God Dayum Mondale was AWFUL

[rumguy]

Last night I watched the foreign policy debate he had with Reagan. I think this was the second debate - Mondale was so bad it was painful to watch. How the fuck did he win the nomination?

Our party really knows how to pick some monumental losers for president - sometimes I question the saviness of my fellow Democrats. Sorry - but I think a lot of you have no fucking clue how to win anything.

It was like how a lot of Democrats thought Gore won every debate in 2000. HE DIDN'T.

AND MONDALE WAS A FUCKING LOSER. I support the Democratic party - but it's full of a lot of idiots - who have no fucking clue how to make their ideas appealing to Americans.

[soothsayer]

1. I'm with you on the Gore debate. Neither he nor shrub were any good

And Gore's heavy pancake makeup was just HILARIOUS!!

But I know Kerry will toast junior. He's strong without sounding whiny.

[SaveElmer]

2. Mondale is a GREAT Man

Jesus Christ himself couldn't have won that election against Reagan. If you listen to that debate on substance you will note how much better versed Mondale was on the issues. The only mistake he made was thinking that knowing what you were talking about still mattered.

You should have a little more respect instead of shooting your mouth off about things you know nothing about!

[rumguy]

4. He's not a great man - give me a break

What did he do after public life? He went and worked for a big-time corporate law firm in Minneapolis...

And he barely made sense in the debate - so I don't know what the fuck his ideas were...

[Warpy]

6. Mondale was a good man and a great public servant

who was a poor public speaker. He looked especially bad because he was up against an actor with an especially polished speaking method.

Consider not only the man, but the context. Yes, Mondale looked bad, but Reagan, who looked good, was bad.

[mzmolly]

11. rumguy ... Mondale has done MUCH after his public life.

Don't criticize someone you obviously know very little about. You may not like his debate style, but he is one hell of a great man.

Also note, Mondale was a HERO of Paul Wellstone's and with good reason.

As a staffer for the Wellstone campaign, I just thought I'd shed some light on your finishing analogy: Walter Mondale was one of Paul Wellstone's political heroes. In his first term Paul bucked the Senate protocol of having the Senior Senator escort the Junior down the aisle the first time...instead Paul chose Walter Mondale. Also, Mondale was an author of Medicare, a sponsor of the voting rights act.

Short Bio on Mondale here:

http://www.mnc.net/norway/Mondale.htm

http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USAmondale.htm

This Minnesotan asks that you educate yourself about Walter Mondale before making inflamatory statements about him.

[mzmolly]

12. Yes he is a great man.

Thanks for telling the truth! :hi:

[unfrigginreal]

3. It was his turn

The same as Dole getting the Repug nomination, the same way we got...

[Yupster]

14. First thing I thought of too unfrig

Dole was their Mondale, or Mondale was our Dole.

[Kahuna]

5. I think Iowa and NH have long ago out lived their usefulness

in picking our candidates. They tend to pick losers. Why do we continue to let them go first? It makes no sense.

[demosincebirth]

7. I agree.

How do you change it?

[Julien Sorel]

8. What a hysterical load of crap.

Mondale cleaned Reagan's clock in the first debate, held his own in the second, but now he's some loser who never should have been nominated?

The truth is, unless Reagan fell down and rolled around on the ground while speaking in tongues, nothing that was said during the debates was going to change the outcome of the election, anyway, so this is yet another example of someone going into hysterics over nothing.

But hey, you got to attack the DNC as losers and so on. You needed to add "spineless," maybe toss in a pink tu tu or two, and it would have been a perfect post.

[unfrigginreal]

10. Yeah, wouldn't want to attack the DNC as losers

what with their great track record of late, and all.

[Julien Sorel]

15. Yeah, just like Mondale's

losing in 1984 made him a loser for all time.

Maybe what Mondale needed to do was let out a big, "Yeeeeeeeagh!" right in the middle of his debate with Reagan. That would have made him a winner for sure.

[unfrigginreal]

20. Nice switch

but I never called Mondale a loser for all time. You probably could infer that I called the DNC losers though.

BTW, I'm not sure about your strategy suggestion for Mondale's debate with Reagan, but it certainly wouldn't have cost him too many electoral votes.

[Julien Sorel]

22. What "switch" was that?

I used the illogic of the first post, which illogic you obviously agree with since you used a version of it, to highlight the illogic of your own. But if that's a "switch," so be it. "Yeeeeaghs!" for everyone!

[unfrigginreal]

25. Which "illogic" is that?

The part where the OP suggests that Mondale was a piss poor candidate or the part where I suggested that he got beat fairly handily? I realize that neither is as logical as your contention that all is well in the Democratic Party, what with all the successes we've been having.

