Recently, Howard Dean and Karl Rove came to my hometown of Boulder, Colorado to engage in a debate, sponsored by the University of Colorado. The Boulder Daily Camera did a nice job covering the rather pedestrian event.
But for me, the real action came before the event. My husband, Bob Berger, and I joined a group of friends at the St. Julien Hotel for drinks after work. As we entered the lobby, my husband leaned over and said, "Hey, isn't that Howard Dean?" I looked over and commented, in kind of an outdoor voice, "No, that can't be Howard. He's not tall enough."
But it was, indeed, one of my favorite idols of the Democratic Party. Dean was super gracious, and agreed to come by our table for a photo after he finished a phone call. To which my husband said, "Tell Barack you're busy and will call him later."
A few minutes later, he came by our table of six rowdy Democrats, once of whom recently converted after voting for Bush twice. Bygones. Our friend Kim shook Dean's hand sporting a brand new cast on her arm after a skiing accident. She is also a breast cancer survivor who, without her fulltime job, would have no health insurance due to the insurance companies' current policies preexisting conditions. Basically, she is screwed.
Dean enthusiastically reenergized all of us about the importance of the pending healthcare legislation. Instead of having us say "cheese," Bob suggested we say "majority." Dean laughed and said, "How about 57?" before settling on toasting to "reconciliation." And he had such a hearty, infectious laugh, to boot.
Well, I made it this far before caving in and sharing the other side of the pre-event festivities. After our moment of Howard Dean excitement, we looked up to see a large creature scurrying about the lobby and hallways, moving in a manner that suggested he craved anonymity.
Yep, it was Karl Rove.
He and Dean dined with some local students and then started to head to share a car to the event. As Rove's cloven hooves clattered across the polished floors a low hiss, accompanied by an increasingly loud chorus of boos, followed him throughout the lobby and bar. Howard Dean looked over his shoulder, incredulous. Then the room erupted into cheers of "Go Howard go' and thunderous applause. Our reward? A classic Dean fist pump and reciprocal cheer! It was quite a night. And one more reason Boulder is home to the happiest people in the US.
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