Editorial: Dean’s contribution

Friday, Feb. 20, 2004 | 9:26 a.m.

This week Howard Dean dropped his bid for the White House, capping what had been a meteoric rise in presidential politics with a fall of a similar magnitude. It was not much more than a month ago that Dean was viewed as a lock to capture the Democratic presidential nomination. But after 17 state primaries, Dean hadn't won a single contest, forcing him Wednesday to end his campaign. Dean's exit demonstrates that no matter how much money you have -- the former Vermont governor raised $41 million last year, a one-year record for a Democrat -- it doesn't mean much until actual votes are cast. And, in the end, Democratic voters just weren't comfortable making him their nominee.

Now, after a month of campaigning punctuated by the Iowa scream, it is clear that Dean wouldn't have been the Democrats' best candidate against President Bush. Nonetheless, if Dean hadn't entered the race, the Democratic hopefuls probably wouldn't be in as strong a position as they are now (some polling shows both Sens. John Kerry and John Edwards would beat Bush if the election were held today). Dean aggressively stood up to Bush, and that in turn energized the party, getting hundreds of thousands of people to either donate money to him or volunteer in his campaign. If the eventual Democratic nominee can keep the Dean diehards enthusiastic until November (and that nominee likely will be Kerry), there could be a real race, a concept unthinkable just several months ago when Bush seemed unbeatable. Bush, with the economy in the doldrums and the situation in Iraq still bad, is vulnerable. The emerging campaign between the Democrats and the Republicans is shaping up as offering vo! ters two very different directions on where the nation should be headed. That's healthy for our democracy, a development due in part to Howard Dean.