Current & Former Dem Party Chairs Denounce Dean Comments

[jadesfire]

Democratic Leaders Denounce Dean Comments on Party, Foreign Policy

Five current and former Democratic Party Chairs from Montana, Virginia, Alabama, North Dakota, and Georgia issued the following statement today:

“As current and past Chairs of state Democratic Parties, in states where Republicans have recently done well in Presidential elections, we know how quickly ill-considered statements by national Democrats can impact our state elections. As chairs, we also know that full and vigorous debate between our candidates leads to the nomination of our best and strongest candidates.

“With this in mind, we must express our strong disappointment in the recent statements of Howard Dean. Over the past few weeks, Gov. Dean has spoken before he thought, been forced to retract, apologize for and “clarify” many of his remarks. In addition to ill-considered statements on critical subjects, such as reserving judgment on what punishment should be meted out to Osama bin Laden, he has attacked our party leaders and the policies of President Bill Clinton that produced the most sustained period of economic growth in our country’s history. Rather than welcome full debate on his policy positions he has called on Party leaders to intervene in the nominating process to stifle debate between our candidates. Gov. Dean has gone so far as to suggest that he and his supporters may have an agenda other than insuring the defeat of George Bush if he isn't the nominee of our party.

“As current and former chairs of our state parties, in states where Republicans have recently done well in Presidential elections, we need a nominee who can neutralize the traditional GOP strengths on taxes and national security. And we know that regardless of the intensity in our primary fight, it will not compare to the onslaught that George Bush and the Republicans will dish out. That's why we support John Kerry for President; a combat veteran who supports middle class tax cuts and knows as Harry Truman once said, "if you can't take the heat get out of the kitchen". We suggest that Governor Dean should take his temperature now.”

Mike Gireau, Chairman Montana Democratic Party
Redding Pitt, Chairman Alabama Democratic Party
Larry Framme, Former Chair of Virginia Democratic Party
Dan Hannaher, Former Chair of North Dakota Democratic Party
David Worley, Former Chair of Georgia Democratic Party

[helleborient]

1. John Kerry...the establishment candidate...more of the usual

It seems clear here...let's nominate John Kerry so we can lose more elections the way we have in our states...

[zulchzulu]

32. Polls show Kerry the strongest against Bush, Dean as the weakest

I know you may be bereft of facts on your continuing pattern of attacking Kerry with nothing to back it up, but then again, you're just impersonating your candidate.

Attack and then complain... what a wonderful solution.

[Name removed]

36. Deleted message

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[killbotfactory]

2. Essentially "We need a republican-lite candidate"

With a bunch of bullcrap targeted at Dean.

The political climate in this country has been offensively dumbed down.

[BeyondGeography]

4. Yeah, Kerry's a dumb sellout

Now pass me the kool-aid, please.

[killbotfactory]

6. LOL, I didn't even see Kerry's name...

But if the shoe fits...

"we need a nominee who can neutralize the traditional GOP strengths on taxes and national security."

If they think Bush is so strong on national security and taxes that the issues need "neutralized", then fuck them. They're hurting the democratic party.

[Name removed]

9. Deleted message

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[killbotfactory]

11. They lost me at this part:

"we need a nominee who can neutralize the traditional GOP strengths on taxes and national security."

They're saying Bush is strong on national security and taxes.

That, plus the bullcrap anti-Dean nonsense, gave me an adverse reaction.

Screw them.

[Name removed]

12. Deleted message

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[killbotfactory]

15. And you get the red states by saying Bush is strong on defense and taxes?

Yeah, right.

[jadesfire]

13. That's not what they said and you know it

re: ""we need a nominee who can neutralize the traditional GOP strengths on taxes and national security."

They're saying Bush is strong on national security and taxes."

Not even. Not one of those people would say they agree with Bush, especially on those issues.

They're saying that we need a strong candidate on these issues because they are traditionally seen (although I don't agree) as Republican issues.

[killbotfactory]

17. That's exactly what they are saying.

Bush is not strong on either of those issues, and pretending he is hurts the party.

And supporting a candidate who is pro-tax cuts and pro-iraq war will not neutralize those issues. The only thing Kerry can run against Bush is by saying "Like Bush, I support tax cuts... only better!" "Like Bush, I support the war in Iraq... only better!" We aren't going to win like that.

