Dean surge felt among lawmakers

[Nambe]

The Hill)

The strength of Howard Dean’s insurgent presidential candidacy among party activists is putting pressure on congressional Democrats to back him. But his increased early success is raising urgent questions over his electability. --

Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.), whose state plans to hold its primary 11 days after New Hampshire’s Jan. 29th opener, said beating President Bush is a priority for Evergreen State Democrats. “The electability stuff is out there. It’s a concern. But you get into an electability argument and it’s way too subjective and nuanced,” Smith said. “What I have been saying all along is that Sen. Kerry has the best platform, on the substance,” Smith said.

Regardless of the questions regarding Dean’s electability, lawmakers told The Hill that his campaign seems to have the most energy and buzz in the early primary and caucus states.

“I am only stating the obvious that right now Howard Dean has the momentum,” said Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) who is holding forums — the first of the kind — all across Iowa for the nine declared candidates.

Harkin added: “But there’s no doubt in my mind that the majority of the audience is undecided.” ---

[West Coast Democrat]

1. Undecideds Holding Onto #1 Spot

and I'm one of them.

[SeattleDem]

2. ? the Washington state primary is March 2

which is a little more than 11 days after the January 29th New Hampshire opener. A little weird for this source to have gotten it so wrong.

[West Coast Democrat]

3. I thought that sounded odd

11 days after New Hampshire?

[bemildred]

4. Yeah, enthusiastic popular support is bad for "electability".

Very dangerous stuff.

[LeftCoast]

5. ROFL

Good one! :)

[Frances]

6. I agree with the article that Dean is more like McCain

than McGovern.

I think if McCain had won the Republican nomination he would have won the popular vote in the general election, even though I would have been extremely disappointed because I favored Gore's views more than McCain's.

[Eloriel]

7. Will Marshall is a Kerry advisor

No bias there.

And one "New Democrat" somehow slipped off the reservation:

But Simon Rosenberg, president of the New Democratic Network, argues that Dean’s candidacy cannot be placed on a right -left continuum and that his greatest appeal may be among independents, similar to that of McCain.

“Dean is successfully defying easy characterization. He is not a liberal Democrat. His record in Vermont shows that,” said Rosenberg.

Eloriel