From Tweedle Dick to Tweedle Dean

[messiah]

From Tweedle Dick to Tweedle Dean: Ho-hum Democrats get ready to blow another chance

By Daniel Patrick Welch
Online Journal Contributing Writer

August 25, 2003—One would think that enough has been said in the realm of blowing Howard Dean's liberal cover. An outpouring of research and truth-telling from the left has left, at least on my own palate, a distaste for Dean rivaled only by that I feel for Joe Lieberman. The fury has been so relentless, that even the Nation (original source of the Dean is No Wellstone warning shot) has felt it necessary to issue a revision of sorts, noting, among other tidbits, that a surprising number of Nation staffers, some self-described leftists, are still stuck on Dean despite his having been successfully outed—or so we thought.

One new mantra is that Dean is being "picked on." The Nation points out that, despite seemingly favorable coverage, the press just doesn't seem to like him personally. It seems a bit disingenuous, though, to fault the media, whose obsession with Dean, and in particular, whose collusion in sculpting Dean's image as a liberal has catapulted him to the forefront. And yet the mislabeling continues. Hugo Young writes a brilliant analysis in the Guardian ("American Voters Have Two Choices: Bush or Bush-lite,") However, even Young mischaracterizes Dean as "the most lefty of the candidates." This is demonstrably untrue. Many candidate's positions are exactly along the lines of what Young seems to advise: that Democrats need to "abandon their backing and filling, and their belief that being a Democrat no longer adds up to anything more than a milder version of their enemies."


Dean's faux-left image is dangerous, and, despite his supporters almost fanatic belief to the contrary, is actually a hindrance to building a coalition that will "take back America."

More:
http://www.onlinejournal.com/Commentary/082603Welch/082603welch.html

[deutsey]

1. "Faux Left"?

I don't know that Dean is positioning himself as a lefty, faux or otherwise.

And in terms of coation-building, I think Dean has a real chance of developing a strong center/left coalition. That's why I like him; I wish he were much further left, but I'm also enthused that he seems to be energizing a broad spectrum of the Democratic base.

[Cha]

2. You just sit back and watch what's gonna happen mr. pundit head

welch! Dean not "left" enough for you!?


And who does the media whores like "personally" except "Whistle Ass" himself?


I'd be suspicious after the media's track record of whomever they liked! bottom feeders!

[library_max]

3. "My Candidate Sucks So Bad That I Have To Attack Yours"

All hail CoffeePlease1947! He has come up with the perfect formula for dispelling all these negative campaign threads! All you Dean-bashers, Kerry-bashers, any-Democrat-bashers, please repeat after me: “MY CANDIDATE SUCKS SO BAD THAT I HAVE TO ATTACK YOURS.”

If I were a Bush supporter, I would be ROFLMAO to see all these Democrats ripping each other to pieces. My candidate in the general election is Anybody But Bush. As for the primaries, I haven’t decided yet. Amazing, ain’t it? Considering that the primaries are only six months away.

Come on, ladies and gentlemen! Unity, please! Eyes on the prize! BUCK FUSH!

[LeftCoast]

4. I love it...

first the media incorrectly paints Dean as a raving lefty and THEN complains about how Dean is misleading folks into believing he's a raving lefty. Grrr...

[messiah]

6. The article

is more about the political left and it's relationship to the democratic party. It is not a knock against Dean.

[Nicholas_J]

5. Wonderful Article

Dean supporters have shifted from Dean is the most progressive candidate, to Its not our fault if people dont listen to what Deans says...

Problem is, froom group to group, he tailors what he says to what they wish to hear.

Legally and logically this is called deception by error of omission.

If Dean only says enough of his stance to make someone think he supports their leftism, then Dean ha been guilty of this deception.

THis was why he was viewed as the Anti_WAr candidate by large numberod of the Anti-War movement. By vaguely stating his position, as a person NOT actually involved in the decision making.

THis is an attempt to decieve by omission.

Another article in Counterpuch point to these very typically Deanian trait. Counterpunch is of course an extremely progressive journal.

Howard Dean: the Progressive Anti-War Candidate?
Some Vermonters Give Their Views

I know that a lot of you are going to vote for Dean -- he talks a good game; he can be charismatic and charming. But I'm warning you. This man will tell you what you want to hear, or at least tell you something that has some little kernel of something that you can interpret as support for the things that are important to you. But when the time comes to stand up and lead on the issue, to take on the money interests and backsliders in his own party, that stiff little spine will turn into a slinky.

If you vote for him, it's your job to stand behind him with a poker and keep him headed in the right direction. Don't give him any honeymoon period, either--keep the pressure on from the second you drop that ballot in the box. The minute you relax, he's going to turn right back into what he really is...a privileged, arrogant, middle of the road republican. Put your political energy into getting some truly progressive folks into the House and Senate, and into State legislatures around the country so that there will be more pressure from more directions. We need to get together our sophisticated progressive thinkers to develop policy ideas in every area, so that we're ready with real, well-thought out counter-proposals for the incremental changes a Dean administration might put forth. If you feel you must, support Dean, do--but then go do the work necessary to make real change.

Ron Jacobs, Donna Bister and Marc Estrin comprise the OLD NORTH END RAG collective. The RAG is an agitational community newspaper serving the Old North End of Burlington, Vermont. This neighborhood is a primarily working class section of Vermonts largest city that has a history of political activism

http://www.counterpunch.org/jacobs08292003.html

So more of the deception from the Dean campaign crying innocence about Deans purposeful misleading of the public by NEVER clearly stating his stance EVERTIME he speaks and in EVERY venue.

Not just saying one thing on Dean for America, and leaving a great deal of it out if he is peaking to another very different group.


His first statement was should not have been to try to present himself as a "Paul Wellstone" robbing Wellstones Quote "I represent the Democratic Wing of the Democratic Party" trying to thus align himself with Wellstone, the most progresive member of Congress until his death.

He should have stated I am a democrat but my fiscal ideas are conservatives and more resemble those of Republicans than those of Progressives and Liberal.


Then he would have been misleading no-one.

These types of statements from Dean are more responsible for Deans being vied as a "LEFTY" in the media than the medias fault. HE was trying to do what he is well know of in Vermont,and even revels in. Having no one be able to pin down his political stance so he can alter it when he needs to get what he wants.

[Jim Sagle]

7. This thread ain't nuthin' but shit and neither is Welch.

[PBinOregon]

8. These Posts Are Really Getting Tiresome

Dean is exactly who he is. I've followed every interview he has done for over a year now, and he has remained amazingly consistent. I adore Kucinich, but his backers are making me sigh. Dennis won't win by his backers attacking Dean. I know it is useless to say this, but it's the truth. I don't agree with everything Dean does, but I think he is a man of integrity, and I sure do wish the Dean-bashers would give it a rest.