Dean Calls Clark a “Republican.”
As Wesley Clark increases his poll numbers despite not running in Iowa, Howard Dean has attacked his credentials as a Democrat, saying, “I truly believe he’s a Republican.” Dean pointed out that Clark had voted for Nixon and Reagan and had earlier supported some Bush administration officials.
I doubt that this particular sort of attack will do Dean much good in the primaries. Eisenhower wasn’t much of a Republican, and Taft supporters would have said he was an out and out Democrat. Reagan was originally a Democrat. People change, and change their parties. If Clark wins, it will be because he appeals to a lot of former Democrats who have now started leaning Republican, and could get them back in the party. As for the Democratic Left, we’d have nowhere else to go. It isn’t as if Dean is that far left, either, you know; his policies as governor* were close to those of the Clinton-Lieberman Democratic Leadership Council, and