(Bob) Graham: Bush can be beaten

[Dirty Hippie]

ORLANDO - Retiring U.S. Sen. Bob Graham said Friday that President Bush "is not unbeatable," but he warned that Democrats will need an optimistic message next year and can't count on bad news about the war and economy.

"Democrats will not and should not win if they are depending on bad things happening to the people of America," Graham told the Orlando Tiger Bay Club at a luncheon on the eve of the Florida Democratic Party convention.

...

But Graham said the party's standard-bearer will have to give voters some positive alternatives to Bush diplomatic and economic policies.

"He or she has got to be optimistic, they've got to have a plan - not just a set of criticisms of the status quo - and they have got to do well nationally, especially in the South, if they are going to get elected," Graham said. "It's not going to be easy to beat President Bush, as it was not easy to beat his father in 1992, but it certainly is doable."

http://www.tallahassee.com/mld/tallahassee/news/7427194.htm

[joeybee12]

1. He's right, EXCEPT it WAS pretty damn easy to beat Satan's father in 92

Then again, Lee Atwater wasn't around for the re-election, but Dumbo's personal Nazi, Rover, will be. BIG difference!

[SquireJons]

12. Not so Easy?

Sure, all you need to do is find an egomaniac right wing billionaire to run against Bush 43, just like we did with Bush 41. It may not play well here, but if it hadn’t been for good 'ol Ross, we never would have found out what a great President Clinton would become. Let's face it... the repukelicans have an election system that works. In all likelihood, if not for Perot, we would have had 6 consecutive Repukelican administrations. Add to that the lock they have on congress and the state legislatures and it's a pretty dismal picture.

At 43 years old I have been around for a while (and paying attention). Now, I am starting to accept a very different view of the United States. A friend of mine likes to say "this may not be the government we want, but it's the government we deserve." A more pessimistic version of that is that this is the type of government the majority of Americans want. We have become a large(ly) {pun intended} ignorant, self-indulgent and arrogant empire. And that's the way the majority in the US want it. My view of the US from Canada (after W wins/steals another election) will be this: There are tens of millions of good people in the US. Unfortunately there are hundreds of millions of fat, mean spirited, willfully stupid people - and by manipulating them, the oligarchs and robber barons have control. Most people in this country don't want a progressive government unless the nation’s viablility is at stake - like during the depression. If Kennedy hadn't been assassinated, he would have been branded a 'failure' by the right wing and vilified for decades. The country would have replaced him with Nixon and we never would have had the fight over civil rights or the great society. Unfortunately, we still would have had Vietnam since that was a bi-partisan disaster. The vast majority have never been behind progressive movements. We only seem to make progress through wars, assassinations and other great tragedies.

For me, the myths are all gone.

[Military Brat]

2. Tell it like it is, Graham.

With all the spin and hype and lies and embellishments and duplicity and manipulation and farce of the bush** campaign which the general public continues to be subjected to, we must concentrate on a positive plan, a realistic plan to offer the people, while underlining the disastrous consequences of the lack of a plan which bush** has.

Positive trumps negative, and no one is more negative than bush/rove.

[SquireJons]

13. Not True...

While the RNC is blacker then the absence of all light, W himself is consistently ignorant/rosie. It's the same formula they used with Reagan and it works very well. If the Dems don't get their act together soon, it will be another landslide election for the RNC. Graham is right, whoever wins the Dem nomintion must... Must... MUST be optimistic. Dean worries me.

Things to look forward to in 2005: Can you imagine Pappa Bushies face on the half-dollar coins (replacing Kennedy)... or better yet, Reagan on the new dollar coins. What red-blooded, meat eating amerikan wants a coin with some redskin woman’s face on it? All propaganda, all of the time!

Reagan on the dime? I'll never accept another one again if that happens.

[The Backlash Cometh]

3. I told you not to underestimate Bob Graham.

He's right. What do you remember about 1992? The fact that Clinton was all smiles and optimistic. He exuded the image of confidence. From those of us who lived during the baby boomer days, he captured that feeling that we were going to make a difference when our turn came up.

Saying that Bush is beatable, is a positive message. You just need to word things in a way that comes across as confident and positive as this simple statement illustrates.

[Rebel_with_a_cause]

4. to a pulp

one would think, considering how he's mucked up everything he's touched.

[Alpharetta]

5. "We can do better"

One of the best lines Clinton used in his 1992 speeches.

[lanlady]

6. there's a rumor that Dean is considering Graham

for VP.

[tabasco]

7. It's great how times of crisis make apparent the true leaders !

Graham came out early as a harsh critic of the Bush cabal. I have utmost respect for guys and gals like this for having the courage of their convictions. I hope there is a good Democrat ready to replace Graham in the Senate. And I agree, Bob, the dim bulb can be beaten, and I will do everything I can to help!

[seafan]

8. Bob is speaking now at the FL Dem gathering. CSPAN 1

He is laying Bush in the shade! Go, Bob.
We really, really need your voice.

[0007]

9. Graham was absolutely beautiful, 'eh?

[wryter2000]

10. I miss him already

I wish he hadn't retired :cry:

[LittleDannySlowhorse]

11. I know

I know he said he dropped out because of money and consistently low polling, but I suspect it was also in part because he felt that the field was already very crowded, so he packed his bags for the good of the Democratic party --- he didn't want to gum up the works.

It was a selfless act, and it showed not only true objectivity but also the ability to take the good of the nation into consideration. The irony is that these are, in my opinion, sterling presidential qualities. We have some people running now who I really think should have dropped out for the same reasons, and who, by staying in, are kind of showing their unfit-ness for the office.

[SquireJons]

14. Looking for work...

Yeah, but he'll make a great VP. Who ever wins the nomination should pick Graham or Clark for the VP. Clark/Graham would be a very formitable ticket, and the RNC knows it. Hell, probably half of Deans money is comming from Republicans who won't vote for him. They just want Dems to trip over their own dicks again.