What Next For Dean?

[earthsea wizard]

I can't post a poll, because I've not donated as yet, but I see a lot of back and forth about Howard Dean, and wonder where the man will end up. Where do you see Dean in the future?

Should Dean look to other political offices?

1.Governor of Vermont again?

2. Challenge Jeffords for his Vermont Senate seat in 2006?

3. DNC Chair?

4. VP or Cabinet Position?

5. President in 2008?

Or should Dean work from the sidelines?

1. Organize an Activist network?

2. Run the Lecture Circuit as a voice for Democratic principles?

3. Write a book, or books?

Or should the good Doctor go home and be quiet?

I know where I stand, but I wonder where DUers stand?

[tridim]

1. VP, then President in 2012

failing that dream, FCC chair.

[jsw_81]

2. There's no way Kerry would choose Dean for VP

Not after the scream and the botox jokes. I really don't care, but I think Dean will probably run for (and win) a U.S. Senate seat when either Jeffords or Leahy decide to retire. That's what I would do if I were Howard Dean.

[earthsea wizard]

21. Thanks for the measured response!

It seems like you may not be much of a Dean fan, but you answered easily and without any bitterness.

Thanks!

[Name removed]

3. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[quaker bill]

4. Yes, let's eliminate all diversity of opinion

DLC rules! Anyone who thinks otherwise is clearly not a Democrat and needs to go home! It is a sure formula for victory.

[Cuban_Liberal]

7. God forbid someone would have a different vision for our party!

We should all fall in line and become good little Kerry bots...

[Kahuna]

10. I'm sorry to offend Dean supporters, but I have to agree with you..

Dean did indeed run against his own party. And, he does need to check his ego at the door whatever his future plans are.

[AntiCoup2K4]

15. Didn't Clark also "run against his own party"?

And they both had valid reasons for doing so. And there's no better evidence of that than the fact that the party machine chooses to install a nominee who voted in lock step with the Bush Agenda for the last three years.

Which means that it's actually Kerry who is against the Democratic party. Dean just wants to restore it, and the country to what they used to be before all this selling out to the global corporatist fascists took over both parties.

[Zynx]

23. He ran against the party rightfully.

Were you proud of the party we had in 2002? I wasn't. He changed that almost single handidly and no one can honestly deny that.

[RetroLounge]

11. POOP!

Apparently the primary process is where you do NOT run against your own party.

Thanks for clearing that up.

RL

[AntiCoup2K4]

14. "infantile bombast can only embarrass the Democratic party"

I couldn't agree more. So when are you leaving? :grr:

[WillyT]

58. ROFLMAO !!! --- Yowee, Zowee !!!

Nothin but net, baby!!!

:bounce:

[earthsea wizard]

24. Thanks Buckeye

Its amazing what asking a simple question tells you about the person who responds.

You seem to really hate Dean. I wonder why, especially now that he isn't a challenge to John Kerry's march to Boston.

Did Dean do something that affected you personally?

hmmm

[slinkerwink]

47. buckeye only shows up on Dean threads......

[NightNurse]

41. No Holds Barred Response.

Better than some :tinfoilhat: apologists, though

[milkyway]

44. Your usual b.s. Dean ran against the current rulers of the Party, not

the Democratic Party. He strongly made the point in every speech that Dems should be proud of their Party's traditional values instead of be embarrassed by them. It's the DLCers that want to turn their backs on the Party of FDR. Dean ran against McAuliffe and his establishment crew, and got squashed for it. It's certainly fair to criticize Dean, but on the grounds that he didn't toe the party line as dictated by the DLC? Please.

[RetroLounge]

49. Oh, and another thing...

[slinkerwink]

57. tombstoned!

[liberalnurse]

59. He has only just begun.

So, you can post all the anti-Dean rhetoric you want...we Dean supporters know folks are sacared.....that they will be exposed and held accountable.

Dean is here to change this country. I'm here with him and the revolution has been born. You ain't making any diffrence with such weak, poopy posting attempts to flame Dean.

