Dean supporters only I have an important question for you

[Melodybe]

If we don't stop Kerry now we are going to end up with the weakass ticket of Kerry/Edwards. It is unavoidable, Kerry needs the southern vote to bad for it not to happen.

The same scenerio is going to happen in all 48 states. Kerry getting the safe vote and Edwards does not have enough people to stop Kerry, but enough to keep Dean at 25% and vice versa.

Dean is damaged goods, our loss tonight shows that the media is too powerful to get threw to all the voters.

If you want real change in this country, the best ticket we can have now is Edwards/dean ticket.

Edwards has a very good public image and is more electable than Kerry but will end up as Kerry's veep.

I just sent this over to the campaign, I am being realistic here. What do you think?

[Lisa0825]

1. Clinton in 92: Iowa 3rd place, NH 2nd place

Don't give up so quickly.

[Melodybe]

7. If we don't team up with the Clark/Edwards people now

all three are done for. WE will get Kerry/Edwards the media is already pushing it. Dean is damaged goods already other wise he would have gotten a better vote tonight. The longer this goes on the more people we loose and the more definite Kerry becomes. Edwards has a better TV image and Dean people can deal with him being veep.

Will this happen? no, too many ego's. Should it happen? Yes, it is our only hope. I am being realistic.

[Beaker]

33. team up with Clark/Edwards people?

I've never heard of a three person ticket before- what's the problem...? the Dr. can't attract his own southern voters?

[Beaker]

32. Clinton was from the South, Dean isn't.

after Iowa and new hampshire, Clinton did GREAT in the South...wanna bet that Dean won't do as well below the Mason-Dixon line as Bill did...?

[hellhathnofury]

2. Only as a last resort, and by that I mean a brokered convention.

It's not over at all.

Chin up.

I'll take Edwards any day over Kerry.

Stranger things have happened and our image is not beyond a makeover.

[Anwen]

3. Don't give up so easily.

We're talking 2 small states here. Dean is strong and I think most people see through the media crap.

[Melodybe]

10. No, they don't, that is the problem.

The pundits have said Dean is unelectable too many times, we can't go back. We have done as much as we can to get the word out but we are not working hard enough. People aren't listening and they are not voting for us. We need to get behind Edwards, next to Kerry the public believes he is the most electable.

[Anwen]

16. Wrong

We shouldn't be deserting the best candidate to go against Bush just because he didn't capture first prize in Iowa and New Hampshire.

Clinton won the nomination despite the media assaulting him with infidelity charges, character assassinations, among many, many other things. All they have on Dean is a scream.

Don't give up hope.

[LSdemocrat]

4. Calm down, take a deep breath.

The media is turning on John Kerry. He will stumble. Don't write off Dean yet. We can win some of the Feb 3 states, especially if the media really turns on Kerry. Hang in there.

[Castilleja]

5. I disagree. I don't think he is "damaged", either.

Jumping the gun, IMO.

[pacifictiger]

9. grow a spine like dean and don't give into fear!

Theres way too much of that going around these days. The only way this country can hope to change is if we all stick up for the person that in our gut speaks truth. Dean must stay viable to keep the core message of changing business as usual in washington. He needs to maintain good support right up until the last minute for that to happen. If you want politics as usual, buy into the talking head media spin and jump ship. I for one will not. I don't mind backing someone with the right message, even though he might lose the first round. Everyone though nixon was done when kennedy beat him. Unfortunately in that case they were wrong, but the message is, the pundits were wrong.

[Melodybe]

12. But people don't know that.

I do have a spine and the media is about to try to forget about Dean. they will blow off his message, they will trivialize everything that he said and say that it wasn't enough and that people were turned off by him. I would rather have Dean as Veep instead of not at all, which is what we will get. Dean is to honest and dangerous for the media to focus on him too long. Kerry is a disaster and the media knows it. It has to be Edwards/Dean for the win.

[Anwen]

21. Of course the media will trivialize everything he says/does.

Newsflash -- they will do that to ALL the candidates eventually. So you might as well stand behind the one you like.

[pacifictiger]

27. One of the ways that the Bushies

were able to win, was to stay on message, no matter what. Think back to the 2000 fiasco. Whenever you heard any of their mouthpieces speak, whether Karen Hughes, James Baker, or whoever, the message was practically identical, and when they were questioned, they didn't answer the question, they just made the same statement over and over until people started believing that it was true. The white house press correspondent does it too. We need to stay on message and not waiver or all the hard work to date will be for naught. Your comments are coming from fear of being on the losing side, not thinking of all that can be accomplished by staying the course. Institutional change is incredibly difficult and will require courage, strength and conviction. I hope you are up to the task. Look to the long term future not just what may or may not happen a month or two ahead.
The president never operates as a sole player - Bush is propped up by a lot of unsavory characters, we just have to make sure that the new democratic president, whoever he may be, is surrounded by people who can make a difference and begin to dismantle the career war profiteers that have been lining their pockets on the misery of others for decades.

[kaitykaity]

6. I have to disagree here.

Don't give up on the good Doctor yet. It's Kerry's
turn to feel like his ass is a pincushion, let's see
how well he handles it.

[overground1]

8. 2nd place in NH is a good showing. It's what Clinton and Mondale got.

Now if they are going to go with Kerry/Edwards, then there is nothing we can do about it. Let them have their DLC candidates if they want. It will finally put an end to the DLC. Then the party can beg Dean to take the nomination in 2008.

[w13rd0]

11. damaged goods, the media too powerful...

...well, considering it's the media (and some others) selling the damaged goods bit, I intend to stick with Dean and fight on. I mean, why not? I find no compelling reason not to.

