Another Take on Howard Dean’s Speech

Alexa Pichert, Drake University Journalism Student, Des Moines, IA,

Denver National Convention Center- Friday August 22

(Photo by Jeff Glaze)

After we had waited around for about forty-five minutes, Howard Dean finally showed up to give a fifteen-minute speech. Granted it was a good speech. I’m not sure if it was worth the wait, though. When Dean first walked up to the podium, an audience member yelled “Yee-Haw!” --imitating his famous yell during the 2004 primaries, which most likely cost him the nomination. Dean, to his credit, ignored the rude but slightly funny comment and continued with his speech about our generation.

He first praised the youth for turning out and voting. Which seems to contradict what everyone in America is saying about the voting percentage of people in their twenties. Dean explained that in the 2000 and the 2004 elections young voters increased by twenty percent each election. Dean said that the youth of America are much more accepting and we continue to vote more Democratic with each election. He believed this was because our generation can no longer relate to Republicans. There are very few rich, old, white men that are our age, he said. We can relate to a multiracial and multicultural face because that’s what we as a generation are.

“I believe it is a good thing young women take for granted their rights, I believe it is a good thing young African Americans expect to be treated with respect,” said Dean. This is one subject I hear about a lot as a young woman. That I take for granted the rights that I have. I disagree with Dean, though. We don’t take for granted our rights; we just know we should be treated as equals and expect to be. Dean said our generation was one that expects to be treated equally and fairly no matter your race, gender, or sexual orientation. We are far from being perfect and there is still racism out there but we expect respect from others and no longer accept unfair treatment. Dean says that this is why people of our generation are so much more willing to vote for Barack Obama.

All in all I thought this speech was a very good one, especially considering the crowd he was talking to and the election with Obama. Maybe not worth a forty-five minute wait but luckily for me, I was late too so it was only about twenty minutes which I’d say were worth it.