Crossfire: General election not the goal for Dean supporters?

[floridaguy]

On CNN's Crossfire today, Virginia congressman Jim Moran didn't want to answer the question about Dean's electability and really didn't seem interested in who can win the general election. Apparently, somehow he and lots of others have lost sight of the grand prize.

Are Dean supporters that focused on winning the primary that they are forgetting that beating George Bush is the real goal?

Please read it for yourself. The link is below. I have included here just a few parts of the interview.


BEGALA: A moment ago, your colleague, fellow Democrat, Congressman Anthony Weiner, supporting Wesley Clark, said one of the big issues for him is electability. He says his guy can beat President Bush and your guy can't.

BEGALA: Well, President Bush is pounding him in New Hampshire, 57 to 30. Bush crushes Dean. This is a state that was basically a tossup against Al Gore. Bush carried by 7,000 votes. What gives?


MORAN: Well, I think it's early to be focusing on the general election. And we're talking about different issues right now.


When do you think they will start considering whether Dean can actually win in November?

This is just plain shortsightedness, and we can't afford nominating a candidate without full consideration of his electability. I believe if they're asking the question on CNN, electability is now an official issue, and Democrats need to start considering it now.

http://www.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0401/02/cf.00.html

[nadinbrzezinski]

1. Talking heads are not the base

Bush is the grand price...

Whether it is Dean or anybody else

ABB in '04

[SheilaT]

2. Here's one Dean supporter

who thinks he can certainly win in November. Of course, that assumes a free, fair, and honest election. Whoever the nominee is, we need to be assured a free, fair, and honest election, otherwise Bush will stay in power.

But trust me, the Dean supporters are not blinded to the long-term goal. As are not the other supporters of all the other candidates.

[Bombtrack]

3. Morans scared shitless of a primary challange

and endorsements like these are reciprocal. The Dean movement doesn't have the capability of winning a presidential general election, but they do a congressional district primary for a democrat.

Moran should be ousted for his softly anti-semitic brain fart last year.

[Tom Rinaldo]

7. Yes they do have the capability to win a presidential election.

It is self defeating negativism to not believe Dean would have a fighting chance to defeat Bush. Not the best chance in my book, but a real chance.

[Bombtrack]

14. the capability, but almost no probability

He isn't unelectable, but he's only beating Bush with some huge catastrophy like a second recession or a watergate 2

[Tom Rinaldo]

18. I'm not going there with you.

I would rather debate who has the best chance and why. Any number of things could influence the election toward or away from the Democrats, including our own attitudes during the campaign.

[Bombtrack]

22. Dean has chosen to run his campaign by the Lee Atwater campaign book

"go negative from the start and never let up"

Yet his supporters want us to take it easy on him.

[Tom Rinaldo]

34. I prefer to follow Clark's lead on that one.

He always manages to defend himself. Harshly against Republicans and the media when need be, and very smoothly against other Democrats when the situation calls for it. I would prefer to follow his lead, but I admit Clark's better at it than I will ever be.

[oasis]

26. Begala had Moran fumbling for replies a couple of times.

Moran had his head down completely puzzled on how to answer on question on Dean.

[madfloridian]

4. Wonder why Begala quoted an old poll, not today's?

It had just come out but they had part of it, so they had it all. The poll he quoted the 22% from was the same as the one showing Dean only 5% behind with Bush.

I think he should have been quoting the more recent poll, don't you think?

[Lobo_13]

5. Nope

It's true that we have to win the nomination before we can run in the GE, but the campaign is already thinking three steps ahead in the GE strategy.

But right now, we have to concentrate on the primaries and not take them for granted.

[poskonig]

6. Dean is the strongest against Bush.

Not only is Dean polling the best head to head against Bush in the latest CNN poll, the other candidates (minus Kerry) are sitting ducks for the Republicans since they opted for public financing.

[Bombtrack]

12. Did Dean know he would be a sitting duck before he flip-flopped

and warned that he would not let any of his rivals get away with opting out (paraphrasing). Anyway the other candidates won't be sitting ducks. They Dean campaign is completely distorting the law, after flip-flopping, to portray non flip-floping on campaign reform a bad thing.

Dean is a horrible candidate. He's Mondale on Taxes, McGovern on foreign policy and Dukakis on ideological, demographical, and geographical dem disadvantages

[poskonig]

13. I'm glad I'm supporting a winner.

In time, you will too.

[Bombtrack]

16. I'm supporting all the winners

the people who would make strong general election candidates, Dean and Gephardt not qualifying in that category

[poskonig]

17. You talk the talk.

We'll walk the walk.

