International DUers.... what do you think of Howard Dean?

[Cascadian]

I would like to know what do any foreign DUers think of Howard Dean and what sort of press coverage has he gotten in your countries?


John

[arcos]

1. No press coverage yet.

If I were a US citizen I would be supporting him, though.

[rooboy]

2. Howard Dean was featured....

on the Sydney Morning Herald's homepage yesterday (I think), so I assume he got a picture on the front page of the paper too.

But frankly, the media down under is so US-ignorant sometimes that one could be forgiven for thinking the race was between Lieberman and Bush.

[T_i_B]

3. I'm glad somebody asked this

Although I think we need to get RogueTrooper on this thread as he's a Brit and a BIG Dean fan.

Personally I think he's a very good candidate, although after browsing his websire I have concluded that he is certainly not as liberal as some people make him out to be. The press coverage over here does seem to be trying to portray him as McGovern extra-strength all to often. (The Economist is particularly guilty of this.)

Mind you, the candidate that interests me the most seems to be Bob Graham of all people. I really like what he has to say about terrorism. Mind you, if anyone wants to expound the positive points of any candidate to the overseas crowd now is your chance. :-)

[unfrigginreal]

4. Thanks for soliciting responses!

I'm a definite Dean leaner at the moment. I think you are correct in your assessment that he's not as liberal as portrayed. In my opinion that's a good thing but mind you I'd be considered in the minority on this board.

I don't believe that we can win the General election with a candidate that is running as a liberal on all positions. The issues that Dean is less than liberal on involve a balanced budget and states rights. He has declared positions that lead me to believe that he would be liberal in all positions regarding foreign policy and human rights. That does not mean that he would necessarily be anti-war, but would seek consensus before action from the UN.

I'd also compliment you on your understanding by selecting Bob Graham. He's 3rd on my list right now and would easily move up if his campaign caught a spark.

[T_i_B]

5. I don't think Dean is a pacifist either

After reading his website it struck me that he seemed to be all for the war in Afghanistan (much like myself) and he certainly does not come across as a pacifist. Dean seems to be somebody who just needs a good reason to go to war, much like myself really.

[ThorsteinVeblen]

16. Dean is not a pacifist or "anti'war"

He will take what action is necessary to protect America. He just does not believe in lying to the American people and a reckless, radical foreign policy.

Howard Dean for a strong, safe America.

[Ripley]

14. I agree with your assessment.

That is a good description about why Dean is the better nominee and Graham is definitely strong.

I loved it when Graham said "We have a Pinnochio President." HAH!

[CiCi the Psychobunny]

6. Haven't heard a lot

here in NZ, all I've seen is what Bartcop keeps putting up. So far, sounds good to me.


CiCi the Psychobunny

[J B]

7. From Canada here...

I pay a lot of attention to US news because Canadian news is so irrelevant until Jean Chretien is replaced. But anyway, at least Dean is trying. Kerry's a chronic waffler and Lieberman's such a Republican. At least Dean's trying another way. He seems to get the sort of treatment Spider Man gets from J. Jonah Jameson in the comics. "Dean - Threat or Menace?" Good choices there.

I'd like to see the race as more than a setup for Hillary in 2008, but if Kerry or Lieberman wins, I lose even the slightest hope for progress.

[Frederic Bastiat]

8. Interesting

I'm in Canada too albeit i'm an American. What have you heard of Sen. Kerry that makes you label him a "chronic waffler"? Do you know of his 17 year record in the Senate?

[Cascadian]

13. Voting for the Iraq resolution, The Patriot Act.......

The Leave a Child Behind Act. What else did I miss? If that is not a waffler then I don't know what is.

John

[Cascadian]

12. If Kerry or Lieberman wins the nomination....

Bush will win and I will be coming to Canada. Expect a knock on your door in January of 2005 should that happen!

John

[Frederic Bastiat]

15. I must have missed

The US-Canada open border policy... :eyes:

[revcarol]

9. I am surprised that more international DU-ers don't want to find out

more about the man who really wants to get back to diplomacy:
KUCINICH!!
And aren't your industrial economies bleeding jobs because of the WTO?

Don't you want someone who will sign the Kyoto Treaty, the Land Mines Treaty, the International Criminal Court...etc?

Be more aware of KUCINICH. Even if he doesn't get the nomination, he still represents a HUGE constituency here that is more for peace than for war, more for diplomacy than extending the U. S's influence,more for lifting up the world than tearing it down to serve the big corporations...Take a look: http://www.kucinich.us
:D

[T_i_B]

10. Can't say I'm a fan

firstly, the man looks like Jimmy Krankie. Bad start.

Secondly, I'm pro-free trade and I consider Kucnich's unilateralism on that front to be a dangerous and wrong.

Thirdly, I've seen his programme on his website and it does not seem to have been costed. His heart is undeniably in the right place on healthcare & education but these things do have to be paid for.

