# Howard Dean is insane **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [January 20, 2004, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/howard-dean-is-insane/225312 "2004-01-20T12:55:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![World\_Eater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@World\_Eater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/World_Eater)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2004, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/howard-dean-is-insane/225312/21 "2004-01-20T17:33:45Z")
I was totally thinking Vince McMahon when I heard him. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2004, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/howard-dean-is-insane/225312/22 "2004-01-20T17:53:21Z")
Years ago I used to spend a lot of time with uber-feminists. A common rallying cry was that we needed a woman in the White House, as men are obviously up to the job. This has never made any sense to me. Not one man is capable of being president? In the entire country, we can not find one qualified guy? I posit that there are plenty, but none of them ever make it that far. The system weeds out the competent, and leaves us with bozos. Hence such exciting races as Clinton-Dole, or Reagan-Carter, or Nixon-Wallace. Do we really have any reason to believe that any woman that makes it to the primaries will be any better? Sheesh. Bozo with breasts, I say. For the past three years, I knew that my vote in 04 would be “Any idiot but Shrub.” Being the kind of liberal that people like **Brutus** love to hate, I would gladly rather see a trained monkey in the White House than Dumbya serve for another day. That was before I saw the Democratic candidates. No wonder conservatives hate us. These are the choices we offer? This is the best we can do? Candidates that actually make Shrub look good? (By comparison that is.) Don’t make me vote for LaRuche, people. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2004, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/howard-dean-is-insane/225312/23 "2004-01-20T18:02:35Z")
Holy shit, I just listened to **Slacker’s** mp3 link. It’s like Dean looked up and saw a hyena about to chomp on his testicles. That was the most bizarre public display of losing it I’ve ever heard. ---
**Author:** ![World\_Eater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@World\_Eater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/World_Eater)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2004, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/howard-dean-is-insane/225312/24 "2004-01-20T18:24:12Z")
Good point **TDN**. Getting elected into office is all about selling out to the lowest common denominator, and the people that are good at that are usually not the best society has to offer. Getting elected and performing well in office are 2 radically different things, and require totally different sets of skills. And since getting elected comes first, the people that are media savvy asskissers who are ‘for good things and against bad things’ will rise to the top. I think the whole process is actually pretty good at weeding _out_ people of character and of honor. ---
**Author:** ![Jimmy\_Chitwood](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f475e1/32.png) [@Jimmy\_Chitwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jimmy_Chitwood)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2004, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/howard-dean-is-insane/225312/25 "2004-01-20T19:06:07Z")
I really didn’t think it was all _that_ nutty. Other than YAAAAAAHHHHHH, I thought it was a decent motivational speech. From a lot of people’s reactions, you’d think he tore off his clothes and was speaking in tongues for three minutes. Again, YAAAAAAAAAHHHHH was over the top, but he was fired up. So what? Al Gore got ripped to shreds for not showing emotion, now Howard Dean is batshit insane because, at a very critical point in the campaign season, he tried to get his supporters riled? To me, it was a lot like in sports, when a team gets behind in the early going, and a coach or player starts screaming on the sidelines during a timeout. Dean took a big hit after being the frontrunner for months, and instead of acting wounded, he tried to whip his camp into a frenzy. No better way to do that then go into a frenzy yourself, I figure. If he had managed not to primal scream, in fact, I think it would have really worked out for him. Kind of a “I’m not dead yet, motherfuckers” speech, which I think was just what he needed. Ranting and raving and showing some life is better than coming out and saying “Well, this really sucks. I’m hurting inside, everyone. Better luck in New Hampshire.” Maybe I’m just as nuts as he is, though, I wouldn’t rule that out. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Moto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de0a6/32.png) [@Mr.Moto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Moto)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2004, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/howard-dean-is-insane/225312/26 "2004-01-20T19:29:22Z")
