Tough Times for the Pander Bears

Dean's Comment on Confederate Flags and Pickup Trucks Sparks Iowa Dust-Up

"I still want to be the candidate for guys with Confederate flags in their pickup trucks," the former Vermont governor was quoted as saying in Saturday's Des Moines Register. "We can't beat George Bush unless we appeal to a broad cross-section of Democrats."

Nice try Howie, but you managed to offend a whole bunch of Donk "core constituencies" with that one.

Not to be outdone, Dick Gephardt piped up:

Rep. Dick Gephardt of Missouri, who shares the lead in Iowa with Dean, accused Dean of making a blatant move to win the votes of people "who disagree with us on bedrock Democratic values like civil rights."

"I don't want to be the candidate for guys with Confederate flags in their pickup trucks," Gephardt said in a statement. "I will win the Democratic nomination because I will be the candidate for guys with American flags in their pickup trucks."

Better, Dick, but those nasty pickups will get the ecoweenies all upset, not to mention the marching wingnuts of the Left who run from American flags like vampires from crosses.

And then Lurch pitched in his two cents:

Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts contended that Dean's "pandering" to the National Rifle Association gave him an inroad to "pander to lovers of the Confederate flag."

And to further prove he was no panderer, the French looking guy popped over to a farm for a bit of pheasant shooting. Sheesh, don't tell PETA. I'd say something even more unkind, but the Curmudgeon has got it covered.