Howard Dean seems to be working into his new role in the Kerry campaign – the butcher who throws red meat to the frothing Bush hatters…
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio – John Kerry was supposed to spend yesterday traveling through Ohio and Michigan, going to church and talking at rallies. But by afternoon, his campaign was searching for a secure telephone line so Kerry could be briefed on an issue that was overtaking the day: The terrorist threats announced in Washington.
Yet the issue has charged the atmosphere, influencing everything Bush and Kerry do these days, as was particularly clear at Kerry’s nominating convention.
It has also stirred renewed suggestions by some Democrats that the White House was manipulating terror alerts for Bush’s political gain. They said this latest alert was issued at the moment Kerry emerged from a convention that was described by Republicans and Democrats as a success.
“I am concerned that every time something happens that’s not good for President Bush, he plays this trump card, which is terrorism,” Howard Dean, the former governor of Vermont and a former rival of Kerry for the Democratic nomination, told Wolf Blitzer on CNN.
“His whole campaign is based on the notion that ‘I can keep you safe, therefore at times of difficulty for America stick with me,’ and then out comes Tom Ridge,” Dean, the former Vermont governor, added, referring to the homeland security secretary. “It’s just impossible to know how much of this is real and how much of this is politics, and I suspect there’s some of both in it.”I thought with him humiliating defeats in the primaries that were going to be rid of Howard Dean, but I guess I was wrong. Fortunately Howie is kind enough to show a little ass on a semi-regular basis. It’s like a full employment act for political pundits.
One extra thought – If this was just politics, the Kerry/Edwards ticket probably wouldn’t be getting the same high level intelligence briefings as the president.
As someone who cant really know for sure how much of this is politics and how much is real, I am just disturbed that it is even an issue.
And you need to be well aware of the Bush Hatters because they can come up with some mean noggin covers.
Dean is so out of touch. But, this (^^) isn’t new behavior — he’s been consistently “throwing red meat to the Bush Haters” and Hatters, too, in my experience.
What I can’t figure out is what Kerry tossed to Dean. From the sidewalk reports by Deaniacs during Iowa, it was Kerry and his who literally moved their yard signs as soon as they were up, among a lot of other dirty pool tactics by Kerry and campaign in Iowa, who perceived Dean as the object o’ destruction inorder to “win Iowa” (it’s actual campaign history by now, what Kerry and advisors did as to Dean, in Iowa and why).
As to Dean being out of touch, he’s one of those guys who perceives the loudest noise as being love. It isn’t, it’s just a loud noise. Meaning, Dean’s not popularly accepted or even well liked across the country, but you’d never know it by listening to Dean and even Kerry, for Heaven’s sake. Loud noise does not a love song make.
Dean’s talent is in his ability to work the crowd, as a Motivational Speaker. The actual facts are — as in, reality within our American society — that the crowd that Dean motivates so well are hand picked from among already motivated, so, they’re just responding like a Deany Gallery. Walk outside, into the bigger world, they’re lost in message and import without their buds.
So, two things necessary to lend import to Dean (and Kerry on his behalf): careful crowd selection and careful media coverage of those selected crowds. From afar, they appear bigger than they really are but they really are receding in the rearview mirror.
I’m sure nothing would make the Bush regime happier than keeping Kerry and edwards out of the loop. But since they sit on the Foreign Relations and Intelligence Committes, they have to be be briefed whether the White House likes it or not.
I have no problem with Howard Dean making these assertions, but Wolf Blitzer should be fired for not pressing him to show even a shred of evidence or to recant. CNN has become Hard Copy.
On what evidence, Mr. Myers, do you base this accusation? The entire history of the ‘Bush Regime’ is of attempting to work with the Democrat minority in the Congress, to the extent of infuriating rank and file Republicans. Fortunately the Dems’ refusal to even attempt to reciprocate infuriated voters more, leading to their electoral bloodbath in ’02. Even more fortunately, the Dems have refused to draw the right conclusions and have increased their hysteria. Bush Regime, indeed.
Bush combines two elements rarely seen in politicians on the national level: dishonesty and incompetence. We’ve had incompetent presidents before, and we’ve had dishonest presidents, but Bush is like Hoover and Nixon cohabitating in one skin.
His dad must be so proud.
Until I re-read Peekay’s comment I could have sworn he was talking about Kerry. After all, if that description were applied to Kerry it could actually be supported by evidence. Instead all we have is Peekay’s opinion, founded in … what, exactly?