Finally, A Democrat Might Take A Stand
Paul Krugman writes on "the meaning of Dean" -- the fact that he has actual beliefs he stands for, not just poll results:

"The Republicans know the America they want, and they are not afraid to use any means to get there," Howard Dean said in accepting the chairmanship of the Democratic National Committee. "But there is something that this administration and the Republican Party are very afraid of. It is that we may actually begin fighting for what we believe."

Those words tell us what the selection of Dean means. It doesn't represent a turn to the left: Dean is squarely in the center of his party on issues like health care and national defense. Instead, Dean's political rejuvenation reflects the new ascendancy within the party of fighting moderates, Democrats who believe that they must defend their principles aggressively against the right-wing radicals who have taken over Congress and the White House.

It was always absurd to call Dean a left-winger. Just ask the real left- wingers. During his presidential campaign, an article in the muckraking newsletter "CounterPunch" denounced him as a "Clintonesque Republicrat," someone who, as governor, tried "to balance the budget, even though Vermont is a state in which a balanced budget is not required."

Even on Iraq, many moderates, including moderate Republicans, quietly shared Dean's misgivings - which have been fully vindicated - about the march to war.

But Dean, of course, wasn't quiet. He frankly questioned the Bush administration's motives and honesty at a time when most Democrats believed that the prudent thing was to play along with the war party.

First of all, I resolved never to read another word of Krugman after learning that he was on Enron's payroll in the dirty years (as was Noonan). Sometimes these whoring fuckwits are so egregious in their corruption that their precious insights can be readily dismissed evermore, and Krugman is such a case.

> It is that we may actually begin fighting
> for what we believe.

Golly Paul, so you're saying that the war and the economy and Halliburton and everything else under the sun wasn't enough to make Dems actually DO anything last year? That the potent, articulate, savvy Democrats took the year off, allowing Bush to win a another squeaker? This would be dereliction of duty, were they sincere in their concerns. But tell us then, what was that roaring orchestra of shitty rhetoric we had to put up with last year?

It was the best effort of the Democratic party being defeated, that's what it was.

> It doesn't represent a turn to the left:
> Dean is squarely in the center of his party

Deep in his interior, in his heart of hearts, close within his immortal soul, this may be so. But it's not why he got the gig. He got the gig because he's clued in to a powerful new revenue source: The internet-capable cubicle monkey, an isolated technocrat with a high-five/low-six income. While literate, these monkeys are ideological in a bloodless, impersonal way. They don't actually associate with the working classes (or the well-invested, for that matter). They'll be absolutely useless in helping to harvest essential blue collar votes... They probably don't know where to find the loading dock for their company, let alone know anyone who works there. Or anything about that person's family.

But the monkeys are simplistically ideological, landing far to the left of the American voter. Their underpants moisten at Krugman's description of Republicans as "the war party," no matter how innapropriate and ineffective such wording has proven at the polls or in the world viewed whole. In their Desperate Housewives isolation, the monkeys respond best to TV star candidates with moist warmth, like Bubba Clinton. Where's Dean going to find another one of those?

Howard Dean was a part-time doctor who ascended to the Governor's mansion without election, and never faced a serious challenge in the ballot box. He knows nothing about the grease and dirt of real politics, let alone the haiku and nuance of the close races Democrats have faced in recent polls.

Wanna know what Karl Rove did when he read this Krugman piece this morning? He unzipped his pants and beat off at his desk.

Sorry for the block quote

Just happy to have you back, Crid. Without you, there's nobody to bitchslap the leftists.

Also, I forgot to bitch about the line: "...Dean's misgivings - which have been fully vindicated - about the march to war." But these things write themselves.

Hi Crid. You rock. By the way, I am a isolated technocrat with a low-six income who not only "associates" with the working class -- I have a lot of good sex with them too. Muscular high school dropouts with missing teeth are my favorites!