A few days ago, I was looking at the depth of the loss in NH and Iowa and the abysmal polling numbers for Dean. I was wallowing in `what might have been'. I wrote an obituary.
Today, it is still looking funereal around here. Dean may well get knocked out of this race. But I will pony up for him (again). I will support him to the end (whatever he defines it to be) and if he is not nominated in 2004, I will support him for a 2008 run (against Kerry, if necessary).
I did not watch him on MTP yesterday. I wish I had. I read the transcript and I was forcefully reminded of why I supported him in the first place. Nothing has changed.
He took the `you guys blew your stash' accusation like a man. Came out and said it right up: yep, it was a gamble and no, I am not blaming anyone for it - I knew exactly what we were doing'
Explained why paying higher prices at Wal Mart may actually be a good thing:
DEAN: Well, you know what they get in return? American jobs stop going overseas. Illegal immigration is reduced to a trickle, because people are going to make money in their own countries instead of having to come here to feed their families. And you get a much better world security, because you develop middle classes in developing countries. I think that's a pretty good tradeoff.
Brilliant. Bloody brilliant.
And True.
He again nailed it with the NRA thing:
Q: Do you believe that the NRA has been a positive force in America?
DEAN: It has in Vermont. I can't speak about America.
I think the NRA is less positive the closer you get to big cities, because they have these crazy ideas like you ought to be able to have a bazooka on your front lawn, and all that kind of stuff, under the Second Amendment.
In Vermont, the NRA was very helpful. We did -- as governor, I preserved 8 percent of the entire land mass of the state of Vermont, never to be developed. The NRA was very helpful, because hunters get that you can't hunt if you don't have habitat.
Actually that endorsement's interesting. You know, I believe in the assault weapons ban. And I believe in background checks and extending background checks to gun shows. I never met a hunter that thought you ought to have a AK-47...
RUSSERT: But, Governor, the NRA's against that. They're against the Brady Bill.
DEAN: I know. The NRA is not going to endorse me this time.
And finally, why I really want to vote the guy into office in 2008, if not in 2004:
DEAN: Yes, but, you know, a lot of that preexisting political condition was spin from other campaigns. You know, I never lost my temper once in 12 years with any staff member when I was in the legislature, although I did blow up at a few legislators from time to time.
This is ridiculous. Look, here's the guts of this campaign. First of all, as we've already talked about, I'll say things that aren't popular, if I think they're right for the country, and that's why Harry Truman's my idol.
Secondly, I don't owe anybody anything. We got less than 11 percent of our money in $2,000 checks. The other candidates, John Kerry, for example, and I don't want to pick just on John Kerry, but he's exactly the opposite, so is John Edwards. For example, they get the majority of their money from those $2,000 checks.
And the most important thing is they're all talking and none of them have delivered. John Kerry, for example, 11 bills on health care, not one passed. Three-hundred and fifty bills introduced, three passed. You know, he's always talking about veterans' health care -- his bill died in committee.
On the other hand, everybody in my state under 18 has health insurance. A third of our seniors have prescription benefits. We visit 100 percent of moms in the hospital, 91 percent follow-ups, child abuse down 43 percent, balanced budgets 11 years in a row.
What I could offer is real results. That's what governors do. That's what this campaign is about.
And all this little niggling around the edges and the spinning and the subterranean rumors, that's part of presidential politics, I understand that. I've actually kind of gotten a kick out of the beating I've taken in the press and from the other candidates, because if you're not ready to do that, then you shouldn't be president of the United States. This is all part of the initiation process.
But we're going to come back, Tim. We are tough, we are going to change this country, and we're going to come back, because we have a record that is based on results and not hot air.
So why the hell did he not say this a month ago?