[Julien Sorel]

27. You mean I need to baby talk it?

The thread starter took Mondale's loss in 1984 and tried to spin it into "Democrats are losers;" you did the same thing, presumably with the 2002 elections in mind, since you have been whining about it nonstop for a year now (but have failed to present a way the Democrats could have won, of course).

I hope I don't have to translate this into pure baby talk, as I'm rather out of practice. I have a hard time remembering the difference between "Goo" and "gah."

[unfrigginreal]

30. Failed to present a way the Democrats could have won?

I could give a shit less about the 2002 elections at this point. The way the Democrats are going to start winning again is to stand up for things that they believe in. If we keep playing this "What's the safe position in THIS election?" we'll never lay the groundwork necessary to get back into the majority. We'll stay in this neverending pattern of campaigning on Republican issues. So, as far as I'm concerned, if we're going to lose anyway by following your "safe politics" route then we might as well try to build a coalition for the future by educating folks to Democratic ideals.

BTW, for future reference, what you've been posting is "Goo". Perhaps that'll jog your memory as to the difference.

[Julien Sorel]

31. I see.

You could "give a shit less" about the 2002 elections, but you use them at every turn as an example of what the Democrats have done wrong, and in fact, made an oblique reference to them in this thread as an example of Democrats being "losers."

Thanks for the lesson in baby talk. No surprise to find you fluent.

[mzmolly]

13. LOL

:yourock:

[greekspeak]

17. You are wrong! If Reagan fell down and rolled around on the ground

and spoke in tongues, he would only have done BETTER!!! Even MORE FundiVangelicals would have pissed themselves silly over him.

[shance]

9. Do you ever say anything positive about ANY Dems?

n/t

[VOX]

16. Great morale-building thread. We have no clue. We're idiots. Go team!

And Mondale was "awful," and Gore was a loser (who just happened to win everything in 2000 but the partisan Supreme Court vote).

Maybe the Democratic Party does have a lot to learn, but there's nothing constructive going on here, just some unfocused bashing.

One advantage the Republicans do have over Democrats is discipline. And in that discipline, Republicans rarely foul their own nest like this. They close ranks, stick together, and move forward like sharks.

[senseandsensibility]

19. Exactly!

We should be focusing our efforts on "working the refs" for the debates instead of attacking our own. Please, everyone, let's act like repugs in this regard. Let's think about what's good for Kerry and our party. Everyone should write an e-mail to the hosts of the debates demanding fair coverage.

[greekspeak]

18. Thank you for kicking us all in the collective stomach

We are all biting our nails over this election and its outcome, so you feel obliged to dredge up an election that happened TWO DECADES AGO? Who the hell cares now what that debate looked like? Worry about the task at hand...taking the country back out of the hands of madmen, not how Mondale did in debates against a crummy president that is not even ALIVE anymore. And for your information, Mondale could have outspoken Cicero and STILL lost that election because the country was sick with Reagan Fever.

[fujiyama]

21. Gore did beat Bush

on the facts.

But he made himself looking like a fool in the process. It's bad when your advisors bring you a tape of SNL after the debates.

The make up, the sighing, the eye rolling, and the other sarcastic tone was all understandable (I think anyone with half a brain would get fed up with the BS Bush spouts), but ultimately not a good way to win over the incredibly shallow electorate.

[senseandsensibility]

26. It was all understandable

except the make-up. What WAS up with that? Didn't he look like a vampire or something? It has never been explained, as far as I know. And that is coming from someone who adores Gore and thought he won every debatte!:shrug:

[kskiska]

29. Gore had gone to a Caribbean island to bone up for the debate

Unfortunately, he got sunburned. Applying make-up on sunburn is a tricky business. It didn't look good under the lights.

[0rganism]

23. Well, this is a refreshing change of pace

It's not every day I see a Mondale-bashing thread at DU.

Nicely done! Way to mix things up! :crazy:

[OneTwentyoNine]

24. Lets see,was that the one where Mondale told American's the TRUTH?

Can't remember which but he stated that he would need to raise taxes to stop the Reagan deficit that was spiraling out of control. He said that Reagan is going to raise your taxes,not cut them (middle and lower class) but he won't tell you.

Mondale was 100% right and it was the truth on ALL accounts.

David

[hansolsen]

28. Mondale had two debates with the Gipper, the guy who is widely regarded

as one of the most likeble men who ever served in the Oval Office.

Most observors at the time, including me, called the first debate for Mondale. Fritz managed to make the Gipper look old, tired, and off his feed. It was an outstanding debate performance by Fritz, IMHO.

In the second debate Reagan made a comeback. He used charm and humor to outshine the "dull" Mondale. Old Minnesotans of Norwegian descent (including me, I assure you) are not well know for charm and humor. So please cut Mr. Mondale a little slack.

In any case, this year's debates, especially the first one, will not be won by either candidate based on charm and humor, IMO. The war in Iraq is too serious for that.