WP: Kerry and Dean Set on a Collision Course

[Nambe]

The Washington Post

--- Along with Rep. Richard A. Gephardt (D-Mo.), Kerry and Dean make up the top tier of the Democratic field of nine candidates, but by dint of geography and demography, the two New Englanders often find themselves fishing in the same pond, fighting over the same voters: white, liberal, moderately affluent, well educated, mostly antiwar, vehemently anti-President Bush.

These prospective Democratic voters find themselves in a head-vs.-heart debate over whether to support Kerry or Dean. In Kerry, they see someone who has the credentials to be president, but they worry about his passion and ability to excite an electorate. In Dean, they see the opposite, a blunt and inspirational politician willing to challenge Bush, but they wonder whether someone with his experience and views can win.

Tony Keefer is one of those conflicted voters. He slapped a "Dean for President" sign on his bicycle the other day and rode it in the Independence Day parade in Ashland, N.H., and when more than 200 people gathered here in Hopkinton on a lovely New England evening on Thursday, he was among them.

But he said he wasn't ready to make a commitment. "I'm for someone I'm convinced can beat Bush, and I'm not there yet with Dean, nor with Kerry," he said. ---


Children's Environmental Health Under the Bush Administration

[tjdee]

1. Two Yalies born into wealthy families.....

How unsurprising they're in each other's face.

I think the article is fairly accurate.

They're like the two brothers in the film "Sabrina".

[jamesinca]

15. If it was a Harvard / Yale thing I could see this

I could see them fighting with each other. But two Yale people. If it was Berkely/ Stanford I would understand the fighting.

[Frances]

2. I think Dean is right when he says

"Their strategy is: Let's go to the middle, and the base will follow. My strategy is: Let's get the base energized, and then the independents will follow. . . . I don't believe Bush can be beaten by doing what we did in 2000."

Today I went to a town hall meeting in Sunnyvale, CA, for Eshoo, my Representative in Congress. Someone in the audience asked, "When are we going to have someone to vote for? I'm tired of voting against...."

I worked to get Gore elected, but I wasn't working for him as much as I was working against Bush.

[WindRavenX]

3. Here we go again:

The media is describing Kerry like Gore: has the right ideas, credentials, experience, but isn't "exciting" or "passionate". Bullshit. This needs to stop. Both canidates cannot let the right paint them like this.
The right is going to pain both Dean and Kerry as intellectuals who sneer down at common Americans.
This reeks of the tactics of 2000. This anti-intellectualism is going to bite the Dems in the ass again... :argh:

[dArKeR]

8. Who's the first one who stood up and said we're not going to take

Bush anymore? Dean!

But I also think all Dems and to go on the offense in interviews, like Me The Press. Don't let that dirty chit Russert trap you into stupid questions. The Dem. should say, 'That's a stupid. Don't you know what's going on in the world. This is your career and you have no idea... We should be talking about this...'

Let's start kicking some ass!

[tlb]

4. Kerry said they can " take out " Dean anytime.

If so, it's getting near the time they must do so. I'm very curious what they have in their pocket, or is it empty bluff.

[Byronic]

9. No he didn't

that was an unfortunate typing mistake on a DU headline a few days ago. The Kerry campaign said they could "take ON" Dean at anytime, not "take OUT".

The misquotation makes Kerry sound like Meyer Lansky or Sam Giancana!

[waldenx]

5. Does Kerry

still trust Bush?

[killbotfactory]

6. Sheesh...

Standing in the American Legion hall in Nashua, N.H., on Wednesday night, Kerry declared, "I'm going to build the greatest grass-roots effort we've ever had in this country in years, and we are going to go out and take back our own democracy."

Kerry should just get it over with and fire his campaign advisors, since they're just copying Trippi.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

17. Apparently he's using Dean to accomplish just that. Genius?

:shrug:

[gristy]

19. How can I get my hands on your Diebold graphic?

I'd like to use it in my emails...

[Aaron]

21. Right click the picture, then select "Save Picture As"

Then type in "You Vote. We Decide." underneath it when you e-mail it out because the poster has added that portion as text.

[dArKeR]

7. Gephardt is trash and a loser. He just resigned in disgrace and now is

running for President. What bull-shot! He's dirty and doesn't belong in the Dem. Party. He's a scum bag trying to blackmail his Iowa chips. Put him in jail with Noelle.

Dean stood up first and long before any other of the spineless Dems.

And if Dean was the only one to figure out to use the Net then none of the other spineless Dems, (who must also be idiots) deserve out support. Like it's rocket science to figure out to use th Net?

