Reply #23: If Dean is so bad, then why did Vermonters re-elect him 5 times

[Larkspur]

and by majorities in all of them? He even won majorities when facing opponents from the opposite political spectrum.

If Dean is so bad, why did Vermonters put up with him?

If Dean is so bad, why is it that he, and not Kerry, can inspire thousands to come to his rallies?

If Dean is so bad, why did the Burlington Free Press http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/bfpnews/editorial/wednesday/1000h.htm recently update their approval of Dean and his chances of winning the Dem nomination?
Perhaps the most important aspect of Dean's governorship in Vermont as it affects his presidential qualifications is his solid record as a fiscal conservative. Vermont has avoided the budgetary pain suffered elsewhere largely because Dean, while governor in the late 1990s, resisted demands for the kinds of tax cuts and spending increases that have since flooded many state capitols in red ink.

That record in Montpelier should give Dean the fiscal credibility the other Democrats lack when attacking the president's controversial tax and economic policies.

If Dean is so bad, then why did a highly respected former spy and intelligence Reform Author practically endorse Dean for President http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/030804/nym186_1.html
Robert David Steele, a 25-year veteran of the U.S. national security community, founder of OSS.NET, and author or editor of three seminal works on intelligence reform, today cheered for Howard Dean's superb appearance on Larry King Live.

"Howard Dean is the real deal," Steele commented. "This is a man who is accustomed to getting the facts, weighing all opinions, and making an informed judgment. There could be no sharper contrast than that between this honorable man, and the incumbent President who led America to an unjust war on a platform of lies.

"Dean is not only solidly in the center, he is the only Democratic candidate capable of revitalizing the vast majority of America that has dropped out of politics or been marginalized by the Republican-Democratic conspiracy to dump the League of Women Voters for the specific purpose of eliminating third party participation in the presidential debate process."