What a Scream: Howard Dean Roots for Government Shutdown

Howard Dean, the former chairman of the Democratic National Committee and erstwhile presidential candidate, sees a political upside to shutting down the federal government.

If I was head of DNC, I would be quietly rooting for it, said Dean, speaking on a National Journal Insiders Conference panel this week. I know whos going to get blamed -- weve been down this road before.

The former Vermont governor went on to explain that tea partiers would be "outraged" if they didn't receive their Social Security checks -- and would presumably take it out on the Republican Congress.

Dean, whose party is stuck like it's 1995, needs to check his facts. Officials say that, even in a budget-related "shutdown," Social Security checks would continue uninterrupted.