[angryinoville]

60. Where did this repub come from?

[molly]

5. I think the first thing he needs to do is to explain

why he sealed his records. Considering the dirt that has already been leveled at us, it would be a very wise thing to do.

[RetroLounge]

12. Poop!

EOM

[NightNurse]

39. Exactly What Trippi-Scam,Inc Did to Your Crusade

Why not get a real accouting of the money Trippi siphoned-off Dean's Campaign?


Did you pay the Deli in Amex.Iowa the $983.00 your Dean Democrats skipped-out on? Despicable!

[janx]

42. Trippi didn't siphon money. He got his 15% the way most

agencies do.

As for the deli--why don't you call them and ask?

[earthsea wizard]

43. What a chump question!

Get off your butt and do a google search!

Took me about 15 seconds to find this -

http://www.whotv.com/Global/story.asp?S=1624388&nav=2HABKX6S

*****************************************
Dean Campaign Pays Up

West Des Moines, January 30, 2004 - After stiffing a metro deli on a $963 bill, the Howard Dean Campaign is paying up.

UPS Delivery brought the check to the Brown Bag Deli in West Des Moines this afternoon. A campaign staffer said they were sorry for the mix-up, and were happy to pay the bill.

The Deli's owner, Scott Hoffman, gladly accepted the check that had been due since January 16. Hoffman says he has even named a sandwich after the former governor--he says it's made with "bologna and cheese".

*****************************************

Note the date: The bill has been paid off for a MONTH.

Of course, its much easier to accuse people of being an ass than to prevent yourself from the same.

[slinkerwink]

48. exactly----who needs facts? let's trot out the old lies about Dean...

[patricia92243]

6. DNC Chair, lecture circuit, and book for one year.

Then Senator and book. Then cabinat memeber and book. Then lecture circuit some more - and oh yes - another book.

[MoonRiver]

8. Not VP. Other than that I don't care. Whatever makes him happy

and doesn't wreck our chances for taking back the WH, is fine with me. He's a good man and has a lot to offer, so I'm sure he'll find a niche.

[Kahuna]

9. Jeffords is not running in '06. So he may have an opportunity there.

He should be a shoe in.

[Protagoras]

38. That's kinda sad

because of all the right of center people out there Jeffords probably threatened us the least. I'd rather he stay in and muck around the middle and Dean work toward a position in the DNC...Terry is stepping down and Dean could sure energize things...though I know it wouldn't happen...still it's a nice thought.

Dean would be a good Senator. That would put him in the thick of things and give him a good chance to effect things on the national level.

[Baclava]

13. Dean who?

.

[NightNurse]

40. Dean Martin! THE Rat Pack Lives on DU!

:puke:

[w4rma]

16. It appears that he has chosen to "organize an activist network". (n/t)

[ozone_man]

17. It appears that way.

Although there are many good options down the road as earthsea suggests. Here's my preference:

1) Dean re-energizes small-d democracy in the country, leading to the end of the DLC wing of the party by 2008. This work would of course be hastened by a Kerry loss to Bush in 2004.

2) Dean runs for Jefford's senate seat in 2006 (Jeffords retires) or he holds out for a run again as president in 2008. This time the country is ready for real democracy.

3) Assuming Dean takes the senate role in 2006, in 2012 after cleaning up Washington, he runs for president, after two disastrous terms of tweedle dee or tweedle dum.

[janx]

18. Dean has already written a book. He is busy organizing and

will announce plans on March 18. There are a couple of organizations that will be working together on this. One of them is here:

http://www.changeforamerica.com

It's headed by Trippi. There will be summits in ten major U.S. cities in a couple of weeks.

Dean's not going away.

[earthsea wizard]

25. Thanks Janx

So, author and activist?

Janx, do you think Dean will run for office, or that he should accept any position in a Kerry Whitehouse?

[janx]

27. I hope he'll run for office.

Edit: BUT--this isn't just about Dean. He wants to reform the party and the government.


If there is something called a Kerry White House, I doubt Kerry would want Dean around. Dean tends to shake things up and hold people accountable.

