by John M. Curtis
(310) 204-8700

Copyright December 9, 2003
All Rights Reserved.

hrowing a hotly contested field of Democratic candidates for a loop, former Vice President and 2000 nominee Al Gore endorsed former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean at a campaign stop in Harlem, especially bad news for his ex-running mate Sen. Joe Lieberman (D-Conn.) whose campaign is all but over. Gore's endorsement makes the strongest possible case for party unity before the Jan. 19 Iowa caucuses where Dean has pulled ahead of former House Minority Leader Rep. Dick Gephardt (D-Mo.). Dean already enjoys a 20-point-plus lead heading into New Hampshire's Jan. 27 primary. Dean “really is the only candidate who has been able to inspire at the grassroots level all over the country,” said Gore, pulling Dean into the Party establishment. “This is a tremendous, tremendous boost to the Dean candidacy,” said Democratic strategist Donna Brazille, Gore's 2000 campaign manager.

      Among the Democratic candidates, only Dean strongly opposed the war in Iraq, giving him a clear voice and strong message to attack President Bush. Breaking all fundraising records, Dean's feisty oratory best expressed Gore's personal exasperation after winning the popular vote by 500,000 but losing the electoral contest in Florida by a measly 500 votes, giving the U.S. Supreme Court the unhappy task of ending recounts and picking the president. While old news, the bitterness of 2000 lingers with Party insiders hoping to capture the White House in ‘04. No one expresses the collective frustration better than Dean, whose fiery stump speeches galvanize audiences like no other candidate. Painted as a New England left-winger, Republicans know that Dean represents a formidable competitor, especially as the economy sputters and casualties mount in Iraq.

      When Dean got endorsements of the Service Employees International Union and American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees labor groups, he captured mainstream Democratic votes. Painted as an outsider, Dean finally broke through key barriers, winning approval from organized labor. “I think it dispels all of this talk among people in Washington saying, ‘Dean can't win; he can't run against Bush,'” said Gerald W. McEntee, AFSCME president, responding to spin that Dean was unelectable. When Dean drew huge crowds during his “Sleepless Summer Tour,” Party insiders took notice that his campaign was for real. Fearing “the strident tenor” of Dean's campaign, Will Marshall, the president of the Progressive Policy Institute—a centrist Democratic think tank—expressed concerns about Dean's liberal leanings, turning away from Clinton's centrist ways.

      Addressing the Florida State Democratic convention, Dean told delegates he intends to go after the youth, elderly and the disenfranchised, groups sadly overlooked by traditional politics. Showing oratorical flair that's wowed crowds around the country, Dean brought down the house attacking Bush's policies—especially the war in Iraq. Like Dean, Gore has been a vociferous critic of the president's Iraq policy. “Our country has been weakened in its ability to fight the war against terror because of the catastrophic mistake the Bush administration made in taking use to war in Iraq,” said Gore, clearly distancing himself from his former running mate who supported Bush on Iraq. “I was caught completely off-guard,” said Lieberman, flabbergasted by Gore's endorsement of Dean—yet Lieberman consistently rubber-stamped the White House on Iraq, inadvertently helping Bush.

      Gore's endorsement echoes obvious concerns that Lieberman's campaign is going nowhere, whether or not he shares Gore's ideology. “What really bothers me is that Al is supporting a candidate who is so fundamentally opposed to the basic transformation that Bill Clinton brought to the party in 1992,” said Lieberman, finally getting that Gore deliberately outflanked the Clintons, who support former NATO Supreme Commander Gen. Wesley Clark. It was, after all, Clinton fatigue, or more to the point Gore's association with Clinton, that cost him the 2000 election. With or without the shenanigans in Florida, Gore has good reason to distance himself from the Clintons. Lieberman doesn't get that the Clintons—especially Bill—represent liabilities, especially among independents. While not obvious, Dean's liberalism is more like John F. Kennedy than the 1972 Democratic nominee Sen. George McGovern.

      Gore's stamp of approval sends a strong message that the Democratic Party should line up behind one candidate. With keen instincts, Gore recognizes that Dean is the only Democratic candidate capable of giving Bush a run for his money. Lieberman should stop whining and acknowledge Gore's wisdom about the upcoming battle for the White House. “It's game, set and match,” said Washington consultant Dean Strother, acknowledging Gore's endorsement gives Dean unstoppable momentum. In reality, Dean's superior candidacy and organization—not Gore's endorsement—makes him the right choice for '04. No other Democratic candidate matches up better against President Bush. For months, Dean weathered attacks from fellow Democrats hoping to chip away at his frontrunner status. Gaining more strength, Dean is giving the GOP something to think about.

About the Author

John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He's editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.

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