Is this the new desparate strategy of the DLC?

[goforit]

Kerry, Gepthardt and Lieberman bash Dean to "smithereens" with full
knowlege they don't have a chance in hell, just so
Clark can rise up and smell like a rose?

When all these guys stepped forward I was really excited that
they all came out to run for the Presidency. I honestly felt
that the more voices that were out there the more amunition
we would have against Bush.

Right now I do like Kucinich/Dean/Clark, but if Clark would be
of the wiser of the bunch, He should ask the DLC to back off
due to everything these jerks touch has done nothing but backfire
in their faces.

Clark has not convinced me in his heart that he wants to take the
responsibility of running a hard knox campaign and taking the
office of the Presidency himself. It is like the water in the pool
is too cold and he is hesitant to jump in.

Basically......I would hope he shows a little more passion
in his desire to take on this enormous task of defeating Bush!!!!

[meegbear]

1. Still following dean's "Annoy the DLC" orders we see

[goforit]

4. LOL!!!!.........NOPE...I am just ANTI-WAR...But you are D-L-C!!!!!!!!

Getting Bush re-elected is your first priority!

[Nottingham]

23. Goforit!

:bounce:

[blm]

27. Dean is a DLC centrist. Kerry is a DLC liberal. You side with the centrist

who supports the BFEE goal of deregulating electricity, and you have the NERVE to complain?

Dean started the fighting to make his name, he can live with the payback.

[TLM]

31. BLM I keep asking and you keep dodging...

Sicne when has the BFEE supported net metering, which was the reason that Dean supported a level of deregulation in VT... and it worked.

And Dean is not DLC, hasn't been for some time.

Hence the fact pro-war Kerry, and current DLC memeber, was all for the attacks by the DLC calling Dean a fringn leftist for being against the war.

Pro-war Kerry's DLC said those dems who were agaisnt the war were not real democrats... so fuck Kerry and the DLC he rode in on.

[blm]

38. Dean was DLC as governor. Did he resign from the DLC?

Kerry stayed on the left through his time at the DLC while Dean was part of the centrists trying to pull the party right. You can't revise his past record and his current stand as a centrist.

Dean said he was for deregulation, including deregulation of electricity. Qualify that stance NOW all you want, but when he was selling himself as a centrist he was boasting of his deregulation views. Now that he has converted to populism and uses populist rhetoric, I always expected him to soft pedal his record and stance on this issue.

[Cha]

5. "still" posting anti Dean posts , "I see"!

:)

[im4edwards]

2. my favorite tinfoil hat scenario

had Clark riding in to derail Dean and then standing down and transferring his delegates to the party's original favorite Kerry to regain his 'rightful' spot as nominee.

I obviously have too much idle time.

[Cha]

6. Hmm?! NOt idle at all!

[im4edwards]

8. just to clarify, I don't actually believe its true

it just makes a cute 'what if' sort of thing.

It would be nice as it would benefit my guy in his shot at busting into the top spot but its really intended as being just for fun.

[Cha]

15. We'll see ..won't we!

[im4edwards]

19. I guess we will

maybe I'm smarter than I think ! Or luckier.

I'd rather be lucky than smart though.

LIke I've believed all along, this will be a really fun race to 2004 !

[WhoCountsTheVotes]

16. I thought he was Hillary's stalking horse?

that what Rush Limbaugh said!

[im4edwards]

21. can't I have my own silly idea too ?

there are a wide variety of zany theories, his no less so than mine or any other.

I liked mine better as I coundn't see Clark taking an actual loss for the boss's wife. Simply stepping aside allows him a more graceful exit and sets him up for a more appropriate roll in a successful candidate's administration. It could become 'too hard' on his family or something.

I've GOT to find a hobby !

[TLM]

34. I was wondering about this.....

Hillary said she won't run....



But what if Clark were to get the nomination and tap her for VP?

[Cha]

3. Well, we shall see, goforit, is your hypothesis on the "new dlc

strategy" is true! It's a sure bet they have a political strategy worked up, no?

[goforit]

7. After reading the NYT 10-1-03,...I am appalled at the DLC's cadidate's

vanity.

