Politics as usual

You're Howard Dean, and you've led the pack of potential Democratic presidential candidates for months. In a few short weeks in December and January, your campaign implodes, aided and abetted by your ballsy candor (we're no safer with Saddam in custody); a press irritated by your statement you'd break up media monopolies; slimy ads funded by your opponents' supporters in shadowy 527 groups; and a shameless campaign by the Democratic National Committee to derail your candidacy and nominate someone whom Washington pols consider more "electable."

With all these factors arrayed against you, you go nowhere once the primary voting begins - except in your home state, where they know what a prize you are. You leave the race and lay low for a month. When you resurface, you forget all about the wrongs committed against you, and you shamelessly kiss the butt of the presumptive nominee.

Howard Dean's endorsement of John Kerry is no surprise, I guess, but I'm still bummed it had to come so soon. (I would've been perfectly happy to see Dean string Kerry along until the convention in July.) At a joint appearance at George Washington University today, Kerry and Dean papered over their differences and said that far more unites them than divides them. And by golly, that's true. But I'm still rankled that Kerry - who would not stand up to Bush until Dean dogged him into it - is the nominee and the visionary from Vermont has been relegated to cheerleader status.

Many Deanocrats are tempted to sit this one out. Of course most of us will vote for Kerry, considering the alternative. (Nader is no alternative. Ralph who? He's in danger of becoming the next Lyndon LaRouche.) But I plan to put my political energies into volunteering for local candidates, anti-Bush blogging, and registering new voters.

It's good to see Howard Dean hasn't left the scene in a huff, and I do relish seeing him act as a better anti-Bush lightning rod than Kerry will ever be. Dean doubtless knows he was screwed out of the nomination, but he's putting country before self in being a good soldier for Kerry. Whatever sense of outrage he must have has been squelched in the name of politics as usual.

Then again, Dean knows - as do his most avid supporters - that four more years of Bush isn't a viable option. These cards suck, but we have to play the hand we've been dealt. Sigh.

Comments

[Eric]

Kinda nice seeing all the dems tonite at the DNC "Unity" Dinner. I loved watching Clinton speak (who was that blond seated next to him-sorry, couldn't let that slip by!).

I also enjoyed the praise heaped upon Dean by Gore, Clinton, Kerrey, Carter.

An uplifting event all-in-all!

[brad]

Well said. Kerry's a total establishment tool, but unlike in 2000, when the meme was born, 2004 really IS about the lesser of two evils.

Dean people could show Kerry's crew a thing or two about mobilizing the grassroots, and the Good Doctor himself might try to impart a little passion to the well-coiffed scarecrow.