Ailing Democrats Put Their Faith in Dr. Dean

[mattclearing]

How hard did Dan Balz look to find this guy? I wonder if any other "Democrats" will slag the new party chairman on the eve of his election?
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Ailing Democrats Put Their Faith in Dr. Dean
Some Fear Choice Will Add to Red-State Blues

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A15401-2005Feb10.html?sub=AR

By Dan Balz
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, February 11, 2005; Page A01

Two questions swirled around the Democrats as their national committee assembled yesterday to select a new party chairman: Can Howard Dean cure what ails the party, or is Howard Dean symptomatic of why those ailments may be so difficult to cure?

The former Vermont governor is poised to claim the party chairmanship tomorrow. His victory represents a personal triumph one year after his presidential campaign was in ashes and symbolizes the strength of the party's revitalized grass roots in the aftermath of John F. Kerry's loss to President Bush in November.

But for a party grappling with the question of how it can become more competitive in the red states of the South, Midwest and Mountain West, the decision to elect as its chairman a confrontational New Englander with a liberal identity and a penchant for making controversial statements sends a message in the view of some Democrats that little has been learned from the losses in 2004.

"I think Howard Dean would be viewed as synonymous with being upper-East Coast liberal, and that just makes the burden on southern Democrats that much more difficult," said James F. "Jim" Kyle Jr. (D), the minority leader of the Tennessee Senate. "Hopefully he will try to be chairman of the entire party and not the chairman of a niche of the party members."

[PROGRESSIVE1]

1. Is Mr. Kyle really a Democrat? Or is he being paid by Rove?

:wtf:?

Dean is from VERMONT! NOT NYC! Besides, Dean was a rural Governor!
Dean is America!

[mattclearing]

2. It's amazing to me. The Post is supposed to be OUR paper.

They had to go all the way to the Tennessee legislature to find someone that would give them a nasty quote.

But they found it was worth the effort to let one of the very state leaders Dean has pledged to put back into the process stab him in the back.

Unbelievable.

[The Zanti Regent]

6. Oh please, The WHORESHINGTON POST has been a GOP organ since 1988!

Remember when they endorsed Bush in 1988?

The Whoreshington Post is the ultimate GOP propaganda organ!

[Melodybe]

9. With Poppy a contender for Deep Throat

it would make sense if the WP was set up all along as a whore for the repubs.

[mattclearing]

12. It's a joke. I'm well aware of the Post's conservative bent. n/t

[Southern Dem 2005]

23. What we need is a reasoned discussion and less name-calling

[jayfish]

34. A Little Name Calling Is A Good Thing.

Look where "reasoned discussion and less name-calling" have gotten us.

Presidency = Republican
House = Republican
Senate = Republican
SCOTUS = Republican Leaning
Governorships = Republican

Jay

[The Zanti Regent]

35. BULL!

The only way to stop the Nazi Party is to get down in the gutter and go for their jugular, just like they have done to us for years!

You do NOT say Please and Thank You when Nazis are hell bent on filling ovens with gays, lesbians, Catholics, Mormons, Hispanics, African Americans, Jews and then YOU!

[tritsofme]

10. Dean was born in New York

He moved to Vermont in 1978 to do his residency.

[THUNDER HANDS]

20. born in NYC, moved out to Long Island

then went to rural Vermont.

So he's had his experiences in the city, the suburbs and rural towns.

I'd say he has all his bases covered.

Of course, if you're not born in a barn raising cattle and chewing Skoal you're not a real American to half the country. :eyes:

[Southern Dem 2005]

21. Look, why is everyone now pissed at the WaPo

I'm not condoning or condemning the article, but I can't understand why everyone reacts so rabidly when there is news or an article you disagree with. Instead of name-calling how about some reasoned discussion?

[oasis]

26. Look who the Post got for the interview. Not exactly a household name.

[TwentyFive]

3. GOP fears Howard Dean.

[Dulcinea]

24. Exactly.

He's a great motivator & a master fundraiser. They should be afraid of him.

[progressivebydesign]

4. When Dean talked about reaching out to ALL red-staters, he was slammed..

.. by the East Coast Liberal elite this guy accuses him of being. I think Dean is just what we need, regardless of what these "journalists" believe. The PEOPLE wanted Dean, and that's why he's being elected.. I don't understand this man's thought process that Dean won't be inclusive. He's buying into the bullshit ads produced during the primaries that accused him of being supported by latte-swilling, Volvo-driving, Hollywood-loving, freaks.

[Oreegone]

5. And this is what Clinton had to say in 1997

before he joined forces to destroy his presidential campaign and try to derail his DNC Chairmanship.

