The Washington Post article on Gov. Dean's record in Vermont included something which caught my eye:
"The national role reversal is that Democrats have become identified as the party of the balanced budget," said Eric Davis, a Middlesbury political scientist, "Howard Dean can lay claim to that."
How? by running on his record of putting away some money each year in a rainy day fund which has kept Vermont from the fate of most other states which are now scrambling to balance budgets by cutting services deeply and/or raising taxes. Vermont has a $10 million surplus.
But it is true. Bill Clinton in the 90's had to clean up the red ink caused by the policies of Reagan and Bush I. Now the next Democratic president will face the largest budget deficits in history--already projected at $455 billion (Bush himself says his tax cuts account for at least 25% of this deficit--an independent source would probably contradict him and find they are responsible for at least half). This will be a major issue in 2004 because campaigns are about the future and eventually we will have to somehow bring the deficit back under control and not leave it for future generations. The deficit will eventually lead to sluggish growth, higher interest rates, and more unemployment.
Remember how Ross Perot took off in '92? his big issue was the deficit. For a third party candidate he attracted a phenomenal 19% of the vote. This is an issue which work to the Democrats advantage and with Howard Dean's lack of Washington experience and his record balancing the budget, while still delivering on his health care agenda in Vermont, I think he can win over to the Democrats many former Perot Independents.
"I'm a fiscal conservative, and I believe in social justice", Dean said recently. I think this sums up the political philosophy of a majority of American voters.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A15326-2003Aug2.html