"You don't see anybody making a move to get rid of him, do you?. . . . I'm telling you, folks, this is what they think. I have been trying to tell you this for I don't know how long. This is what they think of you. Why should this even be a surprise? You know the enmity they have for evangelicals; you know the paranoia and the fear they have of religious people. You know how they hate and don't understand the makeup of people in the red states and you know that they've had these fears for years, many, many election cycles."
But Nation Editor Katrina van den Heuvel defends the doctor:
"Congressional Democrats never supported Dean for DNC chair. They wanted someone lower-profile and less hyperbolic. Apparently they wanted someone like RNC Chair Ken Mehlman. Still, it was more than a little surprising for Senator Joe Biden, who is not renown for his diplomatic temperament, to take a potshot at the chairman of his own party for rhetorical excess. . . .
"Outside the beltway, Dean is immensely popular with the party faithful. He has raised tons of money and is using it to rebuild the infrastructure at the state and local levels. The same infrastructure Biden will need if he decides to run for president.
"Besides, Dean's statement is precisely the kind of red meat party chairmen are supposed to throw to rev up their base. You don't hear Republicans pulling any punches. So enough of the infighting."
Is there really something wrong with some Democrats saying "don't work for a living" and "white Christian party" go too far? GOP Chairman Ken Mehlman dealt with the latter charge by recalling his Bar Mitzvah.
Cenk Uygur, on the Huffington Post, says overheated rhetoric is the name of the game:
"Does Dean really believe that no Republicans work for a living? Of course not. Does Dean believe Tom DeLay is facing an imminent jail sentence for his ethical problems? Of course not.
"These are simple hyperboles that are commonplace in normal discussion. But we're not having a normal conversation. Our national conversation is dominated by right wing talk show hosts who blow everything Democrats say out of proportion and completely ignore the real problems of America.
"So, in this world, invading a country that didn't attack us and posed absolutely no threat to us is no big deal. But Howard Dean overstating his distaste for Republicans is an enormous deal. In this world, lying about Saddam Hussein's connections to 9/11, his WMD capabilities and misleading us into a highly destabilizing preemptive strike against another country is a tiny issue. What Howard Dean said last week is a giant issue. Tom DeLay's ethical violations aren't an issue, what Dean says about them is an issue.
"C'mon, c'mon, c'mon. How many times are we going to fall into this conservative talking point trap? Democrats shouldn't be backpedaling from aggressive comments, they should be attacking straight ahead."
But Democrat Justin Lewis is disappointed:
