• End of a Deaniac
End of a Deaniac
Seldom has a presidential candidate risen so rapidly and unpredictably and crashed so dramatically and unexpectedly as former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean.
But Dr. Dean’s brief candidacy energized a party that needed a jolt to rouse it from its gutless complacency. His bold opposition to the war in Iraq – and his pit-bullish eagerness to clamp down hard on the presidential ankle – helped Democrats find the spine to take on George W. Bush in a way they hadn’t dared to since Sept. 11, 2001. His trailblazing techniques for using the Internet challenged conventional ideas about running campaigns. And his appeal to young people, reminiscent of the 1968 primary campaign of Sen. Eugene McCarthy, D-Minn., brought a fresh gust of idealism into the party.
In some ways, Dr. Dean’s fall was out of his hands. The media and the American people love the story of the political unknown who rockets to the head of the pack. They are just as fascinated by the morbid fall from grace that almost inevitably follows. “The scream” – like Edmund Muskie’s tears and Michael Dukakis’ tank ride – took on a life of its own, fairly or unfairly.
But often these vivid events play off legitimate voter concerns. Those who had seen Dr. Dean up close had raised questions about his temper and temperament before the scream.
But blaming the scream for Dr. Dean’s downfall is revisionist history. Dr. Dean had already given up his big lead and finished a disappointing third in Iowa before the scream. In December and January, Dr. Dean made rash statements, such as his remark that he wanted to appeal to “guys with Confederate flags on their pickup trucks.” Dr. Dean’s remark downplaying the importance of Saddam Hussein’s capture didn’t help his case. Primary voters may have overdosed on outrage, an emotion Dr. Dean had in alarming abundance.
Tactically, Dr. Dean violated a cardinal rule of political campaigns: If you’re the front-runner, don’t go negative right before the election. Dr. Dean got caught in a nasty fight with Rep. Richard A. Gephardt, D-Mo. The fight left both mortally wounded. Democrats also realized that the GOP was eager to run against Dr. Dean.
Dr. Dean apparently believes he can continue to have a big impact on the party by keeping his movement, if not his candidacy, alive. But apart from his stance on the war, it isn’t clear how Dr. Dean differs from other Democrats.
Dr. Dean is unlikely to have as lasting an impact on his party as other important losers, such as Barry Goldwater in 1964, Mr. McCarthy in 1968, or Ronald Reagan in 1976. But if a Democrat wins the White House, Dr. Dean will deserve more than a footnote in history.
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
