Bring back Howard Dean

[Dems2002]

If Democrats in DC are serious about winning this November (or stemming their losses) I have one suggestion -- bring back Howard Dean.

Who was in charge from 2005-2008 when Democrats were winning elections - Howard Dean, a fighter who said, "I'm from the Democratic Wing of the Democratic Party"

The facts are clear:

Republicans Fight -- DLC Democrats Don't. If you don't fight, you don't win...

"Given the choice between a Republican and someone who acts like a Republican, people will vote for the real Republican all the time" - Harry S Truman

In Paul Wellstone's book Conscience of a Liberal, he discusses the exit polling and the percentage of people who didn't agree with him but who voted for him anyway. (Don't have the book in front of me, but it was significant across the board.)

2004 -- What did Bush say about winning? -- Paraphrasing, but he said, People may not agree with me but at least they know where I stand.


Howard Dean's a fighter -- that's what we need to win...Oh, and appoint Elizabeth Warren -- give him something to trumpet and fight for.

Dems

[bluestateguy]

1. As much as I have been a critic of his, that might make sense

And besides, better to have him inside the tent pissing out than outside the tent pissing in.

[democrank]

2. Democratic Party "leaders" could learn a lot

from Howard Dean.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

3. *cough* mosque *cough*

[station agent]

38. Yeah, that one hurt

Dean's mangled response to the mosque situation hurt his standing a bit. Grayson is my new go to guy.

[Ruby the Liberal]

4. I disagree with him on Park51, but would GLADLY welcome him back into leadership.

[Dems2002]

7. Agreed

I agree -- he's simply wrong on the Mosque -- but again, he was brave enough to go on Glenn Greenwald's show and stand up for his wrongness. I respect that, which is what DLC democrats don't get.

You're allowed to be wrong -- I don't have to agree with you about everything. I'll still vote for you if I respect you. I don't respect 90% of DLC dems.

[whathehell]

12. Damn straight...Dean is the BEST things to happen to the party in thirty years.n/t

Even if the clueless milquetoasts in the Whitehouse don't know it.

I have high hopes for a few others too..Weiner, Grayson, Verge Bernero.

[peace frog]

66. Hell YES

The Dem party desperately needs Howard Dean.

[Me.]

5. Does Kaine Want To Lose The Mid-terms?

How did he ever run a state?

[w4rma]

9. Republicans took over Virginia after his reign as governor and while he was DNC Chair.

Need I say more?

[Me.]

18. And With Him Heading The DNC

It looks like the Cons are poised to take over again.

[Ganja Ninja]

34. Where has he been?

We need to get his picture on some milk cartons because it seems he's all but disappeared.

[tomm2thumbs]

54. +1

unless he's supposedly saving his powder for the last month, he's all but been a shadow

when he is on, he's on and it helps the Democrats - he's a good debater - and he's not been out there I can see

[metapunditedgy]

47. Look how hard they tried to win MA for Coakley. That speaks volumes. n/t

[babylonsister]

6. Has Dean expressed a desire for the job? nt

[Canuckistanian]

8. Who IS the leader of the DNC now?

Anybody.... anybody? Bueller?

[Poboy]

10. Is Rahm still there? If so, it'll never work.

Besides, all the 'insiders' just love Kaine. Didn't you hear? He's staying no matter what happens in Nov..

[Davis_X_Machina]

11. Post hoc, ergo propter hoc....

Who was in charge from 2005-2008 when Democrats were winning elections - Howard Dean, a fighter who said, "I'm from the Democratic Wing of the Democratic Party"

How was the economy doing from 2005-2008, when the Democrats were winning elections?

[Dems2002]

17. What about 2002-2004?

I would agree if we didn't have 2002-2004 which showcased our cowardly leaders

[gophates]

13. Grayson

We need to clone him. About a dozen times.

[truebrit71]

55. ..nah..217 more would be fine..with a couple of Kucinich's thrown in for good measure..

..

[AndyA]

14. Without Dean, we have nothing. The idiot in charge now is...doing...what...?

Where is he? I hardly ever see him on TV. What is he doing? Hiding?

[tridim]

15. Dean pretty much never left. He's all over the media fighting for our party.

[HereSince1628]

16. Yes, bring him back, now that it's too late to really be effective

he could be an EXCELLENT scapegoat

[OmahaBlueDog]

20. I disagree that it's too late.

He still could work to sharpen messages. He could still find innovative ways to get funds raised for Dems in trouble. Mostly, he could be instrumental in GOTV efforts for our side. Finally, he'd be my choice to assess the post-election damage and plan the counteroffensive for 2012.

[Poboy]

21. Rahm is the friggin Chief of Staff. Anything involving Dean is a non-starter.

It IS too late. Dean will do what he does from outside. Let the DLC masterminds own this.

[defendandprotect]

81. We should have from the beginning been raising hell over DLC/Rahm moving into White House --

not to mention all the other right wing garbage Obama dragged onto the

Administration "team" --

It was over from the very beginning, but it's taken 18 months for DU to

see the writing on the wall -- and not sure that many of the diehard

Obama cheerleaders get it yet!!???

[OmahaBlueDog]

19. I agree. Kaine = McCauliffe = Bad Leadership

You may not have liked Dean. You may not have agreed with Dean. But Howard Dean brought a fresh approach to our message, our fundraising, and our campaigning that brought us the huge victories of '06 and '08. Either make him DNC chair, or make him Chief of Staff.

[Mira]

22. Y e s P L E A S E. k&R

[KurtNYC]

23. Dean in. Biden out.

[WinkyDink]

32. Bad blood with Obama.

[pa28]

24. K&R - Howard built the foundation for a once in a generation mandate.

Howard Dean taught us a valuable lesson and we made the mistake of ignoring that lesson.

Liberal values are mainstream values and even though most members of the voting public would rather die than identify as "liberal" when you break the issues down they actually are. Acting on behalf of the people with conviction is a winner and even those who don't agree will have respect for your act of planting a flag and holding a position.

Somehow we've gotten the idea that pandering toward the center and endless compromise will win the center. We'll, I think the center is fickle and the only thing worse than a "liberal" tag for them is when they decide you are feckless and have no center of gravity.

[Dems2002]

28. It's not us...

The thing is, it's not us who've gotten the wrong idea. Frankly, I don't even know if DC Dems really believe what they're doing or if they've just completely sold out for the money.

Because it's too obvious that what they're doing is not the way to win. We're not all rocket scientists here, right? And the way they had to delegitimize Dean after he won in 2006 and get rid of him immediately in 2008 tells me something...

[suzie]

53. Howard Dean, isn't he the guy who talked about appealing to guys with confederate flags on their

trucks?

Wasn't he a very centrist governor?

Where do these fantasies come from?

[Jim Sagle]

25. Fuckin' A.

[pa28]

26. Excuse me for a minute JS

I just want to give this thread a totally shameless kick. ;)

[disillusioned73]

30. Right there with ya...

:toast:

:kick:

[Iwillnevergiveup]

27. Man, those were the days

Remember the fundraising bat? The meet-ups? The internet wildfire? The letter-writing campaigns? The crowds? Some time after the election, had a chance to see Howard Dean at a relatively small event, and he was funny, gracious, dynamic and had the place electrified. Sigh.

[scheming daemons]

29. Dean was (and is) great.... but even if he came back now... is it too late?

Hope not.

[WinkyDink]

31. I believe he will challenge Obama in 2012.

[The Wizard]

33. Dean energized the base and got many small contributors

Small contributors don't send cash to secret Cayman Island accounts, corporations do that, and the DLC caters/panders to corporate bribery.

[dpbrown]

35. Since the DLC got Dean ditched, it's back to the same old same old

The DLC wants the Democrats to lose. Then it's back and forth, back and forth between Republican and Democrat. That's the way they want it, so nothing gets done.

[JDPriestly]

42. The DLC likes the money the get when they push real Democrats

out of the party. The Koch brothers and Pete Peterson and their ilk feed the beast as long as we who are real Democrats are excluded and not given a voice in the party.

