If the Democrat leadership keep smearing Dean

[niceypoo]

and he WINS the nomination......what will happen? Will they have to spend the rest of the campaign backpedaling from their attacks, hopefully bringing back the votes of people they convinced not to vote for Dean? It seems to me Dean is running against Bush while the Democratic party is running against Dean. Not good

[LynneSin]

1. They would stick with the party

I can see no reason why the DLC would not back Dean (or any other non-DLC candidate) in the 2004 elections. If they didn't, they would pretty much have to start their own party from there and I doubt that would happen

[niceypoo]

9. Of course they would back Dean

BUT what about all the people who watch them attack him for a year? Who would they vote for?

[indigo32]

2. I agree

Its getting mighty ugly... and seems to me like an effort to keep the people from making their OWN choice. NOT GOOD.

[tom_paine]

3. Yes, either the DLC are some egocentric dumbasses

or Uncle Karl has more than a few operatives planted therein.

Both are a strong possibility.

The DLC is characterized, more than the rest of the Dems, by still insisting that there is nothing to the VRWC or Confederate Broederbund or whatever you want to call it.

No weakening nor parasitization of the Mainstream Media. No formation of a Right-Wing Sub-Media, a Party Media with no ethics nor fact checking nor any other goal than advancement of the Party (the Soviets and Nazis might find some familiar ground here in turning Party Media into the Mainstream Media). No Stalin-style front group, that Federalist Society -- just a bunch of honest Joes and Janes in a, you know, a sort of nice little...club.

And on and on and on...

The DLC appears more clueless to these dangerous and frightening (not to mention enraging and unAmerican) turns of events...

[tom_paine]

4. DAMN IT, IT's DEMOCRAT*IC*! *IC*! *IC*! *IC*!

You talk about the DLC doing Bushevik work and carrying Bushevik water?

Well, every time one of us uses those odious slurs "Democrat" Leadership, etc., we carry the water for Totalitarian Scum.

If you are oblivious to this tactic, it is EXACTLY like the Nazi slurs of "Jew Lawyer" vs. the normal non-slur Jewish lawyer.

Jew and Democrat are NOUNS and should be used as such.

Jewish and Democratic are ADJECTIVES and should be used for the descriptive case.

Kindly stop doing the Bushevik's dirty work for them. They have plenty of mindless automatons and Brownshirts to do that for them. They don't need our help.

[AngryYoungMan]

6. What?

Your argument is that any use of "Democrat" rather than "Democratic" is a slur? And that liberals who unwittingly pick up this habit are inadvertently smearing Democrats?

That's a rather outlandish position to be taking.

[On the Road]

7. Any Use of "Democrat" as an *Adjective* is Pejorative

When nicey_poo referred to the "democrat leadership", he (or she) was being unintentionally insulting.

The DNC leadership is composed of Democrats, but it should be called the DemocratIC leadership. I understand it originated with Joe McCarthy, but it's been revived lately, and a lot of people across the spectrum have picked it up without necessarily thinking about it.

Tom_paine pointed it out a little strongly, but I agree with him.

[niceypoo]

10. you people are attacking one word while ignoring what I said

Thus absolving yourselves from dealing with reality. Hypersensitivity to being called a democrat only makes you look petty....particularily when it has more importance to you than the facts in my original post which are quite important. As I said. The more the democratic leadership smears Dean.....the less votes he will get when he wins the nomination. This is far more important than someone dropping 2 letters in a caption so it will FIT!

God help us if this is what the democrats have come to. SAVE US DEAN!!!
www.deanforamerica.com

[mandyky]

21. Must be circular firing squad day

over at the Dean blog people are tripping all over themselves, calling out trolls, etc, just because Dean hired an African American Deputy Campaign manager.

Personally, I find all this Democratic/Democrat crap just more of the same. Not everyone is an English frigging major.

[janx]

13. I'll be darned, you're right! I checked two different, reputable

dictionaries, and there is NO use of the term "democrat" as an adjective in either one of them.

[SEAburb]

5. smearing?? can you explain what smear ? / nt

........

[DeathvadeR]

8. A SKIZIM YOU SAY>?

What color you gonna be? BLUE or RED??
<http://www.bushflash.com/dlc.html>

[niceypoo]

11. By calling him "Far left" in hopes people will be turned off

By him. For starters: Lieberman attacks Dean: http://www.news-leader.com/today/0804-Hopefulsil-125568.html

Lieberman attacks Dean. Kerry attacks Dean. The DLC attacks Dean.
http://www.dailykos.com/archives/003654.html

"Don't attack Bush!" say the frightened DLCers. "He's too popular!"

