DEAN!!!!

Dean Rocks! He just had an awesome segment on Larry King. Excellent. They also showed that turd Lieberman denouncing him. Dean was great - balanced, controlled, calm, intense. And he made no bones about OPPOSING Smirky! And being proud to be a Democrat. Awesome.

The second segment was even better. Larry tried to trap him into saying whether he personally wanted gay "marriage" as opposed to civil union, but Dean made the distinction very well about what was the difference between the religious and civil aspects of a union. He was great on any number of issues. Watch for the reruns if you are missing it!

for preseason football! I love my husband, and we both love football, but arrgh!

I am Tivo'ing it for later, though. Can't wait to watch it. Also got my Time, Newsweek and US News today! A good Dean day all around.

I cannot overemphasize how well this went. He really needed to nail this on the night of the Newsweek/Time covers, and he hit one out of the park. Terrific. He gave kudos to Kucinich and Graham for also not supporting the war, he stated clearly that he would not run as an independent and that he would support the Democratic nominee (because it was so crucial to get rid of Bush) he hit all the notes that make him such an attractive candidate.

What a rush. His best TV appearance to date, in my opinion.

He was great.

edit for clarity

I'm so Happy for us all! :D

no spin, just the facts as he sees them. He said that not everyone will agree with all of his views, but at least they will know where he stands.

I think he can get the independant vote along with a good number of greens.

I've been leaning Dean for a while, but I hadn't made a decision about who to support. I think tonight put it over the top for me. In fact, I just signed up for a Meet-up on Wednesday. Anyone want to tell me what to expect? Secret handshakes, weird initiation rituals or what? :)

With a lot of other "regular" people to get Dean in office - and have fun! :-)

Also, the agenda is usually posted on the site a few days before, so you'll know what will be happening.

Glad you chose Dean!

Well I am in repug territory (Tampa) and at our 2nd meetup, there were maybe 8 people. Last meetup there were 60! (even a repug).

Very informal. Lots of fun because everyone there wants * out. Also, there is a great cross-section of people. Gay/Straight, Dems, Indies, Socialists,even repugs.

Everyone basically sits around and whoever is hosting kinda finds out what each person's skills/connections are and how best to use them (e.g., I am a Web developer...so that's what I will be doing).

Don't forget the House Party on the 21st of this month. That will be great fun!

I can't tell you about the handshake; it's a secret. ;)

we pants the new people.....

:evilgrin:

Meetups are great...you'll meet a bunch of Dean supporters (of course), some who are on the fence looking for info, and some who are first timers like yourself. The agenda for this Meetup is another letter writing campaign to undecided New Hampshire dem voters. We wrote to Iowa voters last time, and it went over really well! Everybody had a blast. The letters got fantastic feedback for Iowans!

In short...you'll meet a bunch of great folks, and above all you'll have a lot of fun!

...is supposed to be a letter writing campaign to New Hampshire. The response with the Iowa campaign has been very good. They wait on the rituals until after 10pm ;)

In my area, it's pretty casual. Lots of different people, all ages, usually watch some footage (some pps there aren't connected or are brought by others), sit around in groups, chat, slam on Bush ;)

The St. Louis meetups have been very civil, very friendly.

I'm bringing someone who's decided for Dean ahead of me and a lot smarter and more politically astute, but not terribly tuned into the Internet. I was very, very impressed with his making the case for himself while keeping Anyone But Bush as part of his message. He just barely touched on the fact that his candidacy is good for the Democrats regardless of whether he wins. I've been thinking that for a while and it's also very true of Kucinich, and of course, Graham has used his visibility to say very important things too.

Some say he is so serious...well these are SERIOUS issues.

too many Bush apologists and media hos. Kay Baily H. was ridiculous. She kept repeating we know Saddam had these weapons, at least chemical weapons, because he used them against his own people. (Can someone explain to me why none of the other guests didn't bitch slap her and explain to her that that was before Gulf War I, that we had 7 years of arms inspection after that, that we accounted for and destroyed nearly everything he had in that time, and that it looks like we finished off whatever was left in 1998? What a bag).

Graham laid the searches for Osama, the Anthrax killer, Saddam, and the WMDs squarely at Bush's feet. That part was excellent. Bob looked rested and well.

Steve Croft had to compare Dean to McGovern, of course. The parallels seem to end with them being opposed to a particular war. Why can't the media ever seem to think for itself and realize that each situation is unique?

Hutchinson ended up trying to defend * on his decision to go to war, essentially saying he was crapping his pants worried that Saddam was going to launch another 9/11 on us, despite all evidence to the contrary, and basically validating the position that this war turns out to be a dumb one which needs to be explained in that "Dumbya was just scared and didn't know any better". That part was kind of cool, too, though I could have slapped her hard enough to make her eyes both point in the same direction. (I'm glad I don't watch cable news too often).

KBH's remarks about the war were because Dean hammered Bush so hard and effectively on what a crock this war and all of its justifications were. Most excellent.

