With Howard Dean, I See Hope

I think Lieberman is a decent guy, or so he seems to be one, but I'm tired of his bend-over style politics. Why are we going to be like Bush? We aren't like Bush. We need to present a clear alternative instead of kowtowing to everything the Republicans say. Take, for instance, the Democrats in Texas. Theirs was a gutsy move, and even if they lose in the end, it makes me happy that they didn't give up easily. We need to stand up, be proud, become organized, and take it to the streets. And with Howard Dean, it seems like we've got the best chance, at least where spirit matters.

I saw him last night on "Larry King" talking about how people--he claimed "many"--that were donating to his campaign and visiting his site. He said he wanted to bring people into politics after they had been turned away for whatever reason. He's motivated; he wants to win. With Howard Dean, I see hope for the Democrats.

Even if we lose by a never-before-seen landslide in 2004, I'll take that over wearing the mask of the Bush administration any day.

The policies set out by the Bush administration are genuinely, soberingly destroying America. Another 8 years could be catastrophic for American respect and security. If we're voting for the future of America, rather than the pride of the Democratic party, then our first priority should be defeating Bush, not remaining purists for our party. This is why I don't support Dean. I like him, and I don't think he's the *least* electable, but he's certainly one of the least electable. He has no foreign policy background, and, while it's true that he inspires frustrated Democrats, motivating the majority of Americans is an entirely different dynamic, and one that he's done nothing to prove that he's capable of. Right now, he's preaching to the choir. The choir will not get him elected. Plus, there's already a guy out there who both WILL win and SHOULD win- Wesley Clark. He's appealing to people from literally every party in the United States. I'll take a "Will" and a "Should" over a "Might" and a "Should" any day. To me, this election is too excrutiatingly important to do anything otherwise.

Has he finally decided to fess up to being a Democrat? Or are we still supposed to take it on faith and your word?
:eyes:

can't afford a landslide... P-e-r-i-o-d....

I'm not predicting a landslide but a repeat of 1972 would put the Dems in the political wilderness for a generation.

The Republicans control

The House

The Senate

the majority of state legislatures.

We could even lose our fillibuster power in the Senate.

Without rigging an election, how can he possibly win in a landslide?? Remember, he lost last time, running as a harmless, unknown quantity for many, and running against the evil legacy of Monica Lewinsky!! I like Gore, but he didn't connect with the people as well or as naturally as Dean is presently doing. Provided there's a legit election - there will be a landslide win - and it will be DEAN's!! You don't take the biggest surplus in history - turn it into the biggest deficit, oversee the biggest job loss in half a century, launch the U.S. into an endless, unwinnable war - get caught lying about the reason, get caught having been tipped off about the biggest attack on the U.S. in history and having done NOTHING to prevent or minimize it - you don't do all that - a WIN a fucking election!! Americans may be dumb - but they're not friggin' SUICIDAL!!!

didn't happen in a vacuum . There was the 1968 election in which Richard Nixon got a paltry 43% of the vote. Nixon didn't end the war in four years that he promised to end. He drove a smoking economy into the ditch and still was elected in the biggest landslide in American history. Even bigger than Ronnies or LBJ's landslide.

The thing is, Dean's not an extreme leftist like Kucinich.

I think a Dean/Clark ticket would do well.

and came out a convert.

There was such an energy there and genuine excitement from "regular people" who are just fed up with Bush and a lot of the Dem kowtowing we've seen since 2000.

Dean might possibly not get the nomination (I'm hoping he will get it, of course), but I thank him and his campaign for re-energizing a disgruntled Democrat like myself.

the worst is his poor interview skills and questionable debating skills.

Smirk?

That's who he will be running against. I don't know how anyone could be worse than Smirk.

But he's worse than Kerry, Lieberman, Gephardt and Graham...all of whom he'll be up against in the primary.

Those guys have years and experience on Dean...plus they are ALL better on tv than Howard is (at least at this point).

At least in the end he will be (I hope)

I wonder sometimes if people are actually thinking PAST the primary, and PAST the general election.

If one of our guys wins, there's a whole four years spread out before them. I hope people are thinking about what we'll get.

One of the reasons why I support DK, I really havent heard Dean say any of the stuff he wants to do like you know how DK has single payer health care etc, universal pre school education which I like, and universal college education, I know he may be seemingly unelectable but if you dont think DK has good ideas, I dont know what to say, if he gets his way, the country will be more smart too.

When you say "We aren't like Bush," I have to agree with you. I think that will be a strong selling point very soon. The Bushies have been, as you say, wearing a mask since the beginning of the 2000 campaign. It's starting to slip, and behind the mask there's nothing but pinhead as far as the eye can see.

And I just have to shake my head in wonder and awe. What planet are these DUers on? They certainly haven't really looked at or understood the Dean campaign.

I used to wonder why people thought Dean was unelectable. I no longer wonder. When I see the comments in threads like this, I just understand that these people know nothing about the Dean campaign, have NOT experienced it firsthand at all, and are repeating the RNC/DLC spin and the warmed over conventional wisdom about Dean that hasn't YET been right (altho they're beginning to come around).

IF you are interested in the Dean campaign -- becuase he gives you hope, as he does me -- then for God's sake take a look DIRECTLY at his campaign! Quit reading the responses here from people who aren't his supporters. They don't know shit. Some of anti-Dean posters clearly have another agenda.

Don't support him because I say so, or anyone else. GO DIRECTLY TO HIS CAMPAIGN AND FIGURE IT OUT FOR YOURSELF. Most of the other candidates will still be there after you take a nice long look. Just decide for yourself.

Personally, I think he's THE most electable candidate. Why? Because he articulates what is wrong with Bush's policies (and The People aren't hearing that elswhere to any great extent), he speaks up unapologetically, and he has a beautiful and inspiring message of hpe for the country beyond getting rid of Bush -- one that I consider the perfect antidote to Repugs' decades of celebration and promotion of selfishness and greed (See his June 23 speech).

BUT DON'T TAKE MY WORD FOR IT!! Go make the decision yourself. None of the pundits -- and none of the poster here who are parroting their tired old conventional wisdom which has nothing to do with Dean beause he's anything BUT conventional -- know what the hell is going on. This is one decision you'll have to make on your own.

Good luck. (Here are a few links to get you started. Hang out at the Official Blog for a while.)

Official Website
http://www.deanforamerica.com

Official Blog
http://blog.deanforamerica.com/

BRAND New Democrats for Dean
http://brandnewdemocrats.blogspot.com

Independents for Dean
http://deanindependents.org/

Republicans for Dean
http://republicansfordean.blogspot.com/

Eloriel

I'm amazed, too, at the regurgitation of the Limbaugh hit sound bytes in these threads.

What's so left wing about Dean, anyway?
Balanced budget?
State's rights on guns?
Support of the death penalty?
Keeping us out of unnecessary foreign entanglements? (a traditional republican truism, before the neo-cons)

Oh, I see, he's in favor of providing all americans with health care.(What a ghastly liberal idea) They have health care now!!.. Its just that the poor get it in emergency rooms where it costs us all fifty times more than if they had seen a doctor!!

Oh, he's pro-choice. So is most of America!!! (Gee, I thought republicans didn't want the government telling us what to do).

Again, I ask, what about Dean is so "left wing"? He is simply ANTI NEO-CON!!!!!

Composed made a big statement! He used more than a paragraph in doing it! I love it!