Say one thing to promote the candidate you support

[Pobeka]

I'm looking for information that would help me decide.

This is not about bashing other candidates -- please restrain yourselves. Give me your best shot -- up to 5 short sentences about why you really like a particular candidate.

And, given the critical nature of this election, I would welcome opinions of why your candidate can beat Bush, not necessarily just on how they stand with respect to particular issues.

[SlavesandBulldozers]

1. Dean

Dean is a bareknuckled brawler who stands square to his opponent, lowers his chin and puts on the poker face. Faced with Bush in a debate he will pull no punches and give no quarter. He talks a mile a minute with surgical precision. He has the experience necessary to base his political philosophy on solid ground.

[CTLawGuy]

2. Dean

Dean took a principled stand against the war, and took the consequences of that.
Dean signed the civil unions bill in VT during his election year, even though it had 30% support, because it was the right thing to do.
Dean is an exemplary steward of our money. He will spend it on health care, education, and homeland defense, but he will not spend more than he takes.
He is proud to be a Democrat, even when democratic principles arent popular.

[JohnKleeb]

3. ok

Kucinich has some great ideas. He took a stand against the horrible war and wants to make war rare. He is a true living model of how the American dream can work.
Hope I can sway :).

[YellowDawgDemocrat]

4. Gephardt

Labor doesn't have a better friend in politics today.

[JohnKleeb]

8. Great point

This is one of the reasons why I do like Gep. You may not know this but Kucinich is a good friend to them too, youre a Gep supporter, I have a question, does he have the miners?

[frogbison]

25. Kucinich

Dennis is always ahead of the pack. He is much more evolved and attuned to a global perspective than the average person.

heartbrain =a better world

[Lobo_13]

5. Dean

Has a long track record of doing what he thinks is best for the people who elected him, regardless of party. I trust him to do the same for America.

He's the only one who has positioned himself to take on Bush AND regain a Dem majority in congress. He's the only one that can make a fight of it. He's proven the ability to raise money for himself and other candidates, which is far more effective than the "coattail" effect.

I think he's dead right on most issues.

He's pulling more people into the process, which is key to the success of our system, and no one else has done that. And those people will coattail a Dem majority in congress.

[windansea]

6. Clark

He has less political baggage to attack...

He can defuse the defense/terror issue Bush will run on

He is liberal but centrist..not perceived as partisan divider and the fact that he has voted for both Democratic and Republican presidents will help win swing voters

He is highly educated, well known, a decorated hero

He is calm but assertive, trustable, and presidential

good luck with your choice!

[maxr4clark]

16. Clark too

Clark has more credibility on foreign policy than Bush+Cheney+Rumsfeld, let alone any other Democrat.

Clark has a Masters in Economics/Political Philosophy from Oxford, which he attended after West Point as a Rhodes Scholar.

Clark has run a clean campaign, and is in the best position to make real progress on uniting America across current rifts.

Clark is genuinely interested in leading America into a greater prosperity and a better position in the world, not in inflating his own ego like so many professional politicians.

Clark raised over $11M in Oct-Dec, in addition to $3.5M in the second half of September, and is running as effective and as grass-roots a campaign as well as anyone.

There's more, but you asked for brevity.

[Clark Campaigner]

35. I agree with you, plus

Clark has the service experience.

[arewethereyet]

7. Edwards has had a fully developed platform for a year

that has stood the test of the political season and been proven superior.

He has remained a statesman and a savy polititian throughout and has performed well consistantly and without mistakes or lapses and largely without the aid of the media. And the worst baggage he brought to the show is that he's a lawyer.

Look back over his career and explain te plum comittee assignments he has as a junior senator any other way than he's an amazingly bright, focused and comitted man.

People believe what he says because he gives them reason to. He doesn't have to gloss the truth as the truth shows him in a good light all the time.

He's charismatic, warm, human and the most electable person running.

Sorry, couldn't say ONE thing. I'll beg your forgiveness and wish you well in your descision process.

[diamondsoul]

9. Sheer common sense and

brass...err...nether-regions!

Listen to what he says, and read his policy papers. It's just plain common sense, ALL of it!

You'll hear a lot that Kucinich is a "dreamer" or an "idealist" or even that he's "inflexible". He's a dreamer, perhaps but the rest is just a joke, and his record proves that.

