Why I support Howard Dean

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We have 9 good and decent people running for President on the Democratic side. If Clark joins in we will have 10. If Gore does we will have 11. Every single one would make a better President than Bush. Every single one would do good and wonderful things for the American people if they were to get to the White House. They have already done good and wonderful things for either their jurisdictions or the American people in their public lives. Yet I support Dean. Here is why.

First, and foremost, we must win this time. We can't afford 4 more minutes let alone 4 more years of a Bush Presidency. He has wrecked the economy. He has wrecked the budget. He has wrecked Social Security and Medicare. For the first time since Herbert Hoover we will have a President who hasn't created a job in an entire term of office. Not only that he has made us terra non grata through out the world. America is less popular now than in the lifetime of any American citizen. Instead of being the envy of the world we are the hated of the world. We must win. Our votes belong not just to us but to our children and grandchild. Not just to us but to our out of work neighbors and our homeless countrymen. Not just to us but to the children whose schools are lying of teachers, who parents are out of work, and whose medical insurance doesn't exist. We must win.

For that reason I can't support Mosley Braun, Kucinich, or Sharpton. None of them can possibly win. Mosley Braun has too much baggage. Kucinich splits our party on abortion. Sharpton has no experience and can't even win a primary in NYC. They are good people. I voted for and worked for CMB and Kucinich at times in the past. Sharpton has been impressive in the debates. But none of them can be elected. And we must win.

I also have to eliminate Lieberman for much the same reason. He so turns off our base, and is so uncharismatic I can't see him beating Bush either. In addition, on a host of issues he plays into the Bush rhetoric and cuts us off at the knees. And we must win.

That leaves Kerry, Gephardt, Graham, Edwards and Dean. Given the circumstances that are likely to exist in 2004 any of these five can win given a well run campaign. They are all capable of running that campaign. So why do I favor Dean over them?

First, Dean has our best message. He can compare Vermont to America and any fool would take Vermont. Dean turned deficits into surplusses. Dean turned recession into recovery. Dean turn unemployment into employment. Dean turn a state with one of the worst bond rating in the country into a state with one of the best. Under his stewardship his state went from a fiscal mess to a fiscal model. Other than possibly Graham, no other candidate can say this. No other candidate has such unmitiagatedly successful economic stewardship of a state. He can ask the country if they are better off than they were four years ago and produce literally thousands of Vermonters who were better off in 2003 than they were in 1991. That message will win and we must win.

Second, Dean showed courage to sign the civil unions bill in the face of not only political but violent opposition. I know certain DUers will tell you gay rights grow on trees. That leadership didn't matter. That the Supreme Court made him do it. Or a thousand other non sensical and often contradictory lies. But let me say both loud and clear. Dean was indispensible to that law passing and that is a fact. Two states had virtually identical supreme court decisions (Alaska and Hawaii) and both changed the constitution rather than honor that decision. Both had Democratic governors at the time and one is probably the most Democratic state in the nation that isn't in the South. Yet both states changed their constitutions (in HI's case it was the very first time ever). And, yes Vermont's could have been changed as well. I have posted how on three occasions. Dean did the right thing by twisting arms to pass that bill. He did the right thing by signing that bill. And he did the right thing by campaigning on having signed it. He was the right man, in the right place, at the right time and every person (not just gay and lesbians) live better today thanks to that act. Thanks to that act a gay or lesbian born today is more likelty to live a life with the full measure of citizenship than one born when I was. This shows me he can and will courageous in his governence. He didn't let me down then and won't let me down in the White House.

Third he opposed the war and for the right reasons. He can carry both the message that this war is wrong and that the war on terrorism is right. That this is the wrong war at the wrong time for the wrong reason. He has been consistent in his opposition and it is paying off handsomely. America will grow tired of losing its soldiers, sailors and marines to this botched effort at finishing Bush's dads work. Dean can and will make the case that we need to win the war no terror and not lose it in an attempt to pacify Iraq.

Fourth, His campaign has been brilliantly run and has exceeded all expectations. He started this race as a small state's governor that only gays and lesbians had heard of. He had no national connections of any import. He was in close to last in every poll out there. In just over a year he has raised more money than everyone save Kerry over all and everyone in the 2nd quarter. He has more donors than anyone. He is now tied for first both nationally and in Iowa, New Hampshire, and California. He is on the cover of both Time and Newsweek. He has gone further in less time than any candidate I have ever seen or heard of.

Fifth, He has the right tone to take to Bush. We can not lie down and play dead with this man. We can not assume he is some dumb ass who will lose the race for us. We need to be agressive and in his face. Every lie needs to be taken down. Every mistep needs to be pointed out. Bush is wrong on virtually everything and we need to let the people know that.

Sixth, His gun stance can win us voters we can't win otherwise and at little to no public policy cost. We still don't have all the federal laws that Dean favors and are very unlikely to get them soon. We will be exceedingly lucky to get what Dean favors. So why not run a candidate who can get us some votes then? This alone could give us WV, TN, NH, and AK all of which Gore lost narrowly. It also will help us keep MI, PA, and WI all of which Gore won narrowly.

I am a firm anybody but Bush partisan. I will vote, work for, give money to, and pray to elect whomever we nominate. But it is my firm belief that Dean is the right man, with the right message, the right values, the right skills, for this country at this time. He can win. He will win. We must win.