Losing presidential primary candidate Howard Dean, still popular in his party, has stayed in Boston to cheer on Democratic delegates and encourage them not to moderate their politics too much just to win. Speaking yesterday to the Pennsylvania delegation, he said that where he and the Kerry campaign disagree is over whether to tone down the party's liberal, progressive message in order to reach out to independents. "I do not believe the Democrats can win by becoming Republican lite," he said, according to the notes of a delegate inside the room. He also stuck to many of his controversial campaign positions, a key one being his restatement that America is not safer since the 9/11 attacks – and he said that is because Osama bin Laden has not been caught. "He was very much staying on the left in his message," said the delegate. The party official also said that Dean, the former Vermont governor, urged the delegates to build a strong grass roots get-out-the-vote campaign to "counter the Karl Rove grass roots strategy."

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