Centrist Democrats Worry About Dean's Candidacy, Claim He's Too Liberal

[undergroundrailroad]

Centrist Democrats: Don't Vote for Dean
Centrist Democrats Worry About Dean's Candidacy, Claim He's Too Liberal

The Associated Press


PHILADELPHIA
July 28 —

Democratic presidential hopeful Howard Dean's upstart campaign has excited the party's liberal activists, but centrists have only one thing to say about the candidate: Don't vote for him.

Many members of the Democratic Leadership Council are convinced that Dean's opposition to the war in Iraq makes him too liberal for middle America, and they worry that if he wins the nomination it could undo years of work to persuade the country that the Democratic Party isn't controlled by its left wing.



No group has taken a more hostile view to his candidacy than the DLC, and that attitude was evident Monday on the final day of the group's "National Conversation," a two-day convention aimed at developing a strategy for unseating President Bush.

In materials distributed to hundreds of attendees, the DLC leadership wrote off Dean's early popularly as a phenomenon of an Internet-driven campaign that is exploiting a "visceral hatred" of George W. Bush among those on the far left which the nation does not share.

"The Internet may be giving angry, protest-oriented activists the rope they need to hang the party," wrote Randolph Court in the DLC's bimonthly newsletter, The New Democrat Blueprint.

http://abcnews.go.com/wire/Politics/ap20030728_1721.html

[fertilizeonarbusto]

1. Anger rightly channeled

wins elections. Tell the Repukes-lite that they haven't delivered lately, so shut up and give someone else a chance.

[FlashHarry]

2. Pro-gun, pro-death penalty, and a deficit hawk.

Yep. Sounds liberal to me. Why else would the NRA give him an 'A' rating?

This is one of those 'say-it-enough-and-it-becomes-true' situations, like Al Gore 'inventing' the Internet. In other words, it's total media bullsh*t.

[diplomats]

10. Dean's opposition to the war

is the salient issue they're worried about, it appears. I don't know if Dean can or cannot win, but the fact is a sizable majority of people support the war even if they're increasingly upset at how the aftermath if going.

[w13rd0]

11. They are also concerned...

...with his fundraising methods. Wouldn't want the "little people" to feel that they were 'invested' in the political process. They should just STFU and pull the Asses tail...

[lastliberalintexas]

22. I think that's it

I think the whole anti-war peacenik lie is their excuse and means to attack him, but I think it scares the daylights out of them that he is able to raise the amount of money from the number and kind of people that he's attracted. They have told Dems for years now that we couldn't raise money to run our campaigns without relying very heavily on corporate money. And the Dean campaign is proving them wrong and showing that Joe and Jane Public really do give a damn. The DLC leadership is as afraid of the proletariat as the repubs are.

[GreenPartyVoter]

20. "The Big Lie"

This tactic is getting old. Bu$h and his media are having a field day with their revisionist history and news. *sigh*

[caledesi]

3. They can all go to hell.

[seeker4ever]

4. Democratic Leadership Council = Oxymoron

[Cha]

5. dlc ___democrats/lose/constantly

they "worry" they aren't kissing bush boots enough, too!

[Wwagsthedog]

6. Money Talks

Could these "centrist" Democrats raise over a half-million dollars (for their candidate?) with little prior notice or planning during one weekend on the net?

[Caution]

7. ummmmm...hello

extremists fueled by internet-enabled protest-oriented activists....hmm that strategy didnt pay off very well for the Republican Party did it? Hmmmmm...the party is as strong as the people who are willing to support it, fund it and get the message out for it, Dean may be the voice of that group, can we swing votes to Dean among moderates? I think the backlash against pResident Bush has started in earnest and I don't think it will be long before the public is willing to accept someone like Kucinich in 2004 who is to Dean as Dean is to the DLC.

I have yet to choose a candidate to support in th upcoming race but i know i will be voting democrat, no matter who gets the nomination...(yes that includes Lieberman), I'm leaning towards kucinich with dean a close second, dean's ability to raise money has impressed me greaty as an indicator of an ability to win.

[Bluzmann57]

9. Ok I'll ask the same question

that I asked Mr. From on the Washington Post Q and A session(which he hasn't answered yet btw). How can a guy who actually LISTENS to the regular "Joe six pack" , people like me, be considered too Liberal? I am a guy who just wants my daughter to have a college education, who wants to make my little corner of the world a better place for me and my family. How the hell is that considered too liberal?!

[Demobrat]

8. Opposition to the war makes him too liberal, huh?

Too liberal for who? The average Americans who are waking up every day to the fact that they were snookered? These guys in the DLC need to get out more.

[blm]

12. LIBERAL Democrats worry that Dean wears LIBERAL mask

to rake in the LIBERAL dollars. Mask hiding Dean's 11 year record of aligning with the GOP and scorning LIBERALS in Vermont.

[ThorsteinVeblen]

13. If the DLC wants see real anger they will keep doing what they are doing

xxx

[ErasureAcer]

14. Dean isn't liberal ENOUGH

Pro death penalty, pro higher retirement age(69), pro more pentagon spending(we already outspend "rogue" nations by 40 times! Our 400 billion to their 10 billion. Furthermore, we outspend the entire fucking world combined in "defense" and it makes for 50% of our annual budget.

I won't be voting for any jackass who thinks spending more money on the pentagon is a good idea. We need to cut pentagon spending 50% and reallocate that money to our schools, healthcare, and retirement programs.

Dean can blow me for being too conservative.

[SGrande]

15. Dean is a strange one!

He's a New Democrat running on a liberal ticket and John Kerry is a Liberal Democrat running on a moderate ticket.

wha!

[Pavlovs DiOgie]

16. The DLC is everything that's wrong with the Dem party

Who gives a hoot what they say? Dean speaks for the little people, and LISTENS to them too. Whoa, new concept to those guys used to getting fat donations rather than $20 donations from masses of voters. They are in for a rude awakening.

[SGrande]

17. I would counter that the ultra-left peacnik hippies are whats wrong

get rid of them and you have a nice, sensible group of people who care about family, the environment and the economy.All of this prognosticating about idealist things about a war that barely affects Americans who dont have a family member or friend in the Armed Services.

[JohnKleeb]

18. Kerry was like a peacenik back in the day and was proud of it

Ever seen that picture with him and Lennon? He may had been a little hawkish on the current war but hes regular old left in fact I am far that ultra left guy that I bet you dont like but I like John Kerry and I respect him too serving your country and getting a good amount of medals even if I disagreed with that war. Maybe we oppose this war because we care for those in the armed services ever think about that maybe we dont want Bush cutting their benefits.
and no I aint a hippy and actually I am just as angry as a vet is that Bush is cutting troop's benefits. I do have family in the armed services and kinda a friend not really but do I know the guy yes. Dont judge all us anti war people are far from hippies.

[SGrande]

19. *hug*

Im sorry :(

[JohnKleeb]

21. Its ok but please understand that that ultra "hippy" left wing

Cares a damned a lot about the troops thats why I am angry that Bush and the GOP gutted their benefits. I have Green like politics but I am a proud democrat and I always will be for this is the party of FDR and JFK. Its ok I am glad you had enough class to apologize.