A Dean victory could cost Democrats seats [View All]

[Feanorcurufinwe]

Former Gov. Howard Dean often says that his campaign will bring new voters to the polls who will elect him president and send a Democratic majority to Congress. If history is any guide, however, his candidacy could just as easily cost his party seats in non-presidential races.

Even if Dean were to win the White House, the Democrats could lose seats, as they did when Bill Clinton won in 1992 and as the GOP did when George Bush won in 2000.

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Dean has repeatedly said the party needs to win back Southern working-class voters who have been supporting Republicans in recent years. However, his clumsy reference to appealing to people who drive pickup trucks with Confederate flags — a statement for which he apologized — showed some that he misunderstands the region.

“If that is what he believes about Southern independents, then he is wrong. If Democrats spend time and money here, they can make inroads with the proper message,” said former South Carolina Democratic Chairman Dick Harpootlian, who now practices law in Columbia, S.C.

“The South is not that different from the rest of the country. Just this morning I was drinking a cappuccino and reading The New York Times in Starbucks,” he added.

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Dean knows that he could hurt other Democrats in the South. At a recent news conference, he said he had told local politicians in Alabama that he would either campaign there or stay away, whichever would help more.
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