Making Stuff Up

While I agree that Dean doesn't have the nomination all to himself, this email to Josh Marshall from even the liberal John Judis is just ridiculous There's no polling data to indicate that Dean is any more or less "electable" than any of the other frontrunners. Most of what Judis writes about is about the circumstances surrounding the election, which every candidate will be faced with, and the rest seems to be highlighting Dean's real strengths. Judis may have a valid argument (though currently unexpressed) about why Dean's strengths are overhyped, but there's nothing in there to indicate why Dean would be worse than the other Dem candidates.

Judis writes:

Not just the insurgent voter enthusiasm, the new ways of fundraising, and the bevy of flummoxed opponents, but also the economy (artificially stimulated by Nixon through the Fed and by Bush through the dollar just in time for election year) and the war (raging, but bound to quiet some by election time, and to raise prospects of peace). The economy deprives the Democrat of the issue that would allow him to attract working class votes; the war splits the Democrats, but not the Republicans.

Other than the fundraising, which, you know, is a good thing, all the candidates will face the war and economy issues. Judis has made an argument why no Dem can win. If a million roses bloom in Baghdad and the economy is booming, there's a reasonable chance he's right - but I have no idea why this is an issue specific to Dean. Or any other candidate.

I'm really getting sick of the Old Left and the Old Right trying to have a Vietnam-era rematch. The Old Right want to prove we should've won in Vietnam, and the Old Left want to redo the '72 election. Stop letting your personal demons dictate how you play electoral and geopolitical chess. Sheesh.

Look, I'm concerned with the general "electability" issue as well, being an anyone but Bush kinda guy, but these attempts to paint Dean as some sort of crazy peacenik liberal are just ridiculous. TNR is so transparent about its hate for Anyone-But-Joe that I can't imagine why anyone takes them seriously anymore.