Dean on McCain--Who Cares?

Why would anyone care what Howard Dean has to say about McCain? (Link here)

They are political opponents. Are news consumers so ignorant they would be surprised that a political agent would have something negative to say about their opponent?

And hello, Howie, do you think this factor has escaped any one's attention? We can tune in still to SNL reruns lampooning Reagan's age.

Furthermore, McCain's "old fashioned values" are appealing to conservatives. By mentioning them, you risk strengthening McCain's support among the base.

The only people who should be concerned about his old fashioned ways are those disenfranchised Democrats who have decided to vote (out of spite?) in the general election against Hillary if she beats Barack, or Barack if he beats Hillary.

One thing I know about Democrats is that they can overlook a lot of sins once they've made a choice. And their hatred for their opponent can be quite consuming.

If a Democrat has decided that Hillary or Barack is their opponent, I don't think they'll be terribly concerned about McCain's views on birth control and sex-ed. After all, they already know he supports the war in Iraq, and surely they know he is pro-life. Wouldn't that bother them more? (By the way, condoms and birth control pills are cheap, and sex-ed is a matter for the states.)

Also, who's buying Dean's claim that the Democrats are above identity politics, and therefore will not be mentioning McCain's age? First of all, isn't that what he just did? Second, isn't this historic race between the first woman and first Black presidential candidates largely about identity?

The airing of Dean's comment reminds me of ads for Pro-wrestling matches. Trash talk between opponents is neither new nor newsworthy.