[lbo-talk] Dean: down the toilet in search of votes

[Shane Taylor]

Jon Johanning wrote:
> Looking at William Saletan's summary of Dean's
> performance in the recent NPR debate, I see that the
> good doctor:
>
> * stated that "we are not going to give the United Nations
> veto power over our foreign policy," after proclaiming on
> Dec. 15, "Had the United Nations given us permission and
> asked us to be a part of a multilateral force, I would not
> have hesitated to go into Iraq, but that was not the case."
> There's your anti-war candidate for you.

That's not a new or unknown position of his.  Unlike Kerry, Lieberman, or
Gephardt, he *did* oppose the war.  And unlike Kucinich, he's not taking
the "Bring The Troops Home NOW!" position, which has been to Dean's
credit.  Maybe that doesn't pass for anti-war cred, but I'll vote for it
in the primaries.

As for the Big P progressive in the previous two debates, Kucinich didn't
focus his attacks on the supporters of the war.  He focused on Dean, in
the midst of anti-Dean chorus of Gephardt, Lieberman, and Kerry.  That
doesn't seem like the tactic of someone who's trying to broaden the range
of issues in the primary and put left pressure on the party.


> * Promised not to cut the Pentagon budget.

Yep, that sucks.


> * On taxes, opined that "We cannot keep telling people we're
> going to give them all the programs they want and then there's
> not going to be any sacrifice." I.e., ordinary wage earners
> need to pay for their own damn programs -- I'll repeal Bush's
> tax cuts for everyone, but won't make the tax a whit more
> progressive. (When is a candidate going to just tell the
> American people how the tax system actually works for a
> change?)

He's right about one thing: the bulk of the Bush tax cuts must be
repealed.  Of course, it'd be great if backed the Kucinich (Sawicky?) tax
reform.  FWIW, MaxSpeak said rumor has it Dean will release some sort of
payroll tax cut.


> Coupled with his recent getting of religion it is clearer and
> clearer that the "lesser evil" is inching ever closer to the
> "greater evil." I would still recommend voting for anyone,
> even old Howard, to get rid of Bush, but I'm holding my
> nose more and more tightly.

Actually, if overbearing piety is an issue, in the debate mentioned above
it was Dennis Kucinich who made Joe "no freedom from religion" Lieberman
giddy with pronouncements of making his faith public policy.

-- Shane

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