Clarence Page calls it "Angry Howard Syndrome" [View All]

Interesting piece. It should be noted that Page also wars mainstream Democrats not to dismiss Dean.
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The public spewing of insults

Published January 4, 2004

WASHINGTON -- While cattle farmers fret about mad cow disease, Democratic Party leaders wrestle with another sort of malady. Call it the "Angry Howard Syndrome."
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What's going on here? Put in its starkest terms, Angry Howard Syndrome is the latest manifestation of an ancient Democratic Party affliction, a divide between its sober pragmatists and its passionate idealists.
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But that's not always enough for the idealists, some of whom have told me they are less concerned with making a victory than with making a point--or two or three. Think of the idealists as being one step away from voting for Ralph Nader or Jesse Jackson, should the opportunity arise again.
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After all, if candidates cannot unify their own party, voters should reasonably wonder how they are going to unify the country.
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http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/columnists/chi-0401040259jan04,1,2751278.column?coll=chi-news-col