Salon: Dean, sunny-side up

[pruner]

Dogged by criticism that he is "too angry," Howard Dean rolls out a new, positive message on his rapidly expanding road show.

By Josh Benson

Nov. 20, 2003  |  BURLINGTON, Vt. -- At the beginning of last week Howard Dean was flying around the country on a Learjet, with room for himself, a couple of staffers, up to four reporters and about nothing else. Thursday, he flew from Albuquerque, N.M., in the morning to Burlington at night on a much larger GulfStream 2, in an attempt to accommodate the crush of media now assigned to stick close to him nearly full-time.

The increased attention from the press is an indication of the turn his campaign has taken over the last two weeks, as Dean has picked up key labor and political endorsements and appears to be solidifying his position as front-runner. It's also an illustration of the sort of scrutiny Dean will be subjected to from now on.

Now, then, begins a real battle for Dean's image: His opponents want voters to see him as an inconsistent supporter of key Democratic causes and an unreconstructed, unelectable liberal. And Dean, who has made a concerted effort in recent days to broaden his message beyond a central antiwar, anti-Bush theme, is attempting to show more of the free-thinking, ideologically moderate policy wonk he was when he ran Vermont.

Hence, on a day when former Gen. Wesley Clark criticized him for proposing too much new government regulation of business, Dean talked about his own proposal to roll back the federal government's regulation of schools.

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http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2003/11/20/dean/

[Scott Lee]

1. Personally I'm getting sick of Salon's pedagogic 'tude

Lately they've been titling their articles with "How to..." "Why this is...." and all that crap.

I used to like their approach. What are they smoking lately?

[drfemoe]

2. excellent article * n/t

[Eric J in MN]

3. the issue of regulation of big business

quote from the article
----------------------------------------
But while Dean was presenting himself as a Clintonesque reinventor of government -- at
least on education -- Clark was criticizing him at an event in Boston for his promises to
reregulate the recently scandalized utility companies, media conglomerates and companies
that offer stock options. Clark painted Dean as an old-fashioned big-government liberal
who, if elected, would undo many of Bill Clinton's business-friendly reforms. "I don't think
our party can win a general election if we abandon proven policies that have worked, that
were the cornerstone of our success," he said.

The campaign responded through spokesperson Tricia Enright, who said, "If Democrats are
not concerned with protecting consumers, workers and the average American, then they are
truly out of touch."

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note: some of the deregulation during the Clinton years was based on Gingrich, not Clinton.

Clinton only signed the 1996 Telecommunications Act which helped Clear Channel as part of a compromise for Congress not to pass an even worse bill which would have done for tv what it did to radio.

The Securities Litigation Reform Act which helped cause the Enron scandal was passed over Clinton's veto. (The only time Congress over-rode his veto).