The American Spectator

Ah, but occasionally pundits will confuse “fiscally conservative” with that overused, utterly meaningless phrase “fiscally responsible.” “Fiscally responsible” is that modifier which is generally applied to various deficit-reduction packages that successfully hike taxes on people, but never seem to erase deficits. Anywho, is Dean “fiscally responsible”? No. The same NTU study says Dean’s plan would have ballooned the budget deficit, primarily on the back of his ill-conceived socialized healthcare scheme.

The strategy now appears to be to distance Howard Dean from the press. David Freddoso pointed out in National Review Online last week that Howard Dean was behaving like a “stealth chairman.”

Based on a review of transcripts, his last television interview appears to have been a full month ago — with George Stephanopoulos on January 23 — before his victory as chairman had become inevitable. At the same time as RNC Chairman Ken Mehlman is interviewing with Judy Woodruff almost every week on CNN, Dean tried to block media coverage of his Portland, Ore. debate on Iraq against Pentagon adviser Richard Perle. Dean’s DNC seems intent on outdoing the Bush White House in media discipline.

Instead of working the media, Dean kicked off his much-ballyhooed tour of “Red America.” But the tour got off to an unfortunate start for the chairman. In Kansas, Democrat Governor Kathleen Sebelius made sure she was all booked up and unable to meet with him. Dean was reduced to begging yokels to do more to help the cause. “I’m asking you to run for the school board, I’m asking you to run for the city council, I’m asking you to run for library trustee.” Pity the poor rural Kansan when the Dean-inspired Democrat candidate for dog catcher busts out into a chimerical conspiracy theory about the neo-cons at the next community candidate forum.

I remind you. Dean has been the Chairman of the Democrat National Committee for two weeks. It’s going to be a fun four years.