Democrats, don't put muzzle on Dean - USA Today

[rndmprsn]

AMEN to this!

DEAN is my HOMIE...

--

http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/columnist/wickham/2005-06-13-wickham_x.htm

Instead of muzzling Howard Dean, Democrats should give him a bullhorn. Rather than urging him to retreat from his attack on Republicans, party leaders ought to send him off to a political war college — preferably the one the late GOP strategist Lee Atwater attended.

As chairman of the Democratic Party, which is teetering between political renewal and functional extinction, Dean should be making war, not peace. But that's exactly what his critics within the party seemed to be suggesting last week when they admonished him for his tough talk about Republicans...

To his credit, Dean has broken ranks with those Democrats who think the best defense is to seek cover and then throw themselves on the mercy of voters on Election Day. The time has come for Democrats to fight back. They should explain what it means to be a liberal, not allow Republicans to define them. They should answer hyperbolic attacks with exaggerated speech of their own, if that's what it takes to stave off political annihilation.

For much of this decade, right-wing Republicans have dominated the public square, shouting down some on their political left and drowning out others who have tried to counter their bombast with civil responses. The time has come for Democrats to give as good as they get.

Americans, for the most part, love politicians who fight for what they believe — and they abhor political wimps. Dean is a fighter, albeit one who needs to learn that in an ideological spat, a well-placed jab often can do more damage than a barrage of roundhouse punches.

But he can't learn that lesson if Democrats won't let him take the fight to the GOP.

[Gay Green]

1. And they should let him.

The Congressional Dems' poll numbers are way down -- could it be because of the DINO's constant giving the store away, a la Neville Chamberlin? :eyes:

[Radical Activist]

2. You have to pick your targets.

I know Deanies love the Truman quote about giving them hell, but Truman ALWAYS specified that he was talking about Republican LEADERS not the average Republican voter. Truman was careful about that, and Dean should be too. You don't help anything by insulting millions of voters at a time. Fox News and George Bush: good targets. The largest religious majority in America: bad target. He needs to be smarter about it.

I'm sure a lot of media outlets like US News would love to have more Dean foul-ups to report on.

[BrklynLiberal]

4. Dean's "foul ups" are a fignewton of the imagination of Repuke owned media

If his comments were passed along correctly and in context, "millions of voters" would not be insulted.

[Radical Activist]

8. the actual quotes are out there

and they aren't imaginary. When you know your words are going to be analyzed then you have to choose them carefully. A lot of other Democratic leaders know that and phrase their comments accordingly. I hope Dean learns to do that at some point.

When you say that most Republicans haven't don't an honest days work, without specifying "Republican leaders" like Truman would have done, you have to expect that some people who occasionally vote Democratic are going to be offended. You can blame the media for over-hyping it but you can't blame anyone but Dean for saying it.

[gaia_gardener]

12. I think his gaffes would be fine if the rest of the dems

would just pick up the ball and run with it. Actually, I think his "gaffes" could be a politically great move as it focuses media attention on dem leaders and gives them a platform.

[Cha]

3. Love all these positive articles

on Dean. :toast:

"To his credit, Dean has broken ranks with those Democrats who think the best defense is to seek cover and then throw themselves on the mercy of voters on Election Day. The time has come for Democrats to fight back. They should explain what it means to be a liberal, not allow Republicans to define them. They should answer hyperbolic attacks with exaggerated speech of their own, if that's what it takes to stave off political annihilation."

[zann725]

5. Dean is being "Dean." And the Dem's knew when they voted him in,

exactly how "direct" he is. Let Dean be Dean!

[Rainscents]

6. We voted Dean to fight for us and if DLC don't like it, they can join the

GOP!

[mandyky]

10. There is a Dean wing over at the DLC

Ed Kilgore took up for Dean the other day. I read it at DailyKos.
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2005/6/11/234014/341

snip

So I think the media treatment of his remarks is unfair, and moreover, misses the legitimate thrust of his basic argument: the GOP leadership does indeed favor wealth over work, and is indeed divisive and exclusive on issues of culture, ethnicity and religion. Sound-bites aside, Dean is right, and you can count me out of any campaign to get him to resign for saying the right thing in a way that is being wilfully misrepresented.

[xray s]

7. I agree.

Although I think it would be more effective if we talk more about the "neo-cons" and "anti-science religious extremists" and "corporate crooks" and "war profiteers" in the Republican party instead of just "the Republican party". That way you give some food for thought for people who have been voting Republican even though its not in their best interest.

For example, it would be far more effective if Dean talks about "corporate crooks who never made an honest living" and the Republican party turning into a party of "anti-science religious extremeists".

[zulchzulu]

9. This 907th "It's All About Dean" thread brought to you by...

As a DFA member and local activist, I have found Dean's efforts to be VERY GOOD.

BUT....

...I have also found some of his statements to be pretty unpolished, amateurish, politically unsaavy and mostly unneeded ammo for the RW to use against him and to change the subject...even Dean's own staff are quietly telling him to chill on the obvious red meat comment that only gets him in trouble...oddly the same behavior that Dean would do in his short-lived attempt in the 2004 primaries.

Scorpios are known for their sharp tongues that are often misinterpreted. Ask Hillary or Pablo Picasso or Theodore Roosevelt or Winona Ryder or Marie Antoinette or Michael Dukakis or Leon Trotsky or Billy Graham or Spiro Agnew or Joseph McCarthy or Voltaire...

Howard needs to look into sun vibes from Capricorn, the Sea-Goat.

[azndndude]

11. Your Impeach GWBush 06 is great! How about a Bumper Sticker?

[rndmprsn]

13. hmmm...good idea.

[libodem]

14. I'm ready to have someone fight back.

He is as close to a voice that speaks for me, as it gets. I like the guy.

[patricia92243]

15. Americans love politicians who fight for what they believe-and they abhor

political wimps.


That is one of the things the Bush crowd like about him - they think he is rough and ready - a he-man, etc.

The Republicans know stratedgy - let's learn from them.

ALLOW Dean to fight for the life of our party.