I need a reminder. Why is Dean so great?

[Deja Q]

Please tell me his GOOD POINTS without bashing me or any other Dem candidate in the process... (and if you think I'm trying to bash you right now, you're very much mistaken.)

Thank you!

[ibegurpard]

1. Not bashing but

you really shouldn't rely on what others tell you to make up your mind. Find out what the candidates believe and say and whether that meshes with your own value system.
To find out more about Dean visit the following sites:

www.deanforamerica.com
www.blogforamerica.com

On edit: I am supporting Dean because he is a moderate who has taken positions and supported legislation that can appeal to people across the political spectrum. He has also indicated to me that he is willing to fight and not just go along to get along.
Again, don't take my word for it...investigate him yourself and then make your decisions.

[Nicholas_J]

2. No bashing but

Beleiving in what a candidate say about themselves is about the worse way to decide who to vote for....

More important. look back at their RECORD. IN all but Deans case, their voting record is obvious, With Dean, you have to go and search newpapers from Vermont between 1991 and 2002 for his record, or look for vurrent articles that go back and reflect on what the democratic party thought of him as governor.

Be warned, Among progressives and liberal democrats the first thing that you will hear about Dean is that he will tell people whatever they want to hear in order to win ane election and then revert back to his extremely conservative behavior.

[nadinbrzezinski]

3. Actually it is a combination of the two

Read what they have to say (that is the platform after
all), then check their record to see where they stand
on issues. It is funny when a candidate states one thing
but the record shows something different.

now what is not so funny is when the press challenges
the democrats on these inconsistencies (which all have), but
gives a free pass to our rethugys.

[ibegurpard]

8. Which is WHY Nicholas, I told him to figure it out for himself

n/t

[Nicholas_J]

20. Yes but like most Dean supporters

You led him directly so rources that would be obviously biased towards Dean, and then tell him to figure it out for himself from biased information.

[ibegurpard]

21. Well, luckily enough, he has YOUR sources which are completely

biased against Dean to balance that out, doesn't he?
:eyes:

[Nicholas_J]

25. I didnt give him any sources.

Told him to search for his own...

it was YOU whe directed him towards the biased sources, not me.

[ibegurpard]

35. Since I am supporting Dean

why would I direct anyone to anything that is going to paint him in a poor light? Do you find it necessary when cheerleading for Kerry, just to be fair, to point out that he is a member of an ultra-secret fraternity that George Bush also belonged to or that he's married to the former wife of a Republican senator or that he not only voted for George Bush's Iraq resolution but also voted against Byrd's attempt to filibuster it?
Would you like me, next time someone starts a thread asking for information about Kerry, to jump in and start pointing them to all the nasty hatchet jobs that have been done on him? I could certainly arrange it.

[Nicholas_J]

36. I am not concerned whetther Kerry Was a member of a college

group of kids who thought they were more impartant than they were.

What I am intested in is WHO a candidate has chosen to turn on when in a crunch when they had political power.

Dena always favored big business and corporations at the expense of the average guy and small businesses.


Deans answer was to alway cut funds to programs that assisted the weakest, the most powerless, those without a voice.

Cutting funds to public defenders and defense for thr indgient.

Cutting medical programs, when there was enough money in the budget to keep them, and eevn keep a reserve.

While at the same time spending funds to build a bridge and roads that served ony the interests of a palstic bottlling company over Arrowhead Lake...

Supporting large argicutural businesses Like ADM aqnd Lucien Breton resulting in the 36 percent of Vermoners who ran small family farms losing them.

Sorry, I dont root for the bully who beats up the little guy in order to favor his Wall Street corporate friends. Thats the REAL Skull and bones society at work in America

[Nicholas_J]

29. Sources that says:

Medicaid cuts will affect thousands of Vermonters
January 23, 2002

By DAVID MACE

Vermont Press Bureau

MONTPELIER — Tens of thousands of Vermonters would see their state health care benefits rolled back or cut off completely under Gov. Howard Dean’s proposed budget, which seeks to wring $16.5 million in savings from Medicaid.

In an effort to curb costs in a rapidly expanding part of the social services budget, Dean is proposing to require many people who got coverage under his expansions of Medicaid programs to pay for a greater share of their health care.

http://timesargus.nybor.com/Legislature/Story/41169.html

Progressives call for higher taxes for rich
January 25, 2002

By JACK HOFFMAN

Vermont Press Bureau

MONTPELIER — Vermont Progressives renewed their call Thursday for higher taxes on the wealthy in order to avoid some of the budget cuts that Gov. Howard Dean outlined earlier this week.




Progressives call for higher taxes for rich
January 25, 2002

By JACK HOFFMAN

Vermont Press Bureau

MONTPELIER — Vermont Progressives renewed their call Thursday for higher taxes on the wealthy in order to avoid some of the budget cuts that Gov. Howard Dean outlined earlier this week.

