I'm Glad The Other Candidates Are Attacking Dean

[clar]

As a Dean supporter, I want to see how well he defends himself from attacks. Let's face it, whoever gets the nomination is going to have to defend himself (and yes it will be a man) from far worse than what Dean had tossed at him last night.

I was comfortable with Dean's performance last night. I thought he did a good job. None of the criticism directed at him will hurt him in any meaningful way. In fact, I think some of it is likely to backfire. The slew of attacks cements the perception that Dean is the frontrunner. In the words of the pretender; bring it on.

[EagleEye]

1. Dean did Great!

Very presidential, never got fustered. Showed fire when necessary. Most of the others also did well. Clark gives me the creeps sometimes. Something about his eyes and his smile.

[demnan]

2. I agree -

I don't take these squawbbles seriously between the Democratic candidates.

They will all make nicey-nice when the convention comes around.

What our candidate will have to endure is the viciousness of the press and Karl Rove.

I just hope there are no "skeletons in the closet" of whomever gets the nomination.

[edzontar]

3. I agree, even though it really pissed me off....

While I was watching it.

The dynamic now appears to be: Kerry aligned with Gephardt and Holy Joe against Dean, with Clark still enjoying his new-guy honeymoon.

I also feel that Kerry has veered sharply to the right and is morphing into a kind of flinty, taller, Wasp-ier version of Lieberman--he has certainly lost a measure of my support after last night.

[clar]

4. Yeah,

I don't understand where Kerry's going. I'm puzzled about his apparent veer towards the middle. He has a great liberal record, and I think it's being diminished by his campaign.

[enkidu2]

5. yes

Kerry's low point was when he tried to act "presidential" and correct Dean: he did not say you were "like" Gingrich. Come on, when 70% of americans think saddam was involved in 9/11, you cant get away with literalism. Dick was purposely smearing dean with gingrich and dean was right to call him on it, regardless of edwards singing "all we need is love" afterwards

[clar]

6. just want

to say I love your name- probably because I'm so fond of the Epic of Gilgamesh. Hands down my favorite creation myth.

[Fabio]

13. I can only agree with you

on the fact that his economic package is more incremental than Dean's. But what, besides saving the middle class tax cut and being to the right of dean on free trade, suggest he has moved to the center. IMHO, Dean has moved far left and Kerry has been steady. The perception of movement therefore is generated by the shift of Dean/Gep left for primary red meat.

Certainly, I think Kerry has the more economic thoughtful policy - but I dont equate it with Liebermans overall record.

[burr]

7. Some friends came over to visit during the debate..

they were asking throughout the debate who Dean was..they had never heard of him before, but were impressed enough by his debate performance last night to consider voting for him!

[edzontar]

8. Go Dean!!!!

And long live Carol Mosely Braun, Al Sharpton, Dennis Kucinich, and Bob Graham.

I even like Edwards and Gephardt (still).

Kerry and Joe are the twin standard-bearers of the DLC and corporate globalism.

Still unsure about Clark.

[burr]

10. These "debates" were made for CLARK,

just answer the fucking question damn it...yes or no!!!!!!!!

It isn't rocket science...

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

9. The attacks clearly show whom is feared.

No one even said "Boo!" to Clark.

[CMT]

11. I agree

and I thought he did very well, his best debate yet. Very presidential.

[RogueTrooper]

12. "Brother Howard"

I laughed my ass off when I heard that. :evilgrin:

[LuminousX]

14. Slate Agrees

http://slate.msn.com/id/2088895/

If Dean can't take on Bushlite, he won't be able to take on Bush. Keep the attacks coming, we need to groom Dean for the Big League.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

15. Practice

But the real story of the debate turned out to be the same as the old story: Let's all gang up to try to stop Howard Dean. The former Vermont governor continues to be attacked from the right by his opponents, who are using the same tactics that the GOP would surely use against him in a general election: 1) He's a flip-flopping politician who will say anything to get elected; 2) he's weak and inexperienced on national security; 3) he's going to raise taxes on average Americans.



Hmmm. Practice makes perfect.

[genius]

16. I thought he did pretty bad

I can't imagine a Democrat supporting his positions. Halliburton would love them though.

[clar]

17. well of course

you did.

[DrFunkenstein]

18. Dean Couldn't Control Himself Until Gep Finished

<>

Bush's tax cuts for the rich have to go, Democrats agreed at Thursday's debate. But when the Vermont doctor took some barbs, he flashed his famous temper.

Mocking Dean's rhetoric about political pretenders and how he represents the Democratic wing of the Democratic Party, Gephardt said, "I think you're just winging it."

"That is flat-out false, and I'm ashamed that you would compare me with Newt Gingrich," Dean the doctor shot back. "Nobody up here deserves to be compared to Newt Gingrich."

There was a real fire in Dean's glare when he said it, like he wanted to kick Gephardt's ass. The Missouri congressman just smiled back, enjoying his time spent underneath Dean's skin.

Dean's sharp temper is not a media creation. It's for real. And following the exchange, Sharpton had some sage advice for Dean: "Don't get too personal, brother Howard."

http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2003/09/26/debate/index.html

Didn't strike me as too Presidential. I'm sure you're not too surprised by that. But the press thought so, too.

<>

"I'm tired of listening to these fundamentalist preachers!"

http://www.gop.org/Newsroom/RNCResearch/TLvideo2.htm

[w4rma]

19. Campaign finance and Kerry's reelection campaign against Bill Weld

...
So let's go back to 1996, to Kerry's reelection campaign against then-Governor Bill Weld, specifically to the night Weld met Kerry at the senator's wife's Beacon Hill mansion. They finalized an unprecedented agreement to limit advertising spending to $5 million apiece, and to limit the use of personal funds in the campaign to $500,000 apiece.

Good government types hailed the agreement as a major breakthrough. Kerry and Weld basked in the plaudits of editorialists the nation over. Kerry described the pact as "a model for campaign reform across the country."

But a funny thing happened on the way to Election Day. Kerry didn't just violate the deal, he pulverized it. Running out of money in the waning days of October, Kerry mortgaged and remortgaged the Louisburg Square house, ultimately pouring $1.7 million in personal funds into his campaign. For those of you keeping track at home, that's $1.2 million more than the agreement allowed.

As he made a mockery of the pact, he did something else distinctly distasteful. He accused Weld of violating the agreement, a charge that seemed specious at best, an outright lie at worst.

At issue was a discount Weld received from the standard fee his media consultant would reap from all ad spending. It allowed Weld to buy about $400,000 more in ads for his $5 million. Every good campaign negotiates a discount, and the written agreement did not preclude them. Kerry claimed it was a violation of a rule that, well, was never written down.

Still, yesterday, he repeated the charge. "The Kerry campaign took appropriate action to level the playing field," said spokeswoman Kelley Benander, adding, "The situation with Howard Dean is much more serious."

Sure he did, and sure it is.
...
http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2003/09/16/hard_to_pull_for_kerry/
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=103&topic_id=11429

[DrFunkenstein]

21. It's Like Playing Space Invaders

Sooner or later, the little space bugs are going to make it through. You win. I yield to your tenacious rigmarole.

[stickdog]

20. Right. He's a tough guy. That's why Americans will flock to him in the GE.

He's not McGovern or Mondale or Dukakis.

He's one tough mother fuc- (shut yo' mouth)!

[DrFunkenstein]

22. Lol!

Shaft! You're damn right...

<>