Remember when the National Review, during the Democratic primaries, ran that cover showing Howard Dean and begging, "Please Elect This Man"?
Howard Dean has inspired sharp reactions from conservatives. First it was largely skepticism: how could any Democrat who actually criticized the Iraq war, who questioned the president, who said what he believed, have a chance at winning the general election? Dean did all those things, and though he lost the primary, he ended the monopoly the right had on political discourse after Sept. 11. He paved the way for the Democratic platform and, thus, the presidential campaign to be meaningful, and for John Kerry to have an excellent chance of winning.
Howard Dean is back and now it's largely anxiety conservatives are showing. On the National Review website you'll find no headlines reading, "Thank you for electing this man." Instead, in "Beware the Doctor,"National Review staff writer Eric Pfeiffer writes, "Conservatives should not underestimate Howard Dean."
Having seen his resilience, the people at the National Review, I believe, can hear the famed echoes of Dean -- that is, the truly lasting echoes of an articulate, measured, impassioned voice calling out the Bush administration and presenting promising alternatives in the clearest, most resonant language from any major political figure in recent memory. Not to mention Dean's proven fundraising ability and the legions of grassroots progressives he inspires. All this makes them a little worried.
And so I was a little baffled at Monday's article in The D ("Campus conservatives mock Dean at candlelight vigil on the Green," Feb. 14). I wondered, "Why would these campus conservatives go to such trouble? And why celebrate?" My first guess was that this is the best idea of fun Republicans can come up with. But beyond that, either campus conservatives are getting dangerously presumptuous, or they're a little frightened of the fight Democrats under Dean will bring to them, and they're trying to "laugh it all up." If the latter is true, I think this is called sublimation, and it's also a subtle if inane attempt at demoralizing Democrats.
Democrats of all persuasions: stand by Dean. Read his acceptance speech and be inspired. I'm confident the DNC has elected the right person for the job. The right can now begin scrambling.
