the loquacious Dean

i think ya'll need to be prepared for the fact that howlin' howie has no intention of going gentle into that good night. this is the man who was the golden boy, the chosen one, and they turned on him. the fact that he helped things along quite well on his own notwithstanding, ya gotta admit he got crucifed by a party and a media that decided that he could not win. i'm not disagreeing with them, but, to pretend that this was just the natural turn of events is the height of ostrich-dom. he got screwed.

all that aside for a moment, he's still got the 2nd most delegates in the race and there's a ways to go since kerry's got less than a quarter of the delegates necessary to win the nomination. now take dean, this is a man with a still not to be sneazed at following of kool aid gulping maniacs. he feels (rightly so, in my opinion) that he got screwed by his own party and the media (there's a novel idea, a democratic politician upset with the media). now if he somehow should manage to win wisconsin and a good percentage of it's 87 delegates, then he can make this a horserace again going into super tuesday.

the question is though, once he loses, how will he take it? and more importantly how will the deaniacs take it.

---

Just as I went over to the Bush camp with my tail between my legs after the McCain loss, the Dean-iacs will probably do the same... at least the ones that are passionate about the party.

As I understand though, he has a "new breed" of supporters who (in many cases) weren't previously involved in the democratic party. I suppose that many those supporters will be turned off, and pull themselves out of active participation in the race if he loses the nom.

Government is a grand thing, and politics are one of its necessities... bringing with it contention. I only wish that performance and stance on issues was more commonly debated. Too often it becomes a slapping fest.

Here's to an issues based campaign, not a mudslinging hissy-fit!

(Funny thing... the Boston Pops version of 'Stars and Stripes Forever' just came across my MP3... making my post more of a pontification. Sometimes I think my winamp is psychic.)

---

Now papa, how did Dean get screwed by his own party?! Because seventeen states independently opted NOT buy the Time and Newsweek annointing "front runner" moniker and decided to cast pragmatic votes? And come on, the media didn't screw Dean, either. The media helped make him, and then, sorry Howie, if you live by the sound bite, baby, you die by the sound bite.

I'm with Ifitfloats. I've been stubbornly against the narrow range of the two party choices in the past -- Messrs Anderson, Nader, and even Perot, among others stirred the pot, to be sure. But I'm part of the rabid backlash against this regime's post 9/11 arrogance. Electability ain't nuthin' to sneeze at. I'd love to be in love with a candidate. Right now, I have to get over my loathing of the opposition. Expediency rules. We can get our team back, and THEN rediscover our idealism.

---

Updated On: 2/11/04 at 06:29 PM

Papa, pretty compelling stuff, and well documented. I sent it off to several friends. As is always worth noting, it's still early, no? All the projections have changed hourly, since the fickle ABB folk started the steady march behind the little black curtains.

The question, which we should start as a separate thread: What will be the October surprise that successfully props up Bush? (That may come in May?) Osama with a ball and chain on his bad leg? Probably not. The new Ghandi elected President of Iraq? A new VP in this divided union, after huntin' Dick steps down for "health reasons?" (No, not Miss Rice. Too Miss Gulch.) That's the part of the sense of theater in this election that intrigues me.

---

Maybe Condoleeza and Colin are tired of the lies. It's pretty telling if they want to jump ship that things are indeed rotten the state of Denmark.

---

not necessarily, jrb. it's not very often that a sec. state or a nat. sec. advisor hangs around for a second term. bubba had warren christopher and madeline albright at state and tony lake and sandy berger at nsc. so to leap to the conclusion that they're fed up just because they're not signing on for 4 more years is a bit of a stretch. those jobs burn you out. quick. especially nsa and especially in the kind of term that this one has been. who was the last sec. state who served 8 years, anybody know?

---

All of this voiced co-dependency to Condi's pain and suffering. Please. She has carved out her role in this regime, it's hers, she bought into it, she earned her rep, and history will determine if she was a key player in a debacle or a triumph. But if she's "burned out" already -- where the hell did she think she was working, anyway? Disneyland? -- it's because her vowel-chewing leader has trundled her out one too many times to do his bidding. To represent a POV he cannot sell as successfully. Cheney hunts and Condi sweats on camera, with pop beads and earrings. She just might develop the vapors and retire, but she chose this predicament.

---