I posted this in a thread below, but decided it should be part of my Diary.
The original question was, is Dean too angry to win?
Dean isn't angry.
The people who select the Dem nominee are angry.
Dean's just a very good politician. Which is what we need, no? He clearly knows what he's doing when it comes to winning the nomination. And he knows very well how he'll turn that into broader support come general election time; he's got all the credibility to run as an atypical moderate, pro-fiscal responsibility, very aggressive on true issues of national security, a common-sense guy with a libertarian streak.
When are people going to understand that perceptions of Dean have been very well managed by the campaign, not by outside forces? That's why virtually all of the "negative press" he's gotten has only helped his poll numbers - they were what he wanted. He may be the only candidate to understand that you can't win the election if you don't win the nomination, and you can't win the nomination if you don't speak to your base.
It may be unsettling to watch, but Dean is already poising himself to realign the Dem coalition for years to come; we deserve a coalition that gives us a clear nationwide electoral majority, and he's planning to deliver that. Be prepared to hear much more about NRA Democrats in the future. Be prepared to hear that the number of registered Independents plummets for the first time in memory. And most of all, be prepared for this: the Democratic party will become the party of common-sense Responsibility. Fiscal responsibility. Environmental responsibility (driven by technological incentives not regulations). Responsible military policy. Responsible health policy. Responsible spending restraints -- but not at the expense of our fundamental responsibility for caring for our elders and educating our children. This, I truly believe, is the real Howard Dean.