Several of the washington nominees have been 'raising the volume' on questioning the experience and wisdom of Howard Dean lately. Increasingly, diaries here have been questioning Kerry and his platform, which has been shifting to suit the polls since day one, and I believe there is a very direct correlation between the two issues.
First of all, we have to be realistic and look at the
overall shift that has been taking place, because it's not just Kerry. Ever since Dean and his platform's popularity soared, most if not all of the other nominees who once badgered him for these positions fell in line behind him. The late Gephardt campaign's sudden and newfound 'angry anti-war' charade was just a day late and a few dollars short of the real thing, just as an example.
Dean led, they followed, and it shows how influential he can be, even in the face of fierce and vocal opposition within his
own party. In my opinion, this is exactly the kind of nominee we need in order to win, someone who can successfully frame the national debate on
our terms, rather than playing catchup, defense and me-too with Bush.
Here's an important and obvious point to take from all this. Leaders lead, followers follow. Candidates like Kerry, and Clark to some degree, who have sculpted a platform around the concept of "what is popular must be right" (to quote Tenacity's brilliant post) have done so their entire professional lives as a sort of self preservation. Oddly enough, these are the same people questioning Dean and his ability to lead based on his experience. Given Kerry's positional authority and obligation to defend Democratic values, and the blank check he has handed Bush over and over again, the question should not be "what experience do you have," but rather
what have you done within the experience you DO have. It is not enough to disparage a war you voted for, to assault a program you allowed to pass, to talk tough despite a record of
rolling over and playing dead... Dean's actual record as Governor supports and legitimizes his current platform, Kerry's record as Senator does not.
Apparently Dean is the strongest leader in this fight, having pulled the debate over to the issues as HE defines them, framed around his causes. Followers follow, leaders lead.
That is exactly why I support candidates like Dean; doing what is right and making it popular is risky and, for democrats to win, important business. Let's hold ALL our candidates to such standards.