Liberal Groups Keeping Close Eye on Dean

[Pirate Smile]

Liberal Groups Keeping Close Eye on Dean

By MALIA RULON
The Associated Press
Friday, February 25, 2005; 7:59 AM

WASHINGTON - A year ago, an activist group from the Seattle area gave Howard Dean a thin, golden statue of a backbone. The Oscar-like award honored the former Democratic presidential candidate and Vermont governor for standing up against the Iraq war and other Bush administration policies.

Now, as Dean settles into his new role as head of the Democratic Party, that golden spine has come to represent, for many liberal Democrats, Dean's potential to develop a tougher, take-no-prisoners attitude among the party faithful.

-snip-
"There are some that worry that he will move the party too far to the left, but I'm not worried about that," she said. "I think he will give definition to the party and allow Democrats to define the party instead of allowing Republicans to define us."

-snip-
"Howard Dean almost certainly has to disappoint his strongest liberal supporters simply because he's going to have to serve a broader Democratic Party," Franklin said. "So it's almost inevitable that there will be charges of sellout."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A52734-2005Feb25.html

[trumad]

2. "There are some that worry that he will move the party too far to the left

That one line proves that even our own are uneducated about Dean.

[jayfish]

8. Don't Fall For It T.

It's just like the "some people are saying" BS that the SCLM likes to use when pushing their agenda. I would, just once, like to hear a name of one of these people.

Jay

[shadowknows69]

44. I hope we do go farther to the left

screw it. nothing else is working. we need to portray our party as a true opposition party and let the votes fall where they may. I'll tell you one thing. They won't be able to find any ammo against our candidates like the "voted for it, voted against it" fiasco. Kerry isn't the answer. Hilary isn't the answer. Dean should run again in 08 or some new blood all together.

[callous taoboy]

3. I agree, I really don't get the worry-

This is a very bright man and the Mepublicans know he's a formidable enemy. He knows how to stay on message and how to frame the debate.

I liken him to a pit bull, and it's about damned time we had a pit bull tearing the Mepublicans a new one. Sick 'em, Dean!

[PassingFair]

4. The words of this "Franklin" sound eerily familiar....

"Howard Dean almost certainly has to disappoint his strongest liberal supporters simply because he's going to have to serve a broader Democratic Party," Franklin said. "So it's almost inevitable that there will be charges of sellout."

I think I've actually read this here.....

[primavera]

6. That much I'm willing to compromise

I don't expect to get everything I want out of the political process; I do expect to be represented rather than taken for granted by DLC types who assume that I'll simply support them because I have nowhere else to go. I'm not fool enough to imagine that Dean won't have to make some fairly breathtaking compromises - that just goes with the job - but at least I have confidence that he's going to be doing his damndest to revitalize the core values which have always made this party great and worth supporting.

[mzmolly]

5. There may be a handful of "whiners" but I don't really think it's going

to be a serious issue. I admit I did at first. But, I think Dean is filling his role nicely, and satisfying all involved.

[Larkspur]

7. Franklin should read Howard Dean's latest book before pontificating

about him and how Dean's supporters will evaluate the new DNC Chair.

Dean's theory is about empowering us to take over the Party. Only those liberal activists who decided to sit on the sideline moaning about the state of the Dem Party and country will be disappointed in Dean. Of course, they will be disappointed in everyone but themselves.

[jvdassam]

9. Dean Speaking Truthfully on Social Security

Yesterday Dean said Social Security was not intended to be a pension plan for the middle class. I say it's about time someone pointed this out. Today, the federal government is the biggest culprit in widening the disparity between rich and poor through senior entitlement programs, especially social security. When you consider that 87 percent of the wealth in the US belongs to people over 55, and consider life expectancies of rich versus poor, plus the fact that Social Security benefits are indexed to income, you must conclude that the bulk of the benefits are going to assure that well-healed seniors have plenty of disposable income without having to dig into their vast nesteggs to meet their needs. Meanwhile, the truly needy get peanuts in comparison.

The party has to move beyond basic socialism as an answer to every problem. Socialism is failing in Europe and Canada, and has failed everytime it has been tried in world history. Under socialism, the elite get to keep their wealth while the poor suffer more, which is precisely what we are seeing with Social Security and Medicare today, if anyone wants to admit it.

Social Security and Medicare need to be means tested, with the SS tax applied to every dollar of income. The program could last in perpetuity if this were done and everyone knows it. The problem is that well-healed seniors in Tampa Bay, Myrtle Beach, Sun City and San Diego VOTE, and any politician who stands up to that power will be killed faster than a blind groundhog on the Pennsylvania Turnpike.

[pinerow]

11. I would like to know where you get the figures you employ

to buttress your contention that people over the age of 55 own 87 percent of the wealth in the United States...Seems like flame-bait to me. While I agree that there should be a fair amount of means testing, i:e;, Bill Gates, Warren Buffet and even Jimmy Buffet collecting Social Security seems a tad bit obscene...your inclusion of the phrase "Socialism is dying in Europe and Canada" brings to mind many of the arguments I hear from the right...

