This past week has been very sad for me. I was truly hoping Howard Dean would not let go of his presidential campaign. In an ideal world, Dean would be miles ahead of Kerry and Edwards. I was depressed and gutted when Dean announced he was no longer running for president.
The reason for my lament was not because Dean dropped out. It was the way the media had totally and admittedly spun and made Dean into some screaming maniac who's anger should be reviled. If you are not angry with the way things have been going wrong in this country, you do not have a pulse. Howard Dean, if he was angry, he wanted you to feel angry with what has been going on, and he wanted people to channel that anger and getting involved. He should be thanked by all Democrats for that.
I also hated the way the Kerry campaign stole Dean's campaign message and style. In January, Kerry's campaign was going nowhere and then suddenly Kerry morphed into this Howard Dean wannabe. All of his message and mannerisms all had the patent of Howard Dean. I also have issues with the way the caucuses in my state of Washington were handled. There were certain Kerry people who were pressuring voters into joining their camp and this was not aimed at Dean supporters but those who liked Kucinich and Clark. I was getting pushed but I stood my ground with Dean. My suspicions are also enhanced by the people who were organizing the caucus. It seemed all deliberately unorganized and the counting was suspect. Suspicions enhanced by ab article in the recent Stranger
http://www.thestranger.com/2004-02-12/city.html and some discussions on the Mike Webb Show. Also this article about Howard Dean's "assassination"
http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=17881 . I also had spoken with other people about their caucus experience and shared my view about how it was all handled.
The DNC also played a part in the Dean "assassination". This must have been because Dean said that the Democratic Party leadership needed to change. Face it, DUers. The Democratic Party has catered too much to the multinationals and plays favor to the Republicans too much. Howard Dean made the wake up call to this. I am happy that Dean will still be around to call Terry McAuliffe and the rest of the leadership. I am hoping Dean will never be silent about this and I look forward to faction he wants to help create to counter the mushy middle DLC that now dominates and dare I say is ruining the party. I would recommend that Dean patches up whatever differences he may have with Kucinich and help achieve taking the Democratic Party back to it's progressive roots. The Democrats cannot act as a "Republican Lite" choice to the Republicans. What kind of a choice is that? As the neocons that have taken over the Republican Party, the Democrats cannot and should not allow to give their party over to the conservatives or conservative wannabes. America as a democracy would considered a joke.
With all of this, I am not saying that Dean was perfect. The only things that really contributed to his demise in the race is the fact he was blunt. Maybe too blunt. Especially when he stated he wanted to break the corporate media monopolies and wanted to replace the DNC leadership. It was all revenge aimed at Dean. His bluntness made him the only candidate that could effectivley beat Bush. John Kerry maybe liberal on issues with the environment and veteran's issues, but you cannot deny that during Bush II's tenure, Kerry supported the "Leave a Child Behind" bill, Patriot Act, Bush's tax cuts, and the damning one of all, the support for the invasion of Iraq which has sent over 500 young men and women and thousands of Iraqis to their deaths. How on Creator's Earth can you say that Kerry is different than Bush????
I know there is going to be some people out there that think I should get over the fact Dean lost. People will also think that I should be in lock-step with supporting Kerry. Why should I? If we all fall into lock-step and follow what the DNC or DLC says or does then we are no different than the Republicans. Is that what you want? If Kerry does get the nomination, I will vote for him out of necessary reluctance. I will not send any of money to his campaign, I will not actively work on his campiagn, nor will I even place a John Kerry bumper sticker anywhere. And yes. I will call Kerry on anything I disagree with. I hope many Dean supporters will do the same.
Also if anybody is going to beat Bush in November, it won't be John Kerry, it will be Bush that will beat Bush. Unless he and Rove have an ace up their sleeve and I would not put anything past them to do so.
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