[Melodybe]

14. B/c Kerry is just going to get stronger and stronger then it will be too

late.

[BurtWorm]

13. Let's see what happens when the big states come into play.

Don't buy the media hype. Patience.

[Melodybe]

18. I am not buying the media hype but Joe Blow is

Half of the sample voters, voted Kerry b/c they thought he was the most electable. Why? B/c that is what the media wants them to think. People are a lot stupider than I give them credit for, we have sheeple to and in order to stop it we have to do something that they will not expect. Edwards/Dean is the answer.

Hell they can take turns in office for all i care. Four years Edwards, four years Dean, Edwards, Dean.

WE have to be realistic, we are doing ok but until we team up with someone else we are screwed. Why would Edwards agree to Veep for Dean when Kerry is doing better?

Dean should drop out and be veep so he still gets a voice, otherwise the media is going to write him off as a crazy internet fad.

[BurtWorm]

26. The big states are coming up, I repeat. Let's see how this plays out.

Things have been turning back and forth. The pundits have been wrong before. I need to see more evidence that they're right before I change preferences.

[Indiana_Dem]

15. Please don't fret! I've been undecided up until tonight---

now I have my list and I pretty well think I'm going to stick with it. I don't vote until May in Indiana but I'm going to vote for Dean. If he doesn't make it to Indiana then Clark, then Kerry. But I'll vote for the nominee in the general regardless! Don't worry, don't worry! Dean may not win all 5 states on Tuesday either but we have a lot of other states. I predict Kerry to win Missouri and Clark Oklahoma. Tossup between Edwards or Clark in SC. But that doesn't bother me for Dean!!! We've got California and New York as possibilities! And lots more!! Keep your chin up!! His supporters are the movement, not Dean. You guys need to stick to your guns and motivate the voters to come vote!!!! The Dean campaign is what's making this an exciting race! Don't bail out yet!!

[Indiana_Dem]

20. I'm also going to start giving donations to the campaign

over the campaign period, too. I've only given $50 to Dean so far so I have plenty of room to donate more and I will as I can! Don't give up so easily! We can see past the hype.

[aquart]

17. I find this annoying.

If you have ceased to support Dean because of two small votes, go.

But realism and what you are doing, which is turning tail and running, are two different things.

Either you stand up for what you believe, or you don't and can't.

We have a good slate. If we have to, we can vote for any one of these guys. But we are a long way away from having to.

Since Edwards has so far played weak, I have no idea where you get the notion he can successfully top a ticket, but hey.

I'm not changeable, but I am stubborn. The more pressure I get to abandon someone who HAS DONE NO WRONG, the more determined I am to stay.

I like the feisty little bastard.(whoever coined that term, I want a button)

[Melodybe]

22. Look I am sitting back and watching this unfold and I can see where it is

going. Kerry will keep getting the safe vote and Edwards and Clark will still keep hurting Dean enough to make him loose to Kerry. We have to team up otherwise it is Kerry/Edwards.

That is the only solution. Dean/Edwards, Edwards/Dean their are no other options.

[Indiana_Dem]

24. I don't think Dean would like to run with Edwards.

They are opposite in thinking on the issues.

[kaitykaity]

25. Amen Brother. Amen.

Repeating "Dean is damaged" doesn't make it so.

Feisty bastard, huh? Mine are "you call me a bitch
like that's a bad thing" and "I could be a bitch if I
was nicer".

:hi:

[mmonk]

19. I've noticed your posts (yes I'm a Clark supporter)

Seems you've made your transition already to the Edwards camp. I really don't understand that jump to someone that's so different. I've noticed the same among some Clark supporters. Your transition is large in that Dean is not for continuing tax cuts with such a huge deficit out there. Edwards is running on some tax cuts. Edwards is very much a hawk on the Iraq war while Dean was against it. Edwards is establishment material and Dean is not. How do people make such switches? Some of us can't see how the candidate evaluation goes with such a change. No firm convictions can be made out.

[Indiana_Dem]

23. I think they're only thinking about the 'electability'

issue. What probably won this person over for Dean is the issues!!! Stick with the issues. Dean has Bush beat on the issues!!!! All Dean needs is the support of the people who want those issues raised against Bush.

[pacifictiger]

28. hollyroller

well said!!!

[stopbush]

29. You probably missed my post earlier tonight,

but I was doing some phone work for the Dean campaign tonight. Roughly 90% of the Dems I called were UNDECIDED on a candidate. 90%!! And our caucus in NV is Feb 14, less than 3 weeks away.

It ain't over til it's over. Giving into fear and buying into the pre-packaged myth is no way to go, whoever your candidate happens to be. If you think Dean is damaged goods, wait until they get done with Kerry.

Buck up. There's plenty of game left, even if the self-appointed refs are trying their damnedest to fix the outcome.

[Shanty Oilish]

30. How do you do it, Melodybe?

How do you manage to navigate the perils of opposing Kerry with such skill? If I did the same about Clark, with your frankness, persistence and sincerity, I'd be banned for life.
Well, I respect your stand though we disagree, and I wouldn't feel bad if we both wound up behind Edwards/Dean.
In the meantime I wish I had your good luck charm! :)

[dfong63]

31. i'm not giving up on Dean

when Dean first entered the race, he wasn't expected to do this well. i sure didn't think he would. but then his campaign seemed to take off, and the media's expectations soared. now we see that Dean has failed to meet their expectations: Dean lost the "expectations" game. but SO WHAT? he's still Dean. don't count him out. Kerry has had a great run in recent weeks, but he could still stumble. i'm not stating that as a hope, but as a fact: candidates and campaigns do stumble. the winds of fate could start blowing just as hard in the opposite direction.