Who are the toughest Dem politicos you can name?

[Stinky The Clown]

As we look forward to 06 and 08, one of the things we're going to need in our candidates is plain old fashioned toughness. And not just defense against the usual candidate menu of smear, lies and innuendo. We need candidates who will take the fight to their opponents.

Forgetting for a moment their stances, positions, histories, or ideologies, what Dem candidates or potential candidates come to mind for you when you think of toughness? And why?

One that comes to mind for me is Baltimore Mayor Martin O'Malley, who fought off a year long campaign of wispered rumors, internet lies, and a campaign of smear about an alleged affair he was having with a (then) local tv anchor woman. O'Malley hung tough and outlasted our slime ball governor and his lackey who waged the actual war against O'Malley.

On the national scene, we see heroes like Conyers. But is he tough? I'm not sure. What I *am* sure about is that I like the guy.

Barney Frank seems like a genuine tough guy.

Cynthia McKinney fought off attacks from the left and right to get right back in the game.

Barbara Boxer's been in the 'tough guy' mold for quite a while now.

Who do you see as 'tough guys'?

[prvet]

1. Clark

You just have to wtch one of his smackdowns.

[Sparkly]

7. I agree -- Clark.

He doesn't take any crap, including from media shriekmonkeys.

[genius]

27. Kucinich. He won every debate and he doesn't have any weak points.

The guy has stood up to threats from the bad guys and has proven that he will stand by his word and his constituents no matter what.

In the debates, they always limited his time, and he used his limited time to outscore everyone else. He's amazing.

[Pryderi]

2. Ted Kennedy

[Shoeempress]

5. seconded

[Dying Eagle]

3. Sen. Russ Feingold (D, WI)

Two words, Patriot Act!!!

[MissWaverly]

4. I was going to say O'Malley

O'Malley had stood up to Bush and has cut through the spin. I really like him. I like Sen. Harry Reid as well. I think that he's really made a difference in the Senate. I like Barbara Mikulski, my senator from Maryland, she's a fighter and of course Louise Slaughter and Barbara Boxer and John Kerry & John Conyers.

[AntiCoup2K4]

6. Howard Dean

As if that hasn't been said enough here this week, but it's true.

[Dr Fate]

8. Conyers, Dean, Clark, Gore, Air America folks.

The ones you named.

[sundancekid]

9. without a doubt Clark is #1 for tough guy, and Hillary gets a nod too

in her own way; in addition, there are other dems "outside the box" of washington, like maybe Rob Reiner, Al Franken, Paul Newman, Elliot Spitzer to name a few ...

hugs to sparkly for me

[Zan_of_Texas]

10. Paul Wellstone.

[Stinky The Clown]

12. Man are you right

I sure miss Wellstone

[Awsi Dooger]

11. Just make sure O'Malley ousts that jackass Ehrlich

I assume O'Malley will run next year, but I haven't really kept up to date on that race. I can't stand Ehrlich's smug mug even for 2 minutes annually while handing out the winner's vase after the Preakness.

[punpirate]

13. Not too many these days...

... unfortunately. In the House, Marcy Kaptur, Conyers, Charlie Rangel, would like to say Kucinich--his heart's in the right place, but he's like the kid that gets shoved out of the way when the big kids are choosing sides. Henry Waxman--for his persistence, alone, and he's great at keeping track of the details. Cynthia McKinney--she's not good at the details, but she gets the big picture pretty well, and doesn't back down. Barbara Lee from California--tough, ornery lady (you could put three dozen Mary Bonos in her purse and she wouldn't notice). While independent, definitely Bernie Sanders. Jim McDermott (if you were a Democrat, wouldn't you want a psychiatrist on your side, and a tough one?). Eleanor Holmes Norton, smart and savvy. Janice Schakowsky. Sherrod Brown. Pete Stark.

In the Senate, not too many, either. Ted Kennedy has been around so long that he knows all the ins and outs of how it all works, and I think he's fed up with accommodating this bunch of rednecks--I've suspected that every since Bush stiffed him on funding the education bill after he put a lot of effort into it, and when Kerry fell down on hammering the DSM on Monday, as he said he would, Kennedy picked up the slack. Byrd's tough, but he's inconsistent. Boxer's been pretty good lately. I give Russ Feingold pretty good marks, but I don't know how hard-nosed he can be. Pretty sorry situation that I can't come up with more than a handful of names in the Senate... but, then, I'm old and crotchety and expect better out of the people my age, and most of those have fallen down on the job.

