At this point, if the press corps gets behind Dean in at least a REAL fair and balanced (hehehe) manner just because they think it might be FUN to cover... I'm all for it. Whatever it takes 
Following Dean in the Grassroots Express and McFun have to be more exciting that following Kerry around, after all.
The Slate piece today by Saletan comparing Dean to Kerry is priceless, btw.
"Of course, the real burden of the national debt will be borne by our children and children's children. This is precisely why Americans once held a deeply ingrained moral taboo against deficit spending. Budget deficits are the ultimate form of what our nation was founded to protect against: taxation without representation."
"The runaway national debt has much the same impact on our nation's financial condition as termites do on the structure of a house."
"A basic ingredient to achieving the American Dream is thrift. . . By hijacking our savings, the government hijacks our opportunity to experience the American Dream."
"To be perfectly honest, we would love to keep playing Santa Claus. We could pretend the debt doesn't exist; pass out $1.6 trillion of government largesse each year, and let the next Congress deal with the rising sea of red ink. . . Regretably, this is precisely the approach the President has chosen with his most recent budget plan. In what we regard as a spectular abdication of leadership, the President's plan to deal with the debt is to do--nothing. . . We dub this the Democrat' 'party-on" strategy. That strategy is to keep spending and borrowing, and worry about the red ink tomorrow, or next week, or next year, or next decade."
"Whether a balanced budget amendment is approved this year or not, we regard the elimination of the deficit as our central mission. We recently asked Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan what he thought would be the impact of balancing the budget. He told us: 'I think real incomes would significantly improve. . .Americans would look forward to their children doing better than they.' In other words, it would be a major step toward restoring the American Dream."
"We acknowledge that the job of balancing the budget is going to be the most difficult job for Congress to accomplilsh in decades. But in partnership with the American people, it will get done. This commitment we owe not just to our children, but equally to the generations of Americans who came before us and helped build this free and prosperous nation."
"Isn't it time we pushed corporate American off the federal dole? Corporate subsudies and handouts have become pervasive in the federal budget."
Above quotes from Restoring the Dream, The Bold New Plan by House Republicans, copyright 1995 by the Republican National Committee. Similar views are present in the Contract with America. This speaks for itself. I don't think further comment is really necessary right now.
Posted by Ron Chusid at September 3, 2003 03:47 AM
I like this line:
"The Note is a big believer in the nearly iron-clad rule of modern American politics: the person who raises the most money in the year before the voting always wins the nomination (and Howard Dean will be that man)."
Sounds like they're fans.
Part 3 in JUSIPER's 4-part "How Dean Can Win: A Response to the Naysayers" is up. It deals with Dean's rhetoric and appeal to different voters ...
Gabriel,
I hate to admit it, but it sounds like you're describing Wesley Clark (Swap Arkansas for Georgia). His positions are just about identical to Dean's except he's never put them into practice. Based on these criteria Wes Clark will be their pick (if he runs) and the 'unqualified for national security' meme might be his spear. Personally, I agree with Dean, I would hate to run against him. He does have chinks in his armor and those will get the zoom lens in the event of his campaign. I don't think he has the chops to win the general campaign and still feel (DraftClark movements hurt feelings aside) he is the perfect VP pick. Those putting forth a Kerry/Clark ticket don't understand how Clark marginalizes Kerry by having different and greater military cred. While Clark innoculates Dean he infects Kerry. This is Kerry's worry more than ours but I hope the General uses some of that famous pragmatism and looks toward the goal instead of the glory. We're afraid of weakening the message our party must send. GW must go. I will still wistfully wish for a Dean/Clark ticket even if he runs. Let him steal the national security issue from the beltway boys and join the team for fiscal responsibility.
IMHO.
Hey RM NYC,
How about Wes Clark for Sec of State, Jay Rockefeller for VP? Gets us WVA!
I think the bigger quote from that article was:
"Dean because he is likely to raise twice as much (and maybe three times as much!) as any Democrat in the third quarter — which we'll know come mid-October, and that will be a political earthquake."
Say, anyone here know what Dean's schedule is going to be on September 19th? Is he going to be in Arkansas or DC, by any chance?
last robot, check the calendar page on deanforamerica.com. it's interactive - just click on the states to see his schedule.
hth,
anna
Read this Salon (Free registration required) article about why Al Franken and Howard Dean are so hot right now.
Click on my name.
3x as much as the next candidate? I think they might be stretching it just a bit. I mean, you gotta figure Kerry will get at least 7 million. I can see Dean getting 15 million, but 21,000,000? hell, if that happens... all I'd be able to say is "Zounds"
i don't know what "Gang of 500"...
yes, i did quick hunt on google.
i don't know what "Gang of 500" is, rather.