We need a "leader" to step forward....

[kentuck]

And that leader must be someone that is willing to speak up and say what others are too timid to speak. Our nation is at risk. We have been lied into a war and our troops are dying unecessarily. Our nation is going broke and the corporations are taking over our nation and the world. Elections are being stolen and people are afraid to stand up and admit it. Working people are being screwed as their jobs go everseas. They work two or three jobs just to make ends meet. They are losing ground every day as their employers, many corporations, rob them and us of our livelihood. We need a "populist" to stand up and tell people the truth.

[mtnsnake]

1. I thought Dean and Clark did that, and they didn't even make it past

the primaries.

[kentuck]

3. They were handicapped by the Party primary system...

when you lose a round, you are gone.

[sangh0]

5. Neither Dean nor Clark are populists

and I doubt that any populist leaders (or leaders of any sort) are going to emerge from inside any politician.

[kentuck]

6. Dean has the potential...

Even though I was a Clark supporter during the primaries that he was in...he has a simple and direct way of appealing to voters, but not in the more emotional manner of a Dean...

[sangh0]

7. I agree, but he does have a handicap

He's a politician.

I'm not saying it's impossible, but I don't think Dean is The One. IMO, Dean is doing a very fine job helping more progressive Dems elected at the grassroots, a job that is essential.

I don't know why so many would want to see him stop doing something he does well and is so necessary, in favor of his returning back to campaigning for his own election. WHat he is doing is something we need, and he's doing well. So why is the attitude "It's working, so let's do something else?"

[Nordic]

16. Huh? He's a doctor turned politician

what more do you want?

A "virgin" politician? What good is that?

[JNelson6563]

19. Contradict yourself

Dean not a populist?

Dean is doing a very fine job helping more progressive Dems elected at the grassroots, a job that is essential.

One might think progressive grassroots work is rather populist. Unless of course one has reason to be loathe to admit such a quality. You concede some points re: Dean but your personal dislike of him prevents you from being completelyhonest in your assessment. It's a shame, you could have a great deal to contribute to the discussion if not for that little hang-up.

Julie

[Radical Activist]

11. I'm not sure that an Ivy League New England Millionaire

will ever come off as a populist in the South and Midwest. That's very hard to pull off.

[Eloriel]

9. How the hell do you define populist?

Clark may not be, but Dean most certainly is.

[robbedvoter]

10. Uh, let's not go there, OK?

[ArkDem]

2. Someone's always playing corporation games

Who cares they're always changing corporation names
We just want to dance here, someone stole the stage
They call us irresponsible, write us off the page

[itzamirakul]

4. I couldn't agree with you

MORE! Where is that brave voice who can give up the fear of losing out any personal gain or connections with wealthy future possibilities and just open his or her mouth and speak the truth?

The only one that came anywhere near doing this was Al Sharpton but now even he has been "bought off" (in a manner of speaking) with his own television reality show and no matter how "blue-collar" the show may be painted as...it serves as a way to control any political statements Sharpton might make in the future as well as putting him in a more "comfortable" financial position which often takes the edge off of passion.

Before anyone thinks I am picking on Sharpton, let me say that I respect him highly.

[wellstone]

8. I think we need to look outside

the already known candidates in the political realm. With the exception of Obama (whom the Republimuggles are going tostart referring toas "Obama bin Laden" any day now I'm sure...)they are all known entities with baggage.

How 'bout the Universities? Berkeley, Harvard, that kind of thing.

A true intellectual progressive firebrand who could state our beliefs with conviction.

Hey, it worked in Minnesota.

[FrenchieCat]

15. Yes....

Let just throw away Wes Clark, and Howard Dean while we are at it.

Let's just find some unknown quantity who will become a rising star. Not a politician, not a someone that has proven that he can lead....just someone else...who has all of the right experiences and say all of the right things and who voters will just love and it will be a new dawn and life shall be happy and wondrious again......and, and, and....

Wake up, please....cause you are dreaming.

I consider Wesley Clark to be one of the greatest leaders alive today.

Sorry, I ain't throwing that away.

But thanks for the suggestion.

We've got Arnuld in California....guess you must be happy about that one!

[BillZBubb]

12. When gays can get married and abortions are legal...

...and the Boy King is protecting us, nothing else matters. Plenty of people have spoken up. The message is out there, I've heard it and so have you. Mostly it just falls on sheep's ears.

We, on the left, need to face the fact that most people are sheeple. The Repugs know it and act accordingly. Until we understand that and learn how to influence them, we won't get anywhere.

[Nordic]

13. We just got one:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=1417297&mesg_id=1417297&page=

Howard Dean: The Future of the Democratic Party

[housewolf]

14. We have to get the money and the corporations out of politics

for that to happen. With elections being so extremely expensive, many potentially good leaders can't even enter the competition. And those in power all too easily become behholden to their corporate sponsors.

We need to get congressional elections opened up again, to where they are actually competitive and we can vote people out of office. The lock that the parties have on all the districts hurts us and our democracy.

We need to somehow get our govenment back from the corporate influence that has hold on it. It is not right that non-human entities have more influence on the decisions that our government make than citizens do. I don't know how we do this, I just know that it is absolutely critical that we do so.

[ewagner]

17. Absolutely correct

Whoever steps forward now, no matter what happens in Ohio or in the courts, that person will have the loyalty of the progressive and liberal base of the party......

Who has the guts?

Who wants to walk that lonesome valley?

[Q]

18. Yeah...we've been saying this for over four years...

...and when a leader DOES step forward...they're immediately trashed by the RWing Smear Machine and the DLC Smear Machine. They have different reasons for smearing populist candidates...but the results are the same.

The truth could be that neither the RWingers or the DLCers want a strong leader to emerge in the party...or at least one that strays from the corporate state message.

[kentuck]

20. But a strong "leader" will respond in kind...

with a double back-hand...