Reply #196: To be honest with you... [View All]

I don't have a quote of the type you ask for. Most of what Dean says on this is rather vague, so you have to take a lot on faith. He can barely get through a speech without saying he wants to take the power away from the special interests, and I guess you can interpret that in a lot of different ways. And admittedly, given the unpopularity of the FCC ruling, the stand he took on Truthout isn't exactly a dangerous position.

Here again, I believe the key to knowing what he will do is the way he has conducted his fundraising. Whatever the intentions, I believe any candidate will be beholden to the ones who contributed to his/her campaign. Those who rely on corporate money will work for corporations and those who rely on Washington insiders will work for the status quo. When Clinton successfully co-opted the Republican's pet issues, he was also forced to take a pro-business stance that gave us NAFTA, the WTO, etc. I believe that most of Dean's supporters are so energetic because of their disgust with the status quo and their desire for change. Dean has been very responsive to this, and frames nearly all of his speeches in those terms. And unlike Clark, who turned his back on the grassroots in favor of Washington insiders once he began his campain, Dean has proven willing to listen to his supporters.

Of course, it's always possible that Dean is a poser who has suckered us all and will decide to champion the cause of corporations once he's in office. That's where the trust comes in. But of all the candidates, I see him as having the least responsibility to maintain the status quo in order to retain the votes of those who put him in office.