''Even in new role, Dean comes out blazing''

"The Democratic National Committee chair pulls no punches in a passionate speech at Skyview High School---VANCOUVER -- The speech was billed as "Civic Engagement and Democracy in the 21st Century," but Howard Dean punched it up with some politics Tuesday night. Dean, chairman of the Democratic National Committee and a former presidential candidate, talked about the importance of participating in a democracy during his college-sponsored speech at Skyview High School near Vancouver. But he heard the loudest whoops and applause when he delivered campaign-style attacks on the Republican Party and the Bush administration. He also blasted proposals to privatize Social Security and emphasized the need for individuals to contribute money to political candidates to offset the influence of corporate giving. He wasn't speaking as chairman of the Democratic Party, Dean said at the outset of the speech, noting that he committed to the engagement before he got his current job in mid-February. "But I intend to be partisan," he said, to applause and cheering. Even his entry onto the stage at Skyview High had the feel of a campaign stop. Nearly all of the 1,100 people who paid $11 admission stood and cheered. "Yeah," Dean said, roving the stage with a wireless microphone. "How many of you are really from Portland?" Plenty, it appeared. "I thought a few of you snuck across the bridge," he said." On Tuesday, a message from Dean on the Democratic National Committee's Web site urged people to give money to help political organizing in general and four states specifically that voted for President Bush last November: North Dakota, Missouri, North Carolina and West Virginia. And Dean spoke passionately about the importance of money to the Vancouver audience. "The reason we need you to give money is because the political process on both sides -- but particularly on the Republican side -- has been utterly corrupted by people who give huge amounts of money from large corporations," Dean said. With his voice rising, he continued, "The middle-class people get squeezed out of the political process. And people don't care, but they have a say. "You want campaign finance reform? Don't wait for the Congress or the Legislature to pass it, give 15 or 20 bucks to the candidates you care about. "We raised $53 million -- more than anybody else, and we didn't owe a dime to anybody except to you," he concluded, prompting shouts and applause."-from the story this morning in The Oregonian.