Photo credit: John Pettitt/DeanForAmerica.com

Howard Dean

In several stunning reversals of fortune, Howard Dean went from nobody to front-runner to loser in Iowa to Chairman of the DNC. He did so in part by working harder than everyone else. After losing the nomination to Kerry, some speculated that Dean would be w "wild card" who would be hard to control. Some even suggested that he might try a third party run because he seemed so "angry." Instead, Dean became one of Kerry's most vocal and enthusiastic supporters, tirelessly campaigning for Kerry and other Democrats. He earned lots of respect for that hard work, and now he's been rewarded with the chairmanship.

Again, many are underestimating Dean. Many Republicans are gloating as the think Dean will pull the Democrats to the left. Yet they are relying too much on the caricature of Dean that emerged during the primaries. Dean has always been a fiscal conservative, and he governed that way. Dean is very liberal on social policy.

Most importantly, Dean can energize young voters and he is strongly pushing for reform. One recent quote sums it up nicely:

"I think we have to be the party of reform, reforming our dreadful fiscal situation, reforming our budgetary process, reforming our electoral politics, reforming health care, reforming education, reforming our foreign policy."  Howard Dean 

The party desperately needs to embrace reform issues like redistricting reform and the fiscal mess created by Bush and the GOP. If Dean can focus on reform and his plans to rebuild the party from the ground up, he has the potential to be a great DNC chairman. (Updated 2/11/05 by G. orlando)


LATEST NEWS:

Dean selected to head Democratic Party, rips GOP for bring 'Enron-style' accounting to the nation's budget (WP) 


Commentary from Presidential Campaign:

E. J. Dionne Jr. explains Dean's impact on the presidential race.

Roger Simon provides a fascinating overview of how the Dean campaign failed to win the nomination.

Anna Quindlan praises Howard Dean in Newsweek for being the UnNader (translation: he's not a selfish egomaniac).

In the Washington Post, Howard Kurtz details the chaos and infighting that dominated the Dean campaign from the beginning. Howard Dean responds on his web site.

Walter Shapiro says in USA Today that Dean is still combative despite his string of losses.

Newsweek's Howard Fineman sums up nicely the factors that led to Dean's implosion.



QUOTES:

"Ralph Nader has made many great contributions to America over 40 years. But if George W. Bush is re-elected, the health, safety, consumer, environmental, and open government provisions Ralph Nader has fought for will be undermined. George Bush's right-wing appointees will still be serving as judges fifty years from now, and our Constitution will be shredded. It will be government by, of, and for, the corporations - exactly what Ralph Nader has struggled against."  - Howard Dean, reacting to the Nader candidacy, 2/23/04






Comments, questions and suggestions can be sent to Gerardo Orlando at editor@orlandoreport.com.

Back to The Orlando Report home page.