Dean a real liberal?

[angee_is_mad]

The media is always saying how liberal Dean is. That he is moving the party away from the center. Besides he's stance on the war what makes him a liberal? He seems to be more of a centrist to me, in comparsion to some of the other candidates.
Okay Deanies state your piece!

[alexwcovington]

1. I think he is a real liberal

Perhaps a bit pragmatic, but he seems willing to stand up for the important principles.

[xultar]

3. Compared to whom Asscroft...puhleez

Dean is a moderate more centrist. Slinkerwink admitted it yesterday.
Plus Dean is actually to the right of Clark on some issues. More specifically Dean is a little more conservative than Clark.

So...I don't know what you mean by liberal. If you think Dean is liberal then Clark is like Kucinich.

[Freddie Stubbs]

4. His website says that he is a moderate

A common-sense moderate who firmly believes that social justice can only be accomplished through strong financial management, Governor Dean has cut the income tax twice, removed the sales tax on most clothing, and reduced the state's long-term debt. Not only did the governor pay off an inherited $70 million deficit, he worked with lawmakers to build "rainy day" reserves to help the state through any future economic downturn.

more: http://www.deanforamerica.com/site/PageServer?pagename=about_biography

[dsc]

2. He is very liberal on social issues

You can't get more liberal on women's rights, abortion, and civil rights then he has been and it is quite hard to be more liberal on gay rights (only CMB, Sharpton, and the Kucinich running now are more liberal). He has a solid enviromental record and is solid on children's issues. He is more moderate on some other things.

[bhunt70]

6. I personally feel Clark is more liberal...

but "liberal" is becoming something in the "eye of the beholder" these days.

[Dookus]

7. Well..

the death penalty and guns are social issues on which he's not terribly liberal.

[angee_is_mad]

11. more then Kerry, Edwards and...

Gepthardt? Is he more socially liberal than the above mentioned candidates?

[Kanary]

22. He's pro cuts to the Safety Net

That's not liberal.

It's also threatening to many citizens of the US

Kanary

[Catholic Sensation]

5. though I'm slightly drunk (just celebrated my 21st b-day w/ some friends)

so take this for what it's worth:

I thought Howard Dean was for things like socialed health care and gay civil unions. I'm pro-Kerry and pro-Dean so I haven't settled on one candidate just yet.

I figured I'd need to be a little shitfaced to enter any serious conversation about the candidates after Gore's endorsement :D

[MercutioATC]

9. Congrats on your 21st!

I'm a little over 15 years past that particular milestone, but I still remember it well.

Both candidates have good records on health care and GLBT issues. Gore's endorsement was a great thing for Dean but remember, he only gets one vote. You also get that same one vote. I'd love for you to vote for Dean, but I'd encourage you to vote for the candidate that speaks to your issues. Just voting is the important part.

[Leftist78]

8. He may not be all that liberal

but you gotta love the way he's galvanized the progressive movement. That alone is enough to make him appealing to me.

[opstachuck]

10. i'm voting for the guy that lets me have sex with my toaster n/t

[angee_is_mad]

12. toast!

Please unplug it first!!!!

[opstachuck]

14. please, this is between me and my toaster.

my toaster, my toast.

[angee_is_mad]

16. lol

to each its own, we do live in a democracy.

[Cleita]

13. Is Clark a liberal?

Is Kucinich a liberal?
Is Kerry a liberal?
Is Mosley Braun a liberal?
Is Sharpton a liberal?
Is Edwards a liberal?
Is Lieberman a liberal?

Jeez, all you have to do is go to their websites and it tells you where they stand.

[depakid]

15. Dean can't be pigeon holed- and it drives people nuts

Here and elsewhere. People like easy to digest paradigms, especially one's that fit their attitude and belief systems. When an eclectic guy like Dean comes along, full of seeming contradictions, it causes them some internal grief (or makes them self assess). I suspect that if Dean does win the noination- and especially if Clark is his VP, a lot of Republicans are going to become very uncomfortable with themselves come next fall.

[ThirdWheelLegend]

29. This is due to his changing positions... is that a good thing?

He seems to have the 'finger to the wind' approach. Depending on who he is addressing or where others are leaning, Dean places his message.

IWR, CFR, SS age, 87 billion.. etc.

These are part of the reasons I do NOT support Dean, not some BS electability meme.

I don't care how big his baseball bat is or how many new campaign offices he opens. I prefer integrity and action.

TWL

[Northwind]

17. LIberal

liberal
adj 1: showing or characterized by broad-mindedness; "a broad
political stance"; "generous and broad sympathies"; "a
liberal newspaper"; "tolerant of his opponent's
opinions"
2: having political or social views favoring reform and
progress
3: tolerant of change; not bound by authoritarianism,
orthodoxy, or tradition

Describes Dean perfectly.

