Jimmy Carter says Dean "is inherently a very conservative person"

[dobak]

http://www.cnn.com/2003/ALLPOLITICS/12/12/elec04.prez.carter.dean/index.html

LOS ANGELES (CNN) -- Former President Jimmy Carter said he thinks Howard Dean's prospects in the upcoming Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primary look rosy and that the Democratic presidential front-runner's "inherently" conservative political persona will emerge as the primary season heads through uncharted waters.

....

And he said the upstart candidate, being cast by some Democrats and Republicans as a ultra-liberal, "is inherently a very conservative political person."

....

"I think his record in Vermont indicates that, on fiscal matters and on many other matters -- you know, gun control and things like that -- he has a very conservative record."

...


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Comments?

[mikehiggins]

1. Oh yeah

That's an endorsement ;^)

Wait till the supporters of a certain candidate hear that one.

I hope Jimmy's wearing his asbestos underwear.

[dobak]

4. notice that I did not comment or add anything?

I'll let Jimmy do the talking

[Raya]

56. Carter said Dean Could USE HIS CONSERVATIVE RECORD in the GE

I saw the interiew. Carter was being positive about Dean's chances against Bush.


BUT, HEARING IT MADE ME PUKE!

I did't need another confirmation that I had been working for a slime-ball.

I would have rather have supported a PROGRESSIVE ACTING CONSERVATIVE to win the General, than a CONSERVATIVE ACTING PROGRESSIVE to win the Primary.

We have been had. I am argry, angry. Especially at all my friend who are closing their eyes and blocking their ears from the sad truth.

Thank you DU for being here for me to vent.

[funkyflathead]

2. Does conservative automatically mean repuke? n/t

[dobak]

7. no

I think he is a centrist

[bearfartinthewoods]

44. no, there are conservative dems...like zel miller!

but he's voting for bush.

[eileen_d]

3. Another example of the "creative headline" syndrome

The actual headline of this article is "Carter: Dean's chances 'quite good' in N.H., Iowa, uncertain elsewhere"

Come on now...

[dobak]

8. not

I focused only on what Carter said about Dean's political leanings

The headline matches just fine

[eileen_d]

12. I know what your focus was.

I just thought the comparison of your headline and the actual article headline was kind of funny.

[dobak]

14. I only posted the link because someone would ask for it later

This is the first time I have seen the media, even through someone else, call Dean a centrist/conservative.

[eileen_d]

20. Usually the media paints Dean as a "leftie"

But the media is usually wrong about Democrats in general. This is no exception. I've heard that Dean is a centrist from many of his own supporters, so I guess I'm not surprised.

[neuvocat]

5. Strange.

[deutsey]

6. Wow. Carter is, like, so prescient.

That's sarcasm, for those who fail to recognize it.

For the thousandth time: who really thinks Dean is "ultra-liberal" except for Neo-Cons and the "liberal" media? I'm ultra-left and I support Dean AND fully recognize that he's not an "ultra-liberal". He's a centrist who has demonstrated to me that he is genuinely open to what the left has to say, unlike many elected Democrats these days.

Man, Democrats just love beating the same dead horses, don't they?

[dobak]

10. I know alot of Dean supporters who think he is one of the most liberal

(on DU and in my personal life)

[deutsey]

15. Well, they're sadly misinformed

Anyone who takes five minutes to read up on his background and current positions should be able to tell that he's a fiscal conservative who wants to achieve social justice through a balanced budget.

I mean, this isn't secret information available to only the initiated.

:shrug:

[dobak]

19. exactly! That is why I posted the article

[deutsey]

29. And that's why I'm saying Dean views shouldn't surprise anyone

If Carter is just waking up to Dean's background and current views, then it's no wonder he lost in '80. Maybe he should talk to his son...I read over in Politics and Campaigns that Carter's son is campaigning for Dean.

[Melinda]

22. I'd love it if you could find a Dean supporter on DU who believes that.

Seriously. Our political values seem to be so similar, that deutsey could have written this post for me. I can't for the life of me think of another single Dean supporter on DU who disillusionally believes Dr Dean is "too far left" or anything more than a pragmatic centrist who, depending on the issue, can (and does) lean in either direction.

