Howard Dean: The Vermont Years

Vermont Public Radio is running a series, The Home-State Record:

A special series on the home-state records of all nine Democratic presidential candidates produced by Vermont Public Radio in cooperation with seven public radio stations around the country. Each story is rich with archival sound and local perspective.

These are, I think, 4 minute dealios. So far they've run John Kerry, Dennis Kucinich, Joe Lieberman and Carol Moseley Braun. Since Dean is our favorite son, VPR has also produced a one hour special on his record in Vermont:

One of the recurring legends of American politics is about the candidate who comes from nowhere to grab the brass ring, to the astonishment of political experts. Abraham Lincoln and Harry Truman are the classic examples of men who rose from obscurity to the presidency. More recently Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton rocketed off the improbable launch pads of small and rural states, to win it all.

How did Howard Dean move to the front of the pack in a Democratic Party nomination process initially dominated by better known names from bigger places?

He started by making a mark in Vermont. Vermont also made a mark on him, as his thinking evolved over twenty years in office, more than half of them as governor. In 1991, when Richard Snelling had a fatal heart attack, everything changed for Lieutenant Governor Dean.

It's a frank, balanced look at Dean, warts and all. I highly recommend checking out the transcript and/or the streaming audio.

ntodd  ¶ 2:32 PM