The Rise and Fall of Howard Dean: Lessons in US Democracy

This is not a pro-Dean sob piece. It is a discussion of the how and why of the political system in the U.S.

This post is just to give you a taste, without reading the whole thing I don't think you'll really know what the article is saying. In other words please don't jump to conclusions and start posting replies after reading the first two lines of this post or even the whole post. Please reply if you've read the whole article and tell me honestly what you think about the argument. I hope we can have an ethical and well thought out discussion on how and why we are where we are politically today.


-The Rise and Fall of Howard Dean: Lessons in U.S. Democracy

In late 2003, Howard Dean was the "front-runner" for the Democratic nomination. Money, volunteers and endorsements were rolling in.

But suddenly, almost overnight, he was branded as "unelectable" and his campaign went into free fall. And just as suddenly, the long-lagging Senator John Kerry became the Democratic Party presidential nominee.

And all of this really happened before a single Democratic Party primary voter had actually voted on a candidate.

Who decided this? How did they do it?

What does this say about how elections work?

And what does this say about where the people should focus their creative political energies to oppose the madness of the last years?



-When Dean Seemed Like a Contender

"I actually do think the endorsement of Al Gore began the decline. The establishment in Washington really realized that I might be the nominee, and they did not like it."

Howard Dean, on Larry King Live

Over the fall of 2003, Howard Dean attracted disgusted, anti-Bush forces and drew them into the folds of the Democratic Party election process. But he also did something else: he started to look like he might win the nomination.

American presidential elections have a sharp divide between "serious contenders" and candidates who are supposed to run-but-not-win. Political figures like Jesse Jackson (in 1988) or Dennis Kucinich (in 2004) are supposed to bring new voters into the process or keep unhappy voting blocks from bolting. Dean had been tagged as such a candidate, but then after September he threatened to jump the unspoken divide and really contest for the nomination.

In August the New York Times was already calling him "the unofficial front- runner." By Labor Day 2003, Dean was leading his rivals in all the polls (of potential Democratic voters). In November he was endorsed by two major government workers' unions, AFSCME and SEIU, who provide money and "foot soldiers" for primaries. And a huge turning point came December 9, 2003, when Al Gore gave a surprise endorsement to Dean.

With this one endorsement, Dean suddenly seemed to have the signs of "Big Mo" (electoral momentum). It started a cascade of other endorsements from governors, 30 congresspeople, Bill Bradley and so on. There was talk that Dean might sweep the Iowa caucuses and then the first primaries. At that moment, polls gave Dean a rising 33% of the Democratic vote, and showed Kerry at the "back of the pack" with 7%.

Gore's endorsement is an example of how candidates can't really become "serious contenders" until they are anointed by established ruling class figures acting as "king- makers."

This time, however, Gore's endorsement immediately triggered high-placed demands for the Democratic establishment to pull the plug on Dean.

It is a long article that you can find here: http://rwor.org/a/1233/dean.htm