[angee_is_mad]

18. so he is a liberal

but his supporters are not? Being tolerent of others opinion doesn't describe his supporters. However it is good to know that their candidate is tolerent.
I appreciate the definition.

[Catholic Sensation]

20. on this forum it doesn't seem to describe any candidate's supporters

Look, right now the democratic nomination race is like the MLB, we are all rooting for different teams and we'll say nasty things about all the other guys, but when the fall classic comes around next year, we will all be united in our hatred of the government's version of the Yankees, Bush. (most money, arguably the best staff in being political behind him, etc.)

[Skwmom]

19. Zell Miller was praising Dean

for how he governed Vermont. That should speak volumes if only people would listen.

[opstachuck]

23. i'm listening

yet all i hear is the drip-drop, drip-drop, drip drop... what's that? oh, it's your tears in my cup o' nomination soup!

[RevolutionStartsNow]

24. Even Zell Miller

is right once in awhile. :)

[angee_is_mad]

25. really?

Now that is interesting. Maybe Miller will endorse him also. That would help to attract the pickup truck, confederate flag waving white male that he talked about.

[Catholic Sensation]

26. the buzz i've been experiencing for an hour now is wearing off, so

this could be it for posting on GD for a little bit, but I believe it was Foghorn Leghorn himself who was criticizing Dean on Hannity and Colmes a month ago.

[phillybri]

30. When the hell did this happen????

????

[killbotfactory]

21. On social issues, yes...

He's pretty liberal on gay rights and abortion... thinks drugs are a medical problem... etc...

[SahaleArm]

28. I thought Dean was not in favor of medical marijuana? *nm*

[KaraokeKarlton]

27. He's a Deanocrat

A Deanocrat is a common sense American sick of Bush's bullshit.

Seriously, don't even try to label him because he won't fit into any neat political box. Dean shares some liberal beliefs and he shares some centrist beliefs. He presents those beliefs in a way that is palatable to the most amount of people.

There will definitely be plenty about him you'll like, but there will likely be some things you don't like, too. I think regardless of what any candidate tells you or promises, that always turns out to be true anyhow. At least Dean tells you straight up where he stands so when he does end up doing something you disagree with it doesn't bowl you over and upset you nearly as bad. Oh, and he usually ends up being right. He has every time I've ever disagreed with what he's done. I think it's the doctor in him. His thought process in problem solving is done like a doctor. That makes him really unique and probably is part of what makes it hard to label him.

[VermontDem2004]

31. He's not bad for a conservative democrat

Dean Cut taxes three times and reduced Vermont's per capita debt by 23%
Insured 96% of Vermonters under the age of 18 under the Dr Dynasaur program.
In 1991 Vermont had the lowest bond rating in New England. Today Vermont has the highest rating in New England, AA+
Inherited a $60 million debt, but left office with a balanced budget
Signed the groundbreaking civil unions bill, which gave homosexual couples the same legal rights and responsibilities as hetero couples
Restricting development of hundreds of thousands of acres of land, preserving it for future generations.
Signed into law a mental health bill which ended discriminatory practices against the mentally ill and drug abusers
Removed the sales tax on clothing and shoes in order to benefit lower and middle income families
Creating 41,000 new jobs in Vermont
Closed more than 70 landfills
Increased the percentage of recycled waste to nearly 40 percent of all Vermont waste.
Set aside hundreds of thousands of farm and forestland which will never be developed.
Governor Dean strengthened Vermont's Dr. Dynasaur program to guarantee health coverage for virtually every child age 18 and under.
Over 92 percent of all Vermonters have coverage - one of the highest rates in the country - and 96 percent of all children under 18 are covered.
In 1997, Governor Dean signed into law the nation's most comprehensive mental health and substance abuse parity bill in the nation, ending discriminatory insurance practices against these major diseases.
Like other leading states, Vermont adopted high standards testing which has resulted in significant improvement in school accountability. Unlike other leading states, however, under Governor Dean's leadership Vermont has adopted a system of sharing educational dollars across the state, so schools in poor communities have the same financial backing as those in wealthy communities.
Governor Dean has signed into law tougher penalties for hate crimes, as well as tighter restrictions against discrimination in the workplace, housing, public accommodations, and more
Child abuse was cut in half
More than 1 third of Vermont's energy is renewable energy
Under Gov. Dean education money increased dramatically and was more evenly distributed across the state.
Vermont's unemployment rate still remains well below the national average
#5 in economic competitiveness
#9 in high tech jobs