The way the Rahm Emmanuel and Obama have strangled progressives in the party is just shameful. In all my life, I have never seen anything quite like the disdain with which they treat those of us with new ideas that might step on the toes of a few very greedy rich guys.

[Stoic]

36. We could put Dean in the DNC while the Dem neoliberals were out of power

But it ain't gonna happen now.

[Faryn Balyncd]

37. K&R .....Dean is exactly who we need.

[Moostache]

39. Republicans lose and then tack MORE to their base...Democrats win and then...

Oh fuck it...you either already KNOW the answer and are outraged by it or you have stuck your head in the sand and refused to recognize it.

Guess I will just have to remain a "professional left fucking retard"...

[creon]

40. Dean did a good job

Howard Dean still very well from 2005 to 2008. He definitely needs to be a very important part of the campaign.

he was wrong about the mosque controversy; but, no one is perfect.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

41. No thanks. nt

[AnArmyVeteran]

43. Kaine is a total DUD. No creativity, no intelligence, no guts, no leadership abiility.

I have been wondering if the democratic leadership stategy is to intentionally lose in November because they think it will help their chances in 2012. They might believe giving republicans control of both houses of congress will show the people how bad things will get. What else can explain the total lack of leadership from Kaine to Obama mean?

They have been given all the ammunition they need to destroy the republicans this fall but they are all cowering in the presence of every republican. Democrats had a huge mandate in 2008 but they have squandered all of it by compromising, caving in and running from everything they ran on during the 2008 campaign.

I'm so damned tired of seeing so much cowardice in democratic leadership. There are only a handful of democrats with any balls at all.

[mitchtv]

61. also a proven Homophobe

no money for his group(DNC)

[Uncle Joe]

44. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, Dems.

[Fearless]

45. But but but, that would anger the Republicans...

And we can't have that! :eyes:

[metapunditedgy]

48. And I doubt Lieberman would support it... n/t

[xchrom]

46. Recommend

[COLGATE4]

49. K&R! X 1000

[Granny M]

50. We're going to need his 50 state strategy.

k&r

[TBF]

51. I'd like to see Dean replace Rahm. nt

[Chipper Chat]

56. And scuttle Gibbs along with him.

Rachel Maddow for Press Secretary!!

[defendandprotect]

60. Problem is, that would still leave us with Obama ...who picked these people -- !!!

We always seem to be shying away from that reality --

Obama is the guy who picked the team -- !!

What the hell is he thinking?

We didn't put a Democratic president in office so he could put Republicans in charge of government!!!

[TBF]

73. Can't argue with that. Replace Obama with Kucinich. nt

[defendandprotect]

75. I'd be for a RECALL if we could put Howard Dean or Kucinich in his place ...

Biden looks just as corporate to me -- if not more so!

And, too often he's played ball with right wing --

that's why we have Clarence "the pervert" Thomas on the Supreme Court!!

[TBF]

76. Biden is one of the reasons the bankers get bonuses,

and the rest of us get the shaft. He's been in their pockets a long time. Don't even get me started on the Court.

[defendandprotect]

80. Yes -- but if you notice here at DU, he's rather popular!! Amazing!!

Just how corporate is Biden -- never looked it up, but he's from Delaware and

plenty of corporate stuff there!!

Agree re the SC -- Biden letting the pervert thru was what cinched the election

steal for Bush!

[Melissa G]

52. Dean For America! n/t

[AlbertCat]

57. Just about every evening here in NC....

.... I see an ad for that embarrassment Richard Burr. They make him sound so reasonable.

I have yet to see a single ad for Elaine Marshall, his Dem opponent.

All the data show Burr in the lead.

Is Marshall even putting up a fight? Are the Dems?

[breadandwine]

58. Oh no! I just got another cryptic message from Stella, a mysterious right winger from Texas!

She sends me stuff sometimes.


Here's what she wrote this time:




All right all you fuster brain librul Dermacrits! Listen up. I am just sick AND TIRED of all youz whiney hiney libruls tryin YET AGAIN ta bring back that hammer toed smashmouth monkey brain cactus-slurpin screecher Howard Dean!

