2016 Postmortem
In reply to the discussion: If Clinton gets the nomination, what do you think [View all]karynnj
(59,501 posts)Kerry's entire career backs what I wrote -- I don't dislike Dean, who I think did a wonderful job running the DNC and before that in his first political/civic effort pushing for Burlington's wonderful bike path.
I actually think he would have done better had his campaign allowed him to run as who he was in his political career in Vermont. He was a rather conservative Democrat. In 2013, I heard him speak in Burlington - where in introducing Burlington's Democratic mayor - spoke of how progressives had controlled the town since Sanders was elected. He spoke of how his wife voted for Bernie, while he voted for the incumbent. This was before he was an elected official himself. He spoke of how the progressives eventually moved the Democratic party left in Burlington - suggesting that Weinberger might not have run as a Democrat, but as a progressive had he run in the 1990s.
You might note that Dean in 2004 and Edwards in 2008 sometimes sounded alike when attacking others -- the common thread Joe Trippi. Dean, actually backed away from some of that -- and Trippi blames him for the the failure of that run in Trippi's book. I respect Dean for wanting at that point to be who he is.
I am not the least surprised that he is supporting Clinton. He worked with her on healthcare when he was governor and - he is likely closer to her on the ideological spectrum than to Bernie -- except, where Bernie got a D- from the NRA, Dean had an A.