Alterman on Dean/Nader

Here's what Eric Alterman has to say about Howard Dean and Ralph Nader:

If Ralph Nader had Howard Dean’s guts and grace, America would be a different country today. Dean, a formerly moderate-to-conservative Democrat in many ways has been transformed by his incredible experience into a progressive leader and organizer. He is dong just what Nader should have done—and would have done if he genuinely cared about the causes for which he professes to stand—which is to reinvigorate the Democratic party with an infusion of new, young blood and help train it, direct and eventually organize it into a new progressive voice inside the party.

The model of course, is Ralph Reed and it’s one that works, provided one undertakes it with sufficient patience and dedication. I saw Dean speak to an overflow crowd—not the entire crowd, just the overflow part of the crowd who couldn’t get into his main speech—at an event sponsored by Campaign for America’s Future. Everything he said was sensible, down-to–earth and yet hopeful and progressive at the same time.

If Kerry does win and Dean and Trippi have (together with MoveOn and others) built up organizations strong enough to hold his proverbial feet to the fire then the primary process this year will have accomplished what it never has in the past—when progressive candidates like Jackson, Brown and others have raised millions of dollars and created waves of excitement only to disappear and leave the tough institution-building work to others.

Link to Altercation: