Hunting The Muse

I Endorse Dean

Screw it. I've been on the fence long enough. I like Clark fine, but he just doesn't capture my imagination like Dean does.

My concerns over time have been that Dean's campaign is bigger than he is, or that Dean is being unwise by advocating things like cancelling even the tax cut portion that went to the middle class.

But, two days ago I replayed the recording I have of Dean being interviewed by Charlie Rose.

Charlie: "What do you think this race will come down to?"

Dean: (pause) "Well." (big smile.) "Honestly, I hope it comes down to nerve."

And that always made an impression on me, and I wasn't sure why.

Then I saw the campaign have the humor (and the irreverence) to post Dean's horoscope on his birthday. There was something about that I found kind of ballsy, and the open sense of humor behind it stands as a contrast to the other campaigns.

Then there was the very sad news today about the military potentially discovering the remains of Dean's brother, who was killed in Laos in 1974. And what struck me about that was the tone of his remarks. He could have gotten away with being a lot less open than he was. To me it demonstrated a real commitment towards openness, honesty, appreciation, and respect.

And finally, there's his recent words on new business controls, which you just never hear first-tier politicians talking about.

I guess it's all clicking for me. This guy knows that he's taking risks. He knows he has to win against the toughest enemy imaginable, and the guy is taking risks anyway. He's going large, as my college buddies would say. And by doing so, he's enabling people to dream again. This is what he means by hoping it comes down to nerve. The guy isn't scoping out political space and attempting to fill it - he's actually creating new space of his own.

The speech in the first quoted entry is inspiring, and it's inspiring not because it's angry - it's because the anger behind it is there for the sole purpose of opening up space for something new and optimistic. That's how the people that harp on his anger underestimate him. They don't look to see how his supporters are responding to it, shaking themselves out of the "learned helplessness" that they've experienced under Bush, dreaming again about a better future, and learning that their work towards it actually has a real effect.

I'm sold on Dean. He's got my unquestioning endorsement now. I'm not sure what to do next, but I'll think of something.

Posted by Curt at November 19, 2003 02:19 AM