IN THE tranquil dog days of summer, the oasis of exciting political news often dries up to resemble a desert, but this year, have no fear, Howard Dean is here. In the last few weeks, his colorful language and inexplicable outbursts have left many, including some Democrats, scratching their heads in astonishment and embarrassment.
Dean's new strategy as leader of the Democratic National Committee includes belittling potential supporters, vilifying the opposition and espousing divisive and controversial furor, all the while claiming to take the moral high ground. His unabashed hypocrisy is staggering, and the consequence for his party is tangible -- his once-touted fund-raising skills have failed to bring home the bacon at a competitive rate. If he keeps this up, he'll become the Republicans' hero.
On June 2, Dean spoke to the Take Back America conference held in Washington, D.C., where he unleashed a slew of vitriolic attacks on Republicans. He characterized their vision as "dark, difficult and dishonest." He then went on to demean them even further, stating, "a lot of them have never made an honest living in their lives" and therefore have time to stand in long voting lines, whereas "ordinary working people, who have to work eight hours a day" are at a disadvantage.
Dean tried to defend his statement later, but only dug himself even deeper in the hole by asserting, "We have to be rough on the Republicans. Republicans don't represent ordinary Americans and they don't have any understanding of what it is to go out and try and make ends meet. What I said was the Republican leadership didn't seem to care much about working people."
This contrasts sharply with Dean's comments during the 2004 primary season, in which he referred to Republicans as pickup-driving Southerners: "White folks in the South who drive pickup trucks with Confederate flag decals on the back ought to be voting with us, and not [for Republicans], because their kids don't have health insurance either, and their kids need better schools too."
So which is it? Are Republicans wealthy elitist snobs who have everything handed to them on a silver platter, or are they simpleton racist hicks who can't form a coherent thought, afford health insurance or send their kids to exclusive prep schools? Dean seems to be swinging at everything and anything he can to tear down Republicans.
Dean appeared at a roundtable discussion in San Francisco on June 6 and took a jab at the opposition once again: "The Republicans are not very friendly to different kinds of people. They're a pretty monolithic party where they all behave the same, and they all look the same. It's pretty much the white Christian party." In the same speech, he somehow managed to say with a straight face, "We're more welcoming to different folks, because that's the kind of people we are." I don't know if that's the best way to go about recruiting new supporters, considering 92 percent of the population identifies with a belief in God, according to a Fox News/Opinion Dynamics poll taken in June 2004. This from a man who said on May 22 in an interview with Tim Russert, "I consider myself a deeply religious person. I consider myself a Christian... It came out in the campaign that I pray every night." Dean also mentioned at the Take Back America conference, "We ought to reach out to evangelical Christians." He sure has a unique way of courting that vote.
Back in February, Dean labeled conservatives as "intolerant" and even went so far as to insinuate they were evil. He said, "This is a struggle of good and evil. And we're the good." That sounds a lot like President Bush's black-and-white view of the war on terror, which has been ridiculed by many on the left for being brash, absolutist, naïve and close-minded. In January, Dean stated, "I hate the Republicans and everything they stand for..." Talk about inclusiveness and acceptance of differing points of view. That will really win over moderates.
Other leading Democrats are a bit hesitant to support Dean's over-the-top eruptions wholeheartedly. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said, "I don't think the statement [Dean] made was a helpful statement." Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del, responding to the "white Christian" remark, believes that his "rhetoric is counterproductive," and that Dean "doesn't speak for me ... and I don't think he speaks for the majority of Democrats."
In an attempt to do major damage control, Dean held a press conference with Senate minority leader Harry Reid, D-Nev. Reid said that Dean "misspoke" in his observations about Republicans, but Dean declined to agree with this, simply stating that they are "doing a great job" to build a "unified" party.
Dean's rhetoric clearly isn't resonating with donors; according to FEC filings, from January to April, the DNC raised $18.6 million, while the RNC garnered $42.6 million. Howard Dean's supporters certainly aren't putting their money where his mouth is.
In the June 6 appearance, Dean broadcasted the Democrats' mission for 2008: "We're trying to resurrect this party... we're going to fight back." Yep, he's definitely on the right track. But he certainly shouldn't hope for a providential resurrection of his party with such virulent and disrespectful discourse.
Whitney Blake is a Cavalier Daily associate editor. She can be reached at wblake@cavalierdaily.com.
Read More
PATEL: Personal development courses support students beyond the gradebook
By Heer Patel | 4 days agoThe University must rethink its approach to education beyond traditional major-specific requirements and mandate personal development courses.
EDITORIAL: Commercialization threatens U.Va.’s educational mission
By Editorial Board | 4 days agoAfter all, measuring the University’s worth in terms of accrued capital, operational efficiency and numerical rankings molds this space into just another cookie-cutter institution.
YOUNIS: Why every U.Va. student should say yes to English
By Ayat Younis | January 9, 2025Every student at the University, regardless of their primary field of study, can professionally and academically benefit from engaging with the English department.