[slinkerwink]

10. I like Dean because he gives me hope

Dean can beat Bush because he's drawing in new people into the Democratic party, and if we were to lose Dean, that would be very sad for the Dem party's chances at beating Bush.

[anti-bush]

11. I support Edwards

because John Edwards has an exit plan for the war George Bush has waged against middle and lower class Americans.

He has specific plans for education including free college tuition for a year (for those willing to work 10 hours a week), and funding for schools to remove the two class public school system.

His pledge to create 5 million new jobs through fair trade agreements, enforcing current trade agreements, incentives to companies to keep jobs at home, and provide venture capital for community businesses.

His commitment to ending the stranglehold corporations, energy, big oil, PACs, and lobbyists control over Washington is unparalleled by any other candidate, and he has a history of fighting for the little guy against these groups.

His honesty, positivity, and focus on the issues facing Americans without getting into the attack ads and mudslinging of the other candidates has proven that he has the moral character, and vision to make him the best Presidential Candidate and the next President of the United States.

[Woodstock]

18. Edwards is a good guy

[Pobeka]

12. Keep 'em coming!

These are great -- I know there are more folks out their with good things to say!

[Turkw]

13. I like Clark, 5 basic issues,

I'm former military and I like a leader who will go to war, but only as a last resort, uses diplomacy first and only for the right type of issues- ethnic cleansing, real threats to the US- such as the Taliban protecting Al Quada, not for the enrichment of the energy corporations.

I like Clark's record concerning minorities and women, he promoted them and wanted every one to be able to serve who wanted to. I feel he is best equipped to deal with the issue of gays in the military, he knows great soldiers who had a lot to contribute and wanted to serve their country that left because of their sexual orientation. This serves nobody, and hurts good men and women AND the military.

I like the fact that he doesn't know all the answers,but is willing and able to learn. He is an outsider who has no agenda to serve, no political debts, and is interested in solutions that are new, innovative and outside the current political mainstream. (I asked him specifically about this issue when I met him)

I Think that the Democratic party is the party with the best interests of the men and women in the military at heart and I think it is time we made that an issue. I think we can take the military vote away from the Republicans who use the military to further their world economic goals, and not the interests of the United States.

Finally, I like his history with education, he believes in it. He was involved in giving the children of soldiers a real education when he was NATO commander. He helped create a new school curriculum and fought for additional funding for the schools.

Oh, he has a great tax plan. (OK that's six- sorry if this was longwinded)

[Woodstock]

14. Dean

since I only get 5, I'll make them simple & heartfelt

is down to earth and in touch with the people
truly believes all men and women are created equal
wants America to be for all Americans, not just corporations
will make the rest of the world like us again
isn't afraid to speak up and kick Bush butt

[Leilani]

15. Clark

Has only been in this thing for 4 months; imagine how good he will be against Shrub

Has devoted his entire life to his country

Running a positive, optimistic campaign

With military background & southern roots, is much more competitive in states that Gore lost

Great tax plan which helps lower & middle class; we have been losing our middle class & they need help

[Pobeka]

17. I see no Kerry posts -- any Kerry promoters willing to give it a shot?

[windansea]

33. Kerry is great

liberal warhorse

american hero

honest and true

new haircut!

I like the guy and so does my dog

[maxr4clark]

19. Great idea for a thread, thanks for starting it!

[incapsulated]

20. Clark

Clark is the best choice for anyone who considers winning the general election against Bush to be their top priority. He has a natural appeal to the all important swing-voters and southerners who will decide this election and a centrist/liberal platform. Rove will have a hard time attacking and discrediting him, because of his lack of baggage and "All American" image and history. He will be able to go toe-to-toe with Bush on national security and foreign policy issues, which will be a very important part of this race. I believe that he has a great combination of leadership skills, enthusiasm and character that would make him an excellent President.

http://www.clark04.com

:)



 

[Feanorcurufinwe]

21. Kerry has the best environmental record and vision.

He understands the big picture of how our natural environment is crucial to our survival and his plans tie together environmental protection, jobs, energy independence and national security so that each effort complements the others. He has the temperment and skills to restore the prestige of the US in the diplomatic sphere and rebuild the bridges we have so recklessly burned. He can can go head on with George Bush on the issue of national security with the credibility of a war hero and and anti-war hero. He has a history of fighting corruption and winning tough election battles.