The whole "official" democratic stance makes me ill

[blm]

14. My challenge to you: Draw a timeline on the attacks

from the very first shot from Dean last January, all the way to today. I would bet that Dean has a near monopoly on attacking the other candidates and the Democratic Party for the first half of the timeline. And I would say he attacked by misrepresenting their positions and his own record.

Is turnabout NOT fair play?

I would also add that Dean tried to cast himself as left of Kerry, Gephardt and Edwards when he called them "Bushlite". Considering that Kerry has a record close to Wellstone, then why did Dean try to pass himself off as to Kerry's left and then complain about it when the DLC calls his bluff and agrees with him?

[niceypoo]

15. Dean is being attacked BECAUSE HE IS THE FRONTRUNNER

Has that EVER happened before? Look what happened when we did it the Democratic leaderships way (Bush lite and "Me too" to everything Bush said). Turned off the base voters and lost the midterms. The same tack will lose EVERYTHING if it continues. Dean is saving the party!! He is feared because he dares go against Bushes agenda which is what the democrats are supposed to do. He is attacked by the democratic Leadership when they should be going after Bush. Its as if they fear him MORE than Bush. he challenges the democratic party to dare represent DEMOCRATS (or is it Democratics....Im confused now!), Not some poll driven, fantasy voter dreamed up by a focus group. WAKE UP DEMOCRATS (Or Democratics, for the hypersensitive amongst us)! SAVE US HOWARD DEAN!! The party seems to be in ROVIAN hands!!

[blm]

19. Oh...I see...Dean is merely a victim

who innocently went on about his campaign while all the mean guys attacked him relentlessly.

Please let us know when the shuttle lands.

[dajabr]

16. blm, I know it pleases you to see Dean get attacked...

But, do you endorse the nature of the DLC's attacks?

Liberal = Bad
Activist = Bad
Anti-War = Bad

You don't condone that, do you?

[blm]

20. Nope...I think they should have called Dean out for lying.

They shouldn't have said, "OK, Howie, we'll go along with your ruse, and say you're more liberal than John Kerry and Dick Gephardt."

Like it or not, Dean set the tone for all of this. I saw it coming the first time I read the article where he called the others, "Bushlite" and called his campaign about it, saying it was a bad tactic, very Naderlike (that was when he was on my shortlist). They agreed, backed off, then started right in again 2 weeks later.

How judicious can any of you be when you excuse the guy who threw the first twenty punches?

[niceypoo]

22. Dajabr....my point EXACTLY

Dean is being attacked for RETURNING TO DEMOCRATIC PRINCIPALS. Bush lite should be a BEER not a STANCE from the democratic party. The Democratic party shouldnt attack candidates........thats is the job of OTHER candidates. Attacks coming from the party itself can be VERY damaging. Particularily if their target WINS THE NOMINATION

[blm]

31. Timeline for all attacks?

Didn't expect it.

[chimpymustgo]

26. blm, once again, you hit the bull's eye.

Dean STARTED this crap. Got on the map with this crap. And now he's the victim? Pullleeeeze.

[dansolo]

28. Dean couldn't attack Bush and not the others

Dean's rise was carried by his objection to the war. He would have been characterized, rightfully, as merely being partisan if he only criticized Bush for the war, and not the other Democrats who supported him. Dean was right to point out that Democrats like Lieberman, Gephardt and Kerry were enablers in Bush's march to war.

[blm]

30. But Dean was FOR the use of force dictated by Biden-Lugar

He was for a slightly different version of the resolution that they voted for that led to the war in Iraq . He just managed to hide that fact from his antiwar audiences that he was collecting $$$ from.

[jpgray]

12. Just campaigning, they'll tout him if he wins the nom (nt)

[Bombtrack]

17. Democratic leadership? They haven't bashed him

I haven't heard anything about him from Pelosi and Daschle

It's funny though how it was alright when Dean was bashing and even lying about the other candidates and none of his supporters ever critisized him for it.

[TheBigGuy]

18. This is a concern....

that if they are seriously anti-Dean they wont wholeheartedly support his candidacy.

A concern I personally have is that the anti-Dean attacks will be used by the GOP to attack Dean during the general election.

[Cheswick2.0]

23. Dean is no victim

he asked for the spanking. Mr prediction is that Dean will not be the nominee.

[niceypoo]

24. He "Deserves a spanking" for standing up to Bush

This thread gets more and more absurd

[blm]

25. No...for starting the attack mode on the other Dem candidates

last January. You want to call the guy who threw the first twenty punches a victim of those who are punching back.

[John_H]

27. The Democratic Leadership isn't bashing Dean

don't fall for the Greenies DLC=DNC bull honkey--it's been proven utter BS ad nausium time and time again.

[SOS]

29. Dean

is fast becoming the Democratic Party leadership.

[w4rma]

32. No kidding. (n/t)