I'd love to meet one though.

[Demobrat]

25. So would I.

In fact I was thinking about starting a thread. Any Dean supporters out there think he's a lefty?

[deutsey]

30. You're right on the mark, Melinda

I think it's Dean opponents who want to believe that Dean supporters are naively and falsely marching lockstep behind some leftwing messiah.

That certainly ain't what I see here or at the Meetup I co-coordinate.

[ozone_man]

34. I suppose it depends where you're from.

I'm another liberal, but with an eye on the deficit. Dean is perfect for me. Maybe Kucinich has a better overall fit, but I don't like the fact that he was anti-abortion until recently, and he just isn't electable (at this point in time). I did find this somewhat interesting:

(snip)
Carter acknowledged that Dean's staunch opposition to the Iraq war -- a position widely associated with the left -- has been his top issue.

While other candidates have put across that idea, he said Dean "was the first one. And the most consistent and the most vociferous."
(snip)

I would prefer that Carter talked (or knew) about Dean's liberal side, including gay rights, health care, and other issues that Dean is liberal on. I think Carter is a liberal Democrat from a conservative state, while Dean is a moderate Democrat from a liberal state. All summed, I think the conservative side of Dean (fiscally responsible) will help him trounce Bush in the general election.

I wish we could go back to the education grants that we had under Carter, but these are different times and it will be an uphill battle, especially with the massive deficits that Bush has accumulated.

[Lorien]

47. I support Dean

and I don't believe he's at all liberal. My own views are closer to Kucinich's than Deans, yet I believe the country will only go as far as the center-left right now, and will not vote for a truly liberal democrat.
For the record, I'll gladly support any of the candidates if they win the nomination. All of them are a considerable improvment over Bush*.I was at the Florida Democratic meeting for Clark's speech, and was quite impressed with him as well.

[ClassWarrior]

55. If "truly liberal" electors like you...

...can be talked into not voting for a "truly liberal Democrat" like Kucinich, then your view on Kucinich's electability are a self-fulfilling prophesy.

As the song says, let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with me.

[hedda_foil]

59. I've never seen one on DU so I doubt it's true in your personal life.

[fishguy]

11. Eclectic might be the best word for Dean

I don't support Dean, but any politico who gets an A rating from the NRA, did not support Bush's Mess O' Potamia, balances budgets when not required to do so, and had the whole civil union thing in Vermont, is just all over the radar.

[deutsey]

17. I think you're very astute

:hi: and welcome to DU!

[ozone_man]

42. That's a great view.

I guess the NRA thing is a bit more understandable when considering that Vermont has alot of hunters with guns. Dean respects their rights and has earned a good standing with them.

I like your "all over the radar" comment, one reason why his attackers are at a loss to find a line of attack. Good old Yankee common sense is what he learned in Vermont, even if he wasn't born here.

[Ardee]

48. "ultra left", huh?

So you support , from your 'far left' wing, a candidate all too willing to reduce the expenditures on education, reduce the safety net for seniors, weaken environmental protections in favor of attracting business to Vermont, refuse to consider a cut in the military budget (campaign statement)and deny the need for a national single payer health plan......How is life in the world of far left wingers?

[caledesi]

9. Interesting because I read that HD fashioned his campaign more

along the lines of Carter than Clinton (e.g., start early going to Iowa and keep going back to there and NH).

Dean is very difficult to label and that is why you hear so many opposing "takes" on him. Dean said once "I don't care how you want to label me."

For me, he's a moderate...my type of candidate. Fiery, speaks from the heart, fiscally responsible, a "street-fighter," (he won't take *'s sh*t) and socially liberal.

I hate guns, but I am not a one-issue voter. That's the only issue I disagree w/ him on.

[Demobrat]

23. Fiscal conservative. Social liberal.

Just like me.

[mainer]

45. And me.

Another fiscal conservative, social liberal.

[Monte Carlo]

13. He means conservative, not Conservative.

Not what the reactionaries since Reagan have called Conservative, but the actual dictionary meaning of conservative - favors the general status quo above radical shifts in government. If that's the case, I think he's dead-on. Dean is not liberal, and I'd think that Dean himself would be the first to tell you that.

