Howard Dean is an angry man, and he lashes out with such venom and hatred that he sometimes can't control his words -- or those of his most ardent followers. At a recent fundraiser, Dean stood off stage while comedian Judy Gold said of the president of the United States, "We have to get this piece of living, breathing s--- out of the office." Kate Lloyd, another comedian at the event, drew laughs when she referred to Michael Jackson's pending charges of child molestation. "Frankly, I'm far more frightened of Condoleezza Rice," she said, and then went on to refer to Vice President Dick Cheney's wife as Lon Chaney, an actor in horror movies. And trash-mouth comedian Janeane Garofalo, referred to the new Medicare prescription drug bill as the " 'you can go f--- yourself, Grandma' bill."
Dean chose to go onstage anyway, forfeiting an opportunity to pull a Bill Clinton "Sister Souljah" move. In 1992, candidate Bill Clinton chastised Jesse Jackson for inviting Sister Souljah to a Rainbow Coalition event because the rapper had suggested, in the wake of the 1992 Los Angeles riots, "If black people kill black people every day, why not have a week and kill white people."
The most Howard Dean would say when he came onstage after the comedians had spewed their filth was a vague reference to some of the language that was used -- which was directed more at the "N" word liberally sprinkled throughout some of the routines. "I just don't have much tolerance for ethnic humor," Dean said. "We are all one community."
When a Washington Post reporter asked Dean about the role anger plays in his campaign, "Dean responds negatively -- in fact, angrily, to the suggestion that his campaign is driven by anger." But that anger is making the candidate behave as if he were slightly unbalanced. George W. Bush may drive some Democrats crazy, but they better hope their likely nominee gets a grip on himself soon, or he'll make the whole party look mad next November.