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DNC Chairman Howard Dean: Black, Hispanic, Asian, Gay Republicans Not "In Their Right Mind"

March 26, 2008

(Washington, DC) – In a bizarre speech to party activists in Madison, Wisconsin on Tuesday, Democratic National Committee Chairman Governor Howard Dean said, "Who in their right mind, if they were African American or Hispanic or Asian American, if they were gay or lesbian, would join the Republican Party?" Interestingly, the remarks come weeks after Dean spent two days this month getting deposed in a lawsuit over his alleged mistreatment of the DNC's gay and lesbian outreach director.

"Howard Dean has said a lot of silly things in his career, but these comments take the cake," said Log Cabin Republicans President Patrick Sammon. "To assert that African-Americans, Hispanics, Asian-Americans, or gays and lesbians who support the Republican Party are 'not in their right mind' is insulting to millions of Americans."

"Gov. Dean needs to explain his callous assertion," said Sammon. "It's unfortunate that the Chairman of the Democratic Party would rather divide people than engage in a thoughtful debate about policy ideas or a vision for our country's future. Americans deserve to know whether the two Democratic presidential candidates, Senators Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, agree with these remarks," said Sammon.

"The chairman of the DNC should focus on what unites Americans instead of dividing us by race or sexual orientation," said Sammon. "All voters, regardless of race or sexual orientation, have reasons to consider the Republican Party. Millions of Americans – black, Hispanic, Asian and gay – have joined the GOP because they agree that we need to promote individual freedom, stay on offense in the war on terror, promote free trade, advocate for personal responsibility, give individuals more power over their own lives, and keep the tax burden on families as low as possible."

Dean is currently fighting a lawsuit filed by the DNC's former gay and lesbian outreach director, Donald Hitchcock. Hitchcock says the Democratic Party discriminated against him because he's gay and retaliated against him because his partner, well-known Democratic activist Paul Yandura, criticized the DNC for not doing enough to fight anti-gay ballot initiatives.

"Gov. Howard Dean is leading a party that takes a lot of money from gay and lesbian Americans, but has delivered very little for them," said Sammon. "He's even embroiled in a lawsuit over his alleged mistreatment of a gay employee. But, now, he's asserting that gays and lesbians, among other groups, would not be 'in their right mind' if they didn't vote Democrat. You just can't make this up."