in Vermont Dean supported guns and fiscal prudence...A far cry from his current campaign
FWIW, that's the problem both you and the pundits are making, trying mightily to shoehorn Dean into a prepared "Liberal" package, which doesn't work at all.
he was a liberal Republican on most issues
That's closer. But that's a dilemma for pundits also, because how can you claim "Liberal"? You can't, if he's fiscally prudent while socially liberal and, most of all, in favor of states rights when it comes to gun control and extra-Constitutional issues like marriage. That is how the fed gov't should be run, imo, with less power centralized wherever possible.
So the last attempt is made to charge "flip flop", which fails to stick for those like myself who see a rock-solid consistency in his positions, against scripted think-tank one-liners, and in thinking more deeply on complex issues. If he pulls that off, his campaign will be worth it on that alone.
It's tough to charge Dean is soft on medical care, most citizens won't believe that, if they have any belief in his conviction.
He's gaining steam on defense as well, implausible as it sounds to GOP critics (and Dem critics). How? By having the cojones to stand up to what most citizens know have been misadventures, and not sounding shrill or wimpy like Kerry the over-scripted ex-warfighter. He's not anti-war, just anti-stupid-wars.
JMO |
