My fellow Dems, I think we have got ourselves a winner (Molly Ivins loves Howard Dean)

FORT WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM ^ | 12/8/2003 | Molly Ivins

[Utah Girl]

No one has been waiting with bated breath for me to make up my mind about the Democratic presidential candidates, but I have, and you might be interested in how I got there. I'm for Howard Dean -- because he's going to win.

It is the bounden duty of bleeding-heart liberals like myself to make our political choices based on purity of heart, nobility of character, depth of compassion, sterling integrity and generosity of spirit. The concept of actually winning a political race does not, traditionally, influence the bleeding heart liberal one iota -- certainly not in the primaries.

Over the years, I have proudly voted for a list of losers only a lily-pure liberal could love. I am rather surprised not to find myself in the camp of the Noble Dennis Kucinich this year. (And believe me, there are supporters of the Noble Dennis who are plenty upset about it, too.) In fact, I initially passed on Dean precisely because he looked like one of my usual losers -- 2 percent in the polls and the full weight of Vermont behind him -- wow, my kind of guy.

Having concluded that this was the year to Be Sensible, look for a winner, find a moderate, and all that good stuff the expert political players do, I carefully studied the conventional wisdom. The conventional wisdom -- the avatar of all political knowledge, the Washington, D.C., press corps -- said John Kerry was the man. So, despite his resemblance to the finer products of the taxidermist's art, I sat around waiting for him to show signs of life. And waited.

Next, I consulted my buddies in the union movement, and they said Dick Gephardt was the man. I always like a labor liberal, and Gephardt's eyebrows have improved. I was hopeful for while, but concluded, as many do, that while Gephardt is Perfectly Good as a Democratic candidate, he ain't settin' the world on fire. Doesn't seem like a good year for a regular politician on account of we ain't lookin' at regular politics. These Republicans do not have a different strategy -- they are playing a different game. They don't want to govern, they want to rule.

Next, my lawyer friends recommended John Edwards, and even though my first impression was, "Too pretty, too light," I liked him better as time went on. Good strong populist streak to him, some good economic ideas, goes right after Bush on the economy. But conventional wisdom decided he is too young and untried.

Then along came Gen. Wesley Clark, and lots of people were excited. But I never have thought anyone should start in politics at the top. All those rich guys who run for office want to start at governor or senator, instead of running for the school board. Arnold Schwarzenegger aside, it's really not as easy as it looks.

Meanwhile, there's old Dean, causin' excitement. I went up to Vermont and talked to a bunch of liberals there. They all said Howard Dean is no liberal. Funny, that's what Howard Dean says, too. And indeed, he isn't, but in politics, everything's relative. The conventional wisdom first dismissed Howard Dean (the man has never been to a Washington dinner party!), then condescended to him, then graciously offered him instruction on how he should be running his campaign -- which seemed to be going along quite well without their input.

I talked to some big money guys who assured me Dean Can't Win. But of course I'm noticing this interesting thing: Dean has so much money he actually turned down public campaign financing (since I'm a card-carrying liberal, I was naturally deeply unhappy over this. But since Dean's money comes from Real People instead of corporate special interests, I'm not that unhappy.) Let me second the notion that this year, the Internet is to politics what television was in the 1960 Kennedy-Nixon race.

For a while, I fretted over Dean being angry, or at least appealing to the political anger that is normally manipulated by right-wing radio jocks. Anger makes liberals uncomfortable: We prefer peace, reason and gentle persuasion. Beloveds, it is way past time for us to get mad -- social, economic and political justice are being perverted by the Bush administration.

Dean gives a hell of a speech -- even if you're Republican, you should go and hear him just for the experience. But I fretted about Dean on TV -- TV is so important. How could anyone poker up on Margaret Carlson of PBS, not one of the world's toughest interviewers? But then I saw Dean laugh his way through a Chris Matthews interview (which he should have done with Tim Russert, who was hell-bent on gotcha questions), and I know the guy can take care of himself. So he fights back if you get in his face -- that's not all bad.

I know, he's even less of a liberal than Bill Clinton was, but I don't think Dean is a moderate centrist. I think he's a fighting centrist. And folks, I think we have got ourselves a winner here.

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[WhistlingPastTheGraveyard]

Anger makes liberals uncomfortable: We prefer peace, reason and gentle persuasion.

[pierrem15]

Best line on Ivins:

They got a weiner allright.......

Better than Gephardt's pose before the flag?

You guys gotta stop this, I'm running out of Depends

ROFLMAO

[Steve_Seattle]

"bated breath"

I think Molly has the correct spelling, which is about the only correct thing in the whole piece. "Bated" means "moderated," so "bated breath" means to hold or suspend one's breath. The expression doesn't come from the word "bait."

[JoJo Gunn]

So, the Leftist thinks it's past due time to get mad, and it invokes that same old tired song about "justice".

I've been haunting a few of the Leftist sewers, and have yet to have one single rat defend the burka to me, to explain why there wasn't a single protest sign mentioning the civil rights of those women in an oppressive patriarchal society, and why the FemiNazis chose instead to make headlines by obsessing over golf courses.

