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January 23, 2004
Deconstructing Dean
Interesting week. I saw the results and was disappointed. Then I heard about the post-caucus yell. I found a copy of the broadcast and was stunned. The combination of the two things made me wonder about Dean's viability and whether to continue supporting him.
I realize, though, that he's still the best man for the job. There are a number of reasons I won't go into now, but there is one thing that I want to highlight from Slate's Chris Suellentrop:
The second thing that occurred to me was something from Howard Dean: A Citizen's Guide to the Man Who Would Be President, the book by a team of Vermont reporters. In it, one journalist notes that as Vermont governor, Dean never quite grasped that he was something other than an ordinary person, and that his words had unusual power. Sure, he had an uncommon job, but other than that, Dean thought he was just a regular guy. To a great extent, Dean has behaved on the campaign trail as if he still feels the same way.
Dean's regular-guy status is one of the most appealing things about his candidacy, and it's one of the most fun things about covering him. He's willing to let himself be a normal person to a reporter in a way that most politicians won't. But in another way, a presidential candidate, and especially a president, isn't a regular guy. Presidents can't do or say the things that even senators and governors can. Neither can first ladies. That may not be fair, but that's the way it is.
It looks as if Howard and Judy Dean have decided that if they can't remain "just ordinary folks," they don't want to be president and first lady. That's admirable. But I also suspect that that decision, and not some pirate yell, is the biggest obstacle that would keep them from the White House.
Well, why the hell can't a normal person be President? Especially someone whose proven to be a capable leader? And when the bar is set by the chimp, these issues become almost irrelevant.
Posted by glyphic at January 23, 2004 02:59 AM