Notes for the echo chamber:
There is a lot of End Times prophecy going on this week, as far as Dean is concerned. Considering the most recent numbers for Dean in Wisconsin, I am afraid it is well warranted.
The question that is on everyone's mind is, "What is going to happen to all those fervent Dean supporters if he drops out?" The assumption is that there will be a sort of
Dean Rapture, in which his true believers vanish from the political process without a trace and are not able to help the eventual Democratic candidate in the general election of 2004.
I'd like to suggest that such a situation is not necessary and not at all inevitable.
First, though, I want to share some absolute truths that I am working from:
- A grassroots revolution is important, vital and essential for the renewal and success of the Democratic party.
- Dean's fundraising prowess can and does add great strength and resiliency to the Democratic party.
- Dean's true and radically centrist policy platform is the future of the Democratic party. Any other platform leads us back into the past and to inevitable loss. The old "welfare state" liberalism is dead.
These things being true, it is essential for the life of the Democratic party that Dean supporters make their peace with those "left behind" and not vanish without a trace.
I propose the following actions for those who support Kerry and others, as regards their behavior toward Dean supporters:
- Allow them to save face and accept their loss with dignity. Enough with assaults on Dean supporters aimed at gaining their humiliation to the detriment of party support and unity.
- Be gracious in accepting the gifts that Dean Democrats have brought to the party, especially the courage, the energy and the cash.
- Inspire Dean supporters to join your candidate's camp with elevated discourse and persuasive conversation about the policies that your guy has to offer. Give them something to hold onto, moving toward the general election.
And here are some words for Dean supporters:
- Listen to what Howard Dean says after the Wisconsin vote. If he is worth his salt as a candidate (and I believe he is), he will give his supporters some direction about where to spend their energies between then and the convention.
- Know the value of the assets that you bring to the party. Like me, you probably have a "personal precinct" of Democratic voters and a fundraising network as well. You deserve to be respected and rewarded for these.
- Smile, embrace and donate to the eventual (non-Dean) nominee. Put the sour grapes in a fermenter somewhere in the basement, where they'll turn to something more pleasant over time.
- Finally, remember that there is strength in numbers. Continue to leverage that into greater influence within the party at large. Keep in contact and connecting with other Dean Democrats.
There is no need for a
Dean Rapture and such a phenomenon is by no means inevitable. To avoid it, however, relies on both Deans and non-Deans doing their party when it comes to critical moments of maintaining party unity. The "unity test" is not just for primaries losers, but for the winners as well.