SO FAR OUT FRONT HE'S LEFT AMERICA

'Frontrunner' Dean Drives Democrats to Anti-Bush Extremes (Morton M. Kondracke,
July 30, 2003, Real Clear Politics)

On the basis of political momentum, former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean is now the frontrunner for the Democrats' 2004 presidential nomination. And, if history is any guide, he's in the process of leading the party to disastrous defeat.

Dean has roared from obscurity to first-tier status by expressing - and fueling - the near-hatred that Democratic activists feel for President Bush and all his works, especially the Iraq war.

The danger is that the party will put itself in the same position it occupied in 1972, 1984 and 1988 - far to the left of mainstream American opinion - and it will lose the election in a landslide. Dean doesn't lead the nine-candidate Democratic field in any national polls - yet. But he raised more money than any of his rivals in the last quarter. Polls show he's competitive in Iowa, tied for the lead in New Hampshire and now the favorite of California Democrats.

And you can tell he's the leader because other candidates are following him, especially on his signature issue, opposition to the Iraq war. [...]

So far, only one of his rivals - Sen. Joe Lieberman (Conn.) - has had the gumption to raise alarms about the danger that Dean represents. Unfortunately, there's a dangerous precedent for Lieberman, too - that of hawk- Democrat Henry "Scoop" Jackson, who was an also-ran for the 1972 and 1976 nominations.

The two clearest instances of the Democrats drifting out of reality are the 69% support for the war they're running against and the rising majorities against gay marriage. Add in the clear message that they not only oppose tax cuts but may take back some of the ones we've already gotten, and they're out of step on national security, social issues, and economics. Posted by Orrin Judd at August 1, 2003 10:51 AM