Two articles in the N.Y. Times make it clear that Dean is for real. That is, that he's not just trying to appease the base, but means what he says. By sticking to his guns on Iraq, challenging Clintonism, and showing his willingness to risk criticism from the DLCers, Dean has made it clear that he intends to take the party in a new direction. I, for one, am most pleased.
Here are some excerpts:
"Howard Dean sketched out an expansive "new social compact for working families" on Thursday but did so in a way that immediately put him at odds with the moderate wing of his party over domestic issues.
Making explicit reference to Bill Clinton's politically groundbreaking declaration in 1996 that the "era of big government is over," Dr. Dean, the former governor of Vermont, called for a new era for Democrats -- "not one where we join Republicans and aim simply to limit the damage they inflict on working families.""
"He said that Mr. Clinton had moved the country toward the middle, "but under President Bush the country's moved toward the far right, and if you want to move the country back toward the middle, which I want to do, you've got to talk about issues that other folks are apparently unwilling to talk about.""
"It's time for corporate America to clean up its act," he said. He also said corporations bear only 10 percent of the tax burden compared with 90 percent for individuals. "That balance needs to change," he said."
"Dr. Dean also fired back at his Democratic rivals, who had attacked him three days running for saying America was made no safer by the capture of Saddam Hussein. He skewered the "Washington politics-as-usual club," which he said had supported the Iraq war when it was popular and was paying the price."
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/12/19/national/19DEAN.html
"Their unease also reflects a wrenching debate within the Democratic Party about what the party stands for and how it should define itself in the post-Clinton era. Even before Dr. Dean made his comments about domestic policy on Thursday some of the leading centrists of the Clinton years said they were dismayed by his rallying cry that "It's time to take our party back" -- and wonder, From whom?"
Some saw Dr. Dean's remark on Mr. Hussein's capture as a sign that he would remain defiant toward President Bush, a quality that his supporters greatly admire.
""We don't want a wimp in this part of the country," said Representative Marcy Kaptur, Democrat of Ohio. "Everything I've read that Dean has said about Saddam seems to be right on point. Our people have struggled to make a living and they want a fighter. They don't want some kind of Hollywood production with hair spray.""
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/12/19/politics/campaigns/19DEMS.html