Democratic leaders stand up for Dean

Democratic leaders stand up for Dean
Anti-GOP rhetoric brought criticism

By Nina J. Easton and Rick Klein, Globe Staff | June 9, 2005

WASHINGTON -- A round of criticism from fellow Democrats and major donors about Howard Dean's four-month tenure as Democratic National Committee chairman has prompted Senate leaders to rise to his defense at a public event planned for today.

Originally scheduled as a private meeting between Dean and the leadership team of Senate minority leader Harry Reid of Nevada, today's session instead will now include a news conference and photo opportunity as a public embrace of Dean, who has rocked the political world over the past week with provocative condemnations of the Republican party. On recent occasions, Dean has said many Republicans ''never made an honest living in their lives," described the Republican Party as ''pretty much a white, Christian party," and declared that House majority leader Tom DeLay of Texas, who is facing ethics questions but has not been charged with any crime, ought to go back to Houston where he can serve his jail sentence.

''I do not agree with those comments," said Representative Steny H. Hoyer of Maryland, the House Democratic whip. ''A party chairman's job is to organize the party, to support policy-makers."

Despite criticism of his remarks since the weekend from Hoyer and other congressional Democrats, Dean yesterday refused to back down, asserting in an interview on NBC's ''Today Show" that Republicans are ''outside the mainstream." In an interview last month with the Globe, the former presidential candidate said Republican policy makers had ''gone off the deep end," and called the party's stance on gay marriage and other cultural issues ''despicable."