My response to MSNBC's story about Howard Dean

[FloridaPat]

I thought investigative reporting was dead in America? This proves it:


Tale of the tape on Howard Dean

Let me understand this correctly. The NBC Investigative Unit couldn't figure out that all our reason for invading were actual lies. They couldn't figure out that 95,000 people were illegally taken off the Florida voting list as being criminals for the last two elections. They can't figure out that that Bechtel already had one government contract and did a very poor job, but then get another contract in Iraq. They can't figure out that the Federal Treasury has been raided to feed the greed of defense contractors and oil companies that are friends of the Bush family. They can't figure out that until recently, the Bush family was making a fortune off all these wars, and they still might be if they are investors in The Carlyle Group. They can't figure out that 50 years of environmental laws have been thrown out by one man in the White House. But your Investigative Unit did find some public tapes that were broadcast on radio by Howard Dean. You know, that does explain a lot. As for Mr. Dean's flip-flop - he just sees what at least 40% of the people in this country see - a radical, immoral government more concerned about giving money to the rich and big business (including you) than about American Values or the American people and soldiers. The big flip-flop was Bush - from supposidly moderate to radical extreme. But your Investigative Unit couldn't find that one either. Maybe you should drop the "Investigative" part.

[candy331]

1. What a way to go ! n/t

[DU9598]

2. Hilarious

Not a better statement on the topic. Great work!

[Southsideirish]

3. Bush gets by with "whoppers" - Dean gets super scrutiny by media.

I have followed politics for many years and, other than the vicious attack on McCain in 2000 by the Bushites, I have never seen such a fulsome and total assault on anyone as Howard Dean has received in the past few weeks. The establishment of both parties is terrified of him- Go Howard - we love you!

[papau]

4. "he’s much more consistent on issues than opponents give him credit for"

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3908334/

NBC exclusive: Dean tapes
Jan. 8: As Howard Dean aggressively courts Iowa voters, old videotapes have been uncovered showing the Democratic presidential candidate has not always held the Iowa caucuses in high regard.NBC's Senior Investigative Correspondent Lisa Myers has the exclusive report. Nightly By Mark Murray and the NBC Investigative Unit NBC News Updated: 7:43 p.m. ET Jan. 08, 2004

WASHINGTON - Aired in Canada and PBS stations in the United States, “The Editors” is a public affairs TV show that most Americans probably haven’t seen. It features a roundtable panel of politicians, journalists, and policy wonks who discuss American and Canadian politics, foreign affairs, and social issues.<snip>

As reported by Lisa Myers on NBC's “Nightly News,” Dean comes across in these tapes as having a wide-ranging intellect, a sharp tongue, and shifting views on some key issues.

Yet he also shows that he’s much more consistent on issues — like affirmative action and trade — than some of his opponents give him credit for. And despite the constant complaints that Dean has no foreign policy experience, he demonstrates a good grasp of international affairs.

According to Ann McFeatters, the Washington bureau chief for both the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and the Toledo Blade who has also been a regular guest on the show, the Dean you see on “The Editors” is the same Dean you see on the campaign trail. “He is very smart, likes an argument, likes to claw around and through a problem, and does speak his mind,” she said.

In fact, the most newsworthy revelations from these tapes are more examples of Dean speaking his mind, sometimes making statements that could arguably come back to hurt him. For instance, in a show that aired almost exactly four years ago, Dean made some less-than-flattering comments about caucuses in the presidential nominating process — the very same type of caucuses that will occur in Iowa on Jan. 19, where some polls show him to be leading.

<snip>“If you look at the caucuses system, they are dominated by the special interests in both parties,” he said. “ the special interests don't represent the centrist tendencies of the American people. They represent the extremes. And then you get a president who is beholden to either one extreme or the other, and where the average person is in the middle.” He added, “Here's what happens: Say I'm a guy who's got to work for a living, and I've got kids and so forth. On a Saturday, is it easy for me to go cast a ballot and spend 15 minutes doing it, or do I have to sit in a caucus for eight hours? … I can’t stand there and listen to everyone else’s opinion for eight hours about how to fix the world.”<snip>

[annagull]

6. Actually I kinda agree with him

The whole caucus thing seems like it can be fixed and/or manipulated, which is why we keep seeing the Dean and Gep campaigns accusing each other of it. I think we should have regional primaries that all count equally so that we all get a chance to pick our candidates.

[cprise]

5. excellent

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