Howard Dean, former 2004 Democratic presidential nominee, called on his party to recapture political dominance by forming a value-based campaign – one distinct from Republicans’ – at the Annual Convention and Trade Show Newsmaker Luncheon hosted by the New England Press Association.

“Republicans won the 2004 presidential election not because voters think republicans can help them out, but because Democrats didn’t speak about their values,” Dean said.

According to Dean, the only way Democrats will win upcoming elections is by forming a values-based campaign and spreading it through all 50 states.

Dean proposed a plan for Democrats to “recapture political dominance,” claiming that if the views of Democrats and Republicans become too closely aligned, votes will go to the party already in power.

“People desperately want change in this country right now,” said Dean. “This is a terribly polarized country, but it doesn’t have to be. There is that common ground and if we can find that common ground, we can heal the country and win elections.”

Dean expressed his hope for political change that will yield honest politics, a strong national defense, better jobs, a healthcare system with universal coverage and an improved education system.

“Democratic values are the values of America,” Dean said.

Dean was highly critical of President George W. Bush, highlighting the failure to eliminate Osama bin Laden as an American threat, strip North Korea of nuclear weapons and enforce border laws as shortcomings in Bush’s administration.

He added that Bush’s “veiled” relationship with Jack Abramoff, the Republican lobbyist who recently pled guilty to defrauding Native American tribes, and the administration’s “decision to ignore” Hurricane Katrina illustrates how “this president has put politics before what’s good for America.”

“Thousands of people died in New Orleans because the president said he didn’t know about it,” he said.

Dean repeatedly expressed fear for the nation’s security and accused Bush of deceiving Americans and threatening their safety by focusing on his own political gain rather than the best interest of the nation.

“This administration is more corrupt than the administration of Richard Nixon,” Dean said.

Bush’s low ratings in the polls prove that voters are desperate for change, he continued.

In response to questions asked by convention attendees, Dean discussed of the need to reduce the defense budget, re-deploy troops in Iraq, send more troops to Afghanistan.

When asked about the Democratic position on abortion, Dean said Democrats should stop defending abortion and start defending the right for women to make their own decisions.

“We believe there are personal decisions that ought to be left in the hands of individuals rather than the hands of the hands of the government,” Dean said.

Dean made headlines for his now infamous, thundering non-concession speech — now coined “the scream” — after he finished third in the Iowa primaries in 2004. Dean’s speech has been called one of the most damaging political speeches in history by political analysts.

Newt Gingrich, former speaker of the house, said in an interview with the Washington Post in June 2005, after Dean’s “the scream” speech, “I don’t know if Howard Dean had a bad childhood, a bad middle age, a bad last year. But when you take that list of comments by somebody, one can almost say it obvious that he is almost pathologically out of touch with reality.

“I think that having Howard Dean be this bad is bad for the Democrats, and it’s bad for the Republicans. It makes us a little bit lazy, because we figure with Howard Dean as their leader we’re going to win anyway.”

Soon after the 2004 presidential election, Dean was named chairman of the Democratic National Committee and was quickly rebuked by Republicans for further incendiary remarks.

Republicans have labeled him a firebrand and a liberal extremist, and many have questioned whether his abrasive tactics actually help the Democrats.

At the outset of Friday’s event, Dean alluded to his previous outbursts with some light-hearted self-deprecation.

“I’ll probably loosen up and say some things you prefer I not say.”