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Scrutinizing Presidential Candidates
Posted 1-15-2004
Is it my imagination or is the candidacy of Howard Dean undergoing
unusual scrutiny? It is happening to a degree not applied to the other
Democratic candidates and certainly never applied to George W. Bush, either
as a candidate or as President. I'm not fully committed to Dean or any other
candidate, and I remain in the column of "anyone but Bush", but fair is
fair, and whether it is the media or other Democratic presidential
candidates, the same standards must apply to every candidate.
I know in any election the
front-runner gets attacked by those trailing. But, it seems to me that
recently Dean's past statements have been examined for absolute consistency.
Questions concerning his views on issues, financial deals from HIS past, his
sealing of records as Governor of Vermont, his views on free trade, and his
views on health care now are regularly dissected by his opponents and the
media. Also, Dean's lack of experience on international issues is being
brought into question.
If I were Howard Dean, I
would not squirm from taking on the questions directly. I'd point out that
my international experience is no different than Bush's when he took office.
It may even be more extensive if Dean has traveled outside the USA more than
once or twice in his life. As for his sealing of records from public view, I
would point out how Bush has sealed information from Reagan's and his
father's administrations, and how Cheney steadfastly refuses to make public
who helped him shape this administration's energy policy. But, Howard Dean
should not have to do these things if we had a news media that ever
questioned a thing the Bush administrations says or does.
Also, it is pathetic how
Liebermann and some of the Democratic Leadership Council boys keep harping
that Dean is too far to the Left to be elected. First of all, Liebermann is
not going to ever win anything other than being a senator from Connecticut.
Other than Gore choosing him as a running mate in 2000, would anyone
nationally even know who the drab, colorless Liebermann even is? There is a
growing number of discontent Democrats that think if the choice isn't clear
between the Democratic candidate and Bush, voters will choose the candidate
they already have in office. There must be a reason for change, and someone
willing to speak out and question the conventional wisdom is becoming more
and more attractive.
More importantly, the
Democratic Leadership Council (DLC) has a warped view of history. Bill
Clinton didn't win in 1992 because of his DLC association; he won because
the third party candidate took 20% of the vote. Just as in 2000, Nader's
candidacy spoiled things for Gore simply by taking the 90,000 votes he
received in Florida. The DLC is trying to make Democratic voters believe
that if the candidate doesn't come from their camp, he or she can't be
elected.
Also, that old "L" word is
getting thrown around again, and to throw it at Howard Dean is like throwing
it at Bill Clinton. Dean is a fiscal conservative and a supporter of gun
rights in Vermont. He's only liberal to those on the Far Right who call
anyone that doesn't see things their way, a liberal. If Dean is being called
a liberal because he opposed the invasion of Iraq, I guess there are a lot
of liberals out there, including members of the intelligence community and
the military.
My point is that the media
and public should apply the same standards for consistent statements and
behavior to all candidates. Don't have one for Bush and a different one for
Dean or any other Democrat. Also, the Democrats that are not going anywhere
in the race for the Democratic nomination should either make the honest but
painful decision to drop out or at least quit doing the Republican Party's
work for them by trying to tear down our party's front-runner. The election
for President is winnable for a Democrat, but it will become much more
difficult if we damage our nominee with brutal infighting orchestrated by
the Democratic Leadership Council because they are not calling the shots
anymore for the national Democratic party. |
