''Dean lambastes governor''

"The crowd grew feistier still during a dinner speech by Democratic National Committee chairman Howard Dean, who echoed an angry complaint by the state's teachers that Schwarzenegger had reneged on a promise to deliver $2 billion in unanticipated funds to public schools. "We will say no to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's attempt to take $2 billion out of the education budget," Dean said to cheers. "Governor, keep your promise to the children of California and fund public schools. We don't need any more corrupt Republicans in office in this country." The convention marked one of the first major public appearances for Dean since taking the helm at the DNC in February. The former Vermont governor and 2004 presidential candidate urged Democrats to retool their message and recognize the anxieties and insecurity that had driven many voters to the Republican party. "It's not that Americans don't share our values; our problem is that we don't communicate what those values are," Dean said. "At the other end of all their anxiety about economics is a profound anxiety about their kids. What they're worried about more than anything is their kids and their families." -from the AP story on the California Democratic convention Saturday.