The White House obsession with criticizing the “professional left” comes from one harsh truth: that the left has been right on major issues from health care to the stimulus.

In 2007, Glenn Greenwald wrote a column about how our political debate was being constrained by the demonization of figures like Howard Dean, Al Gore or Ron Paul who were singled out and labeled “weirdos” for expressing opinions outside of party orthodoxy, even though those opinions may have broad popular support.  Noting that Ron Paul [...]

Mika Brzezinski I won’t name names, but I heard it from several people in the Administration: Howard Dean, very not pleased, with Dr. Dean speaking out about health care reform and this plan.

Savannah Guthrie: Yeah, very irritated. Yes, isn’t it fascinating they don’t seem to be too angry at Lieberman, they’re reserving their fervor for Howard Dean, but actually, one senior official who I talked to this morning paid the highest insult which was to call him irrelevant to the entire health care debate.

If I wanted Joe Lieberman writing a health care bill, I would’ve voted for John McCain.

Howard Dean is right. Kill the Senate bill.

Howard Dean is going around telling several media outlets that he is very excited about the early Medicare buy-in idea for people between the ages of 55-64. If (and that is a huge “if”) the program is designed correctly, it would be  avery good idea and a “big step forward.” The problem is the “Medicare [...]

Howard Dean at YearlyKos, 2006. This just in from the New York Times blog: "Howard Dean will not seek a second term as chairman of the Democratic National Committee, ending a tenure marked by an aggressive attempt to reshape the mission of the committee – and to court support by the so-called Netroots – but [...]