DEAN AND MCGOVERN

As I am waaaay too young to have first-hand knowledge of George McGovern's 1972 candidacy, I will let Susan of Suburban Guerilla explain the difference between him and Dean:

I want to point out an obvious difference: People were not so much committed to George McGovern as they were to his anti-war agenda. McGovern, God bless 'im, is one of the least charismatic political figures ever (I performed at one of his campaign rallies; that's how old I am). His voice sort of drones and he sounds like a weenie, frankly. So, despite being a genuine war hero, he had that slightly-womanish thing working against him.

No one is ever going to accuse Howard Dean of that.

Dean connects with an audience. He makes people trust him. It's not really a specific agenda, it's that people trust him to do the right thing.

This is no small thing, damn it. These Beltway types are missing the boat.

The more I hear of the conventional wisdom, the more I believe they're wrong. Just like everyone else, I think it's more important to win this time, and I believe Dean will do so. Short of a national state of emergency and suspended elections, that is.

Word.