"I'd also like to say that whatever it is that Howard Dean knows -- or whatever it is that he eats for breakfast every morning -- if I could give it to every other Democratic office holder and would-be office holder, we would immediately become the majority in the Congress and we would have about 35 governors. I have to tell you, I think a big part of it is just producing for people, actually doing what you say you're going to do at election time."
- President Bill Clinton addressing the Democratic Governor’s Association, 12 November 1997

[Melodybe]

7. Whatever Dean pays attention to the south and Southern Dems love him 4 it!

Dean did very well in the south, my father-in-law loves him and he is as brainwashed as they come. He has said a few times if it were Dean running for Pres. he would have voted for him and not *.

Thanks to Sean Hannity and the fuckwads talking up Dean's honesty in a blatent attempt to both devide democrats and play reverse psychology on them, plenty of Fow veiwers love Dean.

Dean mentions the South, unlike Kerry who seemed to do his best to avoid the south as a topic altogether.

I love that one of the first places he is coming as soon as he is head of the DNC is Mississippi. I love that the southern state democrats we the first to endorse Howard Dean for the job. This guy doesn't know what he is talking about the south loves Dean!

My repub father in law is very glad that Dean will be running the DNC.

Dean is one of our best weapons, the pubs are terrified of him and if they think he'll keep his opinions to himself about Gannon and the FAA, they are sorely mistaken. I can't wait!!!

One of the few things we can do is take Dean at his word. He is one of the few politicans on TV that has yet to lie to the American people. So far he has kept all his promises and even repubs respect that.

I am so happy about getting to see him on the 1st of March! I hope I get to meet him!

[mattclearing]

11. Hmm...outside of the Repub father-in-law's endorsement, I'd say

that sounds like great news.

The media is trying to spin this any way they can but the obvious way, which is that we picked a fighter to run our organization.

This can only be a good thing. It's not that complicated.

[Erika]

8. Ailing democrats?

Kiss my ass. Sweetly.

[applegrove]

13. He's drinking the Kool-Aid, it is the old Republican Party that is dead

He's drinking the Kool-Aid, it is the old Republican Party that is dead and Neocons, Christine Todd Whitman and Burckly Jr. admit it. So if old Republica is dead and Democrats are ailing - the U S of A is no longer a democracy.

Shouldn't that be the lead story in the Washington Post?

[underpants]

18. EXACTLY

ail this

[Barkley]

37. Dean has "a penchant for making controversial statements..."?!?!

Then what does the press call statements like "Mission Accomplished"?
or "Bring 'em on" or "go fuck yourself".

Howard Deans had not even come close to making some of the
outlandish and obscene remarks uttered by Bush and Cheney.

[bluestateguy]

14. Ron Brown was a black liberal Democrat from New York

He was also a onetime Jesse Jackson supporter. He turned the party's fortunes around and positioned the party for victory in 1992. Sometimes I think had he stayed on instead of becoming Commerce Secretary, Democrats might have retained control of Congress. Ever since Brown, the DNC has been led by a series of Professional Election Losers.

[David__77]

15. so says the MINORITY leader...

...because he's had SO MUCH success as a conservative Democrat, right?

[jburton]

33. EXACTLY!!!

Doesn't the guy get the irony? The minority leader complaining about how Dean may not have success in his state.

[txaslftist]

16. Tell us how we're "ailing" when we kick your ass in '06

[callous taoboy]

17. Ailing? I feel just fine-

How do some of these Faux journalists sleep at night?

[Skidmore]

31. I not only feel fine,

I feel pissed, too.

[Debi]

19. 1 out of 3,000,000 don't like Howard Dean

:wtf:

[Southern Dem 2005]

22. Don't you understand that a lot of Dems feel this way about Dean?

I imagine McAuliffe had his detractors as well. Just because he was elected chair of the DNC doesn't mean he gets universal love.

[oasis]

25. Next on "Crossfire": The minority leader of the Tennessee Senate. Not.

:eyes:

[fishwax]

27. The South loves Howard Dean!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x3091011

[Southern Dem 2005]

28. Actually, the South loves George Bush

I would imagine southern Dems are split on Dean. I'm willing to give him a shot, though there were probably better candidates available (IMHO)

[fishwax]

29. southern dems were the first to endorse dean for the dnc chair

And those early endorsements from state party structures helped to spur his candidacy forward. In the fall of '03, Dean had OK democrats more charged up and enthusiastic than any candidate I've seen in my time here. Reports I've heard from other southern states echo that effect. I think that all the talk of Dean's chairmanship alienating the south is wishful thinking on the part of those who want to see him and/or the party fail.

[Southern Dem 2005]

30. Oh, I'm not saying he'll alienate the South

and that southern Dems won't support him. I think that Dems, at this point, would support just about anyone to get rid of Bush, Trent Lott, Rick Santorum, etc. I'm just concerned he will make some of the same missteps he made in his presidential campaign. If he does it affects the whole party instead of just his campaign.

[Renew Deal]

32. Compared to McAwful

Which is seen as what exactly?

[Dcitizen]

36. Dean is smart. Wait and see how he wins back. n/t