Howard Dean: "I Will End This Election..."

In 2004, I did everything I can to help Howard Dean rise from an asterix in the polls, to front-runner status. While he eventually only won the primary in Vermont, it was the Dean campaign that re-energized a defeated Democratic Party, and the rank and file Democrats demanded he become the chair of the Democratic National Committee.

And thank god we did that.

There's a real possiblity that neither Obama nor Hillary will win enough delegates in their own right, that the "super delegates" won't get to decide the election. To avoid a vote-by-vote count of super delegates, one of the candidates needs to get just shy of 2/3 of the remaining delegates. That won't happen.

If no one wins enough delegates to render the super delegates meaningless (or so close to it), then the other one will see a path to the nomination on the floor of the convention.

Which, quite frankly, is a wet dream for John McCain.

Fortunately, we have Howard Dean throwing cold water on that sleeping candidate.

A vote at the floor of the convention could be disasterous for the party. Hillary would fight like hell to make Michigan and Florida count. The Obamaniacs would (rightfully) have a damn panic attack, reminiscent of a Republican seeing two women hold hands. African Americans will, rightfully, feel as though we are turning our backs on them. Women will feel, rightfully, that the good ol' boys club is closing her out. It would be a mess.

Howard Dean is right when he says we can't do that. And he won't let it happen. According to Howard Dean, he is going to let this process work itself out, all the way through the last vote being counted. (That's an odd concept for many Republicans) Then, if there is no clear winner, this simply cannot go to the convention.

In 2004, us Deaniacs wanted Howard Dean to be the brains behind a campaign to replace George Bush. We certainly didn't want to wait four years, but it appears as though we can now feel like we accomplished our goal.

If this looks like it will be a brokered convention, Howard Dean will, again, save our party.

Howard Dean will bring them together.

Howard Dean will sit them down.

And Howard Dean will make a deal.

And Democrats will change this country.




Here is Dean's exact quote.

"The idea that we can afford to have a big fight at the convention and then win the race in the next eight weeks, I think, is not a good scenario. So, after the primaries are over, the last primary is June 8th in Puerto Rico, there may be another state with there, and after that if we don't have a nominee, I think we will have a nominee sometime in the middle of March or April. But if we don't, then we're going to have to get the candidates together and make some kind of an arrangement. Because I don't think we can afford to have a brokered convention -- that would not be good news for either party."