[dobak]

18. no, he means Conservative

I think Dean is definitely not a "status quo" guy. (That is a good thing)

[fishguy]

21. The whole semantics issue

Liberal and Conservative are different than liberal and conservative.

[Rose Siding]

16. He's doing Dean a huge favor here

The repubs have already said that they will paint Dean as ultra liberal beginning in January and it will need serious countering.

[fishguy]

24. An A rating from the NRA

automatically makes you a non-ultra liberal.
No way someone can be an ultra-liberal with that rating.
One of the major reasons why Dean is not my favorite.
The NRA is a scumbag organization today, with its main purpose of protecting the wallets of gun manufacturers and gun sellers.
The old NRA is long dead in this country.

[caledesi]

26. Trippi is expecting this. Remember he and HD have seen

"this part of the show" before w/ McCain in SC. I can't wait to see how they retaliate if Dean is the nominee.

I will send my grocery money for Dean ads....I am serious. Well, still have to have my Ben & Jerry's, but that's about it.

[pasadenaboy]

27. here's some more of the article

"Carter acknowledged that Dean's staunch opposition to the Iraq war -- a position widely associated with the left -- has been his top issue.

While other candidates have put across that idea, he said Dean "was the first one. And the most consistent and the most vociferous.""


I think Dean is practical. He'll do as much good as he can.

[GreenArrow]

52. Carter was wrong

Regarding the Iraq fiasco, Kucinich is the candidate who "was the first one. And the most consistent and the most vociferous."

[blm]

28. Every time some lawmaker who is "inherently conservative" shows their core

people here at DU bitch up storm. Like Miller...or Feinstein's occasional centrism, or Breaux's or Biden's. Dean will ALWAYS return to his core when he governs, he'll be a pro-business, compromising centrist because THAT IS WHO HE IS.

It is so ridiculous to believe in all his election year conversions to populist positions. It's absurd really.

[deutsey]

31. Jeanne Dixon predicts

Thanks for your amazing powers of foretelling the future. And so impartially, too.

[blm]

33. Well, what does "inherently" mean to you?

To me it's who a person is at their core, in the DNA, the way they're wired.

His fighting populist rhetoric is NEW. That's a fact.

Also a fact that people here bitch royally about any centrist move by any Dem lawmaker, even when they know that person tends to be more moderate "inherently" or otherwise.

[deutsey]

36. It means it's Carter's interpretation of Dean

Carter himself, in fact, is no leftie. I don't have my People's History handy, but I'm pretty sure Zinn did not interpret Carter's presidency as some leftwing panacea in American politics.

[Octafish]

32. So Dean really is Bush-Lite.

A problem: Why did he spend so much energy telling us the other DEMs are Bush-Lite?

Hint: Dean doesn't have much of a record of supporting Democratic causes, does he? Check out what kind of kids brave Howard would leave behind. Here's a relevant quote:

"Liberals like Marian Wright Edelman are wrong." — Howard Dean

http://www.progress.org/2003/sol125.htm

Gee. Ms. Edelman only started the Children's Defense Fund, helping fund programs to help disadvantaged kids and lobby the hard-hearted scuts in Congress to fund Head Start. See, Ho-Ho really is no Liberal.

[Bread and Circus]

37. That's why I don't like Dean, his whole campaign is deceptive...

It's predicated on calling others "Bush-lite" when it is Dean
who is "Bush-lite" just as much as the the others.

Sorry Deanies, face reality.

[deutsey]

39. I don't see Dean as Bush-lite

Dean is a fiscal conservative who wants to balance the budget so that we can fund social justice programs (something he's done in Vermont). Bush is content with gutting our national treasury, giving it away to the wealthy elites and corporations, while bankrupting our social justice efforts for decades to come.

[mainer]

46. Absolutely not Bush-Lite

Pro gay civil unions.
Against the Iraq war.
Fiscally responsible.

Bush is none of these things.

Dean is conservative where it counts: balancing the budget.

[zulchzulu]

49. Exactly

Deaniacs originally went for him based on the foundation of a Big Lie.