Kerry and Gepthardt are already sealing the approval
the re-election of Bush!!!!

[Brian Sweat]

9. Yes, everyone is out to get Dean

[Cha]

12. Not "everyone"...but the dlc is who we are concerned with...

your sarcasm is duly noted.

[LoneStarLiberal]

10. The Dichotomy

There's a dichotomy brewing right now in terms of how the Democratic candidates can best serve their own causes of winning during the Primary season yet still appeal to the national audience come the General Election.

Unfortunately what Democratic voters want to hear from their candidates doesn't go over so well in the General Election with the one group of voters that we really need: Moderates. Democratic voters want to hear a candidate who gives voice to their disenfranchisement, their anger, and their desire to oppose the Bush administration. Moderate voters are quite vulnerable to the Republican message portraying this rhetoric as baseless liberal hatred of the President, though they tend to not be so turned off by similar rhetoric from the incumbent party.

I get the impression that Clark is trying to hedge his rhetoric...give the Democratic base enough to not look like a wuss, but leaving the more aggressive stuff to the candidates who are already mired in it: Dean, Kerry, and Kucinich.

I think we're getting ready to enter that period where the Bush-bashing is going to take a back seat to the candidate-bashing; we're into the terminal campaigning period where these kinds of things take precedence.

[denverbill]

11. I'm with you. The DLC better back off.

I want a hard fought campaign based on ideas and energy. If Clark or Kerry or Gephardt can do it, fine. But don't attempt to destroy Dean in the process cause it's going to backfire.

Clark is still a major question mark in my mind. It looks REALLY REALLY bad that he was out fund raising to Bushco in 2000 and singing the praises of the bunch that is currently in power. How the hell can we realistically expect him to represent the little guy when he was all over the corporate whores 3 years ago?

[LoneStarLiberal]

20. One Possibility

Because he can give voice to the people we need to woo outside of our base in 2004...the people who are slowly waking up from their Republican voodoo curse...the people who voted for Bush in 2000 but will vote for a Democratic candidate in 2004 if the candidate speaks to them...the moderates.

I don't think Clark has a monopoly on this issue, but so far I think he appeals to a broader swath of moderates than any of the other Democratic candidates do.

Mods like his military background (whether or not you agree that this is a good thing is still up for debate, but mods do like it), his charisma, and his policy stands (so far). He's everything that George Bush isn't but he's also moderate enough that he doesn't scare them. From what I have seen and heard, Dean scares non-Democratic moderates, although why he does is beyond me.

I think Dean, Clark, or Kerry could all find a good deal of success in wooing moderate non-Dems to vote Democratic in 2004.

[denverbill]

26. I certainly agree his military background is a good thing.

So is Kerry's.

What bothers me is his support of Bush in 2000, and his lack of real liberal credentials. The guy is damned impressive. First in his class a West Point, Rhodes scholar, war hero, general. But you toss in the fund raising for Bush in 2000, and it really throws a wrench in it. Are we really voting for someone who will be working for us, or are we voting for someone who will support the status quo, and will be only a marginal improvement from Bush in a few areas?

We can't afford another big business backing Democrat in the White House. This country is bleeding jobs. Our retirement savings are shot. Companies are looting pensions. Low wage workers are falling further and further behind. More and more people are losing health insurance. This cannot continue.

[wyldwolf]

13. It may be a DLC strategy - stranger political things have happenned...

...but I wouldn't call it desparate. If it is a plan, it does seem to be working.

"Desparate" would be a concerted and rabid smear of Howard Dean by the DLC.

[goforit]

14. I can not believe that the DLC is also Blowing California!!!

Go Home DLC!!!!

[im4edwards]

18. California is a mess

No one has a plan for what to do in this scenario.

Bustamante was a scoundrel for entering the race and is forced to either say that he wants the same game plan that got this to happen in the forst place or something different which puts him somewhat at odds with what he said to get elected.

Davis did next to nothing for the longest time to put a cork in it.

Virtually everyone has gone out to try and help including prime DLC focus Big Dog.

That being said, how in the heck can Arnold be the odds on favorite to be the next governor of California ? Only in America...