[farmbo]

22. Dean...because economic power has seized political power...

and he will do the most serious job of dismantling the culture of crony capitalism in Washington.

[TexasPatriot]

23. Clark

One Thing

(i had to do it)

[Pobeka]

26. groooannnn n/t

[cindyw]

24. Kerry

9/11 scared the crap out of me and it makes me feel safer not only to have a man who has seen the cost of war first hand running our country, but to have one who saw this war (terror) coming. The New War

Kerry's plans always have a common component in that they address the root causes of high costs. When dealing with Medicare and his health plan, he specifically addresses the high cost that drives this areas with catastrophic coverage of those cases over 50,000.

John Kerry recognizes that while Bush's tax plan was wrong for the country (he voted against), it also bankrupted the families of this country. To ask more of them now by taking away the small cuts they received would devastate the already overburdened middle class. Two wrong do not make a right. Whatever offsets we may pass in benefits (health care) will not come in soon enough to stop my family from having to put that extra $2,000 on my credit card to pay the higher expenses of this Bush economy.

Sorry to go long, but Kerry's best point rightly do not fit on a bumpersti

[eileen from OH]

27. Dean

I've been an avid follower of politics forever, have always voted, but never got off my buns to work for a candidate - local, state, or national. Never gave a dime to any of 'em or the party.

Went to the first Meetup for Dean in Feb. 5 people. Now we average around 60 at each and have about 180 on our local email list. Not everyone comes to every meetup, but most are still involved and the support for house parties and other activities is outstanding. Since June our various fund raisers, during which we've gotten MORE people involved, have netted about $10,000 for Dean, above and beyond what we've given individually. We've got a big flyering project in January, as well as a rally.

And - here's the thing - the overwhelming majority of these people were a lot like me - never involved beyond bitching. We have not drunk koolaid, we aren't some kind of starry-eyed youngsters, and we're too damn busy working for our candidate to waste time or energy bashing the others. We are realistic grownups and we've all come together with a common goal.

I imagine what we're doing, multiplied many, many times over around the country. Y'now how Dean always does the "you have the power" bit at the end of the speech? Kinda hokey, huh? But see, what I realized, working for the Dean campaign, wasn't just that I had the power.

It was that I'd had it all along.


eileen from OH

[SlavesandBulldozers]

28. Clark

Clark will go bareknuckled against anybody. We all saw him do it to Assman on Faux. The Dems could really use a guy like that right now. His direct nature transcends statesman, to a piercing kind of awareness. Clark is somebody who speaks the language of the military to let them know that help is on the way. Clark's policy abroad will spell the beginning of healing at home.

[adadem]

29. I trust Kerry

because he has experience in every aspect of government. Also, he does not accept PAC money so that he could be unduly influenced.
He's an honorable man with integrity.

[dfong63]

30. Dean

i want my country back!!!

[PurityOfEssence]

31. Edwards could be a statesman for the ages

The system of capitalism with vigorous safety net controls (and occasional market substitution)is what this country was designed to be, and how it works best.

He is a true uniter, with a boundless warmth, unmistakable sense of listening and a dazzling ability as an all around do-er.

He can beat Junior better than anyone; he's telegenic, a fabulous orator and comes across as a very "good" person.

His platform is very detailed, specifically pays for itself and is VERY socially progressive; he's thoroughly prepared and sensible.

Having walked in many strata of society, he can easily relate to people of many different circumstances, and people sense this; he could be the healer that this country needs and the world needs for us to have as a leader.

[Crunchy Frog]

32. Clark

I believe that Clark would bring new blood into the Democratic party, at a time when it is badly in need of a transfusion.

I believe that what this country needs in a president right now is not just a politician, but a true statesman, and Clark would fulfill that role.

I believe that Clark is one of the most progressive and liberal candidates that I've ever seen, but comes cloaked in the appearance of a moderate, so he would not seem threatening. He would be able to wrap a progressive agenda in the flag, and sell it, not as a partisan agenda, but one that was right for America.