Beck-Palin is takin over in 2012 and we don't need no STINKIN Deaniacs muckin up the works, BUSTER!

Firstly, we got DLCers right now, right now in the not-so-White House pullin the financial rug on many a Dermacrit and cuttin them LOOSE so's they can put all the money into a few see-LECTed races where DINOS are runnin. Triage, buddy, triage. This is the CORRECT WAY ta do it. What you need ta be doin is ta put the Dermacrits inta the DLC BANTUSTANS where they BELONG. Now, a few selected localities can be for the Dermacrits. But the REST o' the country belongs to us AMERICANS!

Dean had a lotta GUTS to OFFEND us REAL Americans by darin ta put resources into the South and stuff, motorpuss!

I am just sick AND TIRED of hearin about that bird brain 50 state strategy of Howard Dean! Dermacrits don't BELONG in the 50 states so GIT. I said GIT!

Now a nice marshmallow like Tim Kaine can sit in the corner and mind his BEESWAX like the good little SLAVE you Dermacrits wuz meant ta be!

I am just sick AND TIRED of people talkin like Dean was some sorta fighter. You ain't got no BIDNESS fightin, numbskull, ya hear me, so GIT!

Nobecauseyasee, the Tea Party is takin OVER buddy.

Ya know what CHER problem is? You ain't got no respect fer petroleum. I may have a gas guzzler but yer too STUPID ta know what to do with an INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE moron. You libruls and yer WIMPY lectric veeHICKles! Don't blame ME when the battery runs down and poops out onya, buddy!

Nobecauseyasee, yer too STUPID ta know what ta do with gasoline. Ya put it in yer car, monkey brain! Varoom! Varoom!

Drill baby drill? You better believe it, dinkerbrain.

By the way, the way ah heard it Harry Truman said it a bit different, more simple-like. He said, "If you run a Republican against a Republican, the Republican will win every time." Reagan said that too but Truman said it first. And do you know WHY? Because filthy Dermacrits like Truman is all a bunch o' stinkin PLAGIARISTS copyin one of our GREAT PRESIDENTS, Ronald Reagan!

Nuf said!

BUT let me say THIS.

IF YOU DON'T SHUT UP ABOUT BRINGIN BACK HOWARD DEAN WE ARE GOIN TA HAVE TO THINK ABOUT REFERRIN TO THOSE SECOND AMENDMENT REMEDIES JUST LIKE SHARON ANGLE SAID!

Nobecauseyasee, FASCISM is comin BACK buddy. FEMA camps? You better believe it. We'll pack em tight with Dermacrit UNDESIRABLES. And YOU thought we wuz AGAINST FEMA camps. We wuz against them UNTIL WE TAKE OVER. If Beck can co-opt everything from King, to Moses, we can co-opt the FEMA camp issue UNTIL WE'RE READY TA USE-EM. We know the Dermacrits didn't make the FEMA camps, the military did, but don't TELL anybody, numbskull. Just like in this report:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJBxdRIQx7Y

Remember. Everybody's a Nazi EXCEPT GLENN BECK!

Dang!

Tell Howard Dean ta stay outa the Dermacrit leadership. Ya hear me? Stay OUT!

[defendandprotect]

59. Can we do a RECALL and draft Howard Dean????

[geek tragedy]

62. Howard "Inflexible Liberals are wrong for supporting

religious tolerance" Dean?

Pffft.

[AlbertCat]

67. Howard "Inflexible Liberals are wrong for religious tolerance" Dean?

That's right! Chuck him out!!! He's dead to us now because of one opinion! After all, we are the Tea Party.... oh wait...

:eyes:

[designforce]

63. RIGHT!

Bring back Howard Dean! Yes Yes Yes

No Howard, no victory, no passion, no leadership, no voice for the working class democrats.

[Iwillnevergiveup]

64. An over-the-hump=day kick

:kick:

[stevenleser]

65. K&R - I recommended this back in February. n/t

[russspeakeasy]

68. Jesus H. Christ !!!!!

He is the only one that has a goddamned clue....I am done with
the current DLC....no marketing, no skills that are apparent
to me, hence, no reason to solicit donations.....