They were against the war but... Gee, lookey here, Howard Dean is against the War! And boy oh boy, does he hate Bush! And he's kinda cute.

Cluelessly, they didn't want to know that Dean was originally for the war until Trippi whispered in his ear. Dean has recently admitted that he was for the Biden-Lugar amendment and just wants that little admission to go away.

Deaniacs finally found someone with lots of venom and quotes like "all the others running are Bush-Lite" and the hijacked Wellstone quote "I'm from the democratic wing of the Democratic Party!" to howls and cheers and plenty of sucker money given online.

Now that they have thrown money "into their investment", they don't want to face facts that Dean is nothing more than a flim-flam man that now wants to "architect" his campaign so he's more of a "centrist" than was originally revealed.

He's actually worse than "Bush-Lite". He's more like "Mondale-Pro".

[RetroLounge]

51. Whatever

Poop!

[deutsey]

54. Mondale-Pro?

So now Dean is Mondale, not McGovern, not Newt, etc. Jeesh, who's next on your list? "Dean is um, um, he's, uh, he's, Pat Paulson...yeah, that's it! He's just like Pat Paulson!"

Whoops, I probably just gave you guys your next jab against Dean (if you remember the old Smothers Brothers Show, that is). Well, don't say this Deaniac never did you any favors.

[BootinUp]

35. Carter is a liar and the meanest political operative ever!

NOT.

Maybe this is a clue...

[maddezmom]

50. who said that?

Tucker or Novak?

[roguevalley]

38. So if he's conservative on fiscal matters. Not wasting money is a good

thing. You can put it where its needed. Look at the
dork in the white house now. So much for fiscally
conservative repugs. They spend to quote McCain like
'drunken sailors'.

Doesn't bother me. Carter is probably right. Being
conservative about the right things is being smart.
Its too bad conservative has been demonized as badly
as liberal.

I am a raving loony conservative about war. I hate it
and don't want it. Period.

[Octafish]

43. Good post.

Your analysis is spot-on regarding the demonization of the terms "liberal" and "conservative." Depending on the issues, it may make more sense to approach them from one or the other perspective.

We may disagree about Dean. I don't think he would know what to do as President. A Democrat is supposed to use the power of government to make life better for ALL Americans, not just help Wall Street or the Federal Reserve. It takes money to fix America's problems.

[Sean Reynolds]

40. Jimmy Carter was inherently a very conservative person

A pretty conservative president on some matters. Was he a bad president?

Dean doesn't deny he's a fiscal conservative. So Carter is right. Also sounds like Carter likes Dean.

[HuckleB]

57. Carter worked for fiscal responsibility like no one else.

It's what got him into hot water with Congress, in the first place. He went after pork barrel projects with a vengeance, while trying to focus on serving those who need government assistance. Carter is the president that so many Americans always say we want, when they talk about cutting the pork out of government budgets and focusing on what is really needed. For some reason, a lot of folks didn't like to see that in action.

[SPURGEMAN23]

41. This is why he is so confusing to "my way or the highway" folks.

Howard Dean is Howard Dean. Its that simple. He does something revolutionary in politics: he gathers facts and makes a decision. It may be conservative, liberal, progressive or whatever label you want to give it. Wow, can you beleive he does that?

Listen, we have been so wrapped up in Dem vs Rep, Lib vs Cons we miss what Dean has figured out; do what is correct based on facts.

Anyone with a pulse that wants to know about Dean can find out. He is not being deceptive or hiding his views.

He is refreshing and will fight Bush with truth instead of ideology and folks he will be tough...Look what he has done to the rest of the Dem field. At the very least he has made the primaries about him and what he wants to do. Folks will vote knowing full well where he stands.

[RetroLounge]

53. and Carter's son Chip is working for Dean

Sounds like the Carter family is pretty smart.

[mzmolly]

58. Good, that'll help him in the 'general'...

:hi: Molly Ivins called him a 'fighting centrist'... I like that.

[DinahMoeHum]

60. fiscally conservative in the style of "New England frugality". . .

you don't spend what you ain't got.

:kick: