Dean goes out on limbs, but the tree- trunk eventually catches up to him

[Armstead]

I've noticed a pattern regarding Howard Dean. He often says things that seem cringe-inducing at the time, but eventually reality catches up to him.

The Iraq War is a classic example. he was branded as an anti-war whacko before the war. Then after it was underway, he was called intemperate for saying things like the capture of Sadaam wasn't really a turning point...Now the majority share the same opinions.

He talked about the need for an honest and difficult national debate about racism and poverty. Lo and behold....

His remarks about Delay were also branded as hot-headed and mean spirited overreaching. Well...

Is it possible that the "center" is moving in the same direction that Dean was pointing at in the 2004 primaries?

[Arkana]

1. Exactly--I guess you could call him prophetic, almost.

[tompayne1]

2. Very good point.

[rabid_nerd]

3. Same could be said about Al Gore

n/t

[Arugula Latte]

4. Dean speaks the truth, then conditions become so obviously

horrible, people can't help but realize he was right on the money all along.

[bunkerbuster1]

5. Other than your tortured analogy

which is only a little better than the "make the pie higher" concept...

yeah. Like you say.

Dean is the fighter we needed.

[Armstead]

7. I couldn't come up with a better add on for "out on a limb"

But you got the point, eh? :)

[bunkerbuster1]

13. Made me look.

that's all that matters, mannggg.

[Armstead]

14. Notice my subtle edit in the headline

But it's still a tortuous analogy.

[lojasmo]

6. Yes, absolutely

I have never seen one of the (many) statements he has been pillorized for making turn out to be less than dead on the money.

[psychonaut]

8. dean is saying the same things

that everyone else has been thinking. i think america knew deep down that the iraq war was a piece of shit, but most people were afraid to admit it, even to themselves, due to cognitive dissonance. Dean's not necessarily a prophet, he just has a lot of courage, to say things that everyone else is already thinking.

Go HOWIE!

[Armstead]

9. Perhaps it's that he has a sensitive receiver for the zeitgeist

[calimary]

17. Welcome to DU - that may be part of it.

One of those - "if he's saying it, other people are thinking it" situations. And I think that's absolutely true. It's just that most others who were thinking it weren't brave enough, didn't want to appear unpatriotic - remember that bleak period when questioning "your pResident" was loudly condemned as being unamerican, unpatriotic, and Saddam/Osama-loving. During the "you're either with us or agin us" crap, anything other than blind, mute, mindless lockstep marching with the dry-drunk-in-chief was considered utter treason. And I'm guessing people didn't even want to go there, out of fear, when they heard Howard speak up. They were just afraid. Afraid of what people might think, afraid that well - maybe they MIGHT be wrong about this? Do you remember people, at the time, saying things like - "well, he's the president. He knows things we don't" - EVEN WHILE they may also be voicing their own misgivings? Well, he's seeing things we don't. He knows stuff we don't. He's getting information we aren't getting, so we just really have to "trust our pResident," like Britney Spears said. Remember how everyone was screaming and roaring about giving bush the benefit of the doubt and if you didn't, you were slammed! Such a fun time (SARCASM HERE). You should have seen some of the emails I got from people who didn't like the articles I was sending around to debunk some of the bush bullshit - they'd snarl: "WHERE WERE YOU 9/11?!?!!?!?!?" Literally. Grammatically like that, too (no preposition included).

Howard had the courage to say what needed to be said on EVERY ONE OF THESE - before others woke up and came around to seeing that he spoke the truth. He gave me hope a long time ago, which is why I was (and remain) such an ardent supporter.

All I can say is maybe, for him, it's gonna take a track record on this stuff like the one he's building - all the things he's said and the objections he's made and the observations (or diagnoses) he's offered, that prove to be true over the months and years - for more people to come around and start appreciating him. Sometimes I rather enjoy pointing that out to people. You know, to kind of catapult the propaganda...

[Armstead]

18. He was right on about media consolidation too....

Still waiting for the Democratic Establishment to catch up on that one.

[JNelson6563]

10. Howard Dean speaks for me!

I'm so glad somebody does!

Juile

[cassiepriam]

11. He is ahead of his time. People were not ready to hear the truth....

[rock]

12. He is merely sane

Which anymore is quite uncommon.

[Larkspur]

15. Dean is a leader and has the courage to say things that the timid

don't want to hear.

Truth is a double-edged sword. It can hurt the truthteller before it gives the villain hell if people don't want to hear the truth.

[Clark2008]

16. Wes Clark's done the same thing.

I remember an article in Slate that called Clark all-but "coocoo" for some of the things he was saying about Iraq and the PNAC and China and were we'd be a year from now.

Funny thing is, he was right. Everything he said has come to bear and now the author looks like a Republican shill.

[Gloria]

19. And the Dems in Congress often saw off the limb he's on--they

undermine him all the time...

I am so disgusted with them all...

[Armstead]

20. Alas, sad but true

I wish more Democrats would take a cue from him.

[Fleshdancer]

21. I've noticed this too

He's always a year ahead of the times.

[hippiechick]

22. He's got the balls to say what some Dem critters think

... but are too afraid to speak up for or too poll-driven to fess up to, until someone else shows it's a 'safe' opinion and then they jump on the bandwagon ...

Go Dean !!! :yourock: YOU SPEAK FOR ME !!!

[Cha]

23. Did you read Dean's

Nightline transcript last night?

Snip~

"Koppel: Let me ask you to keep your hat as Democratic National Chairman on for a moment, and give me a frankly partisan assessment of how, if at all, this can help the Democrats.

Dean: Well, I don’t think it helps the country at all—that’s the big issue. I mean, in times like these you kind of wince. This is not good for America. We’ve had some terrible blows: we’ve had the President’s blunders in Iraq, we’ve had the disaster Katrina which embarrassed us in front of the whole world, and now the whole world again gets to see the leadership in both the White House and the House and the Senate be indicted or investigated or arrested for corruption. It’s not a great time for America. I think Americans are sick of this. And I can tell you one thing; when we get back in power, which I believe is going to be in 2006 in the congressional, we’re going to have some ethics reform in Washington. We’re going to get tough, and we’re going to get tough on everybody, not just Republicans. Enough of this in Washington!"


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