I'll say one nice thing about Dean

[dolstein]

He talks like a normal person, not a politician. I found Kerry's speech yesterday almost painful to listen to. I just don't encounter people in my day to day life who talk that way. Even if the sentiment is real, it comes off as phony.

Dean and McCain have far less in common than many people around here would suggest, but this unaffected, almost casual manner of speaking is one of them.

That said, while Dean's speeches are perfectly pleasant to listen to, I think he needs to work on the substance. For instance, he talks about fiscal responsibility and how Republicans can't manage money, but he really doesn't give as any clue as to how he'll balance the budget. Even if the entire Bush tax cut were repealed and all the money were applied to deficit reduction, we'd still have a large deficit, and Dean is talking about spending a big chunk of the tax cut on things like health insurance and homeland security. Sure, none of the other candidates have a clue as to how to bring the budget into balance either, but Dean holds himself out as a straight talker. Dean also talks about the home visits in Vermont to new parnets -- it sounds like a big policy success, but does he plan to implement this on a national level? He doesn't say.

[Ripley]

1. But Kerry didn't give specific details yesterday either.

He said he was going to cut the deficit (?) in half in 4 years and something else....I think he said he would regain all the jobs lost (3 million) in 6 months or something! But he didn't say HOW.

I agree with speech style too. Kerry, Gephardt, Edwards, etc. all SOUND LIKE POLITICIANS. Dean doesn't. That is not to say what Kerry, etc. say is bad...most of them all say great stuff I want to hear and agree with (except Lieberman), but style does matter and the "boring" politician-ease does not fire people up.

[redeye]

2. Dolstein acknowledged that...

...he asked what Dean's plan was, not what Kerry's plan was.

[eileen from OH]

3. Actually I do think

that Edwards does have a great speaking style and does connect with the voters. I'm a Dean supporter but even more a ABB kinda-girl. I think it's too soon for Edwards, but I like him an awful lot, mostly because of his style. Although his "son of a mill-worker" needs to be retired along with Gep's "my-son-had-cancer" and Kerry's "hey-didya-hear-I'm-a-vet?" and Dean's "well-the-way-we-did-it-in-Vermont-is-this" (I'm an equal opportunity critic) and Lieberman's "I-can-beat-Bush-cuz-I-already-did-it". Don't even get me STARTED about the Kucinich and Graham singalongs.

eileen from OH (who kinda swerved into other things. Sue me.)

[NewYorkerfromMass]

5. You need to read up on the candidates more

virtually all of them are a vast improvement on ex-drunk AWOL frat boy.

[eileen from OH]

21. Were you responding to me?

Cuz I never said they WEREN'T a vast impovement on Bush. I was just sounding off on the talking/singing points that have gone past their shelf life with me.

eileen from OH

[dolstein]

6. Edwards

I think Edwards does well before small groups, and comes off great in the TV ads I've seen. But I haven't been impressed with his speeches or his appearances on talk shows.

[IrateCitizen]

4. Where's the pod?!?!?

Next thing we all know, dolstein will be calling for cooperation and compromise between centrists and the "fringe left"! ;-)

[dolstein]

7. Hey, I'll back Wes Clark if you do

NT

[w4rma]

11. Dean / Clark !!

:evilgrin:

[dolstein]

12. Er no, but Clark/Dean will do

NT

[salin]

17. Believe it or not

I would support either. But the let the top of the ticket be decided by the one who can put together a low cost, state by state network on the ground (changing traditional methods that select primaries strategically due to the high costs of traditional state organizing), and works more than just the 'key' primary states. Dean is putting this in place. The very quick mobilization behind Clark suggests he might be able to do the same.

This election will be won, in part, by rewriting some of the scripts (strategies) as the GOP/Bush have us beaten using the old ones (primarily due to money, money, money that they keep raising). The campaign that can do this most effectively - and then tap into the appeal of the other's consituency - and organizations - is the one I will back. And it is the one that will beat BUsh.

Not writing out that one of the other candidates can not surge ahead - taking the new script that Dean is writing on this front- and do so even more effectively - it is still too early to tell. But right now the two that look to have this ability (including the phenom that one of them isn't even (as of this momen) a declared candidate - wow!) are Dean and Clark.

Hey Dolstein - don't look - but we may end up in agreement one of these days.

