Last winter, a long shot primary challenge to an elected incumbent president unfolded, the sort of challenge New Hampshire’s first in the nation primary has a history of being uniquely hospitable to. Gene McCarthy, Estes Kefauver, Pat Buchanan and others made history with such efforts, winning outright or exceeding expectations, often with important long term consequences.
Alas, even the Granite State has its limits, and Rep. Dean Phillips of Minnesota stopped just short of his stated minimum goal of 20% needed to go on to contest other states. It was reminiscent of the late Pete McCloskey’s 1972 challenge to President Nixon. McCloskey, who died May 8th, is the subject of a GSO profile. Both were obscure junior members of congress. Phillips and McCloskey were inclined to challenge the orthodoxies of their own party. Both men modestly sought to recruit more formidable figures in their respective parties to make the challenges they then felt obligated to make. Both were plowed under, gaining 19 plus percent of the vote, which was better than they would have done anyplace else. But they were widely thought to have destroyed their political futures, so deeply resented was their efforts.
Both would also quickly and dramatically see their positions vindicated.
Within a year McCloskey’s warnings about Nixon’s trustworthiness seemed prescient. His career continued for another decade, but his party never quite forgave him for being right. Let us hope the Democratic Party does better.
Phillips surrendered his seat in congress to tilt at this windmill. Allow us to be the first in the nation to urge the Democratic Party to behave with more grace. Phillips was right. They were wrong. By justifying over the top ostracism of Phillips, and taking heavy handed aim at grass roots democratic process in presidential nominations generally, they have only strengthened the Mar-a-Largo Mussolini, and fed a perception that insider obsession with personal status superseded good stewardship.
The national Dem establishment got two big things wrong this year.
1. They made an asinine attempt to kill our First in the Nation primary here, a course fully discredited by the abysmal turnout in the South Carolina primary. They gratuitously derided it as “meaningless” made directed disingenuous appeals to racial animosity, and threatened wholly disproportionate reprisals at defenders of our FITN tradition. They have since walked some of that back, to their credit. Throughout the controversy, still not fully settled, Granite State Dems had the maturity to turn the other cheek.
2. With near disastrous consequences, the DC big shots willfully ignored the obvious merit in Phillips’ warning that President Biden’s declining ability to communicate effectively would undo all of his good work. Phillips made his case with great civility and respectfulness, and was answered with the kind of denial of the obvious more typical of the MAGA cult, as well as counter productive nastiness. Phillips is not the only person to complain about creeping aversion to democratic process in the Democratic party. While Bernie Sanders scoffed at Phillips’ effort, his own earlier effort was heavily rooted in that complaint. Biden actually called Phillips after the primary, and generously allowed as how he might have done what Phillips did were he in his shoes. Never Trump podcaster Tim Miller had Phillips on his show to apologize for being so harshly critical of him. Phillips tamped down speculation about running as the No Labels candidate. Could peace between Phillips and Senator Klobutchar be far behind?
Nobody begrudges the great affection reserved for President Biden. Most will concede that his experienced stewardship in a national emergency, at an age when most enjoy more repose, and in the face of unusual abuse and sacrifice, will be honored by history. This is particularly true of his manner of departure. It is easy to be snarky about this. Churchill said American always do the right thing, after exhausting every other possibility. Biden had to be convinced to go. So did Churchill and Adenauer. FDR had no business seeking a fourth term. This does not negate their greatness. History and human affairs flow this way.
Biden undoubtedly believed he was the best bulwark against the Orange Menace. His good faith should be assumed. But so, at long last, should Dean Phillips’ good faith be accepted. He brought an interesting background to his service in congress. He describes deciding to run for congress after his gay daughter expressed fear for her well being, the morning after Trump was elected. He brought a Suburban Dad earnestness that helped him win a Red congressional district, not unlike his more rural Minnesota colleague Tim Walz. Phillips’ dad was killed in Vietnam. His mother remarried the son of famed advise columnist Dear Abby, who, with Dean Phillips’ help, added to a fortune in booze and deserts, which helped fund his campaigns. In congress, his bipartisanship was notable. He cut an ad for Liz Cheney. Phillips was on a leadership track until his courageous effort was met with an effort to denigrate him as somebody putting his ego ahead of meeting the national emergency. Phillips may be rich, but that was richer. His misgivings were valid, and the danger was in ignoring such, not in sounding the alarm.