Hi there, **Jimmy Chitwood**. My take on it is that Dean had just managed to convince Iowa Democrats, among the most liberal in the nation, to give him a whopping 18% of their vote. He could scarcely afford, then, to turn off moderate voters he’ll need later to remain viable by appearing to be a ranting demagogue straight out of the last century. That last descriptrion, by the way, is charitable. The alternative one involves mental illness. He could have easily given the college kids a good pep talk (especially given their hero worship) without calling his sanity into question. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2004, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/howard-dean-is-insane/225312/27 "2004-01-20T19:47:59Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > Being the kind of liberal that people like Brutus love to hate, I would gladly rather see a trained monkey in the White House than Dumbya serve for another day. Looks like, if the Democrats win the election, you will get your wish. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![lisacurl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/41988e/32.png) [@lisacurl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lisacurl)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2004, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/howard-dean-is-insane/225312/28 "2004-01-20T19:50:25Z")
> [@Avalonian](#): > > That said, Dean’s behavior last night definitely didn’t reflect too well on him or his campaign – a definite moment when people around him start taking careful steps away and eyeing him warily. My hub works with the grass-roots Dean organization locally, and quite a few of those folk are just toeing the line of fanatical in their devotion to Howard. They were probably cheering along to his rant. It seemed like a typical over-the-top fire-up-the-volunteers type of rah-rah speech when I saw the video on CNN – I’ve seen the same in Dale Carnegie meetings – but when I heard the audio of it on NPR this morning, I cracked up laughing. Then I cracked up my husband by adding on, “And I used to live in a VAN! DOWN BY THE RIVER!” ---
**Author:** ![Stoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stoid/32/272_2.png) [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2004, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/howard-dean-is-insane/225312/29 "2004-01-20T20:07:45Z")
I am not a Dean fan, never have been. Nothing about him speaks to me, and I was thrilled that Kerry won. My initial reaction to the worst part of Dean’s speech was the same as most people. However, I got to see the whole thing, or at least a great deal more of it, and I think that people are being a little harsh. Yeah, for a minute or two it got a little strident, and I think that it did not reflect well on him, but I do sympathise with where he’s coming from. The man has been riding a helluva wave, and this must have felt like the surfer riding the tidal wave in \* Lucifer’s Hammer \* “Hey! I’m gonna make it, I’m riding it! Woo hoo!” and then he slams right into a high-rise building. So a little stridency is understandable. Of course, we want a president to have perfect self-control, so… ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Ashtar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@Lord\_Ashtar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Ashtar)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2004, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/howard-dean-is-insane/225312/30 "2004-01-20T20:18:04Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > Don’t make me vote for LaRuche, people. You could do what a buddy of mine did. He didn’t like any of the candidates (probably because he was too lazy to do any research), so he filled out the write-in ballot. His vote? “Fuck my ass.” He seemed quite pleased with himself. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2004, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/howard-dean-is-insane/225312/31 "2004-01-20T20:40:11Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > Looks like, if the Democrats win the election, you will get your wish. I would offer you a hearty “fuck off” for that, but I fear you’re right. Actually I rather like Kerry. I think he would make a dandy prez. But I think he’s unelectable, and would be more reviled by pubbies than Clinton. ---
**Author:** ![Ponder\_Stibbons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponder_stibbons/32/343_2.png) [@Ponder\_Stibbons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponder_Stibbons)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2004, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/howard-dean-is-insane/225312/32 "2004-01-20T20:53:56Z")
I am not by any stretch of the imagination a Dean supporter, but I’m not sure I’m getting what all the hubbub is about. I read the transcript of what he said from one of the links provided above, and all I saw was perhaps a little over-exhuberance. “Yea, we’re gonna go on and win in (lists a bunch of states)”. And he gave a yell and did “air punches”. Yea, so? BFHD. ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2004, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/howard-dean-is-insane/225312/33 "2004-01-20T20:58:18Z")
> [@Mr. Moto](#): > > My take on it is that Dean had just managed to convince Iowa Democrats, among the most liberal in the nation, to give him a whopping 18% of their vote. Did we slip into Bizarro World again? I thought the stereotype was that it’s the people on the _coasts_ who are the most liberal in the nation (Califonia and New York, especially). Since when did Iowa become Liberal Central, except in a lame attempt to make a misguided point? ---
