marshalling resolve
Dan Conley poses an important hypothetical:
It's a sober question and the only real answer is that if the economy does turn around, and the Iraq situation stabilizes, then Dean still needs to make a case for how he can bring positive change. What do you think?
Suppose Dean wins Iowa and New Hampshire and wraps up the nomination early. And then suppose that the economy starts to recover and the unemployment rate starts coming down. Saddam Hussein is captured, giving a shot in the arm to our forces on the ground and the Iraqi opposition starts to die down.
Bush uses his massive financial advantage to skew the Dean record beyond recognition. The political press -- who don't like Dean anyway -- do little to defend him. It's September 11, 2004 and Dean is trailing by 20 points.
What happens then to everyone energized this fall? Do you still go out and organize as if you're on the road to victory? I don't want to be a downer, but take it from someone who has been active in politics for about 20 years ... moments of euphoria are rare and fleeting. Politics is mostly trench warfare fighting over the fickle 10% that doesn't really know which party it distrusts less. Fighting for what you believe sometimes means canvassing for a candidate doomed in a landslide.
It's a sober question and the only real answer is that if the economy does turn around, and the Iraq situation stabilizes, then Dean still needs to make a case for how he can bring positive change. What do you think?
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