[jadesfire]

33. Except they never said that

Don't put things in quotes that aren't actual quotes because it makes it harder for people to take you seriously. NONE of the Democratic hopefulls would say "like Bush" (oh wait, Dean said it when talking about how much foreign policy experience he had compared to Bush before he took office).

All of the Democratic Candidates are planning on rolling back the Bush Tax cuts. Kerry (and a few others) will leave the Democratic cuts that applied to the middle class.

[blm]

7. Kerry's legitimately left of Dean and has a record to show it.

Dean is the most Bushlike of all the candidates.

Thankfully Kerry stayed on the left while he pulled against those centrists who were pulling the party further to the right like Dean did as governor.

[killbotfactory]

8. As I said above... I missed Kerry's name...

I stopped reading after the "we need a nominee who can neutralize the traditional GOP strengths on taxes and national security." part.

[HPLeft]

34. Dean is Bush-Lite

He lies as often as Dubya, and as transparently. He should run on his record, and be the straight-shooter he pretends to be.

Dean may shoot from the hip, but he doesn't shoot straight. He should hire Ron Ziegler's ghost to be his press secretary - since so many of his statements are "no longer operative" within minutes after he says them.

[BeyondGeography]

3. Way to go, Howard!

He's a uniter, not a divider. Wait, that was the other guy...

[polpilot]

5. Along with the Gary Hart endorsement this should cinch it for Kerry.

Dean '04...

[Jerseycoa]

10. Happy for Kerry and Supporters

:toast:

[liberalnurse]

14. So, they have their opinion and many American

democrats have their opinion. I myself am sick of the *bush-lite and spineless leadership of the DLC.

[sventvkg]

16. The DLC are washed up need to all be ousted for a new direction

The democratic party leaders all need to go..They have had their time and they know they are done if Howard gets in...All of these establishment people are opportunists who obviously do not care who the people want and about what messages resonate with the constituents of the party..All they care about is their own political agenda..Dean knows this and is basically calling them out. Instead of the Democratic party fighting to try to keep the nomination from Dean which they are OBVIOUSLY doing, they should be doing what they need to do to support whatever candidate wins the primaries for the good of the party...NOT just their inside guys...I've had it with them and if Dean gets Nominated I hope an entirely new party infrastructure is put in place....

Quit your fucking bickering and get behind the candidate whomever it may be!!!! We need to be a united party....NOT a bunch of opportunists divided among themselves!!! GET IT???????????????

All of these FAILED insider candidates had their chance and it's clear they are over...The people have seen them vote with the repubs and support issues that go against what are party foundation believes in too many times....And they are now speaking with their support of the outsider candidate movements...IT's a paradigm shift that a lot of the Rank and File Washington party LOSERS just haven't seen coming and are fighting...Face it..They are over, and instead of admitting they were wrong they are just attacking Dean en mass....Gore sees' the error of his former ways and knows exactly why he lost the presidency....these Fuckers in the DLC just do not see it.....But why are the candidates and the DLC bashing each other instead of concentrating on Bush co is just fucking beyond me....All it is succeeding at is alienating more and more liberals and sending them to the outsider campagns...The DLC is imploding and taking all the establishment Dem contenders with it...And I'm Glad and obviously so are many many many other liberals..They just don't understand our apathy with them and that is hilarious...LEt them bitch, and moan and all of them can continue to bash the outsider candidates because they are just digging themselves a deeper and deeper grave in doing so....

[jmaier]

19. Sadly,

only some of the PEOPLE have discovered this truth. If Dean has captured 1/3rd of the democratic base, there is quite a distance to go before most of the PEOPLE are accounted for.

[boilerbabe]

28. You have it dead to rights...how to wake them up??? n/t

[Deesh]

18. Kerry has been endorsed by --

-- a group of Democratic Party Chairs. The criticism that this makes Kerry somehow unacceptably "establishment" doesn't wash. Gore endorsed Dean, and Gore is quite a bit more "establishment" than Kerry or the Chairs who endorsed Kerry.

Endorsements aside, I'd rather just cram the Bush administration in a submersible and send it out in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

There's enough of an argument for any of our nine announced candidates for praise.

I bet Dr. Dean's patients appreciate his attentive ear and sound advice for their health care.

I bet Kerry's war buddies are still in touