July 24, 2003

Duck Wins Nomination

At least that's what Hugh Hewitt predicts:

John Hawkins: In a related question to that, who do you see coming out of the primaries for the Democrats in 2004?

Hugh Hewitt: I think it's going to be Howard Dean and I believe it's because of his unique appeal to the unhinged element within the Democratic Party which is large in the primaries. Dean's appeal is his pugnaciousness and the primary voters see reflected in him, their own sense of having been blocked out of every branch of government and their rage at George W. Bush's success. They're doing self-destructive things and the ultimate self-destructive thing is the nomination of Howard Dean and so I expect it.

John Hawkins: He does seem to be the only guy who is producing any energy right now.

Hugh Hewitt: The field poll in California should put to rest any doubts about that. He has moved from the middle of the pack to the top of the pack, he bled Lieberman and Gephardt significantly, Edwards is mired in the sand and anyone with charisma beats John Kerry. You can't listen to John Kerry for six months. I do believe that absent an extraordinary gaffe he'll be the nominee. He's playing to the rage of the Democratic, Democratic, Democratic wing...

John Hawkins: Let's say Dean comes out of the primaries. How do you think he does against Bush?

Hugh Hewitt: We'll win 45 states.

John Hawkins: Yeah, I think we'd kill him too. The war would be front and center if Dean were to win the nomination.

Hugh Hewitt: He is the only candidate who I think would create the clearest choice since McGovern/Nixon. All the other candidates have some capacity to cloud the real choice, but Dean will make the choice very clear between national security and becoming part of Europe (laughs). You know what? We don't want to become part of Europe (laughs).

There's plenty of other good stuff in John Hawkins' interview with Hewitt. Read it all.