Howard Dean: Physician, Heal Thyself [Ace]

Okay, so he hates the 52.5% of the public that voted Republican last election. Not too smart; he's going to need at least 3% of those Republicans he "hates" to win an election.

More asinine by far is his contemptuous dismissal of white Christians. White Christians make up 66% of the country (and a plurality in the Democratic party as well), so it's probably not a good idea to kiss them off.

PS, Howard Dean is a white Christian. Moron.

It's not just that Howard Dean's comments are counter-productive. He's an egotistical and angry and arrogant and stupid son of a bitch, always a bad combination, and that turns people off.

But this jackass is addicted to the spotlight more than John McCain. Say what you want about McCain, but McCain is actually involved in substantive policy-making. Howard Dean grabs the camera almost as much as McCain, but unlike McCain, he offers no legislative proposals, only venom and spleen.

As has been repeatedly noted, there's only so much media oxygen in the national room. This jackass is taking up an awful lot of it, and taking away that oxygen from those who might wish to run for president in 2008 as well as those who are simply trying to be good (as liberals define it) legislators and policy-makers and hence define the Democratic Party as idea-driven and results-driven.

Will Dean's Don Rickles act play? I doubt it. The man has proven his ability to positively electrify the American public... or at least 13% or so it. If he's so f'n' smart, one would think he's capable or realizing 13% is less than 51%. (Remember, Dr. Dean, the alligator goes after the bigger number, 'cuzzin' it's hungry.)

A few weeks ago I spoke to a very liberal girl at a very liberal bar in NYC. (Well, it was a NYU student/local gay bar, so that's pretty liberal. Hey-- they had cheap beer.) She was praising Arnold Schwarzenegger's speech at the RNC in 2004, and how that speech made her almost think she was a Republican after all. That speech emphasized the broad goals of the Republican Party-- its positive agenda.

Dean seems incapable of announcing such an agenda, contenting himself to deliver nasty red meat to true believers (half of whom are voting for Nader anyhow!).

If Dean is smart, he'll start emulating Arnold Schwarzenegger more than Triumph the Insult Comic Dog. Yeah, it's kind of funny to say that George Bush is a great president -- for me to poop on! -- but I just don't see any stone-cold conservatives sitting outside a bar smoking cigarettes and talking about how persuasive such a speech might be.

The man is an idiot, and a disaster for the party. I'm quite happy about that. The Democrats are hedged in by what they can actually offer their constituents -- they have their hands on fewer and fewer of the levers of power -- and it's only natural to give the faithful what they want, i.e., bile and hatred.

But you've got to reach some of those who voted against you last time, too, unless you're satisfied with garnering 46-48% of the vote every two years.

I can live with that. Can the Democrats?

And do they mind that Howard Dean seems perfectly content with keeping that 46-48%, so long as he's admired as a hero by a large fraction of that minority?

posted by Ace at 07:17 PM

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