[IrateCitizen]

20. Not a problem at all, if he wins the nomination!

Like many of the "fringe leftists" in the world, I view this election as "anyone but Dubya", and plan to vote for the Democratic candidate, no matter who he/she is. And yes, I'd even vote for Lieberman. :puke:

After we've ousted this destructive cabal, then we can all get back to being a collective thorn in your side, dolstein! :evilgrin:

[IndianaGreen]

8. I thought Kerry's speech yesterday was the best I have heard him give

And he had a few good soundbites, such as the one about Bush landing on the carrier declaring that the war was over.

I was glad to see Kerry break away from the "support Bush" mold that a certain candidate from Connecticut has adopted as his platform.

Was Kerry too tough on Bush, dolstein?

[JPace]

9. Pushing for "fair trade"

policies should do a lot to stop
the hemmorhaging of jobs which
equal loss of tax revenues. Has
he talked about doing this?

[DealsGapRider]

10. I couldn't agree more.

I think Kerry's delivery sounds phony and too politician-like, while Dean speaks like a real person.

However, while I am inching toward unqualified support for Dean, the one issue that I agree with Kerry on is the tax cuts. I don't think they should be COMPLETELY repealed. I think if there are tax cuts that benefit the lower and middle classes mixed in with the ones that benefit the rich, the former should be retained.

:kick:

[dawg]

13. Those tax cuts are a killer issue ...

In a Dean vs. Bush matchup, it would cost my little family an extra $1,400 or so each year to support Dean. ($600 from the creation of the 10% bracket, and an additional $400 child credit for two children)

We aren't rich. Note that I didn't mention anything about receiving benefit from any of the upper bracket reductions.

I would choose Dean over Bush in a heartbeat, but Bush will be able to gain great political traction on this issue unless Dean softens his stance or a candidate is nominated who would not repeal the portion of the tax cuts that went to lower and middle income taxpayers.

Likewise, sucking that $1,400 per year out of the incomes of families like mine would drive down consumer demand and hurt the economy in the short run.

[Kolesar]

15. I don't have minor children, so I don't get a dime

Last year, I paid $900 in school property taxes, by the way.

[KaraokeKarlton]

16. Kerry does come across as being "phony"

I've come to the conclusion that Kerry is running for the image/status he will get if he wins. He's trying so hard to "look cool" that he comes off as being pretty lame. And he really doesn't seem to want the actual job. Dean is running because he wants to take the job and do the work to change things. That's giving Dean a lot more legitimacy, in my opinion.

[blm]

19. Demonstrably false. If Dean wanted the job so badly

to do the WORK, then why didn't he bother to study foreign policy before he announced?

Gary Hart said that Dean called him up last January seeking help. "Gary, what do I do?" before his visit to play kissy-face with Sharon in Israel. Hart warned that neither Dean or Lieberman is capable of handling foreign policy.

But, you're welcome to ignore Hart's warnings. Bush and Cheney sure did.

[KaraokeKarlton]

23. I really don't care what Gary Hart thinks or says

I know I can trust Howard Dean because he earned that trust during his tenure as governor in my state.

Before you complain about Dean meeting with Sharon and going to Israel you might want to take a gander at your chosen candidate's support of AIPAC. Just last year Kerry signed a letter written to Bush by AIPAC encouraging Bush not to have anyone from his administration meet with Arafat until all terror attacks stopped. Shortly after Kerry signed this letter, Israel attacked Arafat's compound and were trying to kill him. Israel wanted to isolate and kill Arafat, and Kerry did his part to help them. Then they wanted to overthrow Sadaam and his sones and kill them, and again, Kerry did his part to help them.

Kerry is no better on the Israeli/Palestinian conflict than anyone else in the race, and is even worse than some.

And Dean's positions have NOTHING to do with Kerry coming across as phony. Please stop trying to change the subject.

[blm]

14. Except Kerry sounded that way when he was young, too.

He is being himself. Look at his congressional testimony as a Vietnam Vet against the war.

I loved it. This country NEEDS someone who talks like that after 4 years of the "regular guy, straight-talking guy" GLIB BULLSHIT!

[dolstein]

18. So he was always a phony :-)

Yeah, I know. Al Gore was the same way. But the problem is, the press just doesn't seem to be willing to just accept the fact that somebody's a little stiff. They have to resort to pop psychology, and talk about how Kerry just isn't comfortable in his own skin. It's the exact same thing they did to Gore.

[blm]

22. Kerry's VERY comfortable with his serious-mindedness.

He can still laugh and live though.

Guess I should note that people should consider these two questions:

How is it that one of the hottest, smartest, wealthiest women on this planet chose Kerry to share her life with?

Why are the Kerry-Weld series of debates considered the greatest, most substantive, and most entertaining political debates in modern political history?