[WhoCountsTheVotes]

19. Dean fans! Don't wait for Dean or Trippi, organize yourselves NOW!

All the volunteers can keep each other's emails handy, and your own personal list of contacts and supporters. Do it however you want. Don't wait for Dean or Trippi - let them follow your lead. That's democracy in action. You guys are great!

[janx]

20. We're doing that. MeetUp is this coming week.

Thanks for the sentiment.

[littlejoe]

22. Whatever Mr. Dean does now is basically irrelevant to the

Democratic party. he spent all of his ammunition and missed the target.

[earthsea wizard]

26. I suppose you may be right

But you could argue that Dean DID hit the mark. He forged the debate, leading the Dems into an agressive challenge against Bush.

Till Dean spoke up, I don't remember ANY Dem challenging Bush on much of anything.

Dean gets ridiculed for not getting a personal win, but it seems to me that just by entering the race, Dean helped ALL Dems win.

Why so bitter about that?

[littlejoe]

28. To a degree I agree with you.

[madfloridian]

29. Dean should go home. He is too disturbing with all his truths.

He should just hush and let the status quo folks have their way.

He should leave the media folks alone,too. Heck, they are just doing their corporate jobs.

And that silly Iraq War.....we are all over that now. That is old news now.

He just needs to go home to VT and let others keep the status quo.

[janx]

30. Why do so many people seem to want to get rid of him?

[madfloridian]

31. He disturbs their comfort level.

:hi:

[janx]

33. The poll I posted yesterday showed that people still want

him around--if it's to be believed. What I think it means is that they want US around to work and support their candidates.

What many don't know is that we will be too busy with our new endeavors. ;-)

[madfloridian]

53. Yes, you are right.

:hi:

[molly]

32. Get rid of him - no

why? He's harmless.

[slinkerwink]

34. Dean's working from the sidelines because the party doesn't want him out

in the center.

[littlejoe]

35. It's the people, not just the party who want him out.

The people have spoken.

[janx]

36. Do you believe in Santa Claus?

?

[littlejoe]

45. And your point is?

[janx]

54. You are dreaming if you think that "the people" really choose

who our leaders are.

Watch very carefully during the next primary.

[earthsea wizard]

62. kick

for the people!

[earthsea wizard]

37. Actually, your wrong

nothing indicates the people want Dean out.

If the primaries indicate anything, its that we want Bush out, and for whatever reason, they think Kerry is the one to do it.

Everything I have seen indicates that Dean is wanted by the people, but not by the establishment, which includes the party bosses.

Without the political assasination he suffered (which did NOT come from the people), Dean would undoubtedly be in Kerry's shoes at this very moment. You can't just pretend differently.

Well...you could, but it would still just be pretending.

[littlejoe]

46. The "establishment " didn't cast my vote, or hundreds of

thousands of others votes. The people spoke loud and clear. Or do you want a recount?

[janx]

50. No, it didn't cast your vote. But it made darned sure it

framed the circumstances and perceptions of people before a single vote was cast.

[littlejoe]

51. Sounds like a convenient form of denial.

[janx]

52. Nope. I wish it were only that, but I've learned otherwise. n/t

[pacifictiger]

55. Dean's personal goal

was always to get average common sense people back into deciding how this country is governed, rather than the corporates, wealthy elites, and war profiteers. He eyed the presidential race as a platform for the message, but I suspect his ego was not overly invested in the personal glory associated with that office in an of itself. He has stated that he will continue to work on his basic goal for the people of this country, but recognizes that systemic change is difficult and takes time. He is certainly a maverik individualist in one sense, but seems to have a grasp of the necessity of being a team player in the larger sense for the greater good of the country. Traits that many could learn from. He should take comfort in the knowledge that history is full of memorable people who honestly tried to change political systems for the better but were first ridiculed.

[madfloridian]

56. Good post. Let's see, after the ridicule.....

Yes, he will be a team player for the good of the country.
As he reminded us, change is hard and takes a long time.

Thanks for a thoughtful post.

:hi:

[ScreamingMeemie]

61. We'll find out on March 18th. For now, I'll continue going to meetups

and staying connected with a wonderful group of people concerned for the future of the party...and the country. :hi: