I liked what I saw today re: Howard Dean

[nomaco-10]

He can land on his feet like a cat everytime the other candidates try to knock him down with slimey backdoor tactics and that is what makes him the front runner. He is tenacious, pugnacious and self confident. He won't roll over for the status quo of the DLC, and he lets those of us that helped to bring him to the forefront of this election decide if he should grubby his hands with special interest money, he's the real deal, check him out. He's worth a second look for all here that are undecided.

[w4rma]

1. I totally agree, nomaco-10.

Dean Statement in Response to DLC's Charge that Public Servants are "Fringe Activists"

“Once again, the DLC has chosen to put their own political agenda ahead of the progress needed to unite the Democratic Party. This election has barely begun, and the DLC has repeatedly dismissed people who attend caucuses, who get out the vote, and now the 1.3 million members of AFSCME as ‘fringe activists’ who do not reflect ‘the mainstream values, national pride and the economic aspirations of middle-class and working people.’

“The DLC staff can say what they want about me, but they owe an apology to the 1.3 million members of AFSCME. Our teachers, our health care workers, and our state and local public servants don't need a lesson from Washington insiders about the needs and concerns of middle- and working-class families. What they need is a Democratic Party that will stand up for them.”

Posted by Mathew Gross at 04:27 PM
http://blog.deanforamerica.com/archives/000206.html

Tell From and Reed of the DLC What You Think
Click here to sign a letter to the Democratic Leadership Council telling them that you're an active Democrat who supports Howard Dean. You can tell your friends about the link, too: www.deanforamerica.com/DLC

Posted by Mathew Gross at 01:29 AM
http://blog.deanforamerica.com/archives/000240.html

Fineman on the DLC Memo
http://blog.deanforamerica.com/archives/000213.html

Former DNC-Chief Steve Grossman to DLC: "Creating Conflict is Not Leadership."
http://blog.deanforamerica.com/archives/000225.html

Liberal Oasis on Howard Dean and the DLC
http://blog.deanforamerica.com/archives/000226.html

Will the Real DLC Please Stand Up?
http://blog.deanforamerica.com/archives/000228.html

Congressional Members Call on DLC to Stop Divisive Tactics
http://blog.deanforamerica.com/archives/000238.html

Activists Are Out of Step
By Al From and Bruce Reed
http://www.ndol.org/ndol_ci.cfm?contentid=251866&kaid=85&subid=65

The Real Soul of the Democratic Party
By Al From and Bruce Reed
http://www.ndol.org/ndol_ci.cfm?contentid=251690&kaid=127&subid=900056

[DrFunkenstein]

6. Steve Grossman Was The One Who Arranged Dean's Meeting With Sharon

The one where he unconditionally promised 4x the military aid and 4x the loan guarantees (which is further right than Wolfowitz!). I guess that sorta counts as foreign policy experience.

[shance]

28. Bring us the goods Funk. As in FACTS.....

NO text to dignify your post - that is, if you have nothing to show for the claim.

[Closer]

2. AMEN TO THAT!

Howard Dean is the REAL DEAL! I tell people that everyday. And I just wish those here who haven't really checked him out, plugged into his campaign, would take the opportunity to do it. See what everybody is raving about.

This man, this campaign, it's really something special.

I urge you all to at least check it out.

Thanks for the positive post.

[annxburns]

3. Ya know ....

... I think you may be right. Dean used to be my least favorite candidate - some of his supporters pissed me off early. But the more I see of him, he does have an ability to absorb blows that none of the other candidates have.

Kerry - they just went after his personality, "french looking" crap.
Clark - The Shelton smear etc.
Edwards - too young, not enough gravitas
Lieberman - gave up his soul to run with Gore, etc.

But Howard just absorbs it and moves on. Doesn't shake his supporters one whit.

Maybe that is what we need. He doesn't give a crap what the right wing says, he takes it right to them.

He still needs a southern vp though.

[Cha]

4. Pretty much how I feel.. I'm so glad we have Howard

Dean in this race because he is the one who is speaking for me!

Pugnaciously and otherwise!

[Feanorcurufinwe]

5. You mean when he lied about his reason for invoking the Confederate flag?

He said, "We're not going to win this country, and even worse, Democrats, if we don't have a big tent."

He said, "This country needs to engage in a serious discussion about race and that everyone must participate in that discussion."

Dean said, "I started this discussion in a clumsy way. This discussion will be painful and I regret the pain that I may have caused either to African-American or Southern white voters in the beginning of this discussion. But we need to have this discussion in an honest, open way."
http://www.cnn.com/2003/ALLPOLITICS/11/05/elec04.prez.dean.flag/index.html

Was Dean really trying to start a discussion about race when he invoked the Confederate flag last week, or was he defending his pro-NRA position on guns?

Here's the article that started the dust-up:

Kerry supported the 1994 bill that outlawed the sale and ownership of assault weapons, which Dean says he now supports.

"Howard Dean, during the time we were trying to pass it, was appealing to the NRA for their support," Kerry said, while visiting a rural Story County farm.

"We don't need to be a party that says we need to be the candidacy of the NRA. We stand up against that."

Dean has said 2000 Democratic nominee Al Gore lost the election because he failed to win Southern states, where disaffected Democrats who favor gun owners' rights were reluctant to support him.

"I still want to be the candidate for guys with Confederate flags in their pickup trucks," Dean said Friday in a telephone interview from New Hampshire. "We can't beat George Bush unless we appeal to a broad cross-section of Democrats."

Dean said he answered the questionnaire while running for re-election as governor of Vermont. He has said he was never asked to sign a gun control bill during his Vermont tenure.

Dean often touts his high rating from the NRA, which he attributes to Vermont's scant gun restrictions, low crime rate and tradition as a hunting mecca.
http://www.dmregister.com/news/stories/c4789004/22649906.html

Seems that even while 'apologizing' Dean can't help but lie.

[MercutioATC]

8. Yawn...

You're not going to get any further with this than BLM did...

[rumguy]

9. Dean and the NRA

I don't think Dean has tried to hide anything relative to the NRA. I grew up in a rural Western state...and believe me...this is a potent issue...Dean's high marks from the NRA is a good thing...in my opinion...I know some good democratic leaning people in the NRA...

[nomaco-10]

11. You're grasping at straws and it won't wash this time....

anybody that has two brain cells to rub together, knew exactly what Dean meant and it certainly didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what Edwards and Sharpton (on behalf of Gephardt and Kerry I might add) tried to do to boost their failing numbers. We're a smarter more sophisticated bunch of dems this go around, this kind of backroom politics won't fly this time.

[killbotfactory]

30. People really don't care much for 'gotcha!' politics

I don't know why they keep trying it against Dean.

[rumguy]

7. Dean Dissing

I thought it was admirable the way he stood his ground in the last debate. It shows that he has guts...however I still have some worries about his appeal in a nationwide general election...

[NewYorkerfromMass]

12. worries? I have absolute nightmares

well maybe not that bad because my sense of reality is pretty well tuned.

[Meshuga]

14. I have nightmares too.

I'm hoping they are only nightmares. But I have my doubts that Dean can beat Bush. My only hope is that his campaign is as successful in the national election as in the primaries.

[NewYorkerfromMass]

17. The primary dynamic is entirely different than the general.

not a chance Dean will win.

[DrFunkenstein]

10. Like A Cat! (giggle giggle)

I'm not sure what channel you were watching, but during the debates Dean looked like an arrogant fool. His demeanor was extremely un-Presidential, and a nice window on his personality. I really hope they break the debates into smaller groups so Dean can reveal himself further.

[rumguy]

13. What do you see in his personality

that troubles you? He was being railed on, and while he looked nervous he also survived it. Dean seems to have an abillity to weather storms, a crucial skill for any politician.

