Friday, September 12, 2003

Pyrrhic Victory

Jay Bryant writes today comparing Howard Dean to Barry Goldwater; it's been done before, but he's writing from the right. Barry Goldwater lost the presidency to Johnson in 64, but the ideals his campaign championed returned in the Reagan Presidency and now in the Bush Presidency 2 (Electric Bugaloo). So, Bryant opines, perhaps a Dean victory would give the Presidency to George Bush, but would bring back the Democratic Party.

Bryant assumes that Dean can't win; which I'm not sure is exactly true. He also assumes Dean will get the nomination; again an assumption. It's too early to tell, and if Clark comes into the race that could change the dynamic significantly. He also has bought into the media's description of Dean as the Liberal of the race, when, in fact, Dean is a Centrist Liberal. (Dean doesn't help this impression by suggesting that all foriegn countries will now be held to American Labor Standards. But his position is a bit more nuanced than reported in the media (big surprise)). Anyway I guess we will have to see what happens down the road; as with most things.

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