All Your Base

Keep up your crazy talk!

That’s the Republican response to the latest ranting from Howard Dean. The Vermont Congregationalist recently suggested that the Grand Old Party consisted of nothing less than a group of – get this - white Christians.

You see, liberals are supposed to instinctively start hissing at this assertion. Never mind the record number of Hispanics that voted for Bush and are now asking themselves ‘¿Qué?' Dean’s tactical intention is to provide meat to the check-writing, partisan Left. But in terms of overall political strategy - well, even John Edwards and Joe Biden know this is crazy and stupid.

So the clever thing to do, if you’re a Republican flack, is to get on TV shows and radio and claim that this type of rhetoric makes it clear how far from the mainstream the Democrats are these days. Long live Howard, they say, while smirking. This requires a little confidence that the public will come along on this point ... but really not that much, since every American did witness Dean's feral donkey scream.

So here’s my question: How come the Democrats never try the give-‘em-enough-rope trick? When’s the last time you heard them say, “Whoa, Tom DeLay, keep it up, pally.” - or smirk and roll their eyes at the American public whenever a conservative talk show host makes outlandish claims? It might be an unexpected break from acting offended all the time, and it would telegraph more confidence.