**Author:** ![Slacker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6bbea6/32.png) [@Slacker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slacker)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2004, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/howard-dean-is-insane/225312/34 "2004-01-20T21:07:35Z")
I wondered about that too, **rjung**. > [@Ponder Stibbons](#): > > I am not by any stretch of the imagination a Dean supporter, but I’m not sure I’m getting what all the hubbub is about. I read the transcript of what he said from one of the links provided above, and all I saw was perhaps a little over-exhuberance. “Yea, we’re gonna go on and win in (lists a bunch of states)”. And he gave a yell and did “air punches”. Yea, so? BFHD. Big Freakin’ Hairy Deal? The problem is that voters want their president to look “presidential,” not like Rocky on peyote buttons. If you saw it, you would have laughed. That’s not a good thing, IMO. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Enderw24](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ba9def/32.png) [@Enderw24](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enderw24)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2004, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/howard-dean-is-insane/225312/35 "2004-01-20T21:27:49Z")
[QUOTE=Lord Ashtar] You could do what a buddy of mine did. He didn’t like any of the candidates (probably because he was too lazy to do any research), so he filled out the write-in ballot. His vote? “Fuck my ass.” [QUOTE] That would have been a rough four years. ---
**Author:** ![Chance\_the\_Gardener](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@Chance\_the\_Gardener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chance_the_Gardener)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2004, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/howard-dean-is-insane/225312/36 "2004-01-20T22:27:06Z")
> [@Mr. Moto](#): > > My take on it is that Dean had just managed to convince Iowa Democrats, among the most liberal in the nation, to give him a whopping 18% of their vote. Huh? I’ve lived in four states, and one of them was Iowa. My impression was that Iowans are rather moderate, with a strong streak toward non-affiliation with any party. Neither liberal nor conservative, mainstream Iowa is moderate, when compared to the United States as a whole. The Democrats there are moderate, too. I mean, didn’t they elect Paul Tsongas in the 1992 caucus? If Dean were a liberal, and if Iowa Democrats were liberal, and if the only issue anyone had when choosing a president was an ideological one (as opposed to simply getting Bush the hell out of office,) then Dean would have something to worry about. Don’t get me wrong—I’m not saying that Dean _doesn’t_ have anything to worry about. It’s just that he’s not a liberal, and neither are the Iowans. I grew up around western Pennsylvania Democrats, who aren’t liberals, either, but blue-collar union voters. Now I live in New York City, where you’ll find plenty of liberal Democrats and non-liberal Democrats. But I’m sure the Iowa Democrats (outside of Iowa City) would be pretty surprised to discover that they’re such liberals. ---
**Author:** ![japatlgt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df705f/32.png) [@japatlgt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/japatlgt)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2004, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/howard-dean-is-insane/225312/37 "2004-01-20T23:01:06Z")
Tony Clifton for President? ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2004, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/howard-dean-is-insane/225312/38 "2004-01-20T23:10:32Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > I would gladly rather see a trained monkey in the White House than Dumbya serve for another day. I don’t really see a difference in those two alternatives. ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2004, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/howard-dean-is-insane/225312/39 "2004-01-20T23:18:14Z")
Some people have said that Dean reminds them of Dr. Bruce Banner just before he changes into the Hulk! **DEAN SMASH!** And they’re both doctors! Coincidence? 😃 Our “friends” in Yurp don’t like Bush because he’s a cowboy, supposedly. What ever would they think of Dean? ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2004, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/howard-dean-is-insane/225312/40 "2004-01-20T23:25:26Z")
Geez, that’s pretty disturbing. When my wary Canuckistan eye has wandered in the direction of the primaries down south, I’ve been flip-flopping on who to pin my hopes on to help pull us all back from the brink of global cat’s-asstrophy-- Dean or Clark. If I had a vote, that passable imitation of a cranked-up yahoo seconds away from a faceful of mace and a canvas jacket would have put an end to any waffling. Jesus Christ. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/howard-dean-is-insane/225312.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/howard-dean-is-insane/225312.md?page=3)