Gephardt Questions Dean's Honesty, Motives

[Feanorcurufinwe]

Rep. Dick Gephardt on Wednesday called chief rival Howard Dean a "fair-weather friend of the American worker" whose promises can't be trusted and motives must be questioned.
"To me, there is no room for the cynical politics of manufactured anger and false conviction. I believe in standing for something," the Missouri lawmaker said a speech that heightened his criticism of the Democratic presidential front-runner.

<snip>

"Howard Dean travels the country and yells and pounds the podium against NAFTA, against the secrecy of the Bush-Cheney White House, and against insider corporate deals," he said. "This is the same Howard Dean who said he 'strongly supported NAFTA,' who won't release his records as governor, and who wanted Vermont to 'overtake Bermuda' as a tax haven for companies like Enron."

<snip>

"Howard Dean went so far as to call himself a strong supporter of NAFTA," Gephardt said. "Then he later denied it, even though he was captured on videotape saying just that."
"You can't take on George Bush if you're only a fair-weather friend of the American worker," he said.

Gephardt then launched into a list of examples that he said underscored his view that Dean flip-flops on policy for political convenience.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A16260-2004Jan14.html

[LuminousX]

1. Do you feel Gephardt's attack is valid?

I feel it is his last gasp at relevance.

[jmaier]

2. I think it's just par for the course

It's pretty common for each of these guys to look at an opponent's past record and "highlight" inconsistencies with current positions. Due to both the passage of time, shift in issue importance and nature of campaign posturing, it's usually not too hard to discover some inconsistencies.

Is it effective? Probably only on the fringe percentages but it never keeps anyone from doing it.

[BayCityProgressive]

3. It is fair

Id Dean can bash others for their records they can do the same. Now he is getting a taste of his own medicine. All is fair in politics.

[Feanorcurufinwe]

4. Thanks for asking.

Gephardt criticized Dean for:

-- Promising to give Democratic primary voters angry speeches, which will give way to cooler rhetoric in the general election. "Howard, Democrats are not animals in need of red meat," Gephardt said, using the political term for harsh rhetoric. "After four years of George Bush, we just need honesty for a change."

Well honestly I laughed when I read this. It certainly doesn't match the headline...I wonder what else Gephardt said.

-- Being open to reducing the rate of Medicare growth. "In one breath, Howard Dean says he would never cut Medicare. In the next breath, it's on the table for budget cuts."

Certainly valid and well-documented here at DU. Dean also keeps using the 90s Republican talking point that he doesn't want to 'cut Medicare' but he wants to 'cut the growth rate of Medicare'.

-- Opposing the assault weapons ban as Vermont's governor, but supporting it in the liberal-leaning presidential primaries.

Clearly valid.

"I've come to realize that Howard Dean isn't shooting from the hip. That's just making excuses for him," Gephardt said. "Howard Dean knows exactly what he's saying when he says it. And if you think he's contradicting himself, well, as far as he's concerned, that's your problem and not his. Democrats deserve a lot better."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A16260-2004Jan14.html

Actually I'm surprised Gephardt didn't keep going. Maybe he did. In their inverted pyramid they seem to have put the actual charges Gep was making at the bottom. I wonder if there was some cut off.

[corporatewhore]

5. He was stating fact

Dean did say he was a strong supporter of NAFTA and he did want to make vermont a tax haven like bermuda and he wont release his records