There's the story we have and then there's the story we still haven't heard. And that's where we are in The Curious Case of Dean Phillips. A few days ago the Strib ran a piece about Phillips' not all that surprising (to me) decision to bail on this grimey Congress thing. The usual officialese was transcribed and published. But for everyone following this bizarre adventure the essential question still remaining is, "WTF, Dean?"
I don't live in Phillips' district, but literally across the road, so I've been to a couple of his small group meet-ups and had two brief conversations with the guy. Astute judge of political talent that I am I assessed that he was, A: Upright, mobile and bathed regularly, B: Could form consecutive coherent paragraphs in the king's English, C: Was solicitous and patient with the elderly and common folk, D: Was a good-looking dude and, E: Was rich.
In other words a character dispatched from Central Casting for modern American politics.
And then, after barely five years as a reasonably diligent backbencher he decides ... he's the guy to take a primary fight to the sitting President of his own party.
Oooooookay.
I have no disagreement with his stated reasons for painting a bus and road-tripping to New Hampshire. Joe Biden puts both the party and the country in a precarious situation vis a vis Donald Trump in 2024. But .. you ... Dean Phillips? You're the message bearer? You're the alternative? Even you don't think you could win this. So what are you really thinking when you run around torching not just your reputation as a sane adult but your relationships with the DFL/Democratic political machinery?
Missing from the Strib piece, and other local outlets covering Phillips, were quotes from DFL wisemen/women. On or off record I'd be fascinated to hear their assessments of Phillips as a person and what Phillips thinks he's doing. Either way, having paid enough attention to politics over the years I can speculate without fear that personable, good-looking and rich Mr. Phillips has received several-to-a-lot of scorching phone calls from his soon-to-be-former-colleagues, party financiers and advisors, etc. and etc. some more. To the point I strongly suspect he's now persona non grata with those who matter in the Democratic politics.
Oh, they'll smile and say bland niceties in public, but he's not getting invited to the main table for Christmas dinner.
If I had to spout off a psychologically-based explanation for Phillips I'd tie most of it to his wealth. (He was adopted into the Phillips liquor fortune.) Unlike the average Congressperson, he doesn't need the job. While high profile and with some perks, the downside of being in Congress is the amount of precious life hours/days/months wasted in the churning wake of deeply stupid-to-manifestly corrupt "colleagues." (Phillips said as much in the Strib story, leaving out the "deeply stupid" and "manifestly corrupt" parts.)
Being as wealthy as he is, he doesn't have to spend hours every week demeaning himself on the phone begging for reelection money from occasionally sketchy supporters. But being as wealthy as he is also builds and sustains an attitude that, "I'm better than this", an attitude he could sell if it weren't for what now looks and feels like an act of adolescent hubris.
To date the "Phillips for President" campaign has been an almost farcical disaster, yet in his reasonable-sounding, good-looking and rich way he insists he's going to carry on ... you know, for the good of the party and the country.
It's all so sad I cringe every time I hear his name.
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