The Prospect misinterprets pride for shame
There's a short piece in The American Prospect about the Falls Church rally which is positive overall, but makes a gross misstatement of Dean's intentions:
Mary Lynn Jones has read far too much into the statement. It's beyond bizarre that she sees this at a dig at Clinton and Gore - and no Dean supporter needs a lesson in how Bush's presidency compares to 1992-2000. The idea that Dean's simple statement of defiance against the conservative mainstream - that we are proud to support Democrats, unlike the DLC which would prefer a retreat from liberal values - could be interpreted in such a fundamental way reeks of a "Stop Dean!" hail Mary. The Prospect needs to be notified of the error and the insult (paging the DDF!)
But Dean did make a subtle jab at Bill Clinton and Al Gore. "If you make me the Democratic nominee," Dean said, "I'll make you proud to vote Democratic again." OK, it's true that many of us were unhappy with Clinton's personal behavior (which we didn't fully know about in either the 1992 or 1996 elections), but as a president, Clinton's record is much stronger than Bush's has been. And while Gore may not have been Mr. Excitement, enough Democrats did vote for him in 2000 to put him in the White House.
Mary Lynn Jones has read far too much into the statement. It's beyond bizarre that she sees this at a dig at Clinton and Gore - and no Dean supporter needs a lesson in how Bush's presidency compares to 1992-2000. The idea that Dean's simple statement of defiance against the conservative mainstream - that we are proud to support Democrats, unlike the DLC which would prefer a retreat from liberal values - could be interpreted in such a fundamental way reeks of a "Stop Dean!" hail Mary. The Prospect needs to be notified of the error and the insult (paging the DDF!)
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