Democratic Party chief Howard Dean said Wednesday that Democrats are “really worried” about Barack Obama’s chances in November, although Dean called such unease healthy.
“I’m actually thrilled that they’re nervous,” Dean said at a breakfast sponsored by the Christian Science Monitor newspaper. “I think it’s about time. Last spring, there was this feeling of confidence, that we were just going to roll through everything. And that’s how you lose elections.
“So I’m just delighted that Democrats are really worried about whether they can win or not — just delighted,” he added. “It’s absolutely going to be close.”
Although Obama generates tremendous enthusiasm among some Democrats, his overall support tapered off during the closing weeks of the primary contests. He wheezed across the finish line ahead of Hillary Clinton last week, although she had won the majority of late-season primaries, some by landslide margins.
On Tuesday, Rep. Dan Boren, Oklahoma Democrat, said he would not endorse Obama, whom he called “the most liberal member in the U.S. Senate.” Obama was given that rating by the nonpartisan magazine National Journal.
Dean called Boren’s refusal to endorse Obama interesting, but declined to elaborate. He blamed Republicans for pushing the most-liberal argument against Obama.
Dean also hinted that Obama might reject public financing of his general election campaign because he is having so much success raising private funds. Obama once expressed interest in public financing, but appears likely to forgo it.
Dean defended his party’s reluctance to support Rep. Dennis Kucinich of Ohio and Rep. Robert Wexler of Florida, both Democrats, in their efforts to impeach President Bush. Kucinich introduced 35 articles of impeachment against Bush this week.
Responding to questions from The Examiner, Dean said he is not embarrassed by the impeachment drive, adding: “The president may or may not have deserved to be impeached.” But he said American voters “didn’t send us here to impeach the president.”
Turning to illegal immigration, Dean said Obama believes “we need to have some enforcement of the law,” but “does not believe we ought to scapegoat people.”