Lastly, I believe that he is the only one who would have both the ability and the inclination to take on the Military Industrial Complex and win.

[Jack_Dawson]

34. Clark = E-l-e-c-t-a-b-i-l-i-t-y

[dkf]

36. Dean!

Arianna writes this:

There is a historical parallel to Dean's candidacy, but it's not McGovern in 1972, as the DLC-paranoiacs would like us to believe – it's Bobby Kennedy in 1968.

Like Kennedy, Dean's campaign was initially fueled by his anti-war outrage. Like Kennedy, Dean has found himself fighting not just to represent the Democratic Party but to remake it. Like Kennedy, Dean is offering an alternative moral vision for America, not just an alternative political platform.

In the same way that Kennedy was able to take his outrage over Vietnam and expand it to include the outrages perpetrated at home, Dean has gone from railing against the war to offering a New Social Contract for America's Working Families that harkens back to the core message of FDR: "The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little."

It's a message that Bobby Kennedy made central to his campaign but which the Democratic Party has since abandoned.

Howard Dean has resurrected it and made it his own because, as he says, 2004 "is not just about electing a president – it's about changing America."

http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=17512

I loved Bill Bradley's words because it expresses what I feel about this campaign:

Gov Dean, he says "is tapped into the same wonderful idealism that I saw in the eyes of Americans in 2000 and he has nourished it into a powerful force.

What is that idealism? It is the belief that good can triumph over bad, that principle can defeat expediency, that there's honor in working for a better world, that it's not naive to appeal to the better sides of our nature and it's all right to believe in the people, in your neighbor, in humankind."

http://blog.deanforamerica.com/archives/002981.html

[windansea]

37. so Pobeka

which response catches your fancy?

[Hoppin_Mad]

38. Dean = Courageous !

[RandomUser]

39. I trust Wes Clark

The measure of a person's character and integrity is how one reacts to temptation when no one is looking, and when self-sacrifice is against one's own interest and holds no public glory or acknowledgement.

After Vietnam, Clark could have joined his peers and left the military for private life, leveraging his prestigious West Point and Oxford degrees to make tons of money.

Instead, during a time when the military was unpopular and held in low esteem, he chose to live with constant relocations, sometimes crappy living conditions, and serve his country at low pay, a pittance of what he could have made in the private sector with his prestigious degrees, analytical intelligence, and leadership skills, continuing to turn down lucrative offers from outside the military over the years.

And after he left the military, he could have done what most retired generals do and work for a lucrative weapons firm contracting with the military, but he refused to sell weapons systems, despite the fact that such a position is extremely financially advantageous.

If Clark were a money grubbing power hungry opportunist, he would not be where he is today or made the choices he did in his life at great personal cost to himself and his family, when no one would have cared or faulted him for doing otherwise -- I trust Wes Clark's intelligence (just look how far he's come in a fraction of the time it took the other candidates!), integrity, and character.

[Clark Campaigner]

40. You're not the only one

Clark also has the trust of the DNC and the Clintons.
Who trusts Howard Dean?

[RandomUser]

41. Let's try to keep this thread positive

in respect for the original thread starter's wishes.

[Clark Campaigner]

43. I merely asked a question

so those that do could explain why.

[RandomUser]

44. It didn't seem to fit with the thread topic. (n/t)

no text

[Forkboy]

42. He's not Dean or Clark

:evilgrin:

[w4rma]

45. Rosenberg: "Dean campaign is the best-run campaign we’ve ever seen"

…
WASHINGTON, Oct. 1 — In the surreal mind-set of the campaign expectations game, psychology can get twisted at the end of every quarter. Democratic front-runner Howard Dean’s campaign publicly set $15 million as its goal for fund raising for the third quarter, which ended at midnight Tuesday. According to Dean’s Web site he raised $14.8 million, with last-minute contributions still being counted.

DEAN HAD dramatically exceeded fund-raising expectations in the second quarter by collecting $7.6 million. Is his $14.7 million a wee bit of a deflating result for the third quarter? Only if you live on the plane of surreal expectations.

EXTRAORDINARY MONEY MACHINE

Dean’s extraordinary money machine is still far more efficient than anything Missouri Rep. Dick Gephardt, Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry, or the other Democratic contenders have working for them.

