"There is a price to be paid for candor"...Howard Dean 2004

[madfloridian]

It is the thing that frustrates so many about the 08 campaign. The caution, the inability to communicate on a gut level...drives me crazy. But I know they really can't help it. That is the culture of our country and our politics.

From Dean's book in Fall of 04.

From You Have the Power,Fall 2004.

P. 124, 125

Although I was often criticized during the campaign for coming on so strongly, I think Americans desperately want a president who will clearly, forcefully, and unambiguously state their case. George Bush's greatest strength, despite being wrong on virtually every issue of long-term importance to the country, is that he always speaks with conviction in defending his policies.

"For Democrats to offer voters significant change over the long term, we need to say what we mean and not be afraid of the consequences. But there is a price to be paid for candor, as I and others inclined to speak our minds have discovered the hard way. There is no reward now in politics for saying what you think. On the contrary in the go-along-get-along world of Washington, politicians are penalized for saying what they believe; and insincerity is the culture of the currency.

America's politicians attack one another by day and slap one another on the back by evening. They can play this game because they know their fighting words have no real meaning. And the media play right along, reporting on the game as though it were a story of substance. Indeed the game becomes the story, and discussions of substance are relegated to the newspapers' inside pages if indeed they are covered at all."

And from page 65. It was easier not to fight and be attacked. Actually I can understand that, but it did hurt us. Those attacks are even more intense today because the right wing has much more to lose.

SNIP..."We became afraid of the Right, afraid of the anger, and instead of being steadfast, we pandered....The Democratic Party has paid a big price for that. Worse, our people have paid a big price for the collapse of our will to lead. We failed to articulate a vision for American that keyed into Americans' hope of overcoming economic and social instability. ..."

...."By remaining silent about the things that mattered so much to Americans, we allowed ourselves to be painted into a corner and to be defined by the Republican opposition. .."

I get very angry about Iraq. I tend to be critical of the Democrats on that, while at the same time knowing in the back of my mind that we are facing an awesome task. It took the right decades to build this machine. It won't be easy for us.

[Hekate]

1. Good quotes -- deserves a kick

:kick: for Dr. Dean.

Hekate

[shance]

2. It took the right decades to build this machine. It won't be easy for us.

Good point Floridian and of course more insightful wisdom from Governor Dean.

I am learning that I and/or we can't allow the powerlessness we feel at times to overwhelm us or our friends. We need to keep each other energized and focused on what we want to envision and make happen and what we need to do to stop what is destroying all that is vital to our existence.

We need to support each other and help each other keep putting one foot of inspiration and enlightenment in front of the other.

Governor Dean and other leaders who care have been wonderful mentors in this arena.

[madfloridian]

3. I have felt powerless this week.

And angry, very angry. I think we are not getting straight answers. I think we are going to stay in Iraq just like we stayed in other countries once we went there.

[ellisonz]

5. Whenever you're feeling down...

www.democracyforamerica.com

We are changing this world, one voter at a time.

[madfloridian]

16. I try to remember that.

:hi:

[madfloridian]

4. I saved a quote from a CBS interview of Dean when the book came out.

He said "to reclaim our country the party must reclaim itself first".

[hippiechick]

8. ... and in order to do that ...

... the party must shake itself loose of the big money-big machinery we posted of a few days ago.

The Dems need to truly become the people's party again, or should I say - the PEOPLE need to reclaim the Democratic Party again and make it clear that we will support no candidates who cannot take a clear stand on an issue, who cannot say NO to the military industrial complex, or who change their message to suit whatever audience they happen to be in front of.


:patriot: I still want ya' to be President, Dr. Dean!!!

[Toots]

11. While I do agree in principle, without Compromise we won't be "by the people"

We must allow all their voice. We are not dictators...

[hippiechick]

12. That's my point exactly ...

.... 'the corporations' and 'the lobbyists' are not 'the people'.
Yet its those special interests who have the ears of the folks in DC, who drive the policies and agenda that we, the people, then have maybe end up having a token say in.

It's not coming from the bottom-up, it's coming from the top-down.
And that's not democracy, at least as I understand it.

[Kurovski]

6. Dean is politically brilliant.

But what do I know. K&R.

[JNelson6563]

7. Couldn't agree more!

This is another reason I would be happy if Gore ran. He walked that path of over-cautiousness and though he actually won, he still had to face the fear that drives the caution, political loss. You play the caution game to win. If the worst happens and you are deprived of that win and you go on to enjoy life anyway, it's as though you faced death and won. Gore has "faced death and won" and so no longer fears it. We always get over our fears once we really face/confront/deal with them.

I believe Gore would not walk down the cautious path the others are bound to (with the possible exception of Edwards who, to some degree, shares this particular experience with Gore) because of the 2000 outcome. You can see it in every one of his speeches since the coup of 2000.

Dean is unique in that he started out not fearing the potential "death" he faced for his candor. This was obviously unappreciated by those addicited to cowering in fear of(DLC)/in cahoots with (corporate media) the Rethugs.

Julie

[tblue37]

10. But notice that even now, in his triumph, Gore is still

getting smeared by the media. They would treat him even worse this time, simply because they have to validate what they did to him last time.

My dream ticket would be Gore/Clark, Clark/Feingold, or Clark/Obama--but I suspect that Clark/Obama would have an easier time than Gore/Clark.

[madfloridian]

18. They will smear everyone...even those who play nice with them.

Even the Dems who go along and try to be bipartisan...get smeared. They will rip our guys to shreds.

[WinkyDink]

9. So far, only Trump has been unafraid to call lies LIES. Repeatedly!

No, he's not a candidate. More's the pity that those who ARE can't speak plainly.

[madfloridian]

13. What Molly Ivins said...

This reminded me of what Molly Ivins said after Dean dropped out.

http://journals.democraticunderground.com/madfloridian/1023

"For just a moment in time, Dean was ahead of the pack -- and no one owned him. Go back and look at whom that scared.

...."I'm not crazy about anger as a motivating force in politics -- but didn't someone need to point out that the emperor isn't wearing any clothes? Didn't someone need to say that we were led into war under false pretences? Imagine an entire campaign in which all the candidates ignored that because they were all complicit in it."

Yes, Molly was right. There is a price to pay for truthtelling.

I briefly switched channels around the Sunday morning shows, and it depressed me to see Tom DeLay and Richard Perle. I turned to CNN and saw Glenn Beck smirking and talking about being an alcoholic. And Howie Kurtz simperingly pandering to him.

And I realized the media owns us completely.

[MLFerrell]

14. Oddly enough...

To one degree or another, that "ability to communicate on a gut level" is what put * (almost) into office twice.

That's the problem. Zounds! My fiefdom for voters who make decisions based on something more substantial than "Who would I rather have a beer with?"!

:eyes:

[madfloridian]

15. WWJHABW

Who would Jesus have a beer with.

Just that simple to some. I remember some neighbors here saying they voted for him because he's so real, plain, simple, down to earth. And they went on to say he was such a good Christian. I haven't asked them lately how they feel.

[madfloridian]

17. Sirota wrote a good article and Dean and his candid nature in 2005.

Understand that Sirota was no fan of Howard Dean, so when he met him in Montana he was truly being honest in his views.

http://www.davidsirota.com/2005/06/my-take-on-howard-dean.html

"For his part, Dean understands that these centrist elites will never be his base of support within the party - nor should a chairman want them to be. So he has a political incentive to stay on the populist progressive message as DNC Chairman. In other words, the grassroots and the progressive wing of the party have become crucial to his political career/survival - and that's who he is going to fight for. Say what you will about his transformation from governor to DNC Chairman, I'm glad he's on progressives' side.

Certainly, that is scary to the insulated Washington, D.C. Democratic establishment. For years, these insiders have been able to handpick chairmen to make sure the party doesn't move back to its grassroots, middle-class roots. That explains their anger at him, and their subsequent attacks.

Fortunately, Dean is not responding in kind. In his speech yesterday to party officials here in Helena, he took the high road, going out of his way to stress that the party is a big tent. But he also made clear that he understands the party needs to go in a new, more populist direction. In talking with him one-on-one, I really got the sense that he's serious about this.

I was also, frankly, impressed with his candor. Quite unexpectedly, I ended up sitting next to him at dinner where he was peppered with questions from folks at our small table. He never tried to dodge a question (and there were some tough ones). Far from arrogant or prickly (as he was unfairly described as during the campaign), he was genuinely interested in learning from the grassroots people out in the field."

[Djinn]

19. Ahem, Howard you seem to be forgetting something

SNIP..."We became afraid of the Right, afraid of the anger, and instead of being steadfast, we pandered....The Democratic Party has paid a big price for that."

no mention of afraid of AIPAC? or is that one that it's OK to be afraid of and pander to?

[madfloridian]

20. At least he tried ...

He said we needed to be fair and listening to both sides...and he was threatened with defunding by many and got this lovely letter from the House Democrats. He used the word evenhanded..and that made it worse. I saw an article by Soros today pointing out how he was attacked.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

September 10, 2003

The Honorable Howard Dean
P.O. Box 1228
Burlington, VT 05402

Dear Governor Dean:

We are writing to respond to your comments on the Middle East at a recent
campaign event and in Tuesday's candidate debate and explain why we believe
it is wrong to say the U.S. should "not take sides" in the
Israeli-Palestinian dispute.

American foreign policy has been - and must continue to be - based on
unequivocal support for Israel's right to exist and to be free from terror.
The Palestinians have at best been ambivalent about their willingness to
accept Israel's existence and from Yasir Arafat on down they have promoted
or acquiesced in the use of terrorism as a tactic in their struggle. It is
unacceptable for the U.S. to be "evenhanded" on these fundamental issues.

All of us want a genuine peace process to succeed, and all of us accept the
legitimacy of a Palestinian state once the Palestinian leadership and people
recognize Israel's right to exist as a Jewish state and not only renounce
the use of violence but at last take action to dismantle the terrorist
infrastructure inside the Palestinian Authority. Time and time again, the
Israeli people have shown their willingness to take risks for peace. But
they will only do so with the knowledge that U.S. support for Israel will
not waver.

It is important for America to help facilitate a peaceful resolution of the
conflict, but in playing this role we must be true to our values and make
sure that all parties clearly understand our policies. This is not a time to
be sending mixed messages; on the contrary, in these difficult times we must
reaffirm our unyielding commitment to Israel's survival and raise our voices
against all forms of terrorism and incitement.

Sincerely,

Howard L. Berman
Nancy Pelosi
Robert Matsui
Steny Hoyer
Martin Frost
Nita Lowey
Tom Lantos
Edward Markey
Chet Edwards
Ben Cardin
Steve Rothman
Steve Israel
Gary Ackerman
Barney Frank
Rahn Emanuel
Adam Smith
Anthony Weiner
Chris Bell
Adam Schiff
Hilda Solis
Robert Menendez
Shelley Berkley
Robert Andrews
Joseph Crowley
Jose Serrano
John Larson
Ellen Tauscher
Dennis Cardoza
Patrick Kennedy
Linda Sanchez
Harold Ford Jr.
Brad Sherman
C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger
Alcee Hastings


http://www.house.gov/berman/letter_new.html

[Djinn]

21. and then he bent over

and handed the lube to AIPAC - he's got a nerve talking about special interests hijacking the party

[madfloridian]

22. Whatever djinn

I don't forget past comments that are beyond decency. So I don't take your comment seriously.

You have a right to say whatever you want, to think whatever you think. But once someone has said things to me like some have....well, they lose credibility with me.

Your comments roll off my back. I don't go to the other site anymore since you opened my eyes. Thanks for that. You showed me what it was like there.

Have a nice day. Or night, or whatever.