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US Democrats to face governing challenge

Democrats face a challenge defending their gains in the congressional elections because "now it's what we do and not what we say," national party chairman Howard Dean told party leaders.

Dean told members of the party's executive committee on Saturday: "Governing is more difficult than campaigning" while discussing the big job the Democrats will face when they take control of Congress next month.

Also on Saturday, a Democratic National Committee rules panel gave preliminary approval to a plan to give bonus delegates to states that hold their 2008 presidential contests in April or later. That plan is intended to discourage states from jamming up the early weeks of presidential voting by moving their contests up.

Democrats, who will take control of both the House and the Senate, have outlined an agenda that includes overhauling ethics, raising the minimum wage and making college more affordable.

Dean said Democrats must prove to people in conservative and swing districts that they can earn the voters' trust.

"Elections are not mandates. Elections are power being loaned to politicians for a two-year period by the voters of this country," Dean said. "Now it's our job to earn it back again in 2008."

Such an approach is critical if Democrats are to build on their majority in Congress and retake the White House, Dean said, adding that Democrats did well last month because they appealed to all types of voters.

"[US President] George [W] Bush made a huge mistake by representing half of America while treating the rest of us with contempt," Dean said. "We need to reach out to everybody whether they agree with us or not."

Republicans said they will be watching Democrats closely.

"We have already learned the Democrat agenda of raising taxes and surrendering key fronts in the war on terror," said Republican National Committee spokesman Danny Diaz. "Republicans over the next two years will focus on holding Democrats accountable and recommitting to reforms that deliver for hardworking families."

Dean said he was pleased that Democrats drew more support than in the past from "faith voters."

Democrats gained among religious voters, including those considered evangelical Christians, because they talked about their values and competed in all parts of the country, Dean said.

Members of the Democrats' rules panel gave preliminary approval to an incentive system of bonus delegates to the party's national convention to persuade states not to move their presidential nominating contents too early in the 2008 calendar.

The idea is to discourage jamming the primary calendar after moving up Nevada and South Carolina into the first wave of contests to increase diversity in voting. The full Democratic National Committee will consider the bonus plan at their winter meeting in Washington.

Jim Roosevelt, co-chair of the rules panel, said the incentive plan could cause enough big states to hold contests later and keep the presidential competition going until late spring.
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