Howard Dean (D-Mars)
Dean
I used to despise Howard Dean. Now I just consider him the biggest floppy-shoed, bright ball-nosed clown in Washington.
Case in point: he recently blamed Bush and the right-wing ideologues on the Supreme Court for the highly unpopular Kelo decision--while failing to notice that Bush has to date not put a single Justice on the Supreme Court, and that the dissenters on Kelo were mostly the reviled conservatives. Patterico has the details.
I know a number of Republicans who thank God every day that Howard Dean is the head of the Democratic National Committee. It's pretty obvious why, isn't it?
Sister Toldjah (a recent blogroll addition) has a roundup of further reactions to Governor Dean, plus some choice Howard Dean quotes from the past. Oy. Ted Armstrong, in the comments here, says Dean is "The gift that keeps on giving - to us Republicans." Ouch.
I'm glad he's against Kelo, but if he talks to his fellow Democrats, such as those in the "New York Times", he'll find out that most of them are for it, simply because it gives more power to government, which is what they're all about. Which is why I hope the Democrats do lose the next election, and then the election after that.... New Deal pragmatism is better than "moonbat" nihilism, but I'm still against it.
And, yes, it was Justices Thomas, Rehnquist, Scalia, and O'Connor who dissented. Thomas and Rehnquist also dissented in Raich and in F.E.C.. Sorry, Justice Kennedy, you were my hero in Lawrence &Garner, but you sold out to unlimited government since. Three strikes and you're out. Thomas for Chief Justice.
As for being "right-wing," well, they are, compared to him.
This hasn't been good for the Democrats because while their base may be living on Planet Zabongo, most of the voters (who, frankly, have more important things to do than pay attention to politics outside of the actual week before an election) are not quite that way and are not impressed by frothing-at-the-mouth stupidity.
That's my take. Your milage may vary.
Keep in mind that only people well acquainted with politics even remember who he is, and such people tend to have made up their minds before Dean came along.
Improbable? Maybe. But if it happens, remember: you heard it here first!
"While Dean makes it easier for Republicans to get elected I wish the Republican party had a serious and stable opponent. Part of me wonders that should they not will they end up as directionless in 15 years or so as the Democrats?"
I've long thought that, too. It would be good if the Republicans could have at least a worthy opponent. And the Lieberman Democrats (a.k.a. the old Truman Democrats), what few remain of them, are or can be allies in the War Against the Terror Masters.
But I've now found that FDR so corrupted our jurisprudence (see Raich and Kelo) that only his leadership (with Churchill) in the War Against Hitler prevents me from condemning him as the worst President in our history. I'm against the New Deal more than ever now. I don't want the Democrats to win any more elections. I've found that Democrats will do anything if it gives them more control over government and more government control over economics.
As to the Republicans, let them/us duke it out between the Santorumites, who want total government control over morals, vs. the Golwaterites, who want limited government and individual freedom and responsibility.