''Dean's Secret Fans''

"...there's little talk of ousting Dean, whose support is stronger than ever among the Democrats who were largely responsible for putting him there in February. That includes state party chairmen from conservative parts of the country. "He's doing an excellent job," says Wayne Dowdy, party chairman in Mississippi, where, he says, a Dean appearance in April drew 1,200 people ("We've never had half that number before at a state party event") and raised more than $100,000. State Democratic parties have complained for years about being ignored by the national operation in Washington. Since taking office, Dean has traveled to some two dozen states and has sent state groups nearly $1 million. In places like North Dakota, chairman David Strauss will be able to use a promised $84,000 to pay six months of salaries for an executive director and three other jobs. Still, Dean's manner has alienated some of the party's biggest donors, who grumble they can't even get their phone calls returned by the national party headquarters. Dean aides say he is doing fine for a year in which there's no presidential race, raising roughly $1 million a week so far. But that's less than half what the Republicans say they are bringing in this year."-from the story in TIME magazine. I post this so you will know what people in various waiting rooms across America are reading about Howard Dean this week.