Monday, January 12, 2004
The Evil of Two Lessers
Sorry I've been MIA for a bit; I assure my loyal ludicrosity readers that I've got some killer columns coming up. :)
In the meantime, let me share with you an image of Howard Dean after tonight's debate, apparently trying to engage Al Sharpton in conversation. Sharpton pointed out tonight that for all of Dean's rhetoric (and claims of being, get this, the "only white politician that ever talks about race"), Dean never -- not once -- appointed a single African American or Latino to his cabinet in twelve years of governing. Combined with saying several times that he wanted to be "the candidate for guys with Confederate flags on their pickup trucks," and his insistence to this day that only minority-filled inner cities should be subjected to gun control laws and restrictions, while rural white guys shouldn't even have restrictions on automatic assault weapons (giving him a 100% NRA rating, higher even than President Bush), could someone please tell me how this is the "future of the Democratic party?" A creepy, cowardly, clueless, extremist, racist prick?
I really was hoping the Democratic party would put up someone decent and reasonable -- I could have supported Lieberman, or even Edwards -- men who at least seem to know what they're talking about, who could build consensus, who could attract moderates, who could get things done. Even my most adamant Dean-supporting friends concede he's not very presidential, and his positions (the ones that don't change week to week based on new focus group polling) range from sigh-inducingly dull to extreme and indefensible.
In a country of 300 million people, it looks like we'll have to choose between Bush and Dean, to lead us. Those are, apparently, the two greatest individuals we as a nation could come up with.
Think we could try a little harder next time?
Sorry I've been MIA for a bit; I assure my loyal ludicrosity readers that I've got some killer columns coming up. :)
In the meantime, let me share with you an image of Howard Dean after tonight's debate, apparently trying to engage Al Sharpton in conversation. Sharpton pointed out tonight that for all of Dean's rhetoric (and claims of being, get this, the "only white politician that ever talks about race"), Dean never -- not once -- appointed a single African American or Latino to his cabinet in twelve years of governing. Combined with saying several times that he wanted to be "the candidate for guys with Confederate flags on their pickup trucks," and his insistence to this day that only minority-filled inner cities should be subjected to gun control laws and restrictions, while rural white guys shouldn't even have restrictions on automatic assault weapons (giving him a 100% NRA rating, higher even than President Bush), could someone please tell me how this is the "future of the Democratic party?" A creepy, cowardly, clueless, extremist, racist prick?
I really was hoping the Democratic party would put up someone decent and reasonable -- I could have supported Lieberman, or even Edwards -- men who at least seem to know what they're talking about, who could build consensus, who could attract moderates, who could get things done. Even my most adamant Dean-supporting friends concede he's not very presidential, and his positions (the ones that don't change week to week based on new focus group polling) range from sigh-inducingly dull to extreme and indefensible.
In a country of 300 million people, it looks like we'll have to choose between Bush and Dean, to lead us. Those are, apparently, the two greatest individuals we as a nation could come up with.
Think we could try a little harder next time?
