At Iowa Debate, Democrats Question if Dean Can Win

[rodbarnett]

By John Whitesides, Political Correspondent

DES MOINES, Iowa (Reuters) - The Democratic presidential contenders questioned on Tuesday whether front-runner Howard Dean (news - web sites) could win the White House, saying at an Iowa debate that his temperament and tax policies would doom the party.


Thirteen days before the crucial Iowa caucuses, several of Dean's rivals attacked his plan to repeal all of President Bush (news - web sites)'s tax cuts and said he was too polarizing to reach across party lines in November.


"I don't know of a case where a Democratic candidate for president has been elected who called for a massive increase in taxes on the middle class," Connecticut Sen. Joseph Lieberman said. "These are our people."


Lieberman also questioned the temperament of the former Vermont governor, whose rise to the top of the Democratic pack was fueled by blunt denunciations of Bush, the Iraq (news - web sites) war and Democratic leaders in Washington.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=584&e=1&u=/nm/20040107/pl_nm/campaign_dc

[SlavesandBulldozers]

1. Lieberman, steward of Rohan

"These are our people". Joe sounds like he's doing a Theodin, King of Rohan, impersonation. What next, "Is this all you can conjure, Howard Dean?"

[BayCityProgressive]

2. I don't

remember any thought nazi lawn gnomes with jowls ever winning the presidency either so I guess either way it would be a first huh?

[KissMyAsscroft]

3. Dean is not raising taxes on the middle class...

Republicans have been raising taxes on the middle class for years by putting more of the burden on them, and gutting their services that their taxes pay for!

Their measly tax cut they got under Bush was more than offset by high healthcare costs, state tax increases, bad economy, poor schooling, high tuition, fewer loans, etc.

People need to pull their head out of their asses and really think about what a 300 dollar tax break means if that money goes right back to paying everything I listed above.

Unfortunately, because of American voter stupidity Dean might have to reverse course on this issue.




*edited for spelling....

[readmylips]

4. Lieberman is protecting the base of his state...

since they have made him super rich. And he's also protecting Israel, since boosh have given his pal sharon the murderer, a clear check.

You can clearly see that Lieberman is for boosh.

[Sagan]

5. I am sick of all this "can't win" talk..

First of all, it's WAY counterproductive in general.

Second of all, though I'm not yet committed to supporting Dean, do the rest of the Dem field realize how stupid it sounds?

Oh, so Dean can't beat Bush, huh? Well apparently YOU can't beat DEAN. What does that say about YOUR ability to beat the Chimp?

Idiots.

[Geeky_boy]

8. Exactly...

...and so, what good will Lieberman's endorsement of Dean be after the nomination? Lieberman will say he supports the Democratic nominee but everybody will know what he really thinks.

[MGKrebs]

6. Why do these idiots

keep endorsing Dean? Gore? Bradley? Don't they know he can't win?

/sarcasm.

[JPace]

7. Oh let them question away.....

truth is that this WH and the repugs
are going to come after ANY candidate
that is nominated with a vengeance
that we have never seen before. He
(or she) better be ready to offense
and defense without fear. At least
if we lose it won't be because of
timidness and over caution, that has
happened in the past. Dean is the
only warrior that I see that knows
how to fight, the rest are milk toast
and I was a supporter of Kerry, but
he seems to be trying to persuade
through seeming sensible and balanced.
I don't want to see another nominee
run over by the aggressive right and
look perplexed about it all. Even
Gore said if he had it to do all over
again he would let it rip.