Dean says he's closing fast on Kerry, accuses rivals of dirty tricks

[rodbarnett]

Howard Dean said he is closing very fast on front-runner John Kerry on the eve of the New Hampshire Democratic presidential primary while he accused his rivals of playing dirty political tricks in the final hours.

With Dean trailing Kerry in most polls one day before the nation's first primary, Dean continued to criticize the Massachusetts senator for voting for the congressional resolution that authorized the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2002, but standing with the opposition in the vote on the 1991 Persian Gulf War.

<snip>

A questioner who identified himself as an undecided voter asked Dean how he would fend off nasty tricks from Republicans if he is nominated.

"Unfortunately, we are seeing a few of those tricks in the Democratic primary and we are getting better at getting used to that sort of thing," Dean said.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/archive/2004/01/26/politics1139EST0589.DTL

[cthrumatrix]

1. seems like he is informing the people and asking the press for help

makes sense... story goes on to say some of the instances:

Dean did not specify any underhanded tactics. His spokesman, Jay Carson, said Dean supporters are getting phone calls criticizing Dean for, among other things, claiming to be a Christian when his wife and children are Jewish. Also, he said they are getting faxes and e-mails that are designed to look like they are from the Dean campaign, but distort his record.

For example, Carson said, an e-mail that proposes to be from campaign manager Joe Trippi asks for volunteers, but says because of tight sleeping headquarters, homosexuals are not accepted.

Carson said the Kerry campaign was making some of the negative calls in Iowa, but he was unsure who was behind them in New Hampshire.

"It's not nice, it's not good for the democracy, but people do them," Dean said. "And all you can do is try to get the press to focus on them because there's nothing better than shining a spotlight on somebody who's doing something wrong.


http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/archive/2004/01/26/politics1139EST0589.DTL

simply not good from any campaign.............

[HereSince1628]

2. Howard, just say you expect to win,

Leave it there. Please.

[DK666]

3. He may

Be refering to the crowds of reThugs flocking to NH in an attempt to derail the dems.

[drfemoe]

10. I think it could be too . but wonder

why mainly the Dean campaign? I posted yesterday about Clark getting some of the same treatment.

Any reports from other campaigns of similar tactics?

[Rich Hunt]

28. If it is only the Dean campaign

...it could something about the nature of the campaign that is particularly threatening to the right. I think it's the idea of all of those 'angry' people or something.

[Cheswick2.0]

4. Someone is playing dirty

I would love to know who is doing this type of thing.


Dean did not specify any underhanded tactics. His spokesman, Jay Carson, said Dean supporters are getting phone calls criticizing Dean for, among other things, claiming to be a Christian when his wife and children are Jewish. Also, he said they are getting faxes and e-mails that are designed to look like they are from the Dean campaign, but distort his record.

For example, Carson said, an e-mail that proposes to be from campaign manager Joe Trippi asks for volunteers, but says because of tight sleeping headquarters, homosexuals are not accepted.

Carson said the Kerry campaign was making some of the negative calls in Iowa, but he was unsure who was behind them in New Hampshire.

"It's not nice, it's not good for the democracy, but people do them," Dean said. "And all you can do is try to get the press to focus on them because there's nothing better than shining a spotlight on somebody who's doing something wrong.

"The American people don't approve of that kind of stuff and if they know it is going on, they will respond accordingly," Dean said.

[robsul82]

5. I just REALLY hope New Hampshire voters...

...aren't that stupid as to think a campaign would call over and over in the middle of the night and the like.

Later.

RJS

[TopesJunkie]

6. Well, we know Kerry's been up to some sly stuff --

And we know that Kerry has claimed that Dean went negative whenever he pointed out a difference between the two of them. So it appears that Dean is right on the money here.

[markus]

7. I believe the GOP is actively pushing FUD in our primaries

It serves them to have the candidates going after each other on these push polls, bogus e-mails, etc. It may even be free-lance freepers, but these are plays straight out of the GOP playbook, folks.

Karl Rove is Lee Atwater's disciple,and LA is the one who introduced these sort of slease tactics into the GOP mainstream.

While we're on the subject of Lee Attwater (may he rot in hell): Sen. Kerry, what precisely was your role as Lt. Gov. in the Dukkakis Administration in the release of Willie Horton? Do you still support the premature release of convicted rapists?

(Not an attack. Just a warning).

[DK666]

11. Huh....

FUD ?????

[Old and In the Way]

16. Republicans have only been doing this since 1972

Obviously there is no upside for any candidate to do this.....too few votes to be had, plenty of votes to be lost if proven.

But it's the perfect two-fer dirty trick for the Republicans......keep the race in play and pit one group against the other.

[DK666]

25. What the hell does FUD stand for ?

n/t

[Old and In the Way]

26. I'll take a guess: F'd Up Distractions

[janx]

8. This is SICK:

Dean did not specify any underhanded tactics. His spokesman, Jay Carson, said Dean supporters are getting phone calls criticizing Dean for, among other things, claiming to be a Christian when his wife and children are Jewish. Also, he said they are getting faxes and e-mails that are designed to look like they are from the Dean campaign, but distort his record.

For example, Carson said, an e-mail that proposes to be from campaign manager Joe Trippi asks for volunteers, but says because of tight sleeping headquarters, homosexuals are not accepted.

[sandnsea]

22. And it MUST be Kerry, suuure

That's the sick part of this. That email thing is very old and lasted about 2 days around here. Trippi tried to play it the last couple of days of Iowa and then drags it out again here. The Dean campaign is using underhanded tactics just like they always have. He has no message so all he does is attack. That's what's sick.

[NewYorkerfromMass]

9. unfortunately Dean now says Iraq is not better off post invasion

that was a big mistake and will squelch any momentum he was building.
NOt that it is possibly true or not but it was the wrong time to utter another such controversial statement.

[KaraokeKarlton]

12. No, he said their standard of living is lower now, and it IS lower

Their country has been bombed to shit, are without power in many areas and water to drink and bathe with is hard to come by. Iraqis don't have enough food, water or shelter and their immediate situation is FAR worse than it was before. Dean is exactly right on this and anyone who claims otherwise is not being realistic. Period.

[DK666]

14. Wait a minute

But Oil is flowing thats gotta account for something.

[Abigail147]

13. I don't get it.

Why is calling a spade a spade bad politics? You want to talk rape rooms and torture chambers? How many people did we kill with our shock and awe bombs? Thousands, tens of thousands? How many children are without parents,and how many people without limbs, without homes, without electricity and clean water, with uranium poisoning their bodies and unexploded bombs waiting to go off? Yeah, they are going to be throwing flowers at us for a long time after all that we have given them.

[DK666]

15. You

forgot about cluster bombing the civilian population.

[Althion]

27. So true

The bombs that keep on giving.

A.

[LBJBestEver]

18. Dean is damaged goods.

The medis has totally neutered him. He's just digging his own grave with this stuff.

[Walt Starr]

17. Kerry may be behind some of the dirty tricks, however

I am absolutely certain the RNC is involved in at least some, and are leaving tracks to get the blame placed on another candidate.

Think about what could happen in New Hampshire if there are big blowups over negative campaigning between the Kerry and Dean camps. That could be enough for Joe Lieberman to win the thing.

[seaglass]

19. When is Dean going to stop whining?

Geez, he complains about the undemocratic Iowa caucuses, he asks Terry McAuliffe to tell the other Dems to back off, he complains about dirty tricks as if no other campaign has been subject to them and he whines about the media as if everyone else is getting sterling press.

Is his new strategy playing the victim card? He needs to suck it up.

[KaraokeKarlton]

20. So you're cool with antisemetic push polling against Dean, then?

I would certainly hope not. Check out this article:

http://wireservice.wired.com/wired/story.asp?section=Breaking&storyId=817423&tw=wn_wire_story

[seaglass]

21. Did I say that? No.

He has a pattern of whining, he needs to stop doing it.

[TLM]

23. Thanks for proving my point....

People who attack Dean, will attack him regardless of what he does or says... Dean is either too angry or too whiny... too liberal or too conservative... etc.

They'll attack him no matter what.

[seaglass]

24. No problem.

I started to like him again after the beating he took the beginning of last week, I thought he handled it very well and I liked what I saw of the Sawyer interview with him and his wife Judy. I saw him on a few other shows and he seemed less arrogant, which I also appreciated.

I wouldn't describe him as an angry guy.

I do think the complaining makes him look bad. I don't like when people act like everyone is out to get them, it's a weak position. I'd feel the same way about any other candidate who was acting this way.