Howard Dean was in Austin...
...but I didn't find out about the event until after the fact.
I've searched around and collected some of the things he spoke about.
Dean Stumps on President's Home Ground
My message is balance the budget. My message is health insurance for every American. I don't see why that wouldn't play here.
He wants to balance the budget AND grant health insurance for every American. Right. Why is anyone taking him seriously? All these universal or near-universal health care proposals demand either a dramatic increase in taxes or federal budget cuts. Considering the holy nature of Social Security and other entitlement programs, it's hardly likely they'll get cut (though cuts such as those would do more to balance the budget than any other single thing).
As governor, Dean signed the civil unions law that gives gay and lesbian couples all the rights and benefits of marriage granted by the state. He also lowered the state's income and sales taxes and received high ratings from the National Rifle Association by opposing gun control measures.
Evidence that not all Democrats are wrongheaded.
All of us are equal, or none of us is equal.
Sounds great to me, however...
Bush uses the term 'quotas' to describe affirmative action at the University of Michigan. The University of Michigan doesn't have a quota system, and that's a race-loaded term intended to frighten Americans afraid of losing their jobs.
...it sound like he's defending the racist system the university uses to give an advantage to certain minorities. Which, of course, has nothing to do with equality.
Presidential hopeful rallies backers in Austin
If you say, 'You have a choice: You can keep the tax cuts, or you can have health insurance that will never be taken away; you can keep the tax cuts, or you can fully fund special education so your class size doesn't expand,' . . . people are going to choose jobs, health care and education because they didn't get the tax cuts.
Health insurance is going to be a big issue the next election, and it seems each Democrat nominee believes more taxpayer money should be driven towards a larger scheme. Just as bad, the GOP can't pull it's head out of it's ass and stop promoting additional benefits to the elderly (such as prescription drugs). The status quo is ugly, but better than these alternatives.
And just briefly, we don't need more tax money going towards education. Bush fucked up with the education bill and the damage needs to be undone.
Democratic candidate holds rally
[Bush has] divided us by race by talking about quotas. He's divided us by gender by attacking Title IX. I'm tired, Mr. President, of being divided."
Yes! Join the Hive Mind. No disagreement and division there...
In Houston...
People's property taxes in Texas are going to go up ... People's property taxes are going up because the federal government and state government aren't sending as much money to Houston as they used to.[...]
As for the dilemma of health care for illegal immigrants, Dean would have the federal government pick up the tab for the children of undocumented immigrants.
[...]
Dean, saying he was distraught with rising unemployment and a growing national deficit...
The policies he wants to push would require enormous amounts of federal dollars. But he wants to balance the budget. The only option is to place a heavier tax burden on America, or most likely the wealthier portion of the country.
No way I'd support him.