West Virginia daily

Democratic National Chairman Howard Dean says his party needs to do more to appeal to voters who have been lost because of unease over "values," including people who oppose abortion and parents who are dismayed by TV programs they find offensive for their children.

"We need to be a national party, we need a national message, and we need to understand why people in dire economic straits - people who certainly aren‘t being helped by Republican policies - why they vote for George Bush," he said. "We need to respect voters in red states who want to vote for us, but we make it hard for them by not listening to what they have to say."

In his first major interview since being elected party chairman in February, Dean struck some themes that echoed his presidential campaign in 2004. He is focusing on building grass-roots organizations and training state parties to tap the Internet for fundraising - areas in which his campaign pioneered. (Related story: Democrats must stop ‘speaking down to voters,‘ Dean says)

But the message Dean outlined was a contrast to the one in his campaign, which was fueled by opposition to the war in Iraq and drew mostly liberal support.

What Democrats need to do now, Dean said, is recast the debate on issues including abortion and win back voters who might be drawn to the party for its stands on economic issues and health care.

Democrats get "caught" in defending abortion, he said. "Well, there‘s nobody who‘s pro-abortion, not Democratic or Republican. What we want to debate is who gets to choose: (House Majority Leader) Tom DeLay and the federal politicians? Or does a woman get to make up her own mind?"

He said the party also should encourage "pro-life Democrats" to run for office.

Some Democratic state chairmen who met with Dean in Little Rock last week started out skeptical about the new chairman, according to Roger Wilson, Missouri chairman and a former governor. Wilson said Dean won them over with his "look-you-right-in-the-eye" manner.

Dean promised to do more to bolster state parties, including in places where Democrats haven‘t fared well lately. He announced grants totaling $465,000 for state organizations in Missouri, North Carolina, North Dakota and West Virginia - all Bush states.

This is cache, read story here