[annxburns]

16. How many people think

... we should just go Dean vs. Clark. whoever wins gets the top of the ticket, who ever loses gets the VP.

The rest of those guys don't stand a chance. We need outsiders to reform the whole damn thing. Clark does foreign policy, reforms the Pentagon and repairs relations with our allies, Dean handles domestic policy, reforms Congress, throws the Enron pukes in jail, reforms Wall Street, etc (Eliot Spitzer for AG).

I've had it. Time to fish and cut bait and take on Bushie.

[nomaco-10]

21. Welcome rumguy, I see you have

twenty-some posts, stick around and and grow you a new set of skin, you'll need it. There are lots of Dean supporters here and you'll do just fine. WELCOME!

[dajabr]

15. Here's Krugman's take on Dean's assailants...

Howard Dean's remarks about the need to appeal to white Southerners could certainly have been better phrased. But his rivals for the Democratic nomination should be ashamed of their reaction. They know what he was trying to say — and it wasn't that his party should go soft on racism. By playing gotcha, by seizing on the chance to take the front-runner down a peg, they damaged the cause they claim to serve — and missed a chance to confront the real issue he raised.

More: http://www.nytimes.com/2003/11/07/opinion/07KRUG.html

Maybe you'd see eye to eye with him if he could get a gig with TNR?

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

20. It's called race-baiting.

It's all the more shameful because his assailants have excellent records on the issue of race and should know better. Krugman nails it again.

[LuminousX]

24. They were all looking for an easy kill

Too bad Dean didn't roll over for them.

The sad thing is there are so many legitimate differences between them and Dean that they could be highlighting them and letting people choose. But no, they prefer to go for cheap tactics.

[dajabr]

25. Silly me...

I thought Lehane leaving would improve Kerry's campaign tone.

Show's you what I know...

[nomaco-10]

18. Dean is not arrogant, he's ANGRY, and

by god you ought to be too! Everyday I watch the news and see what's going on in Iraq and right here at home, I am righteously angry or reduced to tears. I keep C-Span on during the day and see my rights dwindling away in the congress and senate, I watch the debaucle that is Iraq and want to scream WHY!!! If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem, let me just say this, Kerry is no Robert Byrd.

[Meshuga]

19. I liked the way Dean almost landed...

a punch on Sharpton's face! Kucinich was nice enough to separate the fight. CMB was kicked out for instigating. (that's my PG version of the picture. My other version would probably be too sexual for this board).

[nomaco-10]

22. Who'd you want in your corner? I pick Dean....

every day of the week and twice on Sundays. Nice pic. Thanks

[LuminousX]

23. Look, CMB is just thinking "That Dean is such a fun cracker."

[w13rd0]

26. That's hilarious...

...Go Dean! I think we've got great candidates, but it's also nice to know that many of them know this is just politics, and it's also good to know they "hash these things out" just like "real people" when they get off the stage. Sometimes I think I might be supporting Dean because he seems a lot like me but older. A lil angry, can stay cool when he needs to, but perfectly capable of popping my cork when its appropriate.

[indigo32]

29. I wonder what the real story behind that picture is anyway

alot of money says it's not anything like what some people here would have us believe. Your version got a laugh out of me though.

[nomaco-10]

27. Please consider a trip over to .....

deanforamerica.com You will find a great many enthusiatic people and alot of information of why we're all for Dean. You can link up to people in your area and get active in the election, it really feels good to share your feeling with a lot of positive people.

[RevolutionStartsNow]

31. I liked what I saw too....

[dajabr]

32. I have the matching hat for that jacket...

Handed to me by a SEIU volunteer at the Feb NYC Iraq War protest.

Maybe I should send it to Dean for next Wednesday?

:-)

[Demobrat]

33. All I know is

I'm glad he's fighting for me, and not against me. That boy is a pit bull.