Dean: ‘The idea that Gordon Smith and John McCain represent change is a joke’

Howard Dean: Getty Images PhotoDemocratic National Committee chairman Howard Dean said Friday that in order for Jeff Merkley to continue his upward trend in the polls, he has to continue to make the conversation focus on U.S. Sen. Gordon Smith’s record in Washington D.C.

“The idea that Gordon Smith and John McCain represent change is a joke,” Dean said. “They want to talk furniture, hot dogs, lipstick. How about this: Let’s talk about Gordon Smith and John McCain.”

Dean said that once people saw what Republican congressman had done to legislation important to the country, they would not be able to justify their record to American people who are looking for new leadership in the nation’s capital.

“Republicans killed renewable energy because the thought it would be better to embarrass Democrats than to do something for the country,” Dean said. “Republicans killed a bill for children’s health care because they thought it was better to support their president, and his 30 percent approval rating, than it was to give kids insurance.”

Dean was in Portland participating in events for Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama’s volunteers, urging them to keep working hard in every county in the state, even ones that are traditional Republican backers.

“Grassroots is how you win these things,” Dean said. “We talked to volunteers out in Lake County earlier today, and we told them to keep working. We don’t have to win these counties, but we do have to improve performance.”

In order to win votes, Dean told the crowd of about 500 people gathered that they had to continue to work hard, and keep the conversation about presidential candidate John McCain and Smith, rather than get distracted by frivolous issues Dean said these two candidates have created.

“The fact that Gordon Smith and John McCain voted 85 or 90 percent with the Bush administration says it all,” Dean said. “And I don’t care what they say, they are not change candidates.”

Obama’s polls have been holding steady in Oregon even after the Republican National Convention. But, Dean told the crowd, there would be hard days ahead.

“There are some days you feel bad, but you know what you do? You work harder,” Dean told the cheering crowd. “We are in this, and we are going to win this.”