has anyone ever asked dean why he never attended any of the protests?

[bearfartinthewoods]

or does anyone have a record of his first mention of disageement to the war? TIA

[GregW]

1. I asked Clark, Kerry, and Holy Joe the same question ...

... when we marched together in DC last year.

Oh wait ... they weren't there either. My bad.

:eyes:

[bearfartinthewoods]

3. thanks for the kick..sorry you don't have the answer.

[CWebster]

2. Was it required to oppose Bush's game plan? nt

[Ripley]

8. I think this person knows the answer.

If Dean had his picture taken marching in the streets surrounded by people carrying signs that show Bush as a Nazi, or other extreme leftie slogans, those would be used by the repukes (and some Dems) to paint him as a an extremist Birkenstock peacenik. Which of course is not what he is.

The insinuation is that he is not really against the war (because he didn't march), he just says that to get support. I didn't march against the war either. It doesn't mean I supported it.

[Hep]

4. Who gives a rats ass?

I've never attended a protest. I think protests are kinda stupid.

Why don't you share for us your point? What exactly are you getting at?

[bearfartinthewoods]

11. i'm trying to nail down the date when he first spoke out against the war.

[Hep]

12. When you say The War

What do you mean? The IDEA of invading Iraq? Or THE war? Or war in general?

[bearfartinthewoods]

15. when he first expressed opposition to bush's plans to invade iraq.

[Hep]

17. Still more clarity

His specific plans or the idea of invading Iraq?

[bearfartinthewoods]

18. idea

[Hep]

23. Well this is where it's hard to say

And I'm sorry about all of the narrowing down questions. Without a clear plan to speculate about, thoughts of the war were largely dependent on the circumstances presented in the hypothetical.

And the problem I had was that the hypothetical always included Saddam being an imminent threat to the US. But I never conceded that. If he had weapons that were aimed at us and could hit us, *I* was for invading. The evidence never came.

As far as Dean's comments. I don't have a date. I wish I could find one. But depending on the circumstances presented in the question, I'm sure anyone who wants to find dirt on Dean can find him addressing it differently.

[bearfartinthewoods]

31. see post 19

[sal]

25. maybe you can nail down the date you first spoke against the war?

Cuz I sure as hell can't remember you EVER describing any anti-war sentiments back in the Spring. In fact, I recall you had offered rather harsh, and I think somewhat over-the-top, denunciations of opinions of people here who opposed the war. I could be wrong, fellow Democrat, please correct me.

[Hep]

27. I was harping against any idea of invasion

well before, but I can't find a date.

[bearfartinthewoods]

34. your hitting 500

there was never a secret about how i felt about the war, nor for my reasoning. one of my best friends has had 90% of hhis family killed by sdamn and his bathist thugs.

i challenge you second assertion thugh. considering how my opinions were treated, i never said anything remotingly touching over-the-top.
considering i got called a freeper, or some 'cute' way of inferring same , much as you just did...fellow dem..., i thik i behaved very well by any comparison.

[Khephra]

5. Does it make you any less of an American or Anti-War proponent?

If you didn't?

I'm sure a lot of DUers who couldn't manage to attend protests here would love to hear your answer.

(Me? I went to DC and protested alongside of many good DUers.)

[HFishbine]

6. Nope

It's a legitimate question.

[Kamika]

7. Why I think he didn't

While I think the protests are great , it would be political suicide to be seen with communists or the real extremists out there..


Just imagine a commercial with the dem nominee being in the same pic as a guy with USSR on his tshirt.

I bet most if not all our nominees would march in a protest or two othervise

[Khephra]

9. Heck, go back and look at the DU threads for each of the

major protests. Those events tore groups of DUers apart here for a bit after each one. The Pro-Mumia groups vs the Anti-Mumia...just to name one of the many splinter groups involved with the protests.

[bearfartinthewoods]

21. have you actually ever tried to go back into the old DU?

the search doesn't function anymore, not that it ever did work well.]
hint...when going into those archives, pack a lunch...and maybe even supper. it's bad enough, just the bulk and the guesswork but every damn page has something worth reading...i don't resist distractions well :grin:

[JI7]

10. kerry protested vietnam, kucinich did iraq

were they considered commies back then too ? how about kucinich ?

