Transient Scribe

Dean in Free Fall

The gift that keeps on giving.   Howie Dean excerpts from Hardball with Chris Matthews following President Bush's address.

MATTHEWS: If the war in Iraq was a blunder, why don't the top Democrats join you in saying so?

DEAN:  Well, I don't know.  I mean, many of them have said that they thought the president is mishandling this.

MATTHEWS:  No.  Name one who has.

DEAN:  Well, I know that a number of people have said that the president is mishandling this situation.

MATTHEWS: No, that is working around the edges of policy.  That's micromanaging a war.  I'm asking you, why don't they agree with you on policy and say so?  Blunder is a big word.  I
think it's the first time I heard somebody say it.   Why don't the top names, the name brands of the Democratic Party use the word blunder when they talk about the war?

Bill Clinton still stands with the president.  Hillary Clinton stands with the president.  Joe Lieberman stands with the president.  They all do.  Joe Biden, the ranking Democrat, stands with the president.  You're out there alone still saying it's a blunder.

DEAN:  Well, I thought it was at the time.  I mean, I ...

MATTHEWS:  You still do.  You just said so.

DEAN:  Well, I do.  I mean, I thought it was at the...

MATTHEWS:  Why don't they?

DEAN: Well, I don't know.  You could have them on the show and ask them yourself.

Earvin "Magic" Johnson

Julius Erving a.k.a "Dr. J" harkens back 25 years ago(!) to the incredible NBA Final performance of Magic Johnson. 

BTW...Magic's real nickname among teammates was not Magic...it was "Buck"... as in "young buck".  He earned it leading his team without Kareem Abdul Jabbar to the championship at age 20. 

It was the golden era of NBA hoops...Magic, Bird and then a young Jordan...that is when the game was great. 

Europe is Toast

EURO Birth Rates and economic growth continue to plummet...Columnist Robert Samuelson explains:

"No one knows how well modern economies will perform with so many elderly people, heavily dependent on government benefits (read: higher taxes). But Europe's economy is already faltering. In the 1970s annual growth for the 12 countries now using the euro averaged almost 3 percent; from 2001 to 2004 the annual average was 1.2 percent. In 1974 those countries had unemployment of 2.4 percent; in 2004 the rate was 8.9 percent."

Samuelson's most important point describes Europe's decline and how it hurts the US. 

"All this is bad for Europe -- and the United States. A weak European economy is one reason that the world economy is shaky and so dependent on American growth. Preoccupied with divisions at home, Europe is history's has-been. It isn't a strong American ally, not simply because it disagrees with some U.S. policies but also because it doesn't want to make the commitments required of a strong ally. "

Read the whole thing.

Wickham meet ALGORE

USATODAY's DeWayne Wickham pulled out the "Willie Horton" file from the old Democrat Playbook today  blaming the mean GOPers for using "race politics" to take down great Democrat Party leaders.  (See column here)  He brought this up defending Howard Deans recent political fumbling. 

This Willie Horton tale is so old and wrong it only leads me to believe Mr. Wickham is either naive or simply attempting to deceive readers. 

Political analysts know that Al Gore's campaign discovered the Massachussets Prisoner Weekend Furlough program and raised it during the Democratic Primary - while campaigning against Massachusetts Governor Mike Dukakis.   

Democrats are not the law and order bunch - so this issue did not hurt Dukakis in the primary, but certainly "weekend furloughs" for hardened, multiple offenders resonates w/ general election voters.   The Crime issue, along with other items propelled George H.W. Bush to victory.

Also, Wickhams claim that democrats are feeble political warriors- is laughable.

"For much of this decade, right-wing Republicans have dominated the public square, shouting down some on their political left and drowning out others who have tried to counter their bombast with civil responses. The time has come for Democrats to give as good as they get."

Mr. Wickham, are you familiar with MoveOn, ACTUP, Ted Kennedy, Chuck Schumer, Howie Dean, Hillary Clinton, Jim Carville, Al Franken etc? 

What game are you watching?

Got GMAIL?

It was only a matter of time before the world's leading search engine entered the free e-mail market.  Is the time of Yahoo and Hotmail over?  Is GMAIL the new medium for free email?  Read ahead for more information and to request a GMAIL account.

This just in....Dean is Crazy

Is Chairman Dean attempting to win converts to his Party or trying to really stick it to those awful GOPers?

A GOP Consultant friend and I have a good natured argument. He thinks Dean is crazy. I beleive Dean is totally ignorant.   Neither are too flattering, but what would posses him to act as he does.    I find him unprepared and just clueless about subject matters one would assume he would be an expert.    Dean simply appears on "auto pilot" and can not filter his thoughts - see Meet the Press transcripts and his latest talk in San Francisco .

My friend believes the Dems are so lacking in depth (personnel-wise) that a cracked pot like Dean appears to be a gutsy Maverick.   What must be painful for folks like ALGore, Hillary, Edwards, Kerry, etc. is this is the guy they must bow to.  Especially considering the Dems have MSM allies and still can not find a sober, practical and pragmatic leader to counter the GOP. The "has-been" candidates have made noises nixing any allegiance to Dean, but he is the face of the Party and probably still has the Oval Office on his mind. 

Will Dean be clipped by Party Elders?  Probably not... critical mass will not be reached due to the MSM soft treatment.