This is the second post in two days from me on some of the issues I have with Dean. Before you bludgeon me, please at the very least consider what I have to say.
This morning E.J. Dionne Jr. had a terrific post in the Washington Post entitled, "One Nation Deeply Divided. You can read it here: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A10319-2003Nov6.html
It captured many of the feelings I have felt over the last year. My biggest fear of Dean is that he will not only contribute to this divide, but make it worse. He's a polarizing figure, not only within the Democratic party, but across the nation. Part of this is due to his personality, as the Washington Post Editorial today cited:
"He gets testy over the words of others,
but can be loose with his own. Mr. Dean
said he regretted saying that Sen. Bob
Graham (Fla.) wasn't in the top tier of
candidates, then mystifyingly took issue
with those who said he had apologized.
When Mr. Stephanopoulos asked about his
past strong support of the North American
Free Trade Agreement, Mr. Dean pounced,
demanding, "Where do you get this 'I'm a
strong supporter of NAFTA'?" -- though in
fact he had described himself as "a very
strong supporter of NAFTA" on that same
network eight years earlier. And there is
an edge, in his remarks, not just of anger
but of condescension. He recently likened
members of Congress to insects, saying
that they are "going to be scurrying for
shelter, just like a giant flashlight on a
bunch of cockroaches" after he is
elected."
I fear that if Dean were to become the nominee, the fight for the election next year will make `00 pale in comparison. Republicans will be at their finest. While we of course will rally to Dean's defense, I seriously doubt Dean the candidate would pull enough votes from independents and wavering Republicans to win the election. The other reason for this is that he's been pegged, unfairly, as the liberal. He's the anti-war candidate, the McGovern of `04; he's the liberal from a small northeastern state renowned for liberalism; the candidates for gays, and so on.
When attacked or challenged, Dean's weakness come out. He's defensive, arrogant and a tad disheveled. And as we all hope (or should hope anyway), the situation in Iraq will improve by election time next year. If indeed it does, Dean's rhetoric certainly won't resinate with independents or wavering Republicans.
If the economy continues to improve, as we all hope it does, there goes another issue for Dean.
His campaign, in my view, rests on the hope that things will continue to deteriorate or at the very least get no better. That's the only conceivable way, in my view again, that he can win. It's a campaign driven on anger. And as Charles Krauthammer correctly said today in the Post, "anger is a sometime thing, hard to sustain day in and day out, while Dean's Yalie, moneyed blueblood roots (remarkably similar to those of the man he would like to run against) are forever."
While I understood what Dean meant with the confederate flag comment, the negative impression it left will now stay with him. It's an issue the Republicans will exploit to no end next year....and the southerners won't look to kindly on Dean for that - the independents and wavering Republicans, that is.
We are indeed a deeply divided nation. I am Kerry supporter first and foremost, but I am also an enthusiastic Clark supporter. Clark may very well become the stop Dean candidate. No, it's a not a devious plan by the DLC or DNC. It stems from the fact that most people do not believe Dean can deliver the goods come the general election.
Clark has the ability to rise above a lot of the bitter partisan nastiness that has consumed the nation. He is a true outsider, with a deep and positive vision for the nation and the world. His scholarly background appeals to the intellectuals; his blue-collar background and astounding military record appeals to independents and wavering Republicans; his solid Democratic values and policies appeal to the rank and file Democrats, and so on. This may all sound naive, but call me an idealist. I truly believe he can, at the very least, temper the vitriol that has infested our body politic. Make no bones about it, the Republicans will come at him with full force and all the tricks in the book. Unlike the other candidates, however, I think they will ring hollow. Once the people in our nation get to know Clark, they will see impeccable integrity and a strong leader....something we so badly need.
We do need a strong leader. Our present state, both globally and domestically, is unsustainable. This is a guy that pieced together a 19-member coalition in one of the most uncoalition-friendly wars in history. I have little doubt he will be able to repair the damage.
Other people have written eloquently about Clark on here, perhaps they could expand on this a bit, so I don't feel the need to go into it again. Honestly I don't have the energy right now...been a long day. BUT...for what it's worth....my two cents yet again...