[Seattle-editorial] Proposal: Dr. Dean comes to town

[typist at speakeasy.net]

In keeping to the suggestion that we not bother editing articles and that we just put a summary of the article and link to the whole thing "warts and all", I'd like to propose the following article by Mark Taylor-Canfield (not that I found it warty).  I would add just one editorial detail, the summary:


<summary> Writer Mark Taylor-Canfield takes a mediative look at Howard Dean's presidential campaign and gives a minute to minute account of Dean's visit to Seattle, August 24, 2004.



><title>Dr. Dean Comes To Town 
> <subtitle>15,000 Gather In Seattle To Welcome Presidential
> Candidate Howard Dean
> 
> Enter former Vermont governor and current presidential
> candidate Howard Dean, the great white hope of
> grassroots activists in the Democratic party. ?Meet
> Ups? are sprouting up all over the country and
> especially in the Northwest. These pro-Dean gatherings
> are held mainly in private homes and on the internet.
> His campaign is widely regarded as the most effective
> internet organizing effort in the history of US
> politics. Through mostly small donations from ?average
> citizens?, Dean has been able to create an amazing
> amount of national hype and he has been able to raise
> more money than any of the other Democratic party
> candidates. He is the only Democratic candidate who
> did not support the war in Iraq. The backlash against
> George W. Bush has fed Dean?s campaign with thousands
> of enthusiastic volunteers who are so opposed to Bush
> that they are becoming active in electoral politics
> for the first time in their lives. 
> 
> At a fundraising event at the Westin Hotel in Seattle
> on August 24th, Dean told his supporters that the
> ?Meet Ups? were not his idea. He claims that they were
> happening long before he had even heard about them. 
> He also told the group of donors that had gathered,
> ?If I am the most liberal candidate running for
> president, then American politics are in a sad state
> of affairs.? He obviously does not see himself in the
> way that he has been portrayed by the conservative
> Democratic Leadership Conference ? as a radical
> ?lefty? who is out of touch with the majority of
> Americans. In one statement, the DLC referred to Dean
> as a ?fringe candidate? who would never be able to
> garner support from the mainstream voter, and
> therefore he could not win the election.
> 
> At the recent events in Seattle, Howard Dean did not
> come across as a radical. In fact, his smooth
> professional politician?s smile and swaggering
> attitude reminds this journalist that electoral
> politics are largely a game of perception. I witnessed
> a manufactured photo opportunity with Dean after his
> speech at the Westin. The press handlers from his
> campaign brought us out into the hotel lobby so we
> could take photos of him holding a small child. She
> and her mother were the only members of the general
> public who were allowed to get that close to Dean
> during the fundraiser. I witnessed several other
> examples of the traditional photo op session. The
> press conference was cut short
> so that he could be seen with a couple of other
> ?important guests?, mostly folks with children. He is
> definitely well schooled in the politics of shaking
> hands and kissing babies. In this way, he comes across
> as a very mainstream kind of candidate.
> 
> Other comments during his speeches give more evidence
> of his willingness to use 
> US military power. He seems proud of the fact that he
> supported the first Iraq war and the invasion of
> Afghanistan. In the case of the Persian Gulf war he
> stated that ?an ally had been invaded and we had to
> protect Kuwait?.As for the Afghanistan war, Dean
> invoked the 3,000 victims of the September 11th attack
> on the World Trade Towers and claimed, ?It was
> self-defense.? These statements should worry pacifists
> and non-interventionists who support him. He told
> those gathered at the rally that he ?would not
> hesitate? to send troops to a foreign country. The
> only difference between Dean and Bush on this issue is
> that Howard Dean promises, ?I will not lie about the
> real reasons for the war.? Are we to assume that the
> Democratic candidate would therefore have no problem
> with invading sovereign nations to secure oil or to
> destabilize unfriendly governments?
> 
> As for the environment, Howard Dean had little to say
> to the people of the Northwest. 
> He did not commit to the idea of removing dams in
> order to save the salmon. Nor did he have any real
> proposals as to how to solve what Bush calls our
> ?energy problem?, except for an off-handed remark
> about renewable energy sources (no specifics). The
> Dean campaign website contains no more details on
> environmental policies as far as I can tell. 