The Progressives, with support of a couple dozen Democrats and one Republican, proposed two new income tax surcharges. Taxes would go up 12.5 percent on taxable income between $43,000 and $158,000. On taxable income above $158,000, taxes would be increased 25 percent.


In 1991, then-Gov. Richard Snelling, a Republican, and the Democratic Legislature imposed surcharges on upper-income Vermonters to dig the state out of a huge budget deficit. Those surcharges were temporary, and they were lifted after the shortfall was repaid.

The Progressives said their proposal was designed to mirror the surcharges adopted during that last budget crisis, but they have not proposed an expiration date for the new surcharges.

Dean reiterated his opposition to raising the income tax shortly after the Progressives unveiled their tax plan. Dean contends Vermont’s marginal income tax rate — that is, the top rate paid by those in the highest income brackets — already is too high.

http://timesargus.nybor.com/Legislature/Story/41293.html

Senate adds money to budget, angers Dean
May 9, 2002

By ROSS SNEYD The Associated Press

MONTPELIER — Senators passed a 2003 state budget Wednesday that the governor made clear he would veto if it ever reached his desk.

Just hours after an angry Gov. Howard Dean leveled a series of charges about how irresponsible he believed the Senate, controlled by his fellow Democrats, was being, senators did precisely what he warned them not to do...

“I’ve become convinced that we have a philosophical difference between the governor, the Republican House and this Senate,” said Senate President Pro Tempore Peter Shumlin, D-Windham.

“The governor and the Republican House want to balance this budget on the backs of our most vulnerable Vermonters. The Senate wants to balance this budget on the backs of the pharmaceutical companies who are charging too much for drugs.”



http://timesargus.nybor.com/Legislature/Story/46513.html


Are NOT biased.

They directly report that Dean has done certain things, and that Democrats and Progressive opposed him

95 percent of all of my sources are similar to these, or editorials in whihc statements made by Dean are quoted and statemnt from Democrats who opposed Dean are also quoted.

The odd part is that it is Democrats who are reported to be opposing Dean not Republicans.

Should make any intelligent person wonder about Dean, shouldnt it??

[liberalnurse]

4. I have a suggestion.....

Watch CNN and you will see the lead story where he stands side-by-side with Gove. Davis against the recall.... for democracy!

This is a direct attack aginst *bush and rove....He connected the dots... The 2000 election, Texas and Colorado's redistricting and now this republican, self-funded recall in California.

He really does want to Take Back Our Country. What leadership!

The man is bold, brave and soon to be the next President of the United States.

MSNBC has snips of the statement too. The embedded reporter Felix has been sharing this story.

[Nicholas_J]

24. Gee

All of the other Democratic candidates MUST have been standing by Arnold, Huh.

[RogueTrooper]

26. No

We are just standing with Davis, against the Whitehouse. Please, come and join us.

[WilliamPitt]

5. Dean's good points

1. His stand against the war. Though it was basically a demand to wait 60 days before going to war, that 60 days would have probably caused the margin of doubt to widen, and may very well have stopped the damned thing.

2. His Second Amendment stance. This will help enormously in the South and West, and take the NRA pretty much completely out of the game.

3. Well, this is probably 3 through 20. I did an interview with Dean some months ago. Read it. The good points are evident:

http://www.truthout.org/docs_03/052203A.shtml

[liberalnurse]

10. Yes, that was an excellent interview.

I bookmarked it and referred to it with a friend just the otherday!

[unfrigginreal]

6. Because he's not afraid of a fight...

Because he'll tell you the truth about what needs to be done to set things straight...because he wants to protect American jobs...because he's tired of GOP'ers using "quotas" as a code word to frighten their base...because he believes in equal rights for all...etc.

[userdave2061]

7. Because he says what most Dems want to hear

And he's from Vermont. Everyone loves Vermont.

[liberalnurse]

9. Thats nice.....

but I think there are a few more positives; lets put on our thinking caps.

[Anti-fascist]

11. I don't like Dean myself.

Come on, guys; not all Southerners are gun-toting rednecks. The gun issue isn't going to determine an election.

Dean is a Northerner from a state that the rest of the union scoffs at as being too liberal (see: civil unions).

He has no chance of winning the South and the Midwest. He's an aristocrat Northerner whose only claim to fame is his stand against the war which most provincial folk don't really care about.

He's not far left at all anyway. He's not Kucinich. He's for the drug war, free trade, and other crimes against humanity.

When questioned, he comes off weak and unknowledgable.

My favorite in the race is Gephardt. He has the balls to go after free trade and the voting record to prove it. Gephardt is also electable considering he's a from a state that can be considered both Midwestern and Southern, and he can brag about his working class background.

