Dean's campaign depends on enemies

The Boston Globe ^ | 12/23/03 | Thomas Oliphant

[bdeaner]

HOWARD DEAN attacked Bill Clinton without meaning to last week because his thinking about domestic policy is muddled on the occasions when it isn't simply inadequate.

That is because there is often more pure politics in Howard Dean than the leader of a grass-roots movement is prepared to acknowledge. Occasionally, it slips out under the general heading of candor -- the initial explanation for all those secret records in Vermont (tongue allegedly in cheek) was to deny ammunition to the opposition; the explanation for his flip-flop in now opposing the transportation of nuclear waste to Nevada is that he is running for president.

[bdeaner]

Dean's rhetoric imagines a domestic party enemy that doesn't and didn't exist.

Howard Dean: The Don Quixote of the Democrats.

[rhombus]

Tom Oliphant still doing the dirty work for the Clintons.

[thesummerwind]

skiing in Aspen

[Savage Beast]

Dean is an angry candidate. He needs something to be angry about--even if he has to make it up.

[The Electrician]

Notice that Oliphant is slamming Dean but he can't resist his overwhelming temptation to also slam conservatives. He has trotted out the old "conservatives need to invent an enemy in order to gain political power" cliche and lie - notably "phony" enemies such as the harmless Soviet Union, the harmless Saddam Hussein, the harmless poor, the harmless gays and lesbians, ad nauseum, whereas true liberals always have only honest and pure motives, namely to uplift humanity (barf).

[bdeaner]

Tom Oliphant still doing the dirty work for the Clintons.

Yep, but nice for a change to see him eat one of his own.