When the Democratic National Committee chose Howard Dean to lead their party almost two years ago, he made it clear he was not happy with the status quo.
“It is time for a new generation to take over,” Dean told a group of roughly 300 students and faculty at a UM Young and College Democrats event on Tuesday.
The student and faculty audience members from the University of Miami, Florida International University and Miami Dade College listened to Dean outline his party’s goals and plans in the Storer Auditorium.
“We are going to take back the House and it’s likely we are going to take back the Senate,” Dean said referring to the Nov. 7 mid-term elections. He added that Florida is one of three or four governorships the Democrats also hope to win.
One way he hopes to achieve this is with help of younger voters.
“We have wonderful Young and College Democrats who are working hard to get people together and get folks out to vote,” Dean said. He added, “You are rescultping politics as I hope to resculpt the Democratic Party.”
On top of this, Dean said Democrats can be competitive across the country using a 50-state strategy to get the party’s message out.
Another way to do so, he said, is to increase turnout-especially among young people.
“I would hope that most college students would vote this time because their own interests are being directly attacked by the administration,” he said.
Luis Miranda, director of regional and specialty media, said that the event was one of dozens Dean has participated in with college students.
The event featured as many as 50 of the Young Democrat group members wearing T-shirts, some of which Dean amusedly called “risqu