Moderate Democrats Considering Dean

Republicans and even some moderate Democrats have portrayed Dean as the next George McGovern, who won the 1972 Democratic nomination by appealing to anti-war liberals only to get trounced by a sitting Republican president, Richard Nixon. But behind Dean's liberal image is his record as Vermont governor of reforming welfare, slashing state spending and cutting taxes for businesses

Dean says when he took over the Vermont governor's office, the state had an enormous debt and income taxes that he had to pare down.

"The liberals hated me," he said in an interview from the campaign trail in New Hampshire. "I would not spend the money. I was a fiscal conservative. So I got crosswise with liberals immediately. Moderate Republicans and independents liked me and trusted me with their money."

Dean said as his tenure continued, he expanded health care, reformed education and signed the civil unions bill that gave gay couples the same rights as married couples. That left the more conservative Democrats unhappy.

Rep. Charlie Stenholm, a Democrat who describes his Texas district as solid Bush country, said he's meeting with Dean next week. Reps. Baron Hill of Indiana and Dennis Moore of Kansas say they've talked to him and even if they don't agree with all his positions, they like him personally and are impressed with what he has accomplished so far in the race.

Rep. Bart Stupak, D-Mich., represents a rural district that favored Bush in 2000, but he says his constituents could be attracted to Dean's record of expanding health care to children in Vermont.

"In my district, I tell people to watch Dean," Stupak said.