Shop Talk
What to make of this?
Complaining about the torrent of attacks raining down on him from his rivals for the Democratic presidential nomination, Howard Dean on Sunday criticized his party’s national chairman, Terry McAuliffe, for not intervening to tone down the debate.
“If we had strong leadership in the Democratic Party, they would be calling those other candidates and saying, `Hey look, somebody’s going to have to win here,’ ” Dr. Dean, the former governor of Vermont, told reporters trailing him as he campaigned through central Iowa. Referring to one of Mr. McAuliffe’s predecessors, he added, “If Ron Brown were the chairman, this wouldn’t be happening.”
Dr. Dean also implied that many of his supporters, particularly young people, might stay home in November if another Democrat’s name ends up on the ballot.
President Reagan made famous his 11th Commandment: “One shall not speak ill towards a fellow Republican.” If it was ever followed, the 11th was no longer even observed even in the breach by the time of the 1988 Republican primary contest. That’s just the way primary races are run.
Naturally then, the guy at the front of the pack is going to find a lot of buckshot in his ass. That, too, is the nature of politics. It’s also completely natural for the frontrunner to want complain a bit about being everyone’s favorite target. But I can’t think of an instance where a primary leader publically complained to (and about!) the party leadership.
(Aside: If Dean were to win next November, would he be addressed as Dr. President?)
Part of Dean’s complaint, I’d guess, is yet more public infighting between the Clinton/McAuliffe and Gore/Dean wings of the Democratic Party. There’s a real fight going on for the soul of the party — or rather, for that nasty dark thing political parties have in place of souls — and Dean may think it will serve him to take McAullife down a notch.
But it sure as hell looks bad to the public. Especially that last line I quoted, where Dean practically threatens to take his bat and ball home if he doesn’t get his way.
The good news for Dean is, the general public isn’t yet paying attention. But the chattering class certainly is — and today’s story is one more example of the anti-Dean backlash we’ve seen in the media since shortly after the Gore endorsement.
More to follow.
If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the primary
Stephen Green and Matt Stinson note the latest whining from Howard Dean about his fellow candidates picking on him. Also of note: Dean’s Bushian energy policy coverup. Truth to power indeed.
No, it’d be President Howard Dean, M.D. like all his pretensious press releases are signed. But to me, he’ll be President Howard the Duck because he’s all wet.
He’s making himself look like a whiny ass. As opposed to the normal ass he usually resembles.
Behavior like that probably won’t have any effect on his core group of supporters, but anyone leaning Democrat, but as yet undecided, is not likely to be wooed by such unseemly conduct.
Given the Democrat’s anti-gun propensity, I find it rather ironic that they manage to shoot themselves in the foot with such regularity.
These’s only one way to settle this…
A steel cage match with Clinton and McAuliffe against Gore and Dean. The forum of professional wrestling would give the Democrats the gravitas and credibility that they’ve been lacking since the party was taken over by liberal interest groups and reactionary crazies.
Come on, wouldn’t James Carville make a great ringside manager?
If Dean becomes president we’ll have a lot more important things to worry about than what he should be called, but since you asked, demented comes to mind.
The survival of the human race would be the top of the list of worrying aspects of a,God forbid, Dean presidency.
Agnostics, Atheists, Buddhists, Hindis, Sikhs, Muslims, Shintos, Christians of all denominations, Jews (reform, conservative and orthodox), practioners of any and all
American Indian religions, Druids, Pagans, and Fire Worshipers start praying.
If I left anybody out, please forgive me. It wasn’t intentional, so you start praying too.
Being a sulky, whiny, resentful bastard didn’t end Nixon’s career, don’t know why it should end Dean’s.
Dean, Party Leadership and Whining
This: The Former Governor: Dean Wants Party Leader to Slow Rivals’ Attacks, illustrates part of what I was talking about here a few days ago regarding political parties in the United States. Because while Dean may assert the following:”If we…
Angie:
In and of itself, there’s no reason being a sulky, whiny, resentful bastard should end Dean’s career.
HOWEVER, that same swr bastard was also running AGAINST George McGovern.
The question, therefore, is whether George McGovern, if he were a swr bastard, would have done better or worse against Tricky Dick.
Also, Nixon, I would venture, was a far better politician, including working the innards of the GOP, than Dean is.
Actually, I am wondering what the NY Times will call him — just plain Dean, Dr. Dean or President Dean? Since they only use President Bush once in a story and from then on it is just Bush — a la CNN, MSNBC, ABC, CBS, NBC. Of course, I am sure they are following the “style” book.
But, is it just me or is this game of politics getting even more juvenile than ever?
HOWEVER, that same swr bastard was also running AGAINST George McGovern.
And JFK (a very narrow defeat). And Hubert Humphrey.
Nixon was always a swr bastard; that didn’t start in ’72.
My main point was that Dean’s crypto-threat to pick up his fans and go home sounded a little like “you won’t have Dick Nixon to kick around anymore”. After which, Nixon’s career tragically failed to end.
Ohh, Mike Celebrity Death Match -Gore/Dean v Clinton/McAuliffe.
And right before the primaries.
I was talking to the chair of Oklahoma’s Democratic Party today and asked him how much damage control the Dems are going to have to do once the primary season is over.
He didn’t seem too concerned about it, played it off as politics as usual… but I don’t see it. There’s so much fodder for Republicans to use once a candidate has been picked.
One thing for sure, it’s really kind of fun to watch a political party implode on itself.
>Especially that last line I quoted, where Dean practically threatens to take his bat and ball home if he doesn’t get his way.
What are you talking about? All Dean is saying is that some of the voters he’s attracting will not be attracted to people like Lieberman or Gephardt.
Lets not project too much onto this.