Dean doesn't look so bad now

[ProudToBeLiberal]

Dean doesn't look so bad now

February 27, 2005

BY WILLIAM O'ROURKE

Last Nov. 3, the idea that Howard Dean would become head of the Democratic National Committee would have struck most everyone as lunacy. A few short months later, it seems almost reasonable. When Bill Clinton tapped Terry McAuliffe for that job some four years ago, Clinton left his stamp on the party: McAuliffe represented the pardon-giving, money-loving side of the former Bubba-in-Chief, a friend to large corporations and constituencies.

But this time there was no former president to anoint a DNC head -- only a defeated candidate and a floundering party left in psychological disarray. In stepped Howard Dean, a loser who didn't consider himself a loser, but a prophet before his time. The Democratic bench was not deep. Dean's competition wasn't any more formidable than those he met in the primaries, and Dean showed the same skills of grass-roots lobbying that made him a front-runner back in early 2004. He got to know the local folks and they voted him into the job.

And Dean has learned some lessons: He avoided the usual rounds of Sunday talk shows immediately after his elevation. Clearly, Dean wants to establish some bona fides before emerging as the public face of the DNC. In any case, the nation already knows Dean's face --almost too well. Such reticence becomes him, and Dean may be able to labor in the vineyards profitably, remain behind the scenes for some time, since he doesn't need to make himself known. Not having to make a splash may actually allow him to swim a bit deeper and do a better job of reorganizing the base of the party -- both its fund-raising and its ideological foundations. The DNC now has at least the chance to become the Democratic wing of the Democratic Party.

One reason the Dean ascendancy does not seem so bizarre is because there is a lot of competition for strangeness. Given the war in Iraq, the unusual looks mighty common these days. And, like the Democrats, the Bush administration keeps demonstrating that its bench also is not deep.

more at...http://www.suntimes.com/output/orourke/cst-edt-rour27.html

[KoKo]

1. This article is worth the read....not just about Dean....catch this

from the end of it:

Negroponte, in his short time in Iraq as ambassador, brought with him his own ''Honduran option'' -- the training of Iraqi death squads to kidnap and kill -- though the military calls it the ''Salvadoran option'' so as not to bring too much attention to its actual provenance. Negroponte was the ambassador to Honduras during the Iran-Contra period and when Honduran army death squads killed hundreds, including Americans.

That he is now George W. Bush's chief briefer on intelligence matters closes the circle: It is as if the family is only talking to itself. Given the limited personnel that President Bush deals with -- people with extensive dealings with the entire Bush family -- there is something of a crime syndicate atmosphere about the entire enterprise. When there are so few to be trusted, what are they being trusted with?

[Vickers]

4. O' Rourke uses "crime syndicate atmosphere" to describe the BFEE?

Holy shit!
:wow:

[KoKo]

5. Yes! Loved it!

Let's hope this catches on....Crime Syndicate is the best description of these people. We used to call them the "BFEE" Bush Family Evil Empire. "Crime Syndicate" is catchier...:D

[democrank]

2. Mr. O`Rourke needs a vacation.

The "lunacy" he refers to actually was emanating from the DLC leadership where "leaders" were so busy trash-talking Dean and his supporters that they forgot to check some details....like Dean`s record. Consequently, the DLC gleefully hopped on the anti-liberal bandwagon to spread their danger alerts to the real American patriots.
Many citizens dutifully responded with an "OMG...NOT A LIBERAL"...and the rest is history.

Dean is not a liberal. He`s a politician with backbone and that scares the kneepads off many party insiders.

[KoKo]

6. Read the whole article...please... n/t

[ProudToBeLiberal]

7. actually the editorial is favorable towards dean nt

[KoKo]

17. Yes it is..and the rest of it is "unfavorable to the Chimp" A "Great Read!

JUST TO SEE.....how reporters need to right "behind the Buskie's Radar" to get an audience.

Please read the WHOLE THING...it's good..:shrug:

[Jacobin]

18. Eggzactly

Couldn't have said it better myself.

:thumbsup:

[CoolOnion]

3. Why I like Howard Dean

Howard Dean made several speeches in Texas, when the rest of the country gave up on us. He rallied thousands of us and inspired us to keep after the day-to-day ground-up work of building the party, from organizing our precincts to considering a run for office ourselves.

No one else at that level has ever talked to the people before--the real people down at the grassroots--and given us the inside scoop on what it takes to build our party and get our message out to the people.

