November 25, 2024
Editorial

Howard’s End

It is not often that a candidate abandoning a political race encourages others to follow in his footsteps. That is what Howard Dean did this week as he gave up his bid for the White House.

In a speech in Burlington, Vt., Dr. Dean announced he was stepping out

of the race for the Democratic nomination and encouraged his supporters to stay active in the primaries, to back progressive candidates and to run for office themselves. He then vowed to “change the face of democracy.”

The trick for the Democratic Party will be to follow the doctor’s advice.

Dr. Dean’s time on the Democratic Party stage was limited, but his legacy should live on – and not in the form of an overplayed maniacal scream.

It may be simplistic to say that the media overplayed the former Vermont governor’s potential – and was just as eager to topple him once rival John Kerry became the clear front-runner – but Dr. Dean did have a big impact on this year’s presidential race. As much as his Democratic challengers derided the doctor, they soon began to sound like him. It is no accident that Kerry, a long-serving senator, transformed his laconic speeches into more animated addresses. Gov. Dean first exploited the Internet to rally supporters and raise money, but then other Democrats and even the Bush campaign discovered online fund raising.

The most important legacy Gov. Dean leaves the Democratic Party and the political process is a new group of energized voters, many of them young. The task for both the remaining Democratic candidates and President Bush is to turn the anger and enthusiasm voiced by these newly politically active folks into action. Oddly, Gov. Dean failed in this realm. Early in his campaign thousands flocked to campaign rallies with millions of dollars rolling in over weekends. But, when it came time to cast their ballots, these Dean supporters seemed to disappear, with the governor not winning a single primary race. Other candidates, from both parties, would be wise to investigate what happened and to figure out how to bring the disenfranchised and the disillusioned back into the political process.

It may be as simple as this: Gov. Dean was able to correctly diagnose the problem – voter apathy, anger at the policies of the current administration and feelings of hopelessness to bring about change – but those who were angry did not sufficiently see him as the person who could get elected to do anything about it. Those who liked the governor’s message but voted for someone else may have been saying that being victorious was more important than being angry.


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