Dean Urges Democrats To Get Back To Core Values

Democrats should get back to the party's core values, including providing universal health coverage, supporting abortion rights, investing in renewable energy sources and balancing the federal budget.

Dean also said Democrats should appeal first to supporters the party has left behind in recent years, including African Americans, trade unionists and women.

"We're not going to beat George Bush by being Bush-lite," Dean told the cheering crowd of about 500 at the state Democratic Party's annual Warren Magnuson awards event at Meany Hall on the University of Washington campus.

"We're so far to the right, we don't even know where we are anymore."

In the 1990s, when the Vermont state treasury was flush with money, Dean said the state invested it back into the state instead of handing out large tax cuts.

The federal government should have done the same, he said.

More should have been spent on mass transit and building roads, developing renewable energy sources, helping small businesses and expanding broadband telecommunications into inner cities and rural areas, he said.

"What are Democrats doing defending any part of the Bush tax cut?" he asked.