Wednesday, May 11, 2005

''Dean wants Sanders to help negotiate peace between Progs and Dems''

"MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) — Former Gov. Howard Dean, now the chairman of the Democratic National Committee, said Tuesday night he is hoping that U.S. Rep. Bernie Sanders can help persuade potential Progressive Party candidates to stay out of next year’s races for the U.S. House and lieutenant governor. “We all recognize that Bernie does not have the power to tell anybody who can and cannot run for office,” said Dean. “But if we are going to work together, we should work together across the board.”

Dean’s comments came in a telephone interview in which the former governor made it clear he has not yet endorsed Sanders’ bid for the U.S. Senate.

“Bernie is going to be an extremely strong candidate, but I think it is a little premature for me to endorse him right this minute,” said Dean. There have been conflicting reports about whether Democratic leaders have endorsed Sanders. Dean said those reports stem from the differing perspectives of Democrats in Washington and those in Vermont regarding Sanders.
“Here’s the problem,” said Dean. “From the national perspective, of which I am now a part of, Bernie is a very strong candidate who votes with Democrats. From a Vermont perspective, there are still some issues to work out to make sure the Vermont folks are comfortable with all this.”-from the story on Foster's Online.

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