LA Times editorial - Leading with his Lip

[realFedUp]

(can't believe no one's posted this yet...) and
this one needs responses pronto:
[e-mail]
(this would be a good target for Will Pitt's
points in his essay "Dean was right" posted
on DU. and Will, if you send letters in as
a citizen, not as communications person for
PDA...this is a good place to respond.

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/editorials/la-ed-dean12jun12,0,809723.story?coll=la-news-comment-editorials

Leading With His Lip

June 12, 2005

Howard Dean has become the Russell Crowe of the Democratic Party. But unlike Crowe, who has been profusely apologizing for beaning a hotel concierge with a telephone in a fit of bad temper, Dean shows no signs of contrition for the intemperate rhetorical blasts that he sent flying in the direction of the GOP last week.

Dean presents a conundrum for embattled Democrats, who have lost control of the White House and Congress. There are two ways for them to think about him. One is that he's a reckless, emotional politician whose fiery remarks will stir up debate and help the Democratic Party. The other is that he's a reckless, emotional politician whose name-calling cheapens the national debate on issues and hurts his own party.

Judging by Dean's preposterous comments about all Republicans being rich and idle, and mostly white Christians to boot, the latter is inescapably the case. You can't be a good salesman if you spend your time insulting prospective customers, in this case people who haven't been voting Democratic.

More responsible Democrats may squirm over the party chairman's unbridled, unscripted and unnecessary remarks, but they do have one benefit: Dean's antics make other leading Democrats seem moderate by comparison. Trouble is, the party doesn't have a real torchbearer these days — neither Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid nor House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi are particularly charismatic — so this is a rare moment when people might actually look to the party chairman for some leadership.

continued

[Canuckistanian]

1. Reckless? RECKLESS?

When was the last time you ever heard that term applied to a Republican?
This smells like a Gore-type smear to me. Dean's getting uncomfortably close to educating real people on the atrocities of this maladministration.

[reality based]

2. Are we going to let people lie about what Dean actually said?

He did not say "all" Republicans were rich and idle and Micheal Kinsley's minions at the LA Tmes surely know that. Franken can add a new chapter to his book.

[realFedUp]

3. write a letter

I'd really rant on that editorials have no
name signed underneath them, but we post
anonymously also...
but I still think this one is not factual
and just a flamethrower.