Howard Dean and dKos idolatry

I've always thought that one of the left wing's biggest virtues is that we don't buy into the cult of personality.  For the right wing, Bush, Reagan, Gingrich, and possibly even Rush are god-like figures (just look at what happened when Reagan died).  For us, we accept our leaders as human, fallible and sometimes even wrong.

But watching what's been happening on dKos here these last few months, I'm starting to think that the left and the right aren't so different.  The worship (I can't think of a better word here) of Howard Dean exhibited on this site is just too much.  Every diary mentioning Dean gets at least 30 comments, if not recommended.  Every straw poll of one state's DNC members gets front-page airing.  People who've seen Dean speak in person act like he's some kind of rock star.  

Let's get a few things straight right now:

1. Howard Dean would have gotten beaten as badly or worse than Kerry in the campaign.  The Republicans managed to turn a war hero into a spineless, weak-on-defense Massachusetts liberal.  As someone else on this site noted a while ago, all that was missing was the shot of Kerry wearing the goofy helmet in the tank.  How would an anti-war candidate from a tiny, landlocked, gay-marriage state with little foreign affairs experience have fared?

2.  Howard Dean cannot save the Democractic Party.  To save the party, we're going to need, among other things, good candidates, party unity, well-run campaigns, and a clear, concise message.  As head of the DNC, Dean can contribute to these things but he's not going to be the deciding factor.  In fact, there are already some disturbing signs that Dean may be a divider, not a uniter - the DLC wing of the party has opposed him all along, and a recent poll showed that few Democrats support him for head of the party.  To most Americans, he's just that guy who screamed in Iowa.  He's going to have his work cut out for him.

I'm honestly pleased that Dean is probably going to head the DNC.  He's inspiring, great at fundraising, and really good at working the netroots.  But getting caught up in Dean worship is a bad idea.  It distracts from the fact that we, not Howard Dean, have to do the work to get the party in order and get ready for the next round of elections.  We have to have clear heads and be critical of what Dean and the rest of the Democratic Party leadership say and do.  After the losses we dems have suffered the last few years, nobody should get a free pass in this party, including Howard Dean.

So, if you all want to pin your hopes to Dean, go ahead.  I prefer to have an open mind, and I will judge Dean on his performance.  Most of all, though, I will remember that I have a responsiblity to help fix my party and my country, and I'm not going to look at Dean with starry eyes and hope that he'll do it for me.

Update [2005-2-2 1:53:19 by Scott in NAZ]:I don't have time to answer all the criticisms I'm getting from the pro-Dean faction. But I do want to say this: most (not all) of the responses have simply been saying how great Dean is or how he would have won the election. You're missing my point. My point is that raising any political figure to god-like status benefits no one in the end.

Dean got you involved in politics? Great. That doesn't mean that Dean can save this party or even that he'll be a good DNC chair. The tools that make someone a good candidate are not necessarily the same ones that will make them a good party leader. Just because lots of people volunteered for Candidate Dean does not mean that lots will volunteer for DNC Head Dean. I remain hopeful and somewhat optimistic that Dean will do a good job. But the burden rests soundly on us, the party activists, to get the work done.