[Cal33]

69. I agree with you, but how can it be done?

[fascisthunter]

70. Get Rid of the Corporate DLC

and that may happen, until then, we are held hostage by the upper class' henchmen.

[PBass]

71. If you're playing defense, you're losing. Howard Dean understands this (NT)

[ooglymoogly]

72. With Dino's taking over the DLC, and the DNC and recruiting Pug's to run as Dino's

Howard Dean would be a godsend and a wake up call to just what is happening to our party.

However at this point; Bringing him back is just pie in the sky.

First we have to expose Dino's in our party and show the people of this country the damage they are doing to them and to us as Dem's; Pretending to be Democrats yet voting with republican, corporate theft and its coverup and indemnification. Its protection against prosecution for treason and bank fraud felony; Prosecution of crimes required by law and by our constitution.

Dino's make it certain that pugs stay in majority and that corporates pulling the strings remain in power to continue their march toward a New World Order and fascism.

Dino's are the pug's ace in the hole; Who keep pugs in the majority by stealth.....and that is our battle at this point. If we can get help from real Dem's like Dean and Grayson and many others; All the better.

If we do not do this; We will be blamed for every calamity that has befallen us in the last 10 years; And for those in the years to come; As has been made perfectly clear to us in the last 18 months of Dino and pug majority.

Just imagine for a moment; Running an add showing what pug legislation made pug crimes of treason and theft harmless to pugs and what legislating to help the folks of this country that has been further watered to nothing at the hands of Dino's and their corporate backers; What Dino's are working in stealth to help pugs steal SS. What Dino's were responsible for the loss of the public option that would have covered everyone While at the same time reduced the national debt.

An add showing just who it is that is facilitating the theft of our country and making sure they do not get hanged for it.

These right wing pugs that Rahm and the DLC continue recruiting to run as Dino's; To save corporate legislation and whatever is needed to indemnify pugs of their blatant theft, when called upon.

At such an exposure, Rahm and the DLC would go apeshit, throwing shit at us, pretending that Dem's are eating their own.

It is time we stood up for democratic principals and proved once and for all; This DLC and pug propaganda is not true; Nothing but a smokescreen produced by Dino and pug propaganda through their wholly owned subsidiary the corporate "MSM".

DINO'S IN NO WAY PARSED; ARE ANYTHING RESEMBLING DEMOCRATS AND CERTAINLY NOT OUR OWN. THEY ARE STEALTH REPUBLICANS WORKING FOR CORPORATE AMERICA JUST LIKE THE PUGS and destroying our party from within.

Democrats; By innate and intrinsic principles are here to serve the people of this country; Not by even the farthest stretch; To serve the corporations....Something our constitution makes quite clear and warns against.

We must make it clear that anyone supporting unregulated Corporations over the interests and wellbeing of the people; Is not a Democrat, no matter what inane pragmatist bullshit, propaganda bleats the airwaves.

Unless we do this; We are done as democrats, done as free people and we will have let this country,our Constitution, the people and ourselves as democrats down miserably.

To become the generations that let our founding fathers and all they sacrificed to bring us 200 years as a free people to roll in their graves;

The generations too lazy to protect the fount of our hard fought freedoms; The Constitution, for which many before us died.

The generations who watched as democracy was stolen from them in broad daylight; With no more than duplicity and stealth.

[Sparkly]

74. I'm too late to recommend but...

we sure do NEED somebody to speak for the Democratic wing of the Democratic party.

What's the good doctor doing these days?

[mod mom]

77. Sorry I missed the rec'd timeline but at least I can kick this thread!

[Lost4words]

78. Kick

:kick:

[JamesA1102]

79. Isn't Dean responsible for all the Blue Dogs elected in 2006 & 2008? nt

[OmahaBlueDog]

84. There's some truth to that, as part of the 50 state strategy, but...

races were also won in states and districts that should have been won, but weren't. For example, Shaheen should have won in 2002 - she didn't.

[Lyric]

82. "Error: you can only recommend threads which were started in the past 24 hours"

Damn. Oh well--here's a kick anyway.

:kick:

[phasma ex machina]

83. k