I'm tired of hearing the "unelectable" argument from anti-Dean folks. Here's the skinny:
- The same people who are saying Dean is unelectable are the same folks who predicted a Gephardt win in Iowa, based on his organization. Conventional wisdom is rarely right.
- "The Rebel Yell" will die down with time. I haven't seen one poll that has Dean's unfavorability ratings shooting up, even though it is being played 24/7.
- In an extremely polarized country, any Democrat can win.
- Dean has brought new folks into the process. He's made it cool for young people to follow politics again. However, young people are turned off by negative campaigning, and instead surged for Kerry and Clark.
- I've spoken with dozens of Deaniacs who are NOT Democrats and will NOT vote for Kerry, Clark, or Edwards. They're willing to allow Bush's re-election if the alternative is a pale version of Dean.
- Dean is still strong in fundraising, way ahead of Kerry in the post-Iowa two day period. He's the only candidate that can legitimately take on Bush dollar for dollar.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/archive/2004/01/21/politics2152EST0801.DTL
7. Any holes in Dean's resume can be solved by a solid Vice Presidential pick.
That's the straight dope, folks.
You should stop trying to tear down fellow candidates, because if Dean is the nominee, you either support the guy, or let Bush get re-elected.