Don Rose: Democrats on a suicide mission

[Martin Eden]

This essay was in the Perspective section of the Chicago Tribune. The author believes that Howard Dean cannot win the general election. The biggest problem I have with this essay is that it doesn't offer an alternative candidate who can beat Bush without being co-opted into the Republican agenda.

By Don Rose, a Democrat who has worked for Republicans, is a political consultant and food writer.
November 23, 2003

<<snip>>
Virtually every poll that shows Bush to be beatable also shows Dean losing to Bush worse than any of the serious contenders--even before being put through Rove's meat grinder. Republicans are salivating at the prospect of facing Dean next year. Columnists such as William Safire say so publicly, and GOP pros say so to each other. It is not, as one friend put it to me, simply a tricky ploy by Safire.

Dean's problem is that the campaign that has so captivated and energized the partisan base is one most likely to turn off the middle-ground constituencies required to win a general election. Presidential elections are won between the 40-yard lines, and Dean is playing as if his 35-yard line is the end zone.

<<snip>>
But along with his critique of the war in Iraq, he talks about rescinding all of Bush's tax-cut package--which means rescinding the middle-class or middle-income cuts forced into the package by Democrats. Rescinding those cuts amounts to a tax increase on the middle class, and every commercial Rove conceives will make powerful hay of that one. Dean could well suffer the fate of Walter Mondale, who promised America a tax increase and won even fewer electoral votes than McGovern.

EDITED BY ADMIN: COPYRIGHT

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http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/perspective/chi-0311230255nov23,1,2672185,print.story

[onebigbadwulf]

1. What?

is this guy blatantly stupid or just trying to spread lies?

The incumbent ALWAYS has higher numbers than a challenger this far ahread. ALWAYS

[J B]

2. Little comment.

There is an awful lot of time between now and the election. In the past, people understood that candidates can campaign towards the center once nominations are assured and that there is plenty of time to do this. The extreme earliness of the last few presidential campaigns has distorited traditional tolerance for this concept.

[ixion]

3. middle ground voters...

it makes no sense to say that middle ground voters will not vote for Dean and imply that these same voters will vote for Bush. The would imply that the middle ground voters approve of what Bush has done to our country and to our reputation worldwide, not to mention the thousands killed on his watch.

If people still think he is anything but a murderous liar, it is only because the mainstream media protects him, IMHO.

[billbuckhead]

4. We have to make it so obvious a choice the masses can't be mislead

Dean is too easily defined as outside mainstream America especially in the bible belt. Why fight a bunch of battles we don't have to? Clark or Kerry are better choices.

[Stuckinthebush]

6. I'd disagree with Kerry

But you may be right about Clark. Kerry is too easily painted as a New England liberal by the right.

I'm beginning to be convinced that a Clark/Dean ticket would be the best of both worlds.

[ozymandius]

5. This guy plays the election as though it is being held next week.

The altruism of his stance is lost on me. I am getting tired of unsolicited advice from people who claim to want to "save" the Democrats.

[eblack101]

7. Try a Dean/Clark ticket?

Friends

Try a Dean/Clark ticket. And Clark has actually excited who? replacing the Democratic base.

The man who can excite the masses and hold the center of the Dems,"progressive" independants and Greens is Dean(the only man who's exciting anybody, anyway).

The man who can bring along some of the Southern states (and, possibly, the West) is Clark. Further can you imagine the platform of Dean/Clark if Dean were to say(in this new age of unprecendented VP power)that he'd make Clark his designate to coordinate and implement State/Pentagon coordination in implementing Dean's "Internationalization" of the Iraq problem?