[madfloridian]

13. Do NOT use the word "entitlement" around me.

That is like holding a red flag in front of me. And no one thinks Social Security is a "pension" either.

You are using all the proper little buzz words, and next I expect you to chant Hey Hey Ho Ho Social Security has go to go.

This is amazing to me how so many mindlessly parrot the words of the Noise Machine....never realizing that these are real people involved, not sound bytes.

[enkidu2]

15. uh

sorry my friend, canada is not socialist, and perhaps you are referring to its health care system, which would neither be considered socialist since it is decentralized, and while it is struggling (and not any more than our "system" is), it has led to lower infant mortality, better longevity, lower cancer and vascular disease mortality, so before painting with a broad brush know something of what you say

[cascadiance]

16. Are you arguing that there should be no cap on salary for contributions?

If so, I would agree with you. If you are saying that it should be means tested and just raise the cap a little, it's going to hit hardest the upper middle class, who are going to be on the hook for more contributions and get back less. That's a sure way to widen the wealth gap even moreso.

I'm for getting rid of the cap altogether, so that folks like Bill Gates have to also think of this as an investment and not a "tax" that can be treated as such in the coming years and screw those of us who've put significant amounts of our income into the fund compared to the very wealthy. Even if it would mean giving them back a bit more money than the rest of us in SS payments, that's probably not such a bad thing, as it still puts them "on the hook" for wanting to keep this as an investment that they want their money back on and not have middlemen "steal" from it like Bush is proposing.

After all, another thing to consider is that the wealthy, with better health care than the rest of us are likely to live longer than the rest of us and collect more of the benefits than the rest of us are too. They should therefore not feel penalized paying more into the system from that point of view too.

[pinerow]

19. The idea of multi-millionaires and billionaires seems a bit much...

when you consider that many people don't have the luxury of investing in their future or feeding their families...

[sidpleasant]

17. re: "87 percent of the wealth in the US belongs to people over 55"

Well, given that the richest 1% of Americans own 39% of the wealth in the country (and the richest 10% own 71% of the wealth), and that many of those rich are over 55 (Warren Buffet and Sam Walton's widow, for example), it's possible that the majority of the wealth in the US is in the hands of people over 55. However you can't logically extrapolate from "most wealthy people are over 55" to "everyone over 55 is wealthy." Given that the average monthly Social Security benefit to a retired worker is a mere $945, and that SS provides more than half of the total income for almost two-thirds of households comprised exclusively of those aged 65 and older, it's clear that Social Security isn't making the elderly into billionaires. Your 87% number is highly dubious, to put it kindly. I suspect that it's a completely made - up "fact" that Limbaugh or O'Reilly pulled out of his fat ass.

[jvdassam]

42. Average Wealth Among Seniors Per AARP

According to the AARP (http://research.aarp.org/econ/dd44_wealth.html) the average wealth of households in the 55-64 year age bracket is $530K. That's the average. For ages 65-74 it is $465K. For ages 74 plus it is $310K. Compare this to average wealth for under 35 at a mere $65K. Obviously, Social Security and Medicare are going to the richest Americans at the expense of the poorest. It's not even an arguable point.

From an economic standpoint, both Social Security and Medicare shift resources away from the income earner to people who are on average more wealthy. Given that about 2/3 of the federal budget is comprised of these senior-based programs, that means the biggest culprit in the growing disparity between rich and poor in this country is the federal government.

We can hide our heads in the sand all we want, but this is indisputable.

[pinerow]

43. I suggest you re-read the information with a statistician's eye...

and not just pick and choose which set of data conforms to your way of thinking.

[w4rma]

45. I'd hope that the older one is the wealthier one is, on average.

Because that means that folks who have been alive long enough to work and accumulate wealth are the ones who have that wealth rather than a bunch of lazy young carousers who inherited their wealth as if America were an aristocracy instead of a democracy.

I'd also like to see what the median is for the wealth distribution as it is much more informative of the state of things than the mean.

[gorbal]

10. Democrats are still letting republicans controll the arguments

Lets stop using republican words and thought patterns in our conversations please. Every time people talk about "liberal" or "to far to the left" as a negative, it continues the hypnotism of the public conciousness; in a way that will always favor the republicans I might add.

[lojasmo]

12. I'm a liberal, and a STRONG dean supporter.....

Dean's moderate-progressive governance is no surprise to me. I don't know why it would be a surprise to any reasonable person.

Dean will do a fine job as DNC chair.

[blm]

14. Dean was always a staunch centrist as governor. This is another horseshit

article.

They KNOW that eventually people are going to realize Dean was never the far left liberal as reported by the media for the last 2 years, so they are reframing him as someone who will abandon the left to BECOME a more moderate voice as if he is changing, when he ALWAYS WAS a centrist.

[pinerow]

18. You hit the nail right on the proverbial head...

nt

[woosh]

20. i would just be satisfied with results.

[kevinmc]

21. Another Example of Non-news

This is another example of how the media makes a story out of nothing.

