Reply #148: I took the first part as a given

[jafap]

Dean is not a progressive - isn't that part of the unconventional wisdom? I am sorta figuring that "fact" will enhance his electability. However, in his latest column, Ted Rall suggests just the opposite - that Dean is progressive and that his progressivity will enhance his electability.
I did not like Clinton in 1992, economically he sounded like a Republican - constantly chanting the mantra of economic growth instead of income redistribution. Poppy, on the other hand, seemed more moderate than Reagan who was more moderate than JR. However, after experiencing his two terms and reading Reich's and Begala's books, I feel like Clinton was better than most people give him credit for. He also had to deal with a hostile Congress, so he did very well, all things considered.
I appreciate Dean, if for nothing else, for talking the talk. Even if he is a closet centrist, his rhetoric helps to legitimize liberalism. I also love his fighting spirit, and even his "anger". We should be angry about someone who narrowly lost after campaigning as a centrist and then veered to the hard right. People who voted for JR based on his campaign rhetoric should be angry enough not to do it again. I cannot see Dean as divisive when his campaign is about "taking America back" from the radical right wing. We all should be united about that. And if the GOP wants to help spread that message then so be it.