Dean is a leader the rest follow their advisors. Bush can only follow a tele-prompter.

http://www.geocities.com/darkerxdarker

[Byronic]

10. I admire

your passion and your commitment to the Dean cause. Dean definitely has that 'McCain touch' at the moment, in that he can inspire and excite independents (so vital in New Hampshire) but I must disagree with your comments about Dick Gephardt. For all his failings, Gephardt is certainly no 'scum bag'. He has served the Democratic Party for many, many years, and is rightly respected by many in the party and by organized labor in particular.

Yes, he appeared to lack leadership in 2002, and as a politician and a candidate we can debate his merits and faults all day; but in my opinion Dick Gephardt is a fine, decent man.

I think he has many interesting ideas (and he will prove to be formidable in Iowa) but I think my sig. line sums him up more than any of the other Democratic presidential candidates so far. But that can change. Don't write off Gep!

[tomp]

11. gephardt is a party hack. no more, no less.

he plays the "liberal" dem party game loyally in hopes of advancing to the white house. why/how it came about that gore didn't pick him as vp would be a very interesting "smoke-filled room" story. i felt for sure that that's what his post-impeachment appearance behind clinton was all about.

"organized" labor is like "organized" crime. it's a way of getting votes for democrats, that's the basis of its "organization", one hand washing the other and all. the dems know they have to throw a bone to the people now and then, that's how they differ in strategy from the repubs in how they serve their corporate masters.

[tomp]

12. gephardt is a party hack. no more, no less.

he plays the "liberal" dem party game loyally in hopes of advancing to the white house. why/how it came about that gore didn't pick him as vp would be a very interesting "smoke-filled room" story. i felt for sure that that's what his post-impeachment appearance behind clinton was all about.

"organized" labor is like "organized" crime. it's a way of getting votes for democrats, that's the basis of its "organization", one hand washing the other and all. the dems know they have to throw a bone to the people now and then, that's how they differ in strategy from the repubs in how they serve their corporate masters.

just my humble opinion.

[tomp]

13. i swear i only hit "post" once. n/t

[Le Taz Hot]

14. As an ardent Dean supporter

may I say that I believe Dean has enough qualities to extoll without trashing other candidates. It just adds to the candidate flamewars in which too many people are willing to participate. We need to remember always that the real enemy is BUSH*.

[MarianJack]

16. Let's stop the backbiting!

Kennedy & Johnson detested each other and worked together to win. Nixon wasn't crazy about Agnew & they worked together to win. The Reagans (especially Nancy) hated the bushes. McCain & bush jr. hate each other. Do we see a pattern here? We as Democrats have to let go of the notion that all of our candidates have to be 100% what we want & focus on beating bush jr. Do you really think that the right wingers DIDN'T know that bush jr. was a moron in 2000? All of their actions, including declining live time on CBS every evening in the last week of the campaign, the appointment of cheyney to hold his hand, and the portrayal of jr. as a "lovable bumbler" were designed on getting their man elected (a-p-p-o-i-n-t-e-d). I support Kerry, but I will support ANY nominee because I know that the goal is defeating bush jr., not a nomination!

[concord]

18. I'm one of those "prospective Democratic voters"

and Kerry lost my vote the minute he voted to support Bush last fall. I see no way he can get it back now. If he says he was wrong, either he's a liar or stupid, and I don't think he's stupid.

Dean's got my vote. He has come out swinging and has the backbone AND resources to beat Bush. I believe he's a major cause of the sudden life we're seeing in Bush opposition.

Kerry's been on that Senate floor saying nothing of importance. Robert Byrd has shown it IS possible for one senator to make a difference. Why can't Kerry use the power he has NOW to do likewise? He's a spineless part of the problem and I have no interest in continuing to enable the problem.

[rivertext]

20. Concord, I beg you to reconsider

1. I have been very actively in all the monthly anti-war demonstrations here in Portland. I was very upset at Kerry's vote on Iraq at the time. About as upset as I am now with Dean's seeming lack of determination and grit. (You either see it or you don't. I'm not going to bad mouth a leading Democratic here. The point is that a significant per centage of Democrats have doubts about whether Dean IS from "the Democratic wing of the Democratic party" and has the quiet fire it is going to take to defeat Bush and the Media whores. Anybody can make startling pronouncements... )

2. I will support Dean enthusiastically if he gets the nomination. That doesn't mean I think he is our best chance to restore the American Democrary.

3. If Bush is as bad as we say he is, and he is that bad, we must see this fight against him through to the end.

[concord]

22. "best chance to restore the American Democracy"

And who do you think that would be river?

Like you, I will strongly support the nominee, whoever it is.

I believe the damage is too great to be restored in one administration. But the first step is getting bush OUT and I believe Dean can do that.