Here is The first clue: Liberal Groups Keeping Close Eye on Dean

[Dyedinthewoolliberal]

22. My take on this is

in this day and age of mis- and dis- information this story could be planted by the rePubs to sow seeds of doubt and discontent amongst us.
Maybe it isn't but maybe it is. I look at it this way; I'm a registered Demorcrat. I like what Dr. Dean has to say. I am in favor of having a person at the helm of the party that is not afraid to call a spade a spade.
Anyone that knows his record knows he won't take the party too far left because that is not who he is.
So lets put our trust in the man and see what happens.....

[Moderator]

23. kick to combine threads

[jswordy]

24. DEAN: "So many Democrats can't wait to get started."

"So many Democrats can't wait to get started. They want to grow our party from the ground up. And that's exactly what we're going to do," Dean said.

Dean traveled Thursday to upstate New York and to Washburn University in Topeka, Kan., where he criticized President Bush for suggesting Social Security faces a big crisis. As for the president's plan to create personal investment accounts as part of Social Security, Dean said, "I don't believe the way to fix Social Security is to have Wall Street run it so that it can be invested in Enron and Tyco and MCI."

Bill Moyer, executive director of the Backbone Campaign, said he hopes Dean will continue to be a leader among liberal

Democrats and that his chairmanship will mark a turning point for the party.

"Dean is the link to this progressive movement," Moyer said. "The Democratic Party can either use that or squander it."

http://www.newsday.com/news/politics/wire/sns-ap-dean-democrats,0,1711299.story?coll=sns-ap-politics-headlines

[Cha]

1. Bill Moyer is such a treasure and

a tireless worker for the continuing Democracy in our Country. It makes me proud that he says those insightful things about Dean.

[Vincardog]

25. I vote use it. We have to stand up and be proud! nt

[jswordy]

26. Then this: "Do not work for candidates who don't care what you think."

"Do not work for candidates who don't care what you think," Dean repeated twice to resounding applause. "If you want to sustain democracy, you have to run for office," Dean added. He said that just voting is not enough, and urged students to consider working in a campaign.

http://www.cornellsun.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2005/02/24/421d84959299b

[Eloriel]

31. I LOVE that line -- following it would eliminate about 95% of all

of the current Congress. And THAT sounds like a damned fine idea, frankly -- precisely because they don't/won't listen to us and haven't for years now.

[Arugula Latte]

27. Testify, Dr. Dean!

Tell it like it is! :toast:

[CitySky]

28. LOVE IT.

:party:

[jswordy]

29. MORE COVERAGE of Dean at Cornell

"We cannot try to take the power from the Republicans by acting like the Republicans."

http://www.theithacajournal.com/news/stories/20050224/localnews/2021549.html

[Justitia]

30. whatta guy, Howard Dean

:loveya:

Keep goin' loud and proud!

[jswordy]

32. SEN. HARRY REID: Dean is "not some wild-eyed, left-wing nut."

Reid says, quoting now, Dean is "not some wild-eyed, left-wing nut."

He says Dean balanced the budgets of the state of Vermont, won the backing of the National Rifle Association in eight straight elections and has done a good job of handling the controversial matter of same-sex marriages by helping to legalize civil unions.


http://www.kesq.com/Global/story.asp?S=2989232

[Larkspur]

37. Maybe Reid is finally getting a clue about who Howard Dean is

He's a Fighting Democrat Reid!

Now, what will Reid do to Lieberman, if Lieberman bucks Minority Leader Sen. Reid's and Minority Whip Sen. Durbin's command to hold Dems unified against Bush's Social Security privatization plan?

[WindRavenX]

33. hells yes!

FINALLY! I can feel a sea change of political power on the horizon...

[Zenlitened]

34. Oh, man. Is this what it feels like to have a VOICE?

It's so nice to hear someone at the top articulating -- clearly and forcefully -- what so many of us have been saying for so long. :)

[dbt]

35. At freaking LAST!

Somebody willing to get right up in the GOP's (and the Pink Tutu Dems') Reptile faces.

Go on with your BAD SELF, Howard Dean!

[democrank]

36. Dean makes so much sense.

How much more simple can it be? If our so-called leaders don`t listen to us, we turn our backs on them. No donations...no volunteer labor for their campaigns...no nothing.

The best collective decision we could make is to start behaving as though WE are in charge of this party. We`ve sat back hoping for a miracle for far too long. What did that get us? "Joementum" which was no more than a democratic leadership group ankle grab because they were too spineless to do otherwise.

[AnneD]

38. every time that man opens his mouth

I hear hope....Not to be a fly in the ointment but, how good is Dean's security. He is a real threat to Rove, Bush et al and should be well guarded. Remember, assinations happened in pre Third Reich Germany (round the time the elections were stolen). We didn't think it could happen here but I see TOO many parallels.

[Name removed]

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[RamboLiberal]

40. Dr. Dean is going to be the best thing that ever happened

to the Democratic party IMHO. While the Repukes may be laughing, I think it's Dean and all of us who will get the last laugh!

[Name removed]

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