Leftists have absolutely not one molecule of credibility, and this Ivins puke is gonna start it's breastbeating about being the champeen of "justice"?

Yeah, right....

[AquariusStar22]

I honestly didn't think that Ol' Miz Molly could get any more smug or sanctimonious but then she just went and outdid herself.

The self-congratulatory tone of her "bleeding" heart liberalism (so glad you finally outted yourself as a card carrying liberal, Molly...like we couldn't tell) combined with her ever constant stream of Bushbashing consciousness shows she's lost all ability to retain even a smidgen of objectivity when it comes to politics.

Her latest liberal icon, Mr. Hothead (thanks for the perfect moniker for Dean), will at first amuse, then began to bore, and finally exasperate.

Exactly like Molly herself.

Yep..we got two "winners" all right. Dean does come before Dukasis in the dictionary. That should give you a real clue of where this is heading.

[Dallas59]

Dean will help the US defeat the Soviet Union without a shot! Next stop North Vietnam!

[Theresawithanh]

I had the same reaction to that statement! Anger is what Dean's campaign is all about!

[PSYCHO-FREEP]

Molly was on Fox recently and she ranted about how the Dems have to stop the "tone of hate" and get back to what they "really" stand for; "Truth, Justice, diversity, tolerance, etc........................................."

(I threw-up a perfectly good pizza)

[BigSkyFreeper]

I know, he's even less of a liberal than Bill Clinton was, but I don't think Dean is a moderate centrist

No Molly they're all liberals, just like you. There's nothing centrist about you or Bill, Al and Howard.

[GeronL]

hothead? that sounds like a good description, like a hothead who berates a man at 6:01AM for opening his store late. He's hotheaded about the wrong things, and NO I do not think we need the Soviets help in Iraq.

[JoJo Gunn]

All a Leftist has ever been is a mouth, and she's no different than one of those useless "human shields". When it came time to put up or shut up, they shagged and ran. She's just another self absorbed Leftist living off the thrill of camera time. (Note that I never use the word "liberal"). And yet they'd have you believe that just before your feet hit the shredder, they'll come riding in on their white horse.

Yeah, I can understand your losing your lunch.

[JoJo Gunn]

Yeah, but he wants us Suthrinurs first!

[Joe_October]

.... There's nothing centrist about you or Bill, Al and Howard.....

That needs to be said again and again. The rats want to pretend that Dean is no Liberal because the US electorate has rejected them. They think Dean has it wrapped up, so now they have to move Dean to the center.

[PSYCHO-FREEP]

I just happened to score a recent photo of James Carville:

[syriacus]

Meanwhile, there's old Dean, causin' excitement.

Shucks. That ain't nuthin'

Old Jim Jones was so excitin' that folks follered him to Jonestown, Guyana.

[GulliverSwift]

You're correct. "Bated" is the right word:

The correct spelling is actually bated breath but it’s so common these days to see it written as baited breath that there’s every chance it will soon become the usual form, to the disgust of conservative speakers and the confusion of dictionary writers. Examples in newspapers and magazines are legion; this one appeared in the Daily Mirror on 12 April 2003: “She hasn’t responded yet but Michael is waiting with baited breath”.

It’s easy to mock, but there’s a real problem here. Bated and baited sound the same and we no longer use bated (let alone the verb to bate), outside this one set phrase, which has become an idiom. Confusion is almost inevitable. Bated here is a contraction of abated through loss of the first vowel (a process called aphesis); it has the meaning “reduced, lessened, lowered in force”. So bated breath refers to a state in which you almost stop breathing through terror, awe, extreme anticipation, or anxiety.

http://www.quinion.com/words/qa/qa-bai1.htm

[GulliverSwift]

"It is the bounden duty of bleeding-heart liberals like myself to make our political choices based on purity of heart, nobility of character, depth of compassion, sterling integrity and generosity of spirit."

So that's why people like Crazy Ivans supported Clinton. I never could figure it out before.

[Free Vulcan]

Molly thinks that if she strings her words together cleverly enough, she can bring a Dean victory to reality by the sole power of her rhetoric.

Cute piece Molly, but not much substance. You are way past the point of pulling off wearing that cheerleader skirt.

[raccoonradio]

>>I'm for Howard Dean -- because he's going to win.

Win the primary, but lose the election to Bush (Dean won't win at all in the South or "flyover states"; he may follow Gore's precedent and lose Tennessee again!)

Howard the Coward for President of Vermont! Their one and only Rep. is a Socialist (ex-Burlington mayor Bernie
Sanders). What does that tell you?

Dean can only remind me of a bumper sticker popular in Massachusetts about 15 years ago--it showed a guy rolling over, laughing his butt off (same pic is in this thread,
I think), and it said, "Dukakis for WHAT???" :)

[RichInOC]

I'm for Howard Dean -- because he's going to win.

Oh, my...Muley's been grazing in the neighbors' hemp fields again, hasn't she?