[LoneStarLiberal]

22. Total Democratic Meltdown

The California recall and the Texas redistricting are two great examples of why we need leadership from our national party irrespective of who the candidate is/who they are and whether or not this is an election year.

Terry McAuliffe is a tool. He's allowed the Democratic Party to play flower girl to the Republican shotgun wedding that has been our country's political life for the last three years.

First the DNC said they stood behind Davis but they didn't really stand behind him. Second they said they wouldn't condone Bustamante's candidacy but they silently did condone him. The result? Now that they seem to have decided to stand firmly behind Davis ONE WEEK before the election, they have kneecapped Bustamante, waited too late to help Davis be effective in opposing the recall, and in essence have SECEDED the entire referendum and race to Arnold.

Nice job you yahoos.

[im4edwards]

32. California was a hopeless mess, Texas is just ebb and flow.

This gerrymandering crap has been going on forever, the term came from 1812 or some such thing. It goes back and forth every ten years in every state of the Union. And its always a hot ticket, we had a doozy here in VA last time around. Rattled around in the courts as the Texas one will before long (and where it should have been debated as opposed to what happened IMHO, a LOT of bad blood from that action that will be manifest for a long time).

Politics and politicians are carefully crafted to take advantage of this process. The Dems got caught this time, they won the time before and they could easily win the next one after this.

Feces happens.

[TLM]

36. Been there done that.... remember

teh DLC accused Dean of being a fringe leftist... and anti-war dems of not being real democrats.

[Nottingham]

17. Goforit excellent observation! Yes the DLC is in a panic

they're candidates are pathetic and so if Dean gets in they will be
in a panic! But the funny part about it is the more they attack the better cause Dean just gets stronger! It is fascinating!

and looking at California I wonder if the DLC has been part of the fall of that state. Cause clearly we could have had Al Franken or somebody popular run instead of Davis! I feel the DLC has been way behind in California and it shows their powerless right now!

:bounce:

[Eloriel]

24. It's the Stop Dean campaign

Clark has been put in the race specifically to stop Dean, by other Democrats. And it's NOT because Dean is unelectable - it's precisely because he IS electable AND the movement that has formed around him, which is intent on "taking back our country" from ALL the special interests and putting it in the hands, for the first time in a very long while, of THe People.

He's raising his money from small donors -- people like you and me. He's running a grassroots, Open Source iterative Presidential Campaign in which he and his campaign listen carefully, respond and adopt the ideas of his supporters -- people like you and me. He's not bought, he's not handled, he's free and able to respond to The People. He is revitalizing the democratic process itself, and it's very scary for some who do not want to let go of THEIR power (which isn't The People's Power).

So he has become unbelievably dangerous for those who do NOT want to let go of their power and influence -- the DNC, the DLC, and people like the Clintons.

I should've paid attention when Bill Clinton said a few weeks ago that "there are two stars in the Democratic Party -- Hillary Clinton and Wesley Clark." I should've listend when Hillary gave a glowing review of Clark to a reporter, but said, "but this isn't an endorsement, I can't endorse anyone." I should've paid attention when Howard Fineman wrote a column about the Stop Dean effort in the party. But when Clark finally announced and then shortly thereafter I heard him spouting some DLC talking points, and THEN it was revealed that not only was Clinton "encouraging him to run," but a bunch of ex-Clinton aides and campaign workers had joined his campaign, I got it.

Bill Clinton does NOT have the right to pick our nominee for us, especially when he's thwarting the will of the people to do so. I have been increasingly "over" the Clintons (and Bill IS the only Republican I ever voted for), but this little move clinches it for me. He is NOT a friend of democracy, AFIC, or The People. And he needs to get the hell out of this primary race. Period.

Eloriel

[TLM]

33. Well said Eloriel...

I fell for the Clark hype myself... but when I looked behind the curtain, I didn’t like what I saw.


Before about 3 weeks ago, Clark was a republican allied with the PNAC crew, Kissinger, who was in favor of the war in Iraq, and praising Bush & Reagan at repuke fundraisers.


But somehow we're supposed to pretend that shit doesn't exist because he has said the right sound bytes on TV recently?


I'm still waiting for someone to explain how a man who only registered as a dem 2 weeks ago is in any way entitled to even run for the nomination in our party.

