Author: Rick Klau

“What we’re not going to do is try to beat George Bush by being Bush Lite.” “Tough on defense is doing what JFK did when he stood down the hawks. Sometimes it’s tougher to stand for peace than to stand for war.” “What we’re going to do is give the 50% of Americans who’ve given…

My wife just IM’d me that thunder storms are on the way: Still sunny here!

“The secret to turning around the economy, is to put money in the pockets of working families.” “John Ahscroft on tour promoting the Patriot Act is like the Secretary of Labor and Secretary of the Treasury going on the ‘jobs tour.’ That was the cheapest Greyhound bus ticket you’ve ever seen!”

Governor Dean just acknowledged a few people in the crowd: Alderman Joe Moore from Chicago, Kevin Conlon, Curt Schmoke (former mayor of Baltimore). “Not one Republican president has balanced a budget in 34 years.” “George Bush doesn’t know a deficit from a doughnut.”

The recent Georgetown grad from Chicago’s south side who’s introducing Howard Dean just had a great line: “The truth is, President Bush isn’t on vacation in August. He’s been on vacation since he took office!”

Kevin Conlon, Illinois state chair for Dean for America, just took the stage. “Did you get a 35 day vacation?” “NO!”

The press just showed up on the risers; I just spent 10 minutes talking with Mark Silva at the Orlando Sentinel who’s been traveling with the tour since Virginia. More on his observations shortly. The crowd is growing!