My Take On Dean

Everyone else has already written something about Howard Dean's free-fall in Iowa and his crash landing for a concession speech (YEEEAAAAAAA!). I'm not sure what the hell he was thinking but I can't imagine that he has any wind left in his sails. We'll see. Click here for more on his concession speech.

I supported Dean early on not because I thought he was the best man for the job, but because he was the one candidate with the gumption to openly criticize Bush. I thought that was cool and figured if he got enough momentum going, other Dems would realize they could do the same, instead of pussy footing around the Republican agenda like Lieberman has been doing for six months.

So basically, I was using him until a more mainstream candidate caught on to Dean's strategy and realized it's okay to be un-Bush. I'm not sold on any of these guys the way I liked Gore in 2000, but I like Edwards and Kerry a lot more now that they are going after Bush with both fists blazing.

And I also think with Dean's demise, the right wing pundits have shot themselves in the foot. Bloggers, journalists, and radio talk show hosts have ridiculed Dean for being angry and too far left, and they have mocked all Democrats for being irrational Bush haters. But if Dean doesn't make it past Super Tuesday (I doubt he will) all these Democrats that Rush, Drudge, and Co. have ridiculed will have spoken and said we don't want Howard Dean. That's not us. And if that happens, the right will have hung itself on its own words. If the Democrats pick and Edwards/Kerry "I Believe In America" over Dean's "YEEAAAAAAA!! Take back the White House!!" fire and brimstone, what is there to mock? What happened to the irrational, negative Bush haters?

Bush differentiated himself from Gore in 2000 by saying "My opponent believes in government, and I believe in the American people." Though probably not his own idea, that's good salesmanship (better than "You ain't seen nothin' yet."). Well the unDean Democrat that runs against Bush this time around can say, "I believe in America, and my opponent believes in scaring and scarring America." I think that would work.

By the way, Dean now reminds me of Gollum. In The Fellowship of the Ring, Gandalf tells Frodo, "I don't know what role Gollum will play if its for good or evil," but he is certain Gollum will be a key player in the ring's fate. True also for Dean. He has already done a lot of good, by pushing the mainstream candidates to criticize Bush and (by losing his lead in Iowa) showing that most Democrats are not the irrational angry bunch the right wing media loved to portray them as. But there will be new bearer of the ring, and we'll have to see how Dean will factor in the end.