To his credit, Howard Dean has broken ranks with those Democrats who think the best defense is to seek cover and then throw themselves on the mercy of voters on Election Day. The time has come for Democrats to fight back. They should explain what it means to be a liberal, not allow Republicans to define them.
They should answer hyperbolic attacks with exaggerated speech of their own, if that's what it takes to stave off political annihilation.
For much of this decade, right-wing Republicans have dominated the public square, shouting down some on their political left and drowning out others who have tried to counter their bombast with civil responses. The time has come for Democrats to give as good as they get.
Americans, for the most part, love politicians who fight for what they believe - and they abhor political wimps. Dean is a fighter, albeit one who needs to learn that in an ideological spat, a well-placed jab often can do more damage than a barrage of roundhouse punches.
But he can't learn that lesson if Democrats won't let him take the fight to the GOP.
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