Thursday, April 10, 2003

 

Dean for Prez

Or at least to get deep into the primary.

It may strike some people as kinda early to be thinking much about the 2004 elections. This is an understandable position considering they are roughly 20 months away. But before you dismiss this post out of hand chew on a couple points.

First, this is time when politics feature prominently in world events. Whatever your feelings on the war in Iraq it is undeniable politics played a primary role in getting us to this point. I can't imagine anyone thinks we would be currently fighting in Iraq if Gore were president. Even if one thinks it is a good idea to invade Iraq, you would have to admit there is nothing in the events of September 11th or its aftermath that would lead you to Iraq, unless you already had a predisposition to go there. The President and his advisors had such a predisposition, only one of the Democratic candidates (Lieberman) could even arguably be said to share this view. While we are in the thick of the implementation of Bush's worldview, which I certainly think is disastrous, it is a good time to think and talk about the alternative worldview we would like to see in the opposition.

Second, the first votes of the primary are a little over eight months away but the competition to be a "serious" contender in that primary is already well underway. Being regarded as viable by political prognosticators and mainstream media is the only way to be able to be heard on the issues and thus define the parameters of the debate. Those that are considered "fringe" candidates simply have no say. So if you want to hear particular issues discussed, now is the time to find a candidate who wants to talk about them and help them out.

Why I'm for Dean

It's hard to tell which issues will be important in the campaigns and how the candidates will choose to distance themselves from each other. Lately Iraq has been featured prominently but it is likely there will be several other issues in the coming year. Here are my feelings on a few things I think are important at the moment.

War in Iraq

Actually, I believe all of the candidates (with the notable exception of Sen. Lieberman) share some significant trepidation with the justifications proffered for this war and the way in which the costs, in dollars and lives, have been glossed over. Though Kerry and Edwards seem to agree that it is foolish to amplify those costs by going it alone in Iraq, they want to have it both ways by voting for the resolution authorizing war without any restrictions. This bothers me in two ways. First, as a simple matter integrity I don't see how one can sign a blank check and then later complain that the recipient filled in an amount that was more than you expected. Dean has been unambiguously opposed to the war. Calling it "the wrong war at the wrong time," he has given consistently strong and commonsensical responses to the Administrations' always changing storyline.

Though he has repeatedly stated Iraq is a lower priority than domestic security, Al Queda, and nuclear powers such as North Korea, he doesn't advocate ignoring Iraq:

"The Bush Administration is right to seek the disarmament of Iraq in accordance with Resolutions of the UN Security Council. Saddam Hussein is a serial liar, bully and repeat offender in using chemical weapons. We should work with allies and the UN to ensure that he never again threatens his neighbors or the world. However, in opposing Saddam Hussein, we must be as smart as we are resolute. Our approach must isolate Baghdad, not the United States. This is a major reason why I opposed the Congressional Resolution giving the White House an open-ended authorization to attack Iraq.

If a policy of containment, coupled with UN inspections, is sufficient to protect our interests, that is preferable to the inherent bloodshed and unpredictable consequences of war. If war does prove necessary in self-defense, we must lay out the evidence in advance and do all we can to minimize civilian casualties and protect our troops and allies from the risks of chemical and biological attack. We must also forge the broadest possible coalition not only to win the war, but also to create a secure, stable, united and democratic Iraq in its aftermath. To date, the Administration has done a poor job of gathering support for its policy and made little effort to explain long-term objectives. The result has been a disturbing and thoroughly avoidable growth in anti-American sentiment within key allied nations. This, in turn, has the potential to jeopardize cooperation in the broader war against terror."

Update 4/21: Dean recently published an excellent editorial further articulating his multilaralist alternative to the insane Bush doctrine of foreign policy.

US Economic Security

Remember when Gingrich admitted the Republican strategy for Medicare was to starve it of funding so it would eventually "wither on the vine"? The strategy seems to have been expanded to encompass nearly every non-military function under the current administration. Unsustainably big tax cuts have already been passed and more are planned that will desperate choices be made between raising taxes on future generations or reneging on the social contract we have all come to expect. This social contract is the evidence that we are the compassionate society we believe ourselves to be. Given that the undeniable fact that the already passed tax cuts mandate future deficits, it is hard to see how the further tax cuts advocated by the Administration can be characterized as anything but a direct assault on the social contract.

