Note to all Howard Dean supporters out there: This man is no liberal. Dean supported Republicans in cutting more than $250 billion from Medicare in 1995. As recently as this year, Dean has suggested increasing the retirement age to 68. In the 12 years Dean was governor of Vermont, he had an exceptional 100 percent approval rating from the National Rifle Association. To top it off, Dean has expressed support for the death penalty. This man defies the liberal agenda.
According to David Horowitz of FrontPage Magazine, non-liberals are as rare as unicorns on college campuses. How is it then, that Howard Dean has amassed such a following among college students when his views clearly do not reflect the values of the left?
Maybe people agree with Dean's nuanced position on the war in Iraq. Howard Dean wants to \internationalize"" the conflict. Dean supporters are really pissed off at the Bush team's unilateralism. If it were up to Dean, things would be handled differently. His plan would include securing a U.N. resolution endorsing the ""occupation,"" raising more than $33 billion in an international donors conference, and enlisting the support of more than 49 countries. Oh wait-thatis an exact replica of Bush's accomplishments since the overthrow of Saddam Hussein.
So next, the average sensationalist-seeking, New York Times-reading, Dean-supporting college student explains, ""Dean wants to take away all those nasty tax cuts that favor the rich and haven't done a thing to help the economy."" But despite claims that the economy is in shambles, it is actually experiencing a full-fledged recovery. More than 250,000 jobs have been created since August, productivity has risen more than 5 percent since Bush entered office, and the GDP grew at a blistering 7.2 percent in the third quarter. An average middle class family ($40,000 a year) will see their taxes rise by $1,178 a year if Dean is elected president. Reversing Bush's entire tax policy is not likely to play well with this electorate.
Dean is supported by the NRA, has cut Medicare, supports Bush's foreign policy and has endorsed the death penalty. So how did Howard Dean become such a magnet for college students? My guess: Dean's strong anti-Bush stance has energized college kids to rally around his candidacy. He has also effectively used the Internet for fundraising and delivering his message.
But after recognizing the inherent contradictions in being liberal and supporting Dean, what is one to do? My advice: Seek out the truest Democrat in the field. No, I'm not talking about Wesley Clark, a man who became a Democrat 25 days before entering the primaries. Nor am I referring to John Kerry, the candidate who supported a bill authorizing President Bush to go to war with Iraq on the condition that he does not go to war with Iraq. Nope, I am not even advocating the happy-go-lucky invisible man- John Edwards.
If I were a Democrat, Dick Gephardt would be my candidate. He's the real thing. Gephardt is proposing an international country-specific minimum wage so that all our trade partners' workers have decent working conditions. Gephardt is legitimately interested in providing health insurance for every person in America. He was fighting tooth-and-nail against cutting Medicare in the early '90s. His humble upbringing, diplomatic style and extensive experience place him well above Bush or Dean in gaining the support of our allies in the war on terrorism. He supports abortion rights, renewable energy sources, school funding and social security. Dick Gephardt is the right candidate with the right message for Dean: ""You've been saying for many months that you're the head of the Democrat wing of the Democratic party. I think you're just winging it!""
