Who deserves most of the credit?

[yebrent]

Who deserves most of the credit?

[lostnotforgotten]

1. 50 State Strategy Spread The Republican Resources Thin!

eom

[waiting for hope]

2. I give credit to all the volunteers

and mostly to Dr. Dean - without his vision, today probably wouldn't be such a pretty shade of blue.

[WildEyedLiberal]

3. If Wes Clark is on there, John Kerry should be

I applaud Clark's tireless work raising funds and stumping with candidates, but Kerry was out there for months raising money and getting the message out for Dems including Webb, Tester, Sestak, Patrick Murphy, and many, many others. He raised well over $11 million dollars for Dem candidates, many of whom won narrow victories. I didn't vote in your poll because I don't think anyone deserves "the most" credit for the entire slate of victories, but I do think John Kerry as well as Wes Clark and other fundraisers deserve a fair share.

[Divine Discontent]

17. basically

A SHIOTT load of people deserve credit. I picked Wes because he effected anti-Iraq nerves very strongly every where he went as a former General and S.A.C. of NATO, but Kerry did a ton, Dean had a great strategy, the volunteers did more than should be expected of them, and the VOTERS chose right, some races just barely, but it's still VICTORY!

ain't it sweet!

[WildEyedLiberal]

24. A true team effort

So many people deserve praise I don't even know where to begin.

[AtomicKitten]

4. here we go ...

I don't understand the Rahm Emanuel versus Howard Dean infighting bullshit, and I don't want to know. It's petty and pointless.

Both these leaders brought plenty of ideas and elbow grease to the election and together they pulled off a brilliant victory.

And the rest of those that pitched in don't need an extra pat on the back at the expense of others, although I'm certain the usual suspects will crawl out of the woodwork to do just that.

[yebrent]

11. All of the above!

Purpose of the thread was to break down the divisiveness by steering people to "All the above". Howard Dean people jumped on it early, and probably didn't even read all the options. Shit, how could anyone pick any one person over "the voters"? IMO, the only answer possible is "All of the Above". I guess I underestimated DU.

[AtomicKitten]

12. often people don't even read the OP

and just comment or vote, others just have an agenda 24/7.

You've got it right though, it was a brilliant group effort that paid off in spades.

[Moochy]

32. Wasn't he critical of the 50-state plan?

Wasn't Immanuel publicly critical of the 50-state strategy though? Just saying I voted for Dean since it was his plan.

[AtomicKitten]

34. If you say so

Rumor has it there was some kind of bad blood between the two, but I have never been interested in exploring it because it borders on gossip, something I don't think is any of my business and don't believe anyone really knows the whole truth but rather an agenda-driven truth, so I just stay out of it.

My point is that it was a combination of ideas and efforts of both leaders along with the efforts of all kinds of others that resulted in the magical blue tsunami. I honestly don't believe it is fair or accurate to attribute this wonderful victory wholly or mainly to one entity. But you would not be alone here at DU in doing just that if you feel that way.

[Moochy]

37. Agreed that it's a shared credit

I think that Dean deserves some credit, so why not this DU poll :-)

With the potential energy in the blue tsunami, maybe any plan would have succeeded.

:beer: Wahoo!!!!!

[AtomicKitten]

39. woo-effin-hoo indeed!!!!!

FTR I think the good doctor has made a brilliant DNC chair.

[Mabus]

13. Well said, I agree

We all did what we could. We won more than most people thought we would but yet we still had some heart breaking losses.

Besides, where the "Bush/GOP are total losers" option. After all, one of the factors that helped us win was them and their incompetency and corruption.

[yebrent]

15. I guess I'm tired of hearing that this wasn't a Dem win,

but a Rethug loss.

[Mabus]

21. Well, you need to talk to more Dems

I've been on the phone most of today with my fellow Dems and they are all saying WE did it. That's "we," not "them." We know the truth.

They can say whatever they want, the American people know the truth. I mean, come on, how often have they been right?

[Cobalt Violet]

5. Corporate America and the Media.

:evilgrin:

[MGD]

6. Future U.S. President Howard Dean me thinks but let's give credit to all the Republicans

who worked so hard to make us look so good.

[Ikari Gendo]

7. Let's not forget who really made this possible

Without a lot of hard work from George W. Bush we'd still be the minority.