[WilliamPitt]

13. The gun issue will not turn the election? Perhaps

But perhaps not. I don't think all Southerners are gun-toting rednecks by any stretch of the imagination...but I also know the NRA is very very very effective in that part of the world. Talking them out of the game is nothing but a good thing.

[Nicholas_J]

23. He also

Is against funding public defenders, taking the republican stance that the system favors criminals against the victims (thats a joke, and Dean is either super conservative or falling for the Dirty Harry the crazed child killer always gets off stuff that such movies portray, as the facts DO not justify such a legal position)

[Capn Sunshine]

12. I'll tell you why and I'll stick to DEAN

Howard Dean has energized voters in a way that still seems to remain mysterious to anyone outside the process. His enthusiasm , his willingness to take on Bush in no-nosense terms, his articulation of the sentiments and feelings of those outside the process;THIS is why he's catching fire.

Much to the distress of the wonks who cast about looking for something to derail this powerful raw emotion ,Howard Dean is remaining on top because he is a "take me as I am" candidate.What this means is WE DON'T CARE about his past voting record or any microparsing of his past positions or statements. As illogical as this seems , my Vulcan-like wonk friends, this just IS.

Add to this the remarkable enthusiasm coming from the ground up and our discovery of the funding model of the future; THIS is what is so great about Howard Dean.

This is also what scares the BFEE shitless; we have the potential , by mathematical extension to raise SIX HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS without anyone leaving home.

This changes everything. We are no longer beholden to corporate interests if this model continues to work; we the people are funding this thing five bucks at a time. We are bringing in people from outside the system, who are energized by our message of hope.

These people are not on any polling radar. They probably haven't voted in six years or more. They comprise a number approximately THREE TIMES the so called "vital swing vote".

Do you get it yet ? i could go on.

[Eloriel]

16. Here are two threads I started on the subject

These two posts of mine aren't the only reasons I support Dean, but they've become probably the most important reasons:

MUST READ: Trippi on the Open Source Presidential Campaign
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=200204

It's not about policies any more
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=250303

Eloriel

[Feanorcurufinwe]

22. Perhaps you don't care what his past record is,

but those who haven't yet sworn loyalty to Doctor Dean do.

[poskonig]

14. Regardless if Democrats support Dean, *Dean supports Democrats*.

Dean has been fighting for us against the occupation of Iraq, against Santorum's bigotry, against the Rove power grab in California, against the gestapo elements of the patriot act, against the Bush tax cuts, etc. etc.

Other Democrats are inept wafflers, or even worse, backstabbers.

I like his knowledge on health care, his strong economic record, his commonsense social agenda, and his desire for a fact-based foreign policy without ideology.

[RogueTrooper]

15. Because of things like this....

snip...

LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- Presidential candidate Howard Dean Saturday urged Californians to vote against the effort to oust Gov. Gray Davis, calling it part of a plan by right-wing Republicans to subvert democracy.

"I think this is the fourth attempt to undermine democracy in this country by the right wing of the Republican Party since the 2000 elections," said Dean.

"I believe they do not care what Americans think and they do not accept the legitimacy of our elections and have now, for the fourth time in the fourth state, attempted to do what they can to remove democracy from America."

Although Dean is the first of the nine Democratic presidential candidates to stump for Davis, all have signed a letter opposing the recall effort and others will soon follow Dean's lead, Davis predicted. In addition, former President Clinton will travel to California in the next week to 10 days to speak in support of Davis, he said.

http://www.cnn.com/2003/ALLPOLITICS/09/06/dean.davis/index.html

[Booberdawg]

17. Here's another thread on it

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=282461&mesg_id=282461

[dkf]

18. I like him because

One, he's fiscally responsible. Someone really needs to look at our debt situation. The study that Paul O'Neill did to look at the true obligations of this country put the gap between revenues and expenses at $44 trillion. Last night I saw one of the blogs which stated that this was $440,000 or thereabouts per household. Scary.

Two, he's looking long term. I like the fact that in Vermont, he tried to cut down the prison rate by trying to improve kids lives from the time they are born. Now that is some pretty forward thinking.

But the biggest reason I support him is because he understands that we are missing something in our lives, and that thing is community. Michael Cudahy (a former big time Republican) wrote a great essay "To Dare Mighty Things" which is posted at http://www.greaterdemocracy.org/2003_08_01_gd.html

Here are some snips:

"In a Life magazine article written shortly before his death from cancer in 1990, Atwater said that, "Long before I was struck with cancer, I felt something stirring in American society," he said. "It was a sense among the people of the country -- Republicans and Democrats alike -- that something was missing from their lives, something crucial. I was trying to position the Republican Party to take advantage of it. But I wasn't exactly sure what 'it' was. My illness helped me to see that what was missing in society is what was missing in me: a little heart, a lot of brotherhood."

snip

"That hunger, and a deep discontent with the status quo keeps reasserting itself. It raised its head in '96 with the hope that Colin Powell might run. It reemerged with the McCain insurgency, and I believe that it will finally succeed with the candidacy of Howard Dean.

