Dean has the right strategy in dealing with Kucinich

[ShaneGR]

Ignore him. Dennis who? Here's a quarter, call information for me.

[a_random_joel]

1. Look out

for the pack of raving Kucinich supporters who will arrive...

Now.

[ShaneGR]

2. Ducks

Kucinich? Who's that?

[a_random_joel]

4. Whew...

That was a close one!

[thom1102]

3. Alright, everybody duck!

"Incoming!" Who should we send the remains to?

[ShaneGR]

7. Cleveland

Since I'm from there it would be fitting if I was to be buried there. Wait, I would like to be cremated and have my ashes sent down the Cuyahoga. Wait. Too dirty as it is. Ok, I want to be cremated and my ashes shot into the sky on Cedar Point's Power Tower.

[ProfessorPlum]

5. It should be noted that that may or may not reflect his actual

feelings about the man, but is smart campaigning.

Dean "dissed" the other 7 candidates early in the race by pretending there were only 2 candidates that mattered, he and Kerry. It isn't very good from a human being "we are all one big happy family" standpoint, but it was excellent excellent strategy. It focused attention on him, even when it wasn't there in the polls.

The man is a smart campaigner and a hard fighter. I can't wait to see him go up against Bush.

[Droopy]

6. I like Kucinich but

There's a reason Dean may be ignoring him. DK isn't close to him in the polls, as far as I know. If DK were posing a serious challenge, then maybe he would get a little more attention from Dean. As it stands right now Dean doesn't have to waste any energy on him. If we look to Iowa, last I heard it was Dean, Kerry and Gephardt that were the main contenders. Maybe Dean is trying to set himself apart from them.

[meegbear]

8. I hear yah ...

I feel the same way about dean.

[liberalnurse]

9. Thats the best way......

Kucinich will burn out.......

[Rainbowreflect]

10. But do we want his message to "burn out"?

All I know is he speaks out for the issues that are closest to my heart. I heard him last Friday night speak with passion about ending war, and promoting peace. I heard his deep compassion for this country and the whole world. Maybe he is a long shot, but we are all better off with his voice out there. And maybe his visions seem far fetced, but they are beautiful vision of what could be possible if we would work together and put people before corperation and health care and education before greed and war.

[GreenArrow]

11. They'll both be sitting on the sidelines

come November 2004.

[Dhalgren]

12. Were you the same one

who was giving Bush the same advice on how to deal with McCain in 2000? It just sounded so similar - you know, republicanesque.

[WhoCountsTheVotes]

13. Actually, I agree completely

It's a good strategy for Dean. The more people know about Kucinich, the more obvious it is that Dean is a right-winger on the economy.

Ignoring Kucinich, and the economic populist message he is trying to get out, is the best chance Dean has of obscuring the similarities he has with Bush - NAFTA, corporate trade, and the like.

So far, Dean's done a great job ignoring the international minimum wage, for instance, all the time his followers are telling us about the *unnamed, theoretical* labor protections he wants in the agreements.

[ibegurpard]

14. Wasn't it Gephardt that called for a universal minimum wage?

I'm not sure...I seem to recall you starting a thread about that a while ago. Help me out here...

[TLM]

15. Why do you continue to spread this bullshit?

"Ignoring Kucinich, and the economic populist message he is trying to get out, is the best chance Dean has of obscuring the similarities he has with Bush - NAFTA, corporate trade, and the like."


Dean supports adding labor, safety, and environmental standards to NAFTA and other trade agreements.

Dean wants to hold corporations to the same standards overseas as they would be held to in the US. This not only prevents the abuse of laborers in other countries but removes the incentive for corporations to move jobs overseas to escape those standards in the first place.

If a corporation does move overseas, Dean supports allowing unions to organize the workers.

Dean also supports requiring that corporations who move their tax HQ offshore to avoid paying their taxes, be classified as foreign corporations and not be allowed to get government defense contracts.

Dean also supports putting resources back into infrastructure development to help replace manufacturing jobs that have been relocated over seas, which means good jobs for working men and women here at home.

Dean also support putting resources into small businesses, because they don’t move overseas.

