This is from a
column by Doug Ireland on TomPaine.com:
Does he have the will, desire, and vision to transform his legions of enthusiastic Deaniacs into a permanent, on-the-ground electoral instrument to "take back" the Democratic Party in future contests? If he doesn't, can the Dean blogosphere, on its own, consciously coagulate itself into an institutionalized grassroots electoral fighting force capable of contesting future primaries against the moneyed, handpicked candidates of the party's establishment? Will Dean, when he inevitably loses, simply turn over his extensive computer lists to the national Democrats, in the hopes of some future reward from the party? Or will Dean fall victim to the kind of angry pique on display in his "I Have a Scream" speech, lock his lists in a closet, and go home and sulk--and let his movement evaporate, as so many other insurgent candidates, from Jerry Brown to Jesse Jackson to Ralph Nader, have done before him?
The answer to those questions will be the ultimate test of Howard Dean's true character.
Unlike Ireland, I haven't given up all hope that Dean could be the nominee, but if he isn't, I will be asking the same questions. A lot of my admiration for Dean is based on the belief that he will keep working to build a movement that can transform the Democratic party. I don't see him being co-opted by the Democratic establishment. What could they offer him that he really wants? And I don't see him as sulking. Ireland is wrong about the Iowa speech--it wasn't "angry pique", it was "rouse the troops". Dean's the type who would say "Don't get mad, get even". What better way of getting even than making sure the Democratic party can't just sink back into politics as usual?