How the hell was this woman tapped as qualified for the US Senate?

as any talking head I've ever seen. Sure, I expect her to be a shill for White House policy - but don't insult my intelligence while you do it (I guess that may be impossible - at least don't insult my intelligence to that extent!!).

He definitely was a little stiff, but thats not a problem.

I expect his meetup numbers to soar tonight. Did you see his face light up when that caller mentioned she was going to her first meetup? Prize smile, genuine love for the little people who are making him so successful. He also thanked another caller who said (s)he had donated or something. He is very good about remembering this is grassroots, and each supporter does matter.

I can't wait til the meetup. Las Vegas is about to get very organized for Dean.

That caught his ear...the guy answers questions and said the war was not presented the way it is presented now.

He seemed a bit nervous at first but quickly got control of it. He got his message out--DEMOCRATS HAVE TO STAND UP TO BUSH. He was civil towards all the other candidates saying that all of them would be better than what we have now. He defending his opposition to the war and his foresight in doing so. He got his points across on the deficit--"if being a liberal means balancing the budget then I'm a liberal". He even gave his criteria for VP without sounding cocky about it--hmm, southern, washington experience, ready to be president: can anyone say Bob Graham???

A great job.

he said anyone would be better than Bush. Classic.

He said it was way too early to even think about those things, beyond that it was important to pick someone who could be president, and also for him to pick someone who had spent a lot of time in Washington, because as an outsider it was important that he have someone who could help him get things done the "DC" way. He also mentioned that the south was intriguing because he was a northerner, and that of course he would consider a woman or a member of a minority as well. (Calling Bob Graham?)

But that would be a real death ticket here at DU.

I think a Dean/Hillary Clinton ticket would be very well received at DU. But it won't happen. Hillary won't run due to her pledge to the people of NY.

Though if it did happen just think of having day in and day out on the campaign trail--the Big Three--Dean, Hillary, and The Big Dawg--all three of them can turn on a crowd. Imagine if they took a bus tour together like Clinton/Gore did in '92 after the convention--it would be like a rock concert.

I am not a pol, just a regular person, but I think a trip with Dean/Hill would be very popular.

I thought she said she definitely was NOT running for Pres. Didn't say NOT running for vice-pres.

how is Graham a minority?

I personally think Graham's the best pick for VP, though.

...what I was thinking when I saw it. :)

He is (except for the Fox News team) the worst interviewer in the world. His job is to make everyone feel comfortable. He never asks a difficult question. Which is why he gets so many interviews.

but Dean has obviously learned a lot recently and he's not nearly as hot-headed as he used to be. Good for him!

He's still not my candidate, and won't be unless he wins the nomination. But he did a good job.

I've seen you write that you're a Kerry supporter, so I appreciate you saying nice things about Dean's presentation. Your praise of Dean takes nothing away from Kerry at all (who, btw, is my second choice and a great candidate himself!). What a great field of candidates we have- well, 8 of them anyway! ;-)

and it is true that Dean was well prepared for them. Most were red herrings about civil unions, etc., trying to get a rise out of the rednecks. He did try to get a little tough, but Dean really countered all the standard, scripted garbage well.

I thought it was a great performance. Not perfect, but he's clearly getting better and better each time, I think. He's not overly nasty, but he's firm in his beliefs. He expressed a vision in addition to attacking Bush.

I was so impressed with Howard Dean on Larry King tonight it made everything that came after his interview boring.

Joe Lieberman dissed Dean today in such a petty, demeaning way and it made me angry but I wouldn't haved expected anything else coming from Lieberman. He thinks he should have the nomination in the bag and I think he's worried about all the attention Dean is getting. His jealousy was really showing through his smiling veneer.

Dean is getting better and better IMHO. He was humble and acknowledged the other candidates who voted against the war in Iraq.

He came across clear and convincing and his answers were concise in spite of some of the stupid questions Larry King threw at him---like the gay marriage issue. Dean said that traditional marriage was binding within religious doctrine but civic unions (non-religious), however, were legal and binding and protected same-sex partners just as married people are protected through the courts.

This was the best appearance so far and I hope to see a lot more of Dean---and less and less of Lieberman. LOL...

He smiled often. I remember past TV appearances when I'd tune-in to cheer him on, and I'd try to talk to him through the tv:

"Yes, good answer! Now smile! Smile - you look a bit too serious! Smile!"

A great improvement. People are attracted to other people who smile.

He did great on NBC this morning. He did stumble over his tongue once and still blinks his eyes too much (the camera lights are cruel to the eyes), and he was a bit stiff at the beginning, but after the interview got going, he loosened up real quick.

Best line (not verbatim because doing from memory): In 2000 Pres. Bush promised a foreign policy based on humility but he used humiliation to antagaonize our allies, who are relunctant to help us in Iraq now.

:-(

But I appreciate getting the scoop on DU! Thanks!

We may use the King interview at our Meetup tomorrow. One of my Meetup co-conspirators videotaped it last night. :bounce: