Edwards Complains About Focus on Dean

[dajabr]

Kudos to Edwards! Hmmm... Make his Campaign about...HIM! Wonder if the other candidates will catch on?

December 22, 2003, 10:53 PM EST


MANCHESTER, N.H. -- Democratic presidential hopefuls Joe Lieberman, John Kerry and Dick Gephardt seem to take any opportunity they can get to criticize Howard Dean, the current leader of the pack.

But rival John Edwards, who appeared Monday night on a televised call-in program on New England Cable News, said he's had enough of all the fuss about Dean.

"Why are we being asked in a debate whether Howard Dean is going to win?" Edwards asked. He was referring to a recent Democratic debate in which the candidates were asked to raise a hand if they thought Dean could beat President Bush in November. Dean was the only one who did.

"My campaign is not about Howard Dean. My campaign is about what John Edwards wants to do for America."

More: http://www.newsday.com/news/politics/wire/sns-ap-edwards,0,2716005.story?coll=sns-ap-politics-headlines

[arewethereyet]

1. man o man is this guy the goods or what ?

and I can hear his words and see his face in my mind as clearly as I can recall Clinton's during his campaign.

This guy is so good it's scary.

[dajabr]

4. I buy that Edwards is a humble guy...

The other "top-tiers" have too much ego to ignore the questions about Dean. Stop the Crusade! Tell us about YOU!

Edwards :thumbsup:

[ibegurpard]

2. Absolutely

And every one of them should have applauded Kucinich when he took Koppel to task for his abysmal performance.

[arewethereyet]

8. a great Kucinich moment

credit where credit is due

[chimpymustgo]

3. Fight the power, John Edwards. Don't play the media's (Rove's) game.

Good for you, for telling it like it is.

[IndianaGreen]

5. Well John, why didn't you attack Ted Koppel and ABC News?

Remember the Iowa debates when Koppel referred to the Kucinich, Sharpton, and Mosley-Braun campaigns as "vanity" campaigns and asked them to drop out? Remember when ABC News announced the following day that they were pulling their embeds from those campaigns?

Did it occur to you at the time that the media was trying to control the process in order to drive ratings?

Did you understand that if the media can do that to Dennis, Carol, and Al, they could also do it to you?

I agree that Edwards has a legitimate complaint, but this goes beyond his campaign, this goes to the very foundations of democracy when corporations can pick and choose which candidates of a major political party the public is going to see, and how much of them the public will see.

We must take this process away from the media!

[ibegurpard]

6. Well said, IG!

:thumbsup:

[dajabr]

7. Good point...

Thanks for putting it in the appropriate light, IG.

[mourningdove92]

9. The media is playing a most despicable game right now.

They take every opportunity to put Democrats in as bad a light as they possibly can. The Howard Dean thing is getting way out of hand...one minute talking about how high his numbers are, then immediately showing polls that indicate his "disapproval" numbers have gone up. Since when did the media start tracking disapproval ratings on CANDIDATES? I cant stand to watch more than a few minutes a day.

[IndianaGreen]

10. Meanwhile, while the media is playing its ratings games

we are not hearing many of these candidates. Do you realize that the only time I have seen and heard Edwards, Kucinich, Mosley-Braun, and Sharpton is during the contrived debates that have been staged so far.

Sharpton got more exposure out of his Saturday Night Live appearance than he had all year long.

Who is on TV? Lieberman is on Faux all the time because the rightwingers love him. Kerry and Gephardt are shown often, but only when they are attacking Dean. We never really hear their message!

Then there is the "unelectable" smear. Who spreads that shit? It is the media. The media chooses who is unelectable, which is another name for those that are not telegenic enough for primetime TV.

We are choosing a nominee to run against Bush. We are not looking for a new Bachelor, Survivor cast, or American Idol.

[arewethereyet]

13. info-tainment

marketing is killing us all

[shivaji]

11. Which is why I am for Dean who has a strong personality and

is never shy in interviews or debates.

[IndianaGreen]

12. Had Dean remained in single digits as he was when he started

He too would have heard Ted Koppel refer to his "vanity" campaign.

That's the crux of the matter we are discussing in this thread!

[Scott Lee]

18. Why no - he's the....frontrunner, still

Which seems to be the true crux of any complaint against him.

[PurityOfEssence]

14. ever heard of conserving one's ammunition?

The person who fights everyone about everything--even when those things are legitimate beefs--is known for being scrappy and it seems very scattershot and skittish. Complaining about the media also comes off as bellyaching and doesn't help them love you more.

One gets remarkably little bandwidth when running for office in a crowded field, and if one chooses to have the one story that one's alotted for that cycle be a complaint about the big meanies in the media, one may be making a telling strike for what's good and true, but one may be perceived as a snivelly little so-and-so for doing it. If you tell the media that they're a bunch of whatevers, you may see less print and airtime. That's human nature. When somebody repeatedly slags my profession, even if it's true, they get less of my love.

Edwards may very well be being too judicious about when he lets loose a volley, but when he does, it carries some weight as a result. Think about the qualities of finesse, restraint and diplomacy necessary for a president; maybe those qualities aren't the best ones to help one BECOME president, but they're some of the best for the executive to have.

Once again, look at his economic and social programs; he's VERY progressive and fair, and it's done in a way that a broad range of Americans can tolerate. It could work. He could really be the tonic this ill society needs.

[mourningdove92]

15. I agree, Purity,

don't count Edwards out just yet. We have a long way to go, and I believe he can be the one to grab the fence sitters.

[chimpymustgo]

16. Let's hear it for one of the good guys: John Reid Edwards.

eom

[Nadienne]

19. Why wouldn't the media prove the complainers wrong?

And flood the airwaves with complaints by dem candidates about how the media is bias?

[TexasSissy]

17. I was thinking the same thing during the last debate---why are they

being asked if Dean is going to win, and what about the $$$. Stupid questions.

Kudos to Edwards!! And Kudos to Kucinich who spoke up about it during the debate!!

My estimation of both of them has gone up since the last debate.

[KittyWampus]

20. Even Howard Dean's Campaign Isn't About Howard Dean

According to Howard... "This Election isn't about ME it's about YOU!"

[arewethereyet]

21. and while that sounds nice...

it just might explain his flip flops !

Seriously, politics is all about selling yourself and your vision. I could not tell you what Dean's vision is and I COULD tell you every other's.

But only Edwards has been terribly effective at it. Gep, Kerry and Lieberman come in next, then Kucinich and the others in no particular order.

[Scott Lee]

27. Gee, wouldn't we DEMOCRATS say that's a good thing?

Or has the definition of democracy now changed with the new fashionable hatred of Howard Dean?

[sleipnir]

22. Well, nice for him, but when you're polling in single digits, who cares?

A bit of sarcasm, many people care and would like all the candidates to take the high road, but if you look at the candidates who are "ignoring" Dean, ahem..., Kucinich, Braun, Sharpton, Edwards, they're all at the bottom of the barrell. As sick as it sounds, I think that while Edwards has a noble stragium going, it's too late. The whole election is now about Dean and nothing is going to change that, certainly not 5% Edwards...

[arewethereyet]

23. you may be right, you may be wrong

I happen to believe that,at ehe end of the day, you'll be wrong.

Substance and principle DO matter and I believe Democrats will come around.

[sleipnir]

25. I hope in the end I'm wrong, too, but it's not going to be Edwards' doing

It'll take a big name Dem to change the election profile right now, and the only guy out there who seems up to the task is Clark. But first he's got to win something, which doesn't seem likely before Feb. The campaign/election is about Dean, as much as I wish it were about policy and politics, but if that were true, Kucinich would be tied for attention/lead with Edwards, but well, that's fantasy land. Though, trust me, I wish we all were in fantasy land, it'd be much better...

[Myra]

24. What took him so long? And why aren't the other Dems speaking out?

I'm glad Edwards is stating the obvious fact that Koppel's
debate was a grotesque infomercial for Dean.
Why did it take him 2 or 3 weeks to state the obvious?
Why aren't the others - aside from Kucinich (notable exception),
and Sharpton - objecting to the infomercial?
In fact, why is it seemingly ok with Dean that Koppel
was pushing other Dems out of the race and hammering away
about polls/money polls/money polls/money?

That was a big symptom of a big problem.
One that Dean seems unconcerned about.

[arewethereyet]

26. He's been preaching this from day one

seems that scowls and anger are more attractive to the media

[Myra]

28. Oh, I'm sorry arewethereyet. I didn't realize that.

I'm glad Edwards has been attempting to point out the media
bias. I'm sorry, but not surprised, if media bias has filtered out
his accusations of media bias.

[chimpymustgo]

29. "Media bias has filtered out his accusations of media bias."

Vicious cycle, huh?

But even Lou Dobbs is doing positive pieces of Dean. Please, folks. Get a clue.