On the good side though, at least his supporters are very keen to debate his programme. Whenever I have asked about the Dem candidates the first bunch on the scene are usually the Kucnich supporters. Sadly however, the guy just does not look electable. He seems to be a US version of Micheal Foot.

[redeye]

31. Whose industrial economies?

Do you think that, say, a Thai should support Kucinich because he wants to take his job and give it to a far richer American?

[RogueTrooper]

11. There has been quiite a lot recently

The press Dean has been getting in the UK has been pretty good. There was a fairly large piece done on him in the Guardian a couple of weeks ago and we have had the UK press turn up to our last meetup. A lot of the media has come from the Guardian, which is planning to launch a US edition at the end of the year.

[T_i_B]

20. Here is a good example

of Howard Dean in the UK press. I must add that the UK press tends to see Dean as the frontrunner as well.

http://observer.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,6903,992208,00.html

He is a former governor of a New England state, a Democrat and a liberal; an Ivy League intellectual who can quote from the classics to make his political case. He is married to a doctor, surrounds himself with idealists and is seen as a maverick by his party's establishment.
Meet Howard Dean - or, as his growing army of supporters like to call him, 'The Real Josiah Bartlet' - Bartlet being the fictional president from Channel 4's The West Wing.

Dean, one of nine Democrats seeking nomination for the 2004 presidential election, isn't anywhere near the White House yet, but he is no longer the distant prospect once described by many observers as too left-wing to be taken seriously.

In stark contrast to this optimism, the campaigns of establishment candidates such as Al Gore's 2000 running mate Joe Lieberman, and Richard Gephardt, once the most powerful Democrat in Congress, are floundering, both in terms of raising money and generating enthusiasm among party supporters.

[Capt_Nemo]

17. I'm closer to Kucinich, but Dean is better than all the others

Kerry sometimes talks the talk, but then his corporate and/or S&B
buddies always manage to make him back track: big mouth, no guts.
He would end up like a Clinton type "benign" imperialist, implementing
a kinder gentler PNAC.
Nevertheless an improvement over the current situation.

As for Edwards, Gephardt, Lieberman I see them as nothing more then "compassionate
neo-cons". Difference between Kerry and them is that these
guys even have less original ideas. Their solution is always mimicking
the GOP.
Better than bush, yes, but not much. Would end up as
one termers, handing over the WH back to the genuine article.

Coverage in my country? A big fat ZERO!

on edit: don't believe that Kucinich can depose bush. Not his fault,
it's that america´s brainwashed public can not face the ugly truth,
let alone hear about the cure for their nation's disease.
Dean has a shot at it, but only if there is a huge grassroot movement. Don't think that his solutions are radical enough to terminate
the neo-con threat, but hell, that's not what matters now.
Sad to say that I think the DLC will shed its Lieberman delusions,
pull all its weight behind Kerry, and Kerry will win the primaries by having
the whole establishment by his side.

[blm]

18. Kerry is no corporate "buddy"

Over 17 years he is at the top of environmentalists in Congress. He has voted with labor over corporations 91% of the time. He has crafted legislation that promotes the interest of small businesses over corporations. He doesn't take corporate pac money. He helped craft the Kyoto Accord with other world leaders.

No guts? Who do you think advocated for gays to serve openly in the military back in the 80s? Who do you think uncovered BCCI, IranContra, CIA drugrunning? Who has been targeted by the BFEE for over 30 years starting with Nixon's thugs?

Where do you get your Kerry info from?

[Capt_Nemo]

19. Well, Theresa Heinz is the closest corporate buddy one can have

;-)
His friends from Yale are not the prototype leftists either...

It´s good that he is got a nice voting reccord in environmental issues
and civil rights, but for us outside the US it is his stance in
geopolitics that matters.

There he had a chance to stand by his early criticism
of the neo-con policy and vote against bush. Then he caved in to
the neo-cons. Knowing that, who guarantees that he will resist neo-
con lobbying once in power? It happened with Clinton (Desert Fox,
Sudan's Aspirin Factory,...) and Kerry has shown the same vulnerability.

For all that I know Lieberman has also an immaculate civil rights
voting reccord, but I believe that he would be a disaster in foreign
policy, just like the current administration. It´s just that one
thing has nothing to do with the other.

[blm]

22. Try this....

Read his geo-policy for yourself. He has called for "Progressive Internationalism". Hit the speeches link.

Read his economic speech and environmental speech and tell me the man who helped craft the Kyoto Accord with other world leaders doesn't understand geo-politics. He is WAY ahead on geo-policy than Clinton when he took office.

www.johnkerry.com

[T_i_B]

21. There is a lot of Kerry-bashing on this thread

So I might as well pop up here with some positive & negative thoughts.