> Here?s a quote: 
> 
> ??One hundred years from now, long after my
> governorship has ended, Vermonters will continue to
> hike, camp, fish, and farm lands that will be forever
> pristine.
> Vermont?s population may triple in that time, yet our
> essential character as a state will remain unchanged.
> As President, I would bring my commitment to our
> environment to the White House.?
> 
> Since the website contains no information on the
> context of those comments, I?m not sure when he made
> that statement, and I?m still left with no facts
> regarding any specific proposals he may or may not
> have in mind. Dean says he opposes drilling for oil in
> the Alaskan Wildlife Refuge. Other than that, it
> sounds like he thinks of the natural environment only
> as a place for recreation and farming. And how can he
> assure anyone that Vermont will be as beautiful and
> endearing after a hundred years? I guess he won?t be
> around to be held accountable for his prediction a
> century from now, so it doesn?t 
> Really matter.
> 
> After a fundraiser at the Westin Hotel where donors
> were reputably served peanut butter and jelly
> sandwiches, Dean made his way to Westake Center to
> address a huge crowd of enthusiastic supporters. I
> heard the same chant that reverberated through the
> Westin, 
> ?We Want Dean!?  It became obvious to me then that
> this guy is a veritable rock star. 
> His cult of personality has come at a time when the US
> sorely needs a courageous challenger to the status quo
> which is now controlled by corporate raiders and
> religious extremists.  But it always makes me nervous
> when I see this kind of phenomena.
> Mindless chanting and hero worship do not necessarily
> translate into good government. Political rallies
> often have the feel of an old-time religious revival
> meeting. Passionate individuals testify to their
> commitment to the candidate and that is supposed to
> encourage others to do likewise. By the time the
> candidate shows up the crowd is in a total
> frenzy, which has been carefully orchestrated by
> members of the campaign staff. 
> 
> When Dean entered the room it became so loud and
> uproarious that members of the electronic media were
> forced to remove their headphones or turn the volume
> down to avoid severe aural pain. The sound meters were
> peaking and Seattle City Council President Peter
> Steinbrueck was so pumped up that he nearly swallowed
> the microphone. His shouting came out sounding
> distorted and unintelligible. All one could tell was
> that he was very excited. Former Washington State
> Governor Booth Gardener was also there at the podium
> to welcome Dean and promote his candidacy.  
> 
> Later, at the Westlake Park rally, Dean supporters
> began to shout down some of the remaining speakers by
> chanting again ? ?We Want Dean!? again. The crowd was
> literally rebelling against the organizers and the
> speakers. They wanted Dean and they wanted him now!
> The campaign staff was flustered but before the crowd
> could become too raucous, the man of the hour arrived
> to ecstatic cheers. People seemed to be extremely
> happy to see him, as if they were afraid that he might
> be just another figment of the liberal imagination and
> not a real challenger to Bush.  
> 
> The crowd seemed satisfied that Dean is the ?real
> thing? with the right stuff. He received the greatest
> response every time he mentioned Bush or his
> administration by name. He is undoubtedly capitalizing
> on the growing anti - Bush sentiment which has been
> growing quickly since revelations about the lack of
> weapons of mass destruction in Iraq became public.
> He?s riding a tide of dissatisfaction which was
> apparent in the rest of the world before the Iraq war
> started but was lacking in the US at that time.
> 
> The question is: Is Howard Dean a visionary or just
> another liberal opportunist? I was unable to find
> anyone who could give me some honest answers about
> Dean?s record as governor of Vermont, a very small
> state with a tiny economy. 
> 
> The most encouraging statement I heard from Dean
> regarded his push for ?universal? healthcare. He
> bragged that 99% of all Vermont residents under the
> age of 18 have health insurance.  He listed countries
> that provide state-funded healthcare for its citizens
> ? Canada, UK, France, Italy, Germany, Spain,
> Scandinavian nations, and ?even Costa Rica?. This
> brought loud cheers from the audience that had
> gathered at Westlake Park. Dean is an MD and has used
> those credentials ceaselessly to promote healthcare
> issues. The old saying goes, ?If you can?t trust your
> doctor, who can you trust?? His position in the
> medical field has given him a voice of authority on
> this issue. Let?s hope that if he 
> is elected he can do better than the last Democratic
> administration at providing US residents with
> healthcare. 
> 
> The way in which the rally was organized led to
> several difficulties. First of all, most of those in
> attendance could not see Dean speaking on the stage
> because the platform for the media cameras blocked
> their line of sight completely. Perhaps they didn?t
> expect such a
> l
> arge turn out, but I am forced to conclude that the
> rally was staged primarily for the media, not those in
> attendance. Also, security was a bit lacking.  Dean?s
> handlers often seemed confused about where to take the
> candidate to avoid the crush of the huge crowd of
> passionate Dean lovers.  The local media was handled
> by overworked and sleep deprived staff members.
> Although we got to tag along with the national press
> core 
> that had been following his campaign across the
> country, we were also caught up
> in the crowd of supporters at the press conference
> after the rally and many of us from the local media
> were not able to ask Dean any questions at all.  
> 
> It is impossible to avoid comparisons, however,
> between Bush?s visit a few days ago and Dean?s own
> political circus. The local media was allowed no
> access to Bush at all. Security was so intense that
> the city felt as if an invading force had occupied it.
> Dean caused his own disruptions but his spinners will
> see that in a very positive light. His rally in
> Seattle drew the largest crowd on the campaign so far.
> We were all shocked when media sources the next day
> reported that 15,000 people had attended the event in
> downtown. That is truly impressive for a guy who
> compares himself and his campaign to Seabiscuit, the
> unlikely race horse who made it big in the 1930?s
> during a very rough time for the US. Yet He has
> captured the imaginations of millions of people who
> agree on one thing: ?Anybody But Bush?, or as I call
> it, ?A.B.B.?  
> 
> Howard Dean fits the bill for the moment. He may not
> be the best candidate, but he might
> actually have a chance of winning and replacing the
> Bush legacy which so many in Seattle seem to
> vehemently despise. The underlying message of the
> events which took place in Seattle August 22- 24th has
> been interpreted by the local 
> media as a clash between the elite wealthy and the
> common citizens. To liberals and progressives, the
> Bush administration represents nothing but the rich
> getting richer on the backs of working folks. When
> Bush ignored the people of Seattle and went directly
> to a millionaire?s mansion, it was amazingly symbolic
> of the reasons that the opposition is so eager to
> replace Bush with an A.B.B. candidate. They see him as
> a liar and a corrupt rich frat boy whose domestic and
> foreign policies threaten the very existence of our
> nation. Howard Dean, on the other hand, is much more
> accessible to the people because most of his support
> comes from the grassroots. He needs them to succeed. 
> 
> A couple of side notes here, including a question that
> was never answered:
> When I was standing outside the Westin Hotel with the
> rest of the local media during Dean?s fundraiser, we
> noticed that vans were being driven up to the hotel by
> men in military uniforms with berets. I don?t even
> know which branch of the armed forces they
> represented. I don?t think it had anything to do with
> the Dean campaign but it seemed strange. When an
> independent photographer from the University of
> Washington asked the driver why military personnel
> were taking people in vans to the hotel, the man in
> uniform replied, ?I have no idea.?  
> 
> I must mention that there was one lonely anti-Dean
> protester at the rally who confronted his entourage as
> they approached the rented van that was to take Dean
> to the airport. The man shouted something through a
> bullhorn about Dean being a ?Wall Street crook?. I
> tried to interview the man but he left immediately and
> disappeared into the crowd. 
> Maybe someone should look into Dean?s stock holdings.
> 
> Sooner or later Howard Dean will have to face his
> critics as well. I get the distinct feeling that he
> will be much more willing to engage in the necessary
> political debates to come.
> Meanwhile George W. will probably be busy relaxing on
> his ranch in Crawford, Texas, surrounded by Secret
> Service and trying very hard to avoid the media.
> 
> 
> 
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