I was energized by Howard Dean, and was convinced that Texas would turn blue with all our hard work. Dallas County came close, with Bush winning by less than 10,000 votes, and Lupe Valdez (a Democrat & open Lesbian) becoming Sheriff of Dallas County. After hearing Howard Dean speak, I was excited enough about politics to work on the Valdez campaign--imagine if thousands more people like me had jumped in to volunteer instead of believing the conventional wisdom that all was lost for Texas?

I can't help but think we would have come even closer if the other candidates had come through to energize the grass roots, but the others were just considering the race on the national level. Howard Dean sees that elections are won county by county--I'm really excited to have him as DNC chair!

[intheozone]

8. Nice post CO, and keep up your good work

for the Democratic party!

[madfloridian]

9. Chertoff and Negroponte are slammed....good article!

SNIP..."Chertoff's reward for his service in the Clinton wars and the Bush Justice Department was a federal judgeship; now he saves the Bushes further embarrassment over the Bernard Kerik fiasco. Chertoff's role in the dumbing-down of torture statutes was hardly a bump in the road in his quick Senate confirmation, given the 98-0 vote.

Negroponte's appointment also reveals how few trees are left to cut down in the Bush woods. Like a number of Bush's confidants, Negroponte is a veteran of his father's time: George H.W. Bush was an overseer of all things Central American during the Reagan years. Far from being, as then former Vice President Bush claimed, ''out of the loop,'' he has a lifetime of experience observing the various chess matches of that region: A lot of the oil business he was involved in was there and in the Caribbean...."

Negroponte, in his short time in Iraq as ambassador, brought with him his own ''Honduran option'' -- the training of Iraqi death squads to kidnap and kill -- though the military calls it the ''Salvadoran option'' so as not to bring too much attention to its actual provenance. Negroponte was the ambassador to Honduras during the Iran-Contra period and when Honduran army death squads killed hundreds, including Americans.

That he is now George W. Bush's chief briefer on intelligence matters closes the circle: It is as if the family is only talking to itself"

[Cha]

10. Dean has always been good..

like the man said.."but a prophet before his time."

Many of us were prophets right along with Dean. If you can call..not going along with the mass murderous bush regime..being a "prophet"!

Does he mean by..the bush bench is not that deep..that they are in deep shit?

[Rainscents]

11. I really Loved this articals... Thanks!

[madfloridian]

12. This article is stark criticism of the Bushes, Negroponte, and Chertoff.

Most of it is about them. I believe he labeled it about Dean to sort of ease in the criticism under the wire. Is that silly of me to think that?

Very little of this is about Dean.

[RetroLounge]

13. Holy Shite!

"there is something of a crime syndicate atmosphere about the entire enterprise"

A direct statement of the existence of the BFEE in the MSM?

Whodathunkit?

RL

[madfloridian]

14. In an article labeled Dean doesn't look so bad now. How weird.

:think:

[Larkspur]

15. Yep, I see Dean as a prophet before his time

But this time there was no former president to anoint a DNC head -- only a defeated candidate and a floundering party left in psychological disarray. In stepped Howard Dean, a loser who didn't consider himself a loser, but a prophet before his time.

I think the Democratic Party needed it's own champion, not one who was appointed by a person who only wishes to use the Party infrastructure to sate his/her own ambitions.

[KoKo]

16. Kick........

[CatWoman]

19. his favorables are up 9 points

Gallup poll: Howard Dean's favorables up 9 points
by daveweigel
Mon Feb 28th, 2005 at 15:50:03 PST

Update <2005-2-28 18:50:3 by Armando>: From the diaries by Armando. First, ALL POLLS SUCK! Second, Gallup Polls REALLY REALLY SUCK! Third, why the hell did Dean's favorables go up? The Fighting Dem Effect? Interesting story.

You know how Howard Dean is a symbol of the loony left and how Democrats signed their suicide note by giving him the party chairmanship?

Well ... according to Gallup, Dean's unfavorable ratings have been falling steadily since he lost the nomination in 2004.

Favorable/Unfavorable ... Never heard of/no opinion
2004 Jan. 2-5: 28/39 ... 17/16
2004 Jan 29-Feb 1: 42-42 ... 5/11

And then there were no polls about Dean until he started running for DNC chair. In the meantime, poll respondants had forgotten much about him - the no opinion/never heard of number rose from 19 to 31.

http://dailykos.com/

[madfloridian]

20. Betcha no one ever had a poll on the DNC chair before.

Unbelievable.