Firstly, there is a lot about Kerry that I like, he is pro-free trade and so am I. And even though he was wrong to vote for the war he has been able to see his mistake and start asking questions about WMD's. That takes way more balls in my opinion then trying to save face by sticking to the sinking pro-war ship. Compare that with the likes of Tony Blair who can't see the wood for the trees. To me he actually seems like the best candidate after Graham & Dean.

On the other hand, having been on his website I am a bit worried about his national service policy. Call me what you will but IMHO this whiffs a bit too much of the draft for my likeing.

http://www.johnkerry.com/site/PageServer?pagename=nationalservice

[blm]

23. National service is a high school program

where teenagers can learn that community service is a good thing. It's Republicans who don't want kids to be exposed to social consciousness. They might turn into liberals, fer chrissakes. ;)

[T_i_B]

25. Britain had National Service in the 50's

Essentially it was a way of getting every young man yo do a couple of years in the military. It was a bit of a waste and it was abolished by Harold Wilson in the 60's. And the military do seem to have pride of place in this scheme.

Here are two of the aims of the scheme.

RECRUITING MORE AMERICANS TO THE MILITARY
CREATING A NEW COMMUNITY DEFENSE SERVICE

Mind you, like I have said, Kerry still has his good points.

[sandnsea]

26. Expands Americorps

We already have that and it's worked really well. Bush just slashed it and one program that will be hurt by that is Habitat for Humanity. In addition, we used to have a Greenthumbs or Green something where senior citizens worked with kids, etc. Sounds like Kerry wants to revive it or expand it with Retired Not Tired. So alot of what he's talking about is already in place and working well, just not adequately funded.

The name of it being the New Patriot or whatever, I don't like. The PNAC is funded by the New American Citizen project and it sounds too similar. And while I think a new Civil Defense like we had in WWII is a good idea, we don't live in exactly the same times. It's unfortunate we have to be fearful of our own neighbors, that there are people who don't have enough common sense to discern illegal behavior from cultural differences. I could just imagine living in a neighborhood with someone like Santorum or Delay as your 'captain'... YIKES!!!!! On the other hand we already have Neighborhood Watch, so, :shrug:

But overall the plan is pretty good and has ideas that are in place. I can remember Barbara Murkowski pushing these ideas way before Clinton ever implemented Americorps, so it's not like they're new or anything.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

24. Vell, I zink iss veddy gut choice for zee prezidenzy!

Farfignuggen!

[iangb]

27. Howard Dean?

Soft cheese.

[tameszu]

28. Shhh...

I'm a Canadian living in the U.S. who's been posting as a Clark supporter, because I'm trying to do what I can to stop Bush from shoving the entire world into absolute chaos.

So I'm a bit biased, because I personally know one of Dean's close family members, but my impression is that he's plucky and has a fantastic stump style that's well-suited for energizing primary voters. But if he can't put together a coherent *positive* foreign policy message to counter Bush & Co's patriotic correctness, he will have a lot of trouble in the generals, especially since he's running as the "anti-war" candidate to win the primaries.

I like Kerry's policies a lot in general, but the "too liberal" tagline sticks to him easier than to Dean and Kerry has yet to articulate a strong positive foreign policy message either

No one else is terribly inspiring or viable (Graham might be, if he developed a bit more energy). Apologies to all of Kucinich folks--your progressive hearts may be in the right place (on some issues: I, along with a few other people on this thread, question whether unilaterally withdrawing from the WTO and enacting protectionist policies would be helpful to the third world...in many ways, like the Greens, DK isn't really a "liberal")--but his appeal is just too narrow. I mean, as a leftish Canadian, I count myself as significantly to the left of the mainstream U.S. Democratic Party, but his positions don't really appeal to me, partially because some are too coroporatist/conservative and partially because some are too radical. Gephardt, Lieberman--do they really think they could carry a mass campaign?

I think it's quite clear that the rest of the world wants to see an internationalist U.S. We don't really need anymore weird unilateralist flailing about on the internationalist stage, toward either the right or (highly doubtful) or the left. We would like a U.S. that participates and holds to treaties, is aware that economic competition also has to be cooperative to be sustainable, and that tries to avoid being too much of a bastid with its enormous military...

[Kellanved]

29. He and Kerry are the only ones mentioned here

No candidate was covered lately, but Dean was a little more prersent.
http://www.heute.t-online.de/ZDFheute/artikel/29/0,1367,COMP-0-2055869,00.html
http://www.spiegel.de/spiegel/0,1518,257894,00.html
http://www.spiegel.de/politik/ausland/0,1518,253746,00.html
http://www.spiegel.de/politik/deutschland/0,1518,252118,00.html

http://www.spiegel.de/spiegel/english/0,1518,257037,00.html (english)

And there actually are Dean-meetups here.

[T_i_B]

30. I should mention the international meetups

Even though I have not been to one myself here is the Dean site

http://dean2004.meetup.com/

And you can see for yourself how impressive the international part of the Dean meetup scene is. I think there are 11 different locations for Dean meetups in the UK alone!