Howard Dean - Doctor, Governor, Democratic Boss

After his humiliating flameout in the 2004 Democratic Primaries, who imagined that a year later, Dr. Howard Dean would be running the Democratic Party? I did not support him for president, believing his campaign had peaked too early and that he would run out of gas against Bush. As it turned out, he lost his momentum much earlier and never won a single state primary. Now that same famously outspoken politician intends to lead the Democrats out of the wilderness.

Dean has proven himself a champion fundraiser, but he needs to be more than that. His predecessor, Terry McAuliffe, raised a ton of money but nearly drove the party off a cliff with his lack of a cohesive and coherent vision. Dean needs to determine what the party stands for and how it is to make inroads in the Red States. The new face of the party needs to show Americans that Democrats do stand for things other than "we’re not Bush."
The right-wing part of the media has helped demonize Democrats, and Dean has the energy and passion to counter that. Rush Limbaugh, Bill O’Reilly and Sean Hannity, to name a few, will paint him as out of touch, as a radical, blah blah blah. Don’t believe it. Dean is a little left of center, yes, but that is not a bad thing. It does not mean he is a communist, which Fox News might have you believe.

Remember how his grass-roots campaign took off and utilized the internet in ways no one had seen before. Remember how passionate his followers became. John Kerry never inspired that kind of passion and still got 48% of the vote. Dean has already said he will visit Red States often. Kerry ran for president, and how long do you think he considered even looking at a state like, say, Kentucky? The Democrats are a national party, and they should start acting like one instead of targeting "safe" and "swing" areas.

He is volatile and will undoubtedly say things that conservative types will pounce on. I’m sure Ann Coulter is licking her venomous chops right now. I say fine – let him become the lightning rod. He seems to thrive on it. More importantly, he will be able to convey his passion to people and, I think, will make a fine leader for the party. I have reservations, to be sure, but the Democrats need something to energize them and pull them together, and I think Howard Dean will be able to do that. I will support him, and if you believe that Bush and his ilk are continuing to destroy this country, then you should too.