jk vs. Gov Dean and Andrew Sullivan

It's about time that I, jk, took on Governor Howard Dean.
The good doctor and media darling is making a name for himself: gracing the cover of two newsweeklies this week, raising money, and rising in polls. Seeing the establishment Democratic candidates get whacked has been so much fun so far that I have been silent. Karl Rove and I both like a Bush v. Dean matchup in '04.
But, as Mose Allison said, "I can't believe the things I'm seein'..." Andrew Sullivan has posted a column today on Gov. Dean, in which Andrew says that he'd support Dean except for his large failings on national security. This gives you a flavor:

Dean is the current hot candidate for the presidency on the Democratic ticket. A short, rough-around-the-edges populist former doctor, who served several terms as governor of Vermont, Dean has astounded many political observers by rising to close to the top of the pack of the current group of Dems in the polls. He's on the cover of both newsweeklies this week. A new kind of candidate, he built his base in part through the Internet, where he both blogs and raises large amounts of cash - more than any other candidate so far. He has the "straight-talking" buzz of a John McCain. And he has fired up Democratic party activists by asserting clear, if radical, positions on the issues of the day. His best recent quip - and running campaign slogan - is that he represents the Democratic wing of the Democratic party. And when you see the party base's enthusiasm for a man absolutely unashamed to take on president Bush with glee and vigor, it's hard not to root for him as a candidate. He feels alive; he seems fresh; he seems different.

WOW! Let me sum up: Dean is brave to attack the President during an election, okay. His "best quip" was stolen from Senator Paul Wellstone, but he doesn't really need it anymore does he? The big part of the story is praise for Dean as a "fiscal conservative."
Dean's web page includes a speech: "Governor Dean Lays Out Vision for Economic Growth and Job Creation." He tells you that he is a fiscal conservative, and there is some corroborating evidence from his tenure in Vermont. But the speech points out that Dean wants to roll back Bush's tax cuts in favor of "guaranteed health care," raise the minimum wage, and fight any privatization of Social Security or change in benefit age. He castigates the President for being tough on unions and for relaxing ergonomic standards.
And Andrew Sullivan thinks this guy is the way to lower deficits. It's not. It is old-time tax-and-spend and it would be devastating to our economy right now. A little profligacy from a supply-sider is far less damaging than any of the economic horrors Dean promises.

Posted by jk at August 4, 2003 10:49 AM