I can be a cynical person. I accept that. I am much more often against things than I am for them. For instance, I am against the power of the two major political parties in this country, because I do not believe democracy is well-served by large aggregating parties that water down all new ideas. And even within that statement, I am against the notion of democracy as a political end. I think democracy should be a means to the ends of good government and a good society, but if democracy is not the best means to get there then I am willing to sacrifice democracy. For instance, I have many problems with the Progressive Era ideal of social control by experts, but I would much rather my schools be run by experts than by local school boards.

But by and large, democracy is a good and valuable thing in the world, and is the best we can do in the absence of any other ideas. And for the foreseeable future, here in the U.S., we are stuck with the two-party system--so, given that fact, I would hope for the most active, vibrant two-party system we could have.

I believe that anyone who agrees with this sentiment, regardless of political belief or affiliation, should see Howard Dean's presidential candidacy as good for America, even if you would like to see him ultimately defeated. I think that what is truly distinctive about Dean is that, as he has proclaimed, he represents "the Democratic wing of the Democratic Party". If you believe that voters should have legitimate, distinct options, then Dean is the only real choice out there for the Democratic nomination.

For that reason, even though I am skeptical of some of his ideas, I have decided that I am going to add Dean campaign links to the side of my blog. Peruse or not at your discretion, but this is my statement that for once I am actually for something and someone and not merely a naysayer.