This is not a question of party registration. It is a matter of right and wrong. It is a question of thoughtful policy development that addresses the needs and problems that are facing the majority of people in this country. "

snip

"Governor Dean projects a complete unwillingness to be afraid, and that is the key to taking these people out. From what I am hearing from friends inside the Republican Party, they are deeply concerned by the Dean campaign because they do not know how to deal with it. "
--
Dean himself says "This campaign is about more than issue differences on health care, tax cuts, national security, jobs, the environment and our economy. It is about something as important as our children. It's about who we are as Americans." He quotes John Winthrop: "We shall be as one. We must delight in each other, make other's conditions our own; rejoice together, mourn together, labor and suffer together, always living before our eyes our Commission and Community in our work."

If these words move you as they did me, please see his announcement speech at:
http://www.deanforamerica.com/site/PageServer?pagename=23_webcast_info

or read it at:
http://www.deanforamerica.com/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=6455&security=1&news_iv_ctrl=1321

These are the things about Howard Dean that I love and admire and why I yearn with all my mind, heart and soul for President Howard Dean.

[Anti-fascist]

28. Dean is not a leftist, he is just a powerful speaker with a good campaign

That's all nice and good about Dean speaking his mind and being "take me as I am", but the fact remains that Dean supports free trade and the war on drugs. He has also made statements where he spoke in favor of the Patriot Act (eg. "Bush is not doing enough for Homeland Security").

Prove me wrong.

It's Gephardt or Kucinich for me.

[dansolo]

32. Bush is not doing enough for Homeland Security

When has Dean spoken in favor of the Patriot Act? Do you really think that the Patriot Act is the only action that can be taken regarding Homeland Security? Dean was referring to the fact that Bush has underfunded the local officials that would be our first line of defense if an attack were to occur.

Oh, and about your beloved Gephardt... he voted FOR the Patriot Act. Gephardt: "There had to be a rebalancing of self-defense and freedom after Sept. 11." He also stood "shoulder-to-shoulder" with Bush after he stabbed the rest of the Democrats in the back on the Iraq issue.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

19. I don't want to steal the thunder of another Du'er that might post but

regardless of whether Dean gets the nomination or not, he has done the greatest service to the Democratic party of any primary candidate in a long long time by harnessing the power of the internet.

He created a movement and infrastructure for communicating with voters long before any other candidate got moving.

He has made heads turn by raising funds through campaigning in the old train stop style via internet, phone and meet-ups.

Clark too saw this and has capitalized on the movement.

Whether one is a Dean supporter or not...we all owe him a debt of gratitude for bringing voters back into the fold.

[unfrigginreal]

30. Amen Sister!

n/t

[w4rma]

27. Massive information dump on Gov. Howard Dean

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=43435&mesg_id=43435&page=

[Ellen Forradalom]

31. Fair question.

I'm in the Dean camp, but that does not preclude my admiring other candidates. I'll work for the nominee should Dean not get the nod.

I'm big on fiscal responsiblity. What we have right now is total insanity. Deficit spending makes sense in certain circumstances if it's investment in our country, but that's not happening right now.

I really want universal health care. I would like to see it implemented without Big Health declaring martial law in this country through their proxies in the Republican Party. If Dean can get elected and do that, I say let's give him a chance.

Dean seems to have the political adroitness to put together a winning center-left coalition.

Dean has a pragmatic approach to governing.

He has an energetic, bottom-up campaign. I am a Deanie in part because the campaign invited me in and gave me something to do. This in itself has political meaning. The Bushies have a Borg approach to gathering and using power: "Resistance is futile, you will be assimilated, we have an aura of invincibility, who cares what you think?" Dean says we'll beat Bush with the opposite approach. We'll tackle the Evil Empire not with one Stealth bomber, but with a million Piper Cubs.* He realizes we will need enormous strength and organization on the ground to beat Bush and take back our country. I recognize that too.


*That was the plane Matthias Rust landed in Red Square in the 80s. Shortly after that I read a suggestion that the Air Force scrap the Stealth bomber and buy 50,000 Piper Cubs, a plane "with proven penetration capabilities."

[Anti-fascist]

33. Dean supports Free Trade

Dean supports Free Trade

And to the person who answered my post by stating that Gephardt was for the war and for the Patriot Act, I'd like to tell you that the Patriot Act was passed with over 90% Senate approval (can't remember the exact number). The blank check was also overwhelmingly approved by Democrats and Republicans.

Personally, I don't really care if someone is a hypocrite. That's politics. What I care about is freedom and progress.

[JohnKleeb]

34. hey umm you oppose NAFTA and the patriot act right

I think Kucinich would be best. One of the few who voted against the patriot act. That said I dont mind Gephardt.