[kerry-is-my-prez]

28. Me too. Clark, Kerry, Edwards. Gephardt - maybe. Dean - afraid not...

n/t

[bain_sidhe]

32. Yeah, but so's Lieberman, by that poll

they both had the same support - 46%

Maybe, as a Dean supporter suggested, its a name recognition thing?

[Walt Starr]

8. Dean is focused like a laser beam on the primaries

The General Election comes later.

Lieberman appears to be trying to play to the General Election. Where is he in the polls?

Gephardt appears to be trying to play to the General Election, how much did he raise last quarter?

Kerry appears to be trying to play to the General Election, didn't he have to mortgage his house?

Clark is focused like a laser beam on the primaries, isn't he number two right now in both the polls and fundraising?

You can't go to the big dance if you don't get the nomination.

[seventhson]

9. Begala worked for PSI which now advises Rove

His best Buddy, Mark McKinnon, is Rove's top dawg/

Begala is on THEIR side IMHO

[kerry-is-my-prez]

29. Oh puhleeze. Begala is much more of a Dem than Howard "anti-Dem" Dean.

What a joke!!!

[HFishbine]

10. I think there are a few candidates at least

who had all sorts of wet dreams about how well they'd do in the general election. Looks like some of them forgot they'd need to win the dem nomination first.

[poskonig]

11. It seems as if the DNC wants to blow this election.

I don't see these guys planning for the general election at all. Why opt for public financing, for instance?

[Green4Dean]

15. Begala was the one who put words in Weiners mouth

Hmmm i watched that show...Weiner clearly said Dean Could beat Bush...

BEGALA: Well, let me press it. Is Howard Dean qualified to be commander in chief?

WEINER: Absolutely.

nowhere does weiner say Dean is not electable





and of couse the rest of Morans response that you conenienly left out

MORAN: Well, I think it's early to be focusing on the general election. And we're talking about different issues right now.

Howard Dean is going to take every issue to George Bush. That's why he's running. I do think that the problem with his opponents is, they're not taking the issues to George Bush. They're trying to undermine Howard Dean.

And they'd be far better served, both in the Democratic primary and as candidates, individually and collectively, if they would do what Howard Dean is doing, which is raising the issue that this Medicare bill is a horrible bill for our sickest and oldest seniors. These tax cuts have put our -- the next generation into $12 trillion of debt they'll never get out of, and that the going to war was done under false pretenses.

That's what the Democrats need to be focusing on, not trying to find distinctions between themselves and Howard Dean. The distinction ought to be between themselves and George Bush.

[floridaguy]

20. You missed the point . . .

Rep. Moran was billed as the "Dean Supporter" on the show. When asked the direct question about electability, he simply avoided it.

[Green4Dean]

25. read the way the question was asked again...

That wasn't the question...It was how do you respond to being down so much in New Hampshire...Begalla attacked...he didn't ask a straight question...

[Hoppin_Mad]

19. Yes, it's true - We now have our sights set on "Leader of the free world"

and are thinking about his reelection in 2008.


Meanwhile, we are also worrying if Dean's kid's burglary will hurt his own chances in 2012.

LOL :-)

[Renew Deal]

21. I can't believe Begala went on the attack.

Maybe that's payback for going after Clinton.

[kerry-is-my-prez]

30. He (and Carville) and all of the other consultants know Dean's a loser...

THAT'S why they are attacking Dean...

[Shanty Oilish]

23. What's with Begala?

I can't feature him as a Clark supporter...and he's talking like one.

[poskonig]

24. The old Clinton hacks become irrelevant

with a power structure infested with Deaniacs.

[dansolo]

27. Will you non-Dean supporters get your attacks straight?

After the Gore endorsement there were wails and cries because some people expressed confidence that Dean was the favorite to win. Now you are complaining because they are not taking the primary for granted. So which is it?

[floridaguy]

33. Does this question make sense to anyone else? (n/t)

[IndianaGreen]

31. This is the same Begala that said this week that Kucinich should drop out

Begala was echoing the same words that Ted Koppel used, referring to Kucinich & Co as vanity candidates that have not business running.

Begala has not much credibility in my book.

[Cocoa]

35. no

not enough there to draw that conclusion, which is pretty unlikely, impossible really.

I usually don't completely understand politicians' motivations regarding how they answer questions like this, but I don't really care either. I'm more focussed on what I think of the candidates.

[Moderator]

36. Locking...

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