This is appearing in todays Roll Call,
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Will Voters Go for The Strong Medicine Dean Is Prescribing?
By Stuart Rothenberg
Roll Call Contributing Writer
February 3, 2003

Howard Dean is never at a loss for words. In fact, the former five-term governor of Vermont spits out information, opinions and arguments faster than a Ben & Jerry’s ice cream cone melts on a 95-degree day.



MG | Email | Homepage | 02.03.03 - 5:03 am | #

People, we're clearly influencing this poll. Dean's up to 14%

Which, on reflection, is great. Why should the right-wing have a monopoly on directing their folks to participate in a poll in order to get their way? If they're gonna put up an unscientific poll, it's about time folks like us played the same game as our rivals. So go ahead and vote Dean. As soon as the religious right finds this poll, look for Sharpton's numbers to jump!

CTDem2 | Email | Homepage | 02.03.03 - 11:07 am | #

About the Rothenberg article:

A part of the article is excerpted in today's ABC Note.

NOTE


"Roll Call 's Rothenberg tackles Gov. Howard Dean in a column we've been anticipating ever since we heard from sources about the heated discussion Stu and Dean had over that allegedly closet civil union bill-signing.
"Howard Dean is never at a loss for words. In fact, the former five-term governor of Vermont spits out information, opinions and arguments faster than a Ben & Jerry's ice cream cone melts on a 95-degree day. And that's what makes Dean an interesting, if imperfect, candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination."
"Dean is overflowing with opinions — about health care and Medicare, Iraq, gay rights, the budget, taxes, the Kyoto accord and instant runoff voting. He is more policy-oriented (and idea-oriented) than many of the other likely Democratic hopefuls. And he is boiling over with energy. All of that is refreshing."
"The former governor presents himself as a combative outsider — as someone who'll tell you what you need to hear regardless of whether you want to hear it."
"Much of this makes him potentially appealing both to members of the media and to many voters, including independents in New Hampshire. He's the tell-it-like-it-is underdog who isn't a prisoner to ideology or special interests. At least that's what he wants you to believe."
"Dean, like the state's at-large Congressman, Independent Bernie Sanders, originally hails from New York, and it shows. In style, he's like a freight train. And it's only a slight exaggeration to say that he has the personal warmth of an empty fireplace on a frigid night in Novosibirsk."
"Confident to the point that some people will see arrogance, and so certain about his prescriptions that many will regard him as inflexible, Dean will need to overcome the fact that voters prefer their presidents to be likable, empathetic, even charming. Instead, he almost appears angry."
"Critics of the former governor also portray him as a 'shoot from the hip' politician who, while clearly bright and articulate, is full of contradictions. For example, Dean signed a civil unions bill in private, without fanfare, but now talks about gay rights as a moral imperative. If the bill was such a matter of principle to him, why didn't he make a big deal of the signing? His response, that the fight over the bill was divisive and he didn't want to rub salt in opponents' wounds, isn't very persuasive."
"Similarly, Dean says he is leading the fight against war with Iraq because President Bush hasn't made the case for war. Of course, adds the former governor, he'd give Saddam Hussein an ultimatum if he thought Iraq really did have weapons of mass destruction. So he doesn't believe Iraq has those weapons? No, he does believe they do. But Bush hasn't made the case. Understand?"
"And while Dean talks about his success in state government, he would have had considerable trouble winning re-election in 2002, in part because the state's financial situation is not nearly as solid as he implies."
"Dean will need to come to terms with some of these kinds of contradictions as he answers questions from the national media and from Democratic primary voters and caucus participants. If he can, he will have a chance to stay in the game. If he doesn't, he'll quickly be seen as mostly bluff and bluster."
"The Vermont Democrat obviously benefits from low expectations, as well as from a quirky appeal. Unlike Gephardt, who must win Iowa, and Kerry, who can't afford to lose New Hampshire, Dean can boost his prospects by finishing third in Iowa and finishing second (maybe even third) in the Granite State."
"So where does that leave the Vermonter?" Stu wraps up. "He's smart and confident. He's energetic. He has quirky appeal. And he really, really wants to be president. That's enough to take Dean seriously and to see whether he can overcome his weaknesses and vulnerabilities."
We hope Stu saw how polite Dean was with those enlisted men down in South Carolina as shown on "Road to the White House" last night.

FHC | Email | Homepage | 02.03.03 - 1:06 pm | #

VERMONT'S FISCAL CONDITION -

Stu Rothenberg writes that "while Dean talks about his success in state government, he would have had considerable trouble winning re-election in 2002, in part because the state's financial situation is not nearly as solid as he implies."

Rothernberg's comment about Vermont's financial situation doesn't square with the facts.

On January 23, 2003, USA Today editorialized about the self-inflicted budget wounds that have left states seeing red from "Boston to Austin to Sacramento."

But USA Today went out of its way to note that "some states have exercised restraint....

"Vermont, ironically the only state that doesn't have a legal requirement to balance its budget, moved quickly to make hard choices last year when threatened with a $ 38 million deficit. It now expects to finish the year in the black."

When pundits distort Dean's record, we have to push back with the facts.

All the best,

Teddy Davis


Teddy Davis | Email | Homepage | 02.03.03 - 2:47 pm | #

COMPLETE USA TODAY EDITORIAL

USA TODAY, January 21, 2003


Copyright 2003 Gannett Company, Inc.
USA TODAY


January 21, 2003, Tuesday, FINAL EDITION

SECTION: NEWS; Pg. 11A

LENGTH: 565 words

HEADLINE: Self-inflicted budget wounds leave states now seeing red

BODY:
From Boston to Austin to Sacramento, state officials are sounding alarms about their budgets. Two-thirds of the states are wrestling with a combined $ 17.5 billion budget gap this fiscal year, and the shortfall next year could hit $ 60 billion, by some estimates. The National Governors Association declares that state capitals face "the most dire fiscal situation since World War II."
The culprit cited by the states is a faltering economy that is producing less revenue than expected and greater demands on social services, notably health care for the poor. As a result, state workers are being furloughed. College students are being hit with steep tuition increases -- a 28% jump in two years at the University of Iowa and a proposed 41% increase at the State University of New York, for example. In Oklahoma and at least four other states, prison inmates are being released early. Utah is laying off its anti-pornography "czar."


But the crisis is more political than economic. And much of it is self-inflicted. As USA TODAY reported in a nationwide survey last week, unwise decisions by state politicians during the economic boom of the past decade -- tax cuts and spending sprees -- caused much of the pain.


Consider California, which must close a $ 35 billion gap during the next 18 months. It sharply boosted spending on education and health while cutting taxes. The consequence was huge deficits even in the boom years, though accounting ploys commonly used by states hid the red ink. When the stock market bubble burst, so did the tax revenues California collected from capital gains and stock options.


Likewise, Virginia sharply reduced an unpopular local property tax on cars, promising to reimburse municipalities for lost revenue. Now it doesn't have the money to do that as it struggles to close a $ 2.1 billion budget gap on top of $ 3.8 billion in cuts last year.


Nationwide, spending by state governments has risen 62% during the past decade, more than double the rate of inflation. Even since the slowdown started, state and local governments have enlarged their payrolls: 31,000 more jobs in December than a year earlier. Meanwhile, taxes were cut more than $ 30 billion from 1995 through 2001.


Expanding government services and cutting taxes are politically popular. But assuming that the boom will never end is as fiscally irresponsible as neglecting to prepare for the bust that inevitably follows


Some states have exercised restraint. In Colorado, a voter initiative curbed the growth of spending, though the state still faces a 9% budget shortfall this year. Vermont, ironically the only state that doesn't have a legal requirement to balance its budget, moved quickly to make hard choices last year when threatened with a $ 38 million deficit. It now expects to finish the year in the black. Wyoming, buoyed by unexpected income from oil, gas and other minerals, is looking at a $ 137 million surplus.


Heavy turnover among legislators and governors -- hastened by term limits in numerous states -- means that in many cases those responsible for the mess are safely retired. Their successors have to clean it up.


Politicians without predecessors to blame need to look in the mirror before pointing a finger at the economy -- and remember the importance of preparing wisely for a crunch when the good times roll.


GRAPHIC: GRAPHIC, B/W, Keith Simmons, USA TODAY, Source: National Governors Association; National Association of State Budget Officers (BAR GRAPH)

LOAD-DATE: January 22, 2003



Teddy Davis | Email | Homepage | 02.03.03 - 2:48 pm | #