[hippiechick]

13. There was a thread about this last week ...

Check archives and you''ll find the exact interview transcript of when Dean first 'gave an opinion' on Iraq.
I don't recall the specifics, but I know it was flamed around here not too long ago.


:hippie:

[Gringo]

14. In spite of the media's portrayal of Dean as "anti-war"

He is not. He was foursquare against THIS war being waged as it was. I imagine he didn't want to overly associate himself with groups like ANSWER, whose philosophy is markedly different from Dean's.

Millions of Americans were against this war, but did not protest. A lot of people don't believe protesting does any good (it certainly didn't stop this war).

I didn't think the protests would stop Dumbya, but I did attend, if for no other reason, to at least show for posterity that there was decidedly NOT unanimous support for this war in America.

[Loonman]

16. Dean people are so defensive

I'm not sure I want a president like him if his supporters act like this.

[bearfartinthewoods]

19. well it looks like we might not have a choice about him being our nominee

and if we are stuck with him we are stuck with his position on the war. this is gonna be a problem for me, in particular and in general here in central Pa. i need to understnad it as best as i can if i need to defend it.

[Hep]

35. In central PA

I see Dean's rural plan as playing BIG.

[jonnyblitz]

20. unlike Clark supporters right?

please. :crazy:

[redqueen]

22. I was thinking the same thing...

Reactions a bit on the defensive side.

If he wins the nom... it will be an interesting race. :(

[Hep]

24. Then go back to russia

you fucking commie.

:)

Remember, smart people don't judge a candidate by his supporters.

[sal]

26. yeh! In your commie time machine!

:)

[Don Claybrook]

29. You're being catty

when you say you're not so sure you want Dean as President when, in fact, you most assuredly don't want Dean as President. You should say what you mean.

As to Dean's viability in your eyes being based on what his supporters say, that's your choice, but I don't know if advertising that sort of thought process is advisable.

[Tom Rinaldo]

32. Judge Dean on Dean

He may or may not inspire certain types of agreeable or disagreeable traits from supporters, but the bottom line is still, judge Dean on Dean. Saints and Jerks can back anyone they want, it's a free country. I am not voting based on my feelings about my least favorite backers of any candidate.

[Freddie Stubbs]

28. Perhaps he did not want to be associated with the communists who organized

the protests. Many were turned off by that fact that these protests were just as much a venue for every far-left fringe group to grind thier axes.

[Loonman]

33. That's what I thought

n/t

[Gringo]

36. Yep. there were 2 groups protesting in Miami

The main one was great, with all kinds of people opposed to the war. I made the mistake of attending one held by a group called "United for Peace & Justice", which, in spite of their name, seemed to be primarily an anti-Israel hate outfit.

Their blood-drenched signs about the evils of Israel seemd to have little to do with Iraq, so we left pretty quick. They held their "rally" in an abandoned part of the ghetto where nobody would see. Really wierd.

Anyway, as much as I dislike the Sharon government, and its extremist tactics, I'm just as repelled by those folks who you can just tell are consumed by hate, who clearly deny Israel's right to exist.

When participating in any "left" protest, one must be pretty wary of what groups one may be associated with.

[KaraokeKarlton]

30. I'm pretty sure I heard him say he was never invited

He really wasn't all that well known during the high point of the protests. By the time he caught on the bulk of the protests had already taken place.

:shrug:

[Armstead]

37. August 02

There was a thread that I started, and someone added comments going back to last year. The first quotes in which he was saying critical things and questioning the war were from August 02, I believe.

And remember that was a time when it was an emerging issue, and challenging Bush on it was not a politically safe position.

[Freddie Stubbs]

38. Please tell me if any 'at risk' candidates attended any of the protests

By that I mean, people running for re-election in 2004 in a non-safe district or state. Thanks in advance. :)

[bearfartinthewoods]

39. well since you are referencing my point that at risk candidates

may be reluctant to be saddled with dean at the head of the ticket, i guess it's fair to say dean did not want to be saddled with any connection to the anti-war movement.

that's what i find peculiar. if he was against this war, and knowing how desperatly the anti-war movement needed some voice of legitimacy,
dean could have been that voice. there was a great deal of emphasis placed on the everyday joe sixpack type of people who attended.

if i were a journalist in search of a "gotcha" this would be one.
make dean say he didn't want to go near the "commies

maybe you can pass on a head's up to the dean people so they can be prepared.