Howard Dean reminds everyone that he is not Obama
Image by Getty Images via Daylife
“The plan, as it comes from the Senate, hangs out every Democrat who’s running for office to dry — including the president, in 2012, because it makes him defend a plan that isn’t in effect essentially yet.” ~Howard Dean
Actually, I think Dean is entirely wrong on this point. So wrong, in fact, that I’m not even sure where to begin.
First of all, I think what Dean is doing – and has been doing for some time – is reminding Americans that he is far, far to the left of the President. Whether this is true is another question. Surely he is nowhere near as cool or collected as Obama. And for my money, I’m glad we have this President as opposed to Dean who, quite frankly, scares me a little bit. It’s not even his politics so much – it’s his temperament.
Second, the fact that the healthcare bill won’t have gone into effect come 2012 will more than likely work in the Democrats’ favor, especially if there’s a rebound in employment. That’s the kicker, of course, but if the economy keeps improving and job numbers don’t look so grim, the Democrats, and Obama especially, should have no problems winning.
In fact, the new taxes and expenses that the healthcare bill will inevitably take out of Americans’ pockets won’t have gone into effect yet either, seriously crippling the Republicans’ advantage in running on repealing an expensive bill. All the pain will be on the horizon, as yet unfelt by the American people.
That makes a lot of sense from Obama’s perspective. That’s the thing about Obama – whether you agree with him or not, the man makes sense. He’s a thinker. He doesn’t just react. If you want a president that just reacts you can go elect Howard Dean when he challenges Obama from the left in 2012.
Either that, or Dean is just trying to make Obama look good by contrast. If that’s his strategy, it’s working.
Post Your Comment
You must be logged in to post a comment
T/S Members
Log in with your True/Slant account.
Or in short, a Democrat who has the courage of his convictions and defends them with strong language that leaves little room for compromise is scary and intemperate.
Republicans who act the same seem to be regarded by media and voters as strong men and women you can trust.
Perhaps Dean is looking to see if voters disagree with you about temperament, of if it really is “OK if you’re a Republican”.
All I know is that BOTH parties have been sliding to the right for decades, and I think that’s why: one is uncompromising, the other compromises at every challenge.
I am not sure that I agree with you here, or even necessarily understand your point. How is what Dean said wrong? The plan, even if adopted will not be in effect in 2012. That will leave the democrats running on a record of health reform when people have seen no health reform. It will seem like they are running on nothing. Furthermore, the republicans will be able to tell people that if they dont elect republicans to repeal the health reform, they will be left with death panels. Since people will not have experienced how health care reform works, they may be inclined to fall for this logic. Seems sensible to me. How is that far left.
And at the end of your piece, you say obama is a thinker who doesnt just react. Is that why he is apparently now flipping on trying terrorists in court? Is that why he backed off the public option? It seems like all he does is react to criticism.
Maybe I am just missing something.
RE:First of all, I think what Dean is doing – and has been doing for some time – is reminding Americans that he is far, far to the left of the President
You have it reversed……obama is so far left of Dean….he is outside the Constitituion
The fact that the bill will not be in effect in 2012 and that the tax bite will not occur until much later, just points out the dishonesty of the bill, something that you obviously approve of.
I actually have a fair amount of respect for Howard Dean but not on this issue. What I can’t understand is how the Left any more than the Right can accomplish anything in this country by applying a purity test for votes. Passing legislation is like making sausage. It’s a messy business. It requires compromise.
And pray tell, what have the Republicans or the Blue Dog Democrats compromised? Obama’s plan is watered down enough to be slush.
In response to another comment. See in context »I keep hearing this compromise ideal. Yeah, all well and good if you can find someone who is willing to compromise. Once in a while you just have to do what you know is the right thing.
In response to another comment. See in context »Absolutely, Jerry. And it has always been thus…
In response to another comment. See in context »Your piece really touches on one of my pet peeves about democrats, we are supposed to be the temperate, calm thinkers based in reason and quiet debate. So we lay back and roll our eyes at the fiery insults of socialism. We are above all that…what horse shit. We used to be the party in the street with the people, we used to read IF Stone. What have we become? Can we see the street from our Ivory Towers?
Our history is not marked by the timid, our forefathers, our founders were firebrands. As the country was pulled to the right, while we were pushed into a war we went into a torpid fog.
It was Howard Dean who woke up the Democrats to the notion that if they fought in all fifty states instead of accepting some intellectual concept that entire regions were hopeless. It is Howard Dean who has already fought for health care in his state and won. It is Howard Dean who is fighting for a public option that is what the majority of our citizens want. It is Howard Dean who is fighting for immediate aid for the uninsured. The White House is good at reminding people that the matter is urgent, urgent because it is hurting our economy, urgent because people are dying under corporate care, so urgent that we should pass a bill and wait years for it to come into effect. Yeah, it is cased closed, we can stop talking about the rising costs in the meantime and the people dying. People will understand that it passed even though they still have to pay in meantime and nothing seems to have improved.
Dean may not be that effective and quiet leader like Reid who never made a threat he didn’t take back. No. Dean is a throwback to democratic labor leaders, to rabble rousing democratic civil rights leaders, to angry anti-war leaders, to the kind of leaders like Teddy Roosevelt who isn’t afraid to stick his thumb in the eye of the powerful to get their attention. We need a congress full of Deans howling at the moon and tearing into the big lies and taming the robber barons and war mongers.
Amen.
In response to another comment. See in context »[...] was all set to write a post responding to fellow True/Slant blogger E.D. Kain’s treatment of Howard Dean, noting that in terms of the focus of this blog, folks like Howard Dean have been [...]