So to claim Dean is some right wing corporate shill is dishonest bullshit and you know it.

"So far, Dean's done a great job ignoring the international minimum wage, for instance, all the time his followers are telling us about the *unnamed, theoretical* labor protections he wants in the agreements."

He did not ignore it, he addressed why a set international minimum wage would be impractical. What would be practical is requiring corporations to allow unionizing and requiring them to meet a pay standard set on the cost of living where they are doing business. Let the workers unionize and determine what is fair pay.

[WhoCountsTheVotes]

16. really?

"Dean supports adding labor, safety, and environmental standards to NAFTA and other trade agreements."

Really? Which labor safety and environmental standards? Not a minimum wage - that's the most basic labor protection there is.

"Dean wants to hold corporations to the same standards overseas as they would be held to in the US. This not only prevents the abuse of laborers in other countries but removes the incentive for corporations to move jobs overseas to escape those standards in the first place."

But he won't do anything about the incentive for corporations to ship jobs overseas to pay less?

"If a corporation does move overseas, Dean supports allowing unions to organize the workers."

Ah, so Dean is going to tell the communist Chinese regime that they have to allow freedom of assembly? And if they don't Dean will cut off all trade with China? Obviously not.

"Dean also supports requiring that corporations who move their tax HQ offshore to avoid paying their taxes, be classified as foreign corporations and not be allowed to get government defense contracts."

Sounds quite reasonable to me - are they *any* Democrats who disagree? Even McCain the Republican said this I believe.

"Dean also supports putting resources back into infrastructure development to help replace manufacturing jobs that have been relocated over seas, which means good jobs for working men and women here at home. Dean also support putting resources into small businesses, because they don’t move overseas."

Is this code for corporate welfare?

"He did not ignore it, he addressed why a set international minimum wage would be impractical."

Really? I didn't realize this. I'd love to read his reasons why an international minimum wage is impractical, but getting Chinese laborer the right and ability to unionize is practical.

"What would be practical is requiring corporations to allow unionizing and requiring them to meet a pay standard set on the cost of living where they are doing business."

If Dean is proposing requiring corporations to recognize unions, even in other countries, perhaps I'm judging him to harshly. Can you point out where he has called for this? As for corporations "meeting a pay standard" - isn't that what the minimum wage is? As far as I know, no one is saying the minimum wage has to be the same around the world!

"Let the workers unionize and determine what is fair pay."

Sounds good to me.

[WhoCountsTheVotes]

17. never mind, can't get a straight answer from Dean

nice talking points though - clever

[CMT]

18. well I wouldn't single out Dean

I would say everyone is ignoring DK becuz they think he is a loser. Even the DLC doesn't attack him like they do Dean. However, I wouldn't be surprised if DK does better in some of these states than many people think. For instance, in Iowa at a caucus I could easily see him coming in third or fourth.

[WhoCountsTheVotes]

19. Because Dean needs and wants Kucinich's supporters?

More than Kerry? They are ignoring him for different reasons. The corporate media doesn't want anyone to hear about Kucinich's platform - they don't mind liberalism as long as it's not economic liberalism. Kerry is busy ignoring Dean, even though that's not working as well as he hoped.

From the polls I've seen, DU is split between Dean and Kucinich and Kerry - with Dean comfortably in the lead. DU is NOT AT ALL representative of the Democratic party. I think the Dean campaign feels entitled to the Kucinich vote - but I don't think Kucinich voters will jump en masse to Dean anytime soon, if Kucinich drops out - more likely the candidates will pick up a few, and the Green party a lot.

[JohnKleeb]

20. Ive told you where I go if he drops out

Fine if you guys ignore him the same why Dean was intially ignored, you're gonna see something very interesting and it will be quite nice. Kerry isnt as good as DK is but imo hes better than Dean, sorry but not supporting Kerry because of his votes and not supporting DK because hes unelectable supposely is kind of iffy to me, heres how we have no idea of how Dean would have voted for the patriot act and on the war I know he did not share the majority opition of many DUers. Remember dark horses have won in the past and I want this election to be that. I feel very iffy about Dean, he seems to be more conservative than Clinton even on some things.