting votes," he told reporters. "We're emphasizing this is not just politics but also community service."

Come on! Not about politics?!? Of COURSE it's about politics! Why would he be doing this in Iowa if this weren't about politics! Not that I think there is anything wrong with it being about politics, but let's call a spade, a spade.

[Larkspur]

3. As feminists say, "The personal is politics and politics is personal"

Dean's community activism is political, but so is all of our relationships with people we meet and know.

What I think Dean is trying to demonstrate is the good side of politics, but he can't call it that directly because politics has a bad connotation in peoples' minds.

[dajabr]

4. Read closer...

"other than" & "not just"

No one is denying it's about politics - but if you can harness supporters energy to do some good while you're there, why not?

[UnapologeticLiberal]

7. We're looking into something like that here in Philly

And I think several cities are doing stuff like this.

Many of us who are working for the campaign here are active in some sort of community service efforts outside the campaign anyway, so it is not much of a stretch/

[Larkspur]

2. Dean is so way ahead of the other Prez candidates and Carville

that he just keeps amazing me more and more.

After reading Carville's remarks to Democrats on the ThomasPaine.com web site, I was saying to myself "Dean has already done and figured out what Carville was advising Democratic candidates." The Dude (Dean) is a fricken genius!

[CMT]

5. it is a good idea

and yes positive press about it will help his campaign, but it is something perhaps all the campaigns could copy.

[LuminousX]

6. Should

all the campaigns 'should' copy. With all the money that gets spent on elections, it would be nice to see some of that funneled towards the needy, even if it is only done to get a photo-op. A hungry child doesn't care if the food she got came from a politician or a philanthropist.

[Egnever]

8. Its great to see

A candidate willing to use his campaign as a means to do something positive along the way!