Andrew Sullivan performs one of those psychoanalyses of stereotypes so fashionable with the op-edists on our favorite Doctor, Howard Dean.
Mr. Sullivan cherry picks a few unflattering stereotypes of doctors. Doctors are aloof, arrogant, condescending know-it-alls. When doctors involve themselves in politics “they always veer toward the intolerant, dictatorial and secretive”.
Yet Dr. Dean has run one of the most un-dictatorial primary campaigns in history. He put to vote among his supporters the important decision whether to forgo public funding in the primary campaign. No one could describe such an open decision making process as secretive.
In fact, the very nature of Dr. Dean’s campaign necessitates a high degree of transparency. Communication to and from its disparate elements occurs in too public an arena to hide much of anything. Secretive things can, and like Al Gores endorsement do occur, but if secrets remain secrets in the Dean campaign they are next to useless. Communication has produced the excellence of the Dean so far, and secrets impede communication.
Dr. Dean is intolerant of the Bush administration’s failed policies and the weak will of the Democratic Party in its opposition to Mr. Bush, but that hardly seems so disastrous an impulse coming from a candidate for President.
He is certainly tolerant, however, of dissenting opinions on issues like hypothetical Universal Health Care from the likes of Congressmen Dennis Kucinich or Richard Gephardt. He has said that a single payer system such as they both propose may be a good idea, but its time has not come yet in the current political climate.
Dr. Dean’s sensitivity on this issue speaks to a few opposing qualities doctors are often stereotyped with. Doctors are critical thinkers, pragmatic, intelligent do-gooders. They want to change things, heal the world and they feel they have the capacity to do so.
We can see where this facile psychoanalysis leads. While Mr. Sullivan uses his list of negatives to explain why he does not support Dr. Dean, I can use my list of positive qualities to explain otherwise. I’ll refrain.
To me, Mr. Sullivan’s argument is wholly unsatisfactory. Mr. Sullivan’s comments are nothing more than a garnished gut reaction; “Ehh, I don’t like they guy”. Let’s hope we aware enough to leave the garnish uneaten and disregarded.
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