February 18, 2004

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Howard, We Hardly Knew Ya’

Howard Dean is out of the Democratic race, The New York Times’ Kirk Semple and Jodi Wilgoren report.

Before the announcement, the WaPo’s Richard Leiby shared this anecdote (second item):

In Milwaukee yesterday, Howard Dean accepted a peace offering from the pack of journalistic jackals he has blamed for the rapid rise and fall of his presidential campaign. Los Angeles Times reporter Matea Gold presented Dean with a stylish long-sleeve white T-shirt emblazoned with “Establishment Media” on the front and “We Have the Power, Dean Press Corps 2004,” on the back, in patriotic red and blue lettering. Dean, who often peppers his speeches with references to cable news “blather” and the evils of media company consolidation, looked tickled.

“And indeed you do have the power,” the candidate said, laughing and putting on the shirt. He also mocked his own famous post-Iowa-caucuses screaming speech, telling two dozen reporters in a very calm voice: “I’m going to enjoy this when we go to California, and when we go to New York, and when we go to Rhode Island, and when we go to Massachusetts. Yahoo.”

But come on, we know Dean’s not going anywhere. He and John McCain still have a rogue party to found. There’s totally a demand for it. Want evidence? Some dude named Matt Thompson had this quote in an American Prospect story this morning:

Rosita Navarro plans to vote for “Anybody But Bush.” But she hates the terms “Republican” and “Democrat.” “I wish there was a Neo-Democrat[ic] Party,” she says. “Something new.”

Suggested name for the Dean-McCain party of feisty fiscal conservatives: THE MEGACAUCUS!! Err, wait. Never mind.