Dean has made balancing the budget a centerpiece for his campaign. To accomplish it, he's willing to state unequivocally he would roll back the tax cut. He's right and not enough Democrats are being forceful about the question.

Health Care

He's has a vision for providing universal health care. As a doctor he has significant credibility on the issue and has a pragmatic plan for accomplishing it. Others have been scared away from the issue by past failures. It is long past time for the US to be able to guarantee you won't be bankrupted by an illness in the family.

Campaign Finance Reform

This is something of a pet issue for me. I simply believe it is unsustainable in a democracy for campaigns to be financed by interested parties. The necessity to solicit money for campaigns negates the power of those who can't afford to pay for access. Dean is for public financing of campaigns. As I view this as a fundamental issue of Democracy, I take a dim view of those who are unwilling to take the political risk of supporting public financing.

Energizing the Democratic Party

Actually this is the big one for me. I'm not nearly as critical as many are about Democrats in the 2000 and 2002 elections but I do understand the criticism that Democrats did not appear to stand for anything. You can see it in the appallingly low turnout and in the ability of so many people to get away with saying there is no difference between the parties. The differences are there but there has been a trend lately to fight over a diminishing (and ever-shifting) segment of "swing voters" that has led to Democratic candidates to speak in terms of discrete issues rather than core values. Prescription drug coverage in Medicare and the Patient's Bill of Rights are fine ideas but they don't describe a belief system or a worldview. Republicans know how to run against this type of campaign. They simply name a bill something similar that gives off the impression of doing most of the same things. They can be for their own bill, most people won't delve into the details, and then they can move on and talk about something else that they want to talk about. Bush eviscerated Gore's platform employing this technique.

Here's Dean on the subject:

"Bill Clinton said a few weeks ago that Americans would rather have somebody who's strong and wrong than somebody who's right and weak. We haven't stood up for our principles in this party. We're debating the Patients' Bill of Rights in Congress. In the argument over the Patients' Bill of Rights, the Democrats want to sue your HMO and the Republicans don't. I'll tell you something; it doesn't make a difference which bill passes, or if neither bill passes, because not one more American will have health care insurance and your premiums won't go down five cents. What our party ought to be doing, is debating why we don't have some kind of universal health insurance for all Americans. Where are our ideals? This is not some left-wing crazy kooky idea. Harry Truman put this in the platform in 1948; not exactly a big liberal. We can do better.

I need your help. I need you to stand up for the Democratic Party. I need a party where we're proud to talk about Democratic issues. A party where we don't consult the polls first to find out if it's all right to talk about things like health insurance. If you make me the nominee of this party, I will do my best to make you proud to be Democrats again. And I believe that the people of this country agree with our policies more than they agree with Republicans policies. We have got to stand up for what's right. And if we stand up for what's right, if we're proud to be Democrats again, if we look back to our forefathers and stand with the folks that built this party and built this country and are proud and sell our message and educate folks, we won't have to worry about Rush Limbaugh and we won't have to worry about the president's popularity rating and we can stand up for what we believe in as Democrats and move forward to take the country to the middle where it belongs, so that every American gets to participate in the American dream. If you give me the power to help you do that, not only will we be strong, not only will we be right, but we will win the presidency of the United States in 2004."

But you really should see him speak. I recommend checking him out at The California Democratic Party Convention (top of the list) where he followed Edwards. The contrast is striking (and I like Edwards). It certainly sold this guy, whose site is full of stuff on him, including several videos.

The primary is about where we want the party to go. I think there are several Democrats who could win in 2004, more might even enter the race, but I really like Dean's vision of the Democratic Party and think his strong presence can do a lot of good. Watch the video, come to the party (look below), and see if he gets you excited too.

What I'm Doing About it

I'm throwing a house party on April 26th to raise money for the Dean campaign and to give people the chance to find out more about him and get as excited about him as I am. The party begins at 4:00 and at 5:00 we will join a conference call with Governor Dean. We will certainly be able to contribute some questions in advance and (if time permits) be able to ask a few. It will be grassroots politicking at its best (at least for the national level).

Plus, there will probably be several very cute kids there.

Go here contribute what you can, RSVP there for the party, and join us on Saturday, April 26th.

I'm sure everyone already knows this but just in case:

Contributions are not tax deductible for federal income tax purposes

posted by Mike 11:13 PM

|