[Stinky The Clown]

14. Very good analysis

Seems like we need a leadership school. The repubs did it and bred a herd of one note screech monkeys (Mike Pence, JD Hayworth ... that crowd) I wish to hell we had a 'war college' where we taught not just media savy single minded yammering, but true toughness and leadership.

And ya know ... you kinda nailed another issue ..... the women in the Congressional Black Caucus. Not a coward among them. It is criminal that most are not electable outside their home districts. We've not come very far as a nation at all .......

[punpirate]

16. I don't think it's a matter of boot camp for them...

... it's getting them to stop taking big money and being beholden because of it. That's why I find so few in the Senate--all the others have expended too many valuable votes on supporting big business at the expense of ordinary people. Byrd, champion of the Constitution, votes for the reactionary bankruptcy bill (and he comes from one of the poorest, most vulnerable populations in the country).

There's many an example of the same for every one of the half-hearted Senators. These people know who put them in office, and that's who they listen to. Maybe that's where the difference lies with the women in the black caucus--they're the most disenfranchised of all by virtue of race and sex, so they had to have gotten where they were by supporting the interests of the voters, because they didn't have all that many big contributors....

Cheers.

[Auntie Bush]

18. Oooh, you're so picky...Is that all you could consider?

[punpirate]

29. Well, after...

... being suckered into a war by Bush, passing the USA PATRIOT Act (and now considering making it even worse), repeated tax cuts for the wealthy, repeated tax cuts, bailouts, credits and subsidies for big business, passing a crappy education bill, wavering on Bush's Social Security plans, the latest changes to the bankruptcy law, falling down on intelligence review and executive branch oversight, passing through some of the worst judges in the history of the country, letting themselves be intimidated and ignored by the White House, no I don't give most of Congress very high marks these days when it comes to acting in the people's interests.

Cheers.

[Carolab]

15. Dean, Kennedy, Byrd, Levin, Dorgan and (sometimes) Kerry

in addition to Boxer, McKinney, etc., named above

[Auntie Bush]

17. Clark! Clark! Clark! Clark! Clark! Clark! Clark! Clar! Clark!

[Stinky The Clown]

19. Who's your number 8?

Clark I know .... Clar?

(sorry, I'm a world class typomeister ... but I couldn't resist) :)

[election_2004]

20. Barbara Boxer tops my list

I can't wait for her to be my U.S. Senator!

[nickshepDEM]

21. Biden... When he wants to be. eom

[Adelante]

22. Frank Lautenberg's a damn tough guy

For his age or any age.

[iwantmycountryback]

23. Feingold, Spitzer, Rangel

Senator Durbin, Boxer, Reid

[Stinky The Clown]

25. Reid .......

I just saw the rerun on C-Span of that scrum with the press with Reid and Dean and Schumer.

Yeah, Harry's a tough guy too. Not just because he's a former boxer (although that doesn't hurt). He hasn't backed down one inch from what he's said and what the 'media' keeps trying to get him on.

I like his quiet, pugnacious style. I like that he looks for all the world like a Clark Kent, but he has that big red "D" on the leotards under his suit. And that cape ......

Yeah .... I'm likin' Harry.

[CarolNYC]

26. yes, yes

Gen Clark told us this at the Chris Heinz thing. He said that Reid was very strong and very tough. He said, watch, the Republicans would try to paint him as weak because he's soft spoken, but don't be fooled, he's very tough and he's good.

[Adelante]

24. Harry Reid

He's got that walk softly, big stick thing going. He's one tough hombre.

[Hippo_Tron]

28. Dick Durbin and Brian Schweitzer

[JNelson6563]

30. Dean, taking it to 'em

Giving the Rethugs hell even though there are those in his own party with the long knives drawn. His spine just doesn't seem to give out. Ever.

Julie

[Stinky The Clown]

31. Moxie

That's what we used to call it.

Moxie

[blm]

32. Whoever takes on the corruption in government cuz that's the toughest road

to ever get on. So far, Kerry has hit that road the most and the longest with Waxman, Sanders, Conyers, Kucinich and Boxer showing up on the road alot lately. Spitzer is going to be the one to watch soon.

It doesn't always get the most attention or appreciation, but someone has to actually effect history in a positive way that keeps the historic record for future generations to learn about their government for REAL.

Try taking on the corruption of the BFEE for REAL and see how tough anyone is under constant assault from every powerbroker in DC, including the Dems, and the media. Kerry did it for 5 years in BCCI.