January 23, 2005
Humpty Dumpty
A few folks think they can fix the Democrat party, despite being cracked themselves...
As if rushing to the wheel of the Edmund Fitzgerald, several Democrats are seeking to helm the foundered DNC, from Howard Dean to Martin Frost to Tim Roemer.
Let's set the table - the Democrat Party is reeling. Having lost four straight years now, their lines are broken, and morale is shoddy. This isn't always the best time to make rash decisions about leadership. And yet... something must change.
The rank and file Democrat establishment both loves and hates Dean. They love his politics and his fire, from his anti-war grist to his primal scream. There is a reason he picked up so many early endorsements, including Al Gore's. But it is the same firebrand style that they have calculated is not a winner for Democrats. They fear Dean, fear the road he will take them down, and fear he will furhter marginalize the party.
Huh? Exactly what has been so great about the party the last four years? This party already loses, big, at every level.
Republicans are glib about Dean, but they shouldn't be. They make a mistake to dismiss him so easily. Dean's anti-war rhetoric isn't so different from many conservatives who view Iraq as empire building, or it's occupation as the wrong application of American power. Dean is well spoken, and can move his supporters to action.
Both parties seem to underestimate Dean, and chalk him up as fringe. But this is a dangerous tack to take. Dean may be more potent a DNC leader than many imagine. His competition is somewhat weak - Tim Roemer doesn't seem high profile enough, and Martin Frost has the appeal of an expended condom.
If the DNC chair goes to Dean, nobody can say it won't be interesting...
Posted by MEC2 at January 23, 2005 10:28 PM