[sandnsea]

8. John Kerry

For retiring the 2004 campaign debts. For giving Howard Dean a million dollars to implement his 50 state strategy. For campaigning in 29 states. For donating and raising millions of dollars. For being an early supporter of Jim Webb in the primary. For being an early supporter of Claire McCaskill. For keeping the focus on Iraq and corruption. For creating a succinct 10 point plan beginning with Tell the Truth. For fighting Bush beginning with Condoleeza Rice all the way to filibustering Alito and not stopping until the Dem Party through him under the bus.

Lots of people deserve credit in this election.

[politicasista]

10. Sure do n/t

[Hoosier Dem]

9. We HAVE to give Dubya some credit...

if he hadn't been such an arrogant prick and he hadn't screwed up the whole Iraq aituation, a lot of what we saw wouldn't have been possible.

We also have to thank Senator George Felix macacawitz for the most idiotic campaign by an incumbent Senator in my memory. While I LOVE Jim Webb, I don't think Webb could have pulled it off without all of the blunders by Macacawitz. At least Felix will have LOTS of time to plan his 2008 White House run now. :sarcasm:

[jonnywishbone97]

14. you forgot one more reason why we won.

The repukes themselves.

for screwing up the ABSOLUTE power that they had and being corrupt and dictatorial to America. This was the main reason we won last night.

[yebrent]

19. I guess I'm tired of hearing that this wasn't a Dem win,

but instead, a Republican loss. If we believe that, we won't hold power for long.

[AntiWarPoster]

16. Schumer, for recruiting strong Senate candidates like Casey

nt

[goddess40]

18. Howard Dean for not running the election as business as usual

for NOT being the same as the democratic elite that have been screwing up the last six years.

[yebrent]

20. Even when there is an "All of the Above" option,

most people choose Howard Dean.

I don't know what to make of that.

[MGD]

25. Howard is looking real good for 2008 run. Better than Gore I think.

He has demonstrated excellent leadership and Americans of all stripes have taken notice. I think he can take the executive branch with relative ease.

[yebrent]

27. Americans have taken notice?

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think Howard Dean was not featured in any campaign commercials. Very very few Americans have even heard of the 50-state strategy. Most Americans don't even know that he is the DNC chair. I like Howard, but I don't think that this election improved his chances in 08.

[MGD]

28. Absolutely. He has been all over the various networks and he exhibited somethings to Americans

that will translate into electoral college votes: competence, leadership, success, overcoming apparently insurrmountable odds, and pulling off a historical political victory. These are attributes that Americans are despertaely looking for. I would bet money that he secures a 2008 nomination.

[yebrent]

31. Good luck!

I'd vote for him, but I think you might want to get some good odds on your bet.

[MGD]

33. Who then would you propose has a better chance?

[yebrent]

38. different poll for another day

Hopefully someone from the South or West though. I don't want another NE candidate in 08.

[damntexdem]

22. You left out the one who deserves most of the credit:

Dubya!!!!!! Even he admits it.

[yebrent]

23. See my two other replies...

to this defeatist idea.

[MGD]

26. Don't get cocky. We won because there are only 2 political parties in America

& ours happens to be the lesser of the two evils. This is the only reason any party ever wins an election in America and, so long as we have a winner take all system of representation, it will always be so.

[yebrent]

30. I know what you mean about a two party system.

However, I really don't want our Dem Senators and Representatives believing that they only reason they have power is that Bush screwed up. I have the same problem with the idea that the Bush Administration is incompetent. Incompetence implies a problem in execution of conservative ideas, instead of the real cause of America's problems: Conservative ideas are flawed and do not work for the majority of Americans.

[GetTheRightVote]

29. I believe others helped but Dean lead the way with his ideals,

He is the Democratic Man of the Year !!!

:kick:

[NastyRiffraff]

35. Dean, definitely, for the 50-state strategy..

And because he wouldn't back down, as people like Emanuel, Schuler, etc. publicly berated him for it.

Having said that....credit goes to all the people who worked their asses off, phoning, canvassing, GOTV. May the gods bless you.

Credit also goes to groups like MoveOn with their Call for Change (of which I was a part), DoMoreThanVote, etc...etc. Too many to list.

The bloggers, who did the research, picked up on EVERYTHING that was going on (Dean himself said this was VERY helpful) and raised money for candidates that the DCCC ignored.

We did this together, folks. We're on our way to saving our country.

[Dr Fate]

36. All of the above. I wont take away anything Rahm & others besides Dean did...

We all worked hard and we all, for the most part, worked together.