Democrats were worried when Gov. Howard Dean, D-Vt., agreed to go on NBC’s “Meet the Press” last Sunday. It’s a natural concern for them, considering Dean’s inability to keep quiet.
Unfortunately, Dean managed to do exactly what everyone expected-not keep his mouth shut.
It’s a shame that the chairman of the National Democratic Committee is humiliating his party like this-especially considering that he was once considered the Democrats’ shining star.
Last month, Dean did an impression of ultra-conservative, ultra-annoying Rush Limbaugh. Part of that impression included the sound of Limbaugh snorting cocaine, apparently mocking the fact that Limbaugh went to rehab last year to kick his OxyContin habit.
Tim Russert on “Meet the Press” cornered Dean, a medical doctor, about his classless impression. Russert asked if it is “appropriate for a physician to mock someone who has gone into therapy.”
Dean responded, “I will use whatever position I have in order to root out hypocrisy.”
Apart from offending pretty much everyone by taunting a recovering drug addict, Dean also recently talked about how much he “hate[s] Republicans and everything they stand for.”
Democrats are usually known for tolerance, even of their competitors. Apparently, Dean didn’t get that memo.
Dean was popular in the race for the 2004 democratic nomination because he used the Internet. His blogging brought on a whole new aspect to the election, and after seeing his success, many politicians followed suit.
Dean managed to raise substantial amounts of money through small donations on his Web site, and was a popular candidate among the youth.
“Deaniacs,” as they were called, traveled the country promoting Dean in the 2004 race. Dean is an expert at grassroots politics.
These facts beg the question-what happened to Howard Dean? A year and a half ago, he was one of the most dynamic figures in American politics. Now he’s an embarrassment to his own party.
It is curious that ever since he lost, he has been promoting extreme views and saying outlandish things. Dean must have something up his sleeve, or perhaps he has just lost it completely after his bad beating by John Kerry.
I hope he figures out something soon, because he is not going to gain popularity by criticizing a drug addict and talking about how much he hates people-especially people for whom half the country voted.
Dean is really giving my party a bad name, and it needs to stop.
To win in 2008, the Democrats need to get someone in power that is willing to work with the other party on some issues, and is able to attract those moderates who don’t necessarily affiliate with either party.
The Democratic National Committee is suffering as a result of having Dean as it chairman, and its members should boot him out as soon as possible.