[revcarol]

25. No, don't see it.

In my eyes, Dean is quite DLC himself. Can't have all those power companies be regulated, gotta have deregulation. A patsy for corporate interests.

It's just "beat up on the media darling" time.

[w4rma]

28. The DLC Blasts Activists-Time to Fight Back!

An internal Democratic Leadership Council memo leaked to press on May 14 says:

"But the great myth of the current cycle is the misguided notion that the hopes and dreams of activists represent the heart and soul of the Democratic Party."

Al From, founder and CEO of the Democratic Leadership Council and Bruce Reed, President of the DLC, yesterday circulated this memo to "Leading Democrats" in which they argue that traditional Democratic values are "an aberration" and that the thousands of grassroots Democrats inspired by Governor Dean's message to "take back our party" are "activist elites" and not "real Democrats."

This vicious attack was not just an attack on Howard Dean, but an attack on the very people who care about health care for all Americans, who care about adequate funding for school boards, and who care that this country provide moral leadership in the international community.

For the rest of the story:
http://www.voice4change.org/stories/showstory.asp?file=030519~v4c.asp

Warm Regards,

Voice4change.org
http://www.voice4change.org
http://www.gpde.org/Green%20Diamond/Vol_3/Vol_3_Issue_21.htm#The%20DLC%20Blasts%20Activists

[goforit]

29. Yep It is time to fight. After the constant failures they all...

need to resign immediately.

My God, Clinton can't help anyone run!!!
And I just can't figure this one out!

[w4rma]

30. Dean's Response to DLC's Charge that Public Servants are"Fringe Activists"

Dean Statement in Response to DLC's Charge that Public Servants are "Fringe Activists"

“Once again, the DLC has chosen to put their own political agenda ahead of the progress needed to unite the Democratic Party. This election has barely begun, and the DLC has repeatedly dismissed people who attend caucuses, who get out the vote, and now the 1.3 million members of AFSCME as ‘fringe activists’ who do not reflect ‘the mainstream values, national pride and the economic aspirations of middle-class and working people.’

“The DLC staff can say what they want about me, but they owe an apology to the 1.3 million members of AFSCME. Our teachers, our health care workers, and our state and local public servants don't need a lesson from Washington insiders about the needs and concerns of middle- and working-class families. What they need is a Democratic Party that will stand up for them.”

Posted by Mathew Gross at 04:27 PM
http://blog.deanforamerica.com/archives/000206.html

Tell From and Reed of the DLC What You Think
Click here to sign a letter to the Democratic Leadership Council telling them that you're an active Democrat who supports Howard Dean. You can tell your friends about the link, too: www.deanforamerica.com/DLC

Posted by Mathew Gross at 01:29 AM
http://blog.deanforamerica.com/archives/000240.html

Fineman on the DLC Memo
http://blog.deanforamerica.com/archives/000213.html

Former DNC-Chief Steve Grossman to DLC: "Creating Conflict is Not Leadership."
http://blog.deanforamerica.com/archives/000225.html

Liberal Oasis on Howard Dean and the DLC
http://blog.deanforamerica.com/archives/000226.html

Will the Real DLC Please Stand Up?
http://blog.deanforamerica.com/archives/000228.html

Congressional Members Call on DLC to Stop Divisive Tactics
http://blog.deanforamerica.com/archives/000238.html

Activists Are Out of Step
By Al From and Bruce Reed
http://www.ndol.org/ndol_ci.cfm?contentid=251866&kaid=85&subid=65

The Real Soul of the Democratic Party
By Al From and Bruce Reed
http://www.ndol.org/ndol_ci.cfm?contentid=251690&kaid=127&subid=900056

[goforit]

35. This is great information!......Certainly his cash contributions from all

over America should tell the Old Guard where to go.

The "Old Guard" certainly have lost touch with the common man that
Gore layed his life down for.

And the common man can see a phoney when they see one!!!!

[TLM]

37. Bull... talk to folks in vermont.

The deregulation allowed for establishing a net metering program... which allows everybody to benefit.

[Cha]

39. some people see only what they want to see.

Anything to get a dig in on Dean!