Kerry's rivals say race still open, but voters say otherwise
Clark says 'it's not inevitable' he'll lose Democratic race
Major union announces withdrawal of support for Dean
Since my days as governor of Vermont I have always advocated for the well-being of public service employees who are on the front lines of solving the critical problems facing our nation. AFSCME and its members are a tireless and effective part of the political process and will continue to play a leading role in this election.
- Gov. Howard Dean
Laugh, and the world laughs with you. Cry, and well, you're Howard Dean. That crash you just heard was everyone jumping off his bandwagon en masse- and onto John Kerry's. Just a few short months ago, Dean was the darling and heir presumptive of the Democratic party. Not only did he energize the faithful, he was the first candidate to recognize the value and the utility of the Internet, creating a fundraising juggernaut that had every other Democrat scrambling to catch up. My, things have changed, no?
WASHINGTON (AP) — One of the country's largest unions announced Monday that it was withdrawing its support for Democrat Howard Dean, a blow to the one-time front-runner's staggering presidential campaign.
Making public the bad news it delivered to the candidate in a face-to-face meeting two days ago, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees said it "has ended its activities on behalf of the Dean campaign and is shifting its resources to the general election."
The 1.5 million-member union brought heft to Dean's campaign last fall with its endorsement, but the decision to pull the plug on the former Vermont governor indicates just how far the campaign has fallen.
....AFSCME, which spends more on politics than any other union, wanted to immediately stem the bleeding of manpower and campaign coffers to a losing campaign.
Yep, no one wants to pour time, effort, and- most importantly- money into what is increasingly perceived as a losing effort. Just three or four months ago, though, Howard Dean was The Next Big Thing, the Great White Hope (figuratively speaking, of course) of the Democratic Party. Now he looks as if he will be yesterday's news as of the Wisconsin primary a week from today- if not sooner.
John Kerry could well be the lead horse by the beginning of March. Whodathunkit? I feel badly for those people who have strongly supported Howard Dean. To see things fall so far so quickly must be very disappointing and frustrating. Let's keep things in perspective, though. The stated goal of Democrats is to defeat George Bush in November. I, like many Democrats, am less concerned with who than with the reality of needing to find a candidate that is electable and credible enough to defeat George W. Bush. I still believe Wesley Clark is that candidate, but it looks as if I'm going to be disappointed in that regard. Even so, if John Kerry is the candidate, he has a better than legitimate shot, and that's all we can ask for.
Current opinion polls have Kerry even or slightly ahead of Bush. Of course, no one has ever won a Presidential election in February. Much can happen in the almost nine months remaining until Election Day. George W. Bush may say that he doesn't plan on losing, but in the end the American people will be the ultimate arbiters. If they can recognize how he has bollixed things up during his term in office, they choice should be an easy one.
Howard Dean will play a role in a Democratic administration, whether officially or unofficially. Too many have too much invested in him for him to simply go away. Let's get to and past the election before we worry about who ends up where. If we do not defeat George W. Bush in November, nothing else will matter, will it??
