howard dean

Some stuff still gets through, despite my news fast. I just heard about the Dean comments on the GOP last night. My initial reaction to the polarizing generalizations about Republicans: "Right on!" And to Biden and Polosi's distancing: "Whatever!"

Ebony was over yesterday and he pulled Dean's Daily Show interview up on the laptop. Seems to me he's on the right track -- Dean, that is, though Ebony's doing pretty good, too. He's working up some good simple messages, especially about morality. He even said something like, "The Democrats' message is 'Love Thy Neighbor.'" or "Do until others as you would have them do unto you." And I liked when he said, "Last time I checked, the Bible had something like 3,000 references to the poor, and none about gay marriage."

Which is all good in my book.

The real issue, though, it seems to me, is that the current Republican leadership isn't really Republican. It's just greedy, lying, mean-spirited cronies all wrapped up in shiny patriotism and suburbanism. They must be stopped. The key is reframing the debate. Karl Rove is the top debater in the country. I think Dean is onto the right counterplan/kritik (forgive the jargon, please) to smoke his ass.

Frankly, I think Dean's more of a Republican than Rove et al. He's certainly right of center. Don't believe me? Read this. That's conservative, if you ask me.

BTW, I also like that Dean got a dig in about the Republicans' unwillingness to renew the Voters' Rights Act. I mean, for God's sakes, how much more proof do you need that the the GOP isn't Grand, ain't like they were in the days of Old, and they sure as hell don't Party? This was the party of Lincoln, the Emancipation and the 14th Amendment. Right! Their current mutation was spurred by racism, straight up. Goldwater, Nixon -- they cashed in on hate at Warren and never looked back.