Dean is on course to have enough money to air television ads and hire operatives in states where fund-raising laggards may not be able to during the hustle-bustle of primaries that will take place in February and the first week of March.
…
“We do believe it is an important decision that we’re going to have to make, because in the end Bush is just raising this money.... They’re going to raise $200 million and spend it against the Democrats between April and August when we go to the convention.... If we make the decision, it would be to compete with Bush. We’ve already proven that we can compete with the other Democrats.”

Simon Rosenberg, who heads the centrist New Democrat Network, put the Dean bounty in perspective by noting that in a 10-candidate field the former Vermont governor was able to raise 50 percent more than Bill Clinton raised in the best quarter of his 1996 re-election effort. Rosenberg called Dean’s feat “almost miraculous” and added, “We have to recognize that the Dean campaign is the best-run campaign we’ve ever seen.”

Taking the party-wide view, Rosenberg pointed to what almost no one else has noticed: Based on the preliminary estimates for the third quarter, the 10-person Democratic field collectively will have outraised the Bush campaign, an indication of how fired up Democratic donors are.

“If Bush is this supposed fund-raising king, then this so-called ‘weak’ Democratic field — to use Karl Rove’s word — is outraising him,” Rosenberg said.
…
http://www.msnbc.com/news/974339.asp
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=108&topic_id=52916

[LWolf]

46. Kucinich

in 5 words:

Compassion
Intellect
Creativity
Action
Inclusion

Ok, 5 more:

Dedication
Consistency
Courage
Vision
Champion

[maxanne]

47. Dean

He's been smart enough to get people involved - grassroots activism the likes of which we haven't seen since Wellstone died.

He truly believes in the equality of women. The first time I met him, I heard him say, "in countries where women have full equality, there is no terrorism." As a grumpy old feminist - that statement rocked me.

He listens. In NH a group of "bird doggers" worked with him on homelessness. He recently signed on to the National Housing Trust, a commitment to building affordable housing. He listens and acts.

He's not afraid to take Bush and all of his nasty minions on. He's not a DC insider, who has rolled over time and time again. He has involved real people in his campaign. We all know that Bush speaks only to handpicked audiences - who better to fight back against him than a guy who actually listens to voters?

He has broad appeal. A lot of dissatisfied moderate Republicans are working on his campaign. The rightwing has moved the country so far to the right that no one recognizes where the center is anymore. The centrist leanings of the Democratic Party in recent years have ignored a hell of a lot of people. We've let the right wing dominate our national discourse too long. Howard Dean isn't a real lefty - but he's a step in moving us back toward the left - a step that those centrists can live with. We need to think beyond this election and plan for the future. I see Dean as a good step in that direction.

[Pobeka]

48. Thanks to you all, and compliments to you all!

This was a terrific thread, everyone was quite well behaved and gave very clear, informative responses.

I will get back to you later this morning with my impressions after I have time to digest all the info.

[Pobeka]

49. I'm still mostly undecided, but here's how I would choose today, and why.

Gephardt
Nice guy. Stands with midwestern america. Support of many unions.

Kucinich
Principled. Unwavering. No political mish-mashing of words, you know exactly what he stands for.

Dean
Fund-raising master of the universe, which speaks also to his ability to rally support. Moderate.

Edwards
The most charismatic of the bunch. Also principled, and the "common folk" can relate to his background.

Kerry
Solid, solid track record on the left.

Clark
The man with the military experience. Intelligent.

--

It's good to see the candidates out there getting more aggressive with the republicans -- that shows strength. These days people are looking for strength in a leader (obviously it is perceived strength not actual strength that counts or we would not have the current failure in the white house, SCOTUS or not).

This is my selection strategy

Regardless of any of these candidates, the left is going to support them because anyone of them beats Dubya by a mile. The question will be who can garner the support of the middle. And that will come down to how the media runs the election. I did not make a mistake in that previous sentence.

So, here's my choice, today

Edwards. By a nose. But that could change tomorrow. I don't disagree with his basic platform, and I think most importantly he has the most charisma. I think this will be the thing that gets through the media gauntlet that the Democratic candidate will have to face.

But I'll fully support any of them -- in a heartbeat -- in Nov 2004.

Thank you all for your time and posts!