A Pox on Both Houses

"Some leading Democrats and major donors are concerned that Dean is jeopardizing the party's ability to reach beyond its traditional base to win close elections, particularly for the White House. Dean has repeatedly said his goal is to build the party's ranks not only in Democratic-dominated states, but also in culturally conservative regions where Republicans usually prevail.

"Most of the criticism of Dean has come from prospective presidential candidates in 2008, such as Senator Joseph Biden of Delaware, who said Dean does not speak for the majority of Democrats, and New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, who said Dean is not the spokesman for the Democratic Party."

Lots of online chatter about Dean, with National Review's David Freddoso offering a greatest-hits compilation:

"'I'm beginning to see through the Republican spin,' a GOP Hill staffer instant-messaged me the other day, 'and now I don't think it's spin anymore. Howard Dean is just totally nuts.'"

Ethical time-out: Shouldn't a Republican have to go on the record if he (she) wants to call the Democratic chairman totally nuts ?

"Under Dean's leadership, the Democratic National Committee is different now from last year only in that it can't keep up in fundraising, and its chairman calls Republicans 'evil,' 'corrupt' and 'brain-dead' 'liars' who 'never made an honest living in their lives' and 'are not nice people.'

"Republicans, Dean said Tuesday in San Francisco, are 'pretty much a monolithic party. They all behave the same. They all look the same. It's pretty much a white Christian party.' If you belong to the GOP, he said in Washington last week, then you 'are all about suppressing votes: two voting machines if you live in a black district, ten voting machines if you live in a white district.' If you are a Republican, Dr. Dean says you offer a 'dark, difficult and dishonest vision . . . for America.'

But Dean assures us, "We're not going to stoop to the kind of divisiveness that the Republicans are doing." Quite a relief!

There is much legitimate debate over what makes for a good party chairman, but one criterion that nearly everyone can agree on is that he should not be his party's greatest liability. On that score, Howard Dean is really getting out of hand. When Dean starts speaking, even Barney Frank gets nervous and starts looking for the door."

Tom Alday also uses the N-word:

"We already know at least some Democrats think he's nuts, when will they fire him altogether? They have to realize he's doing nothing for the party. Are they that self destructive?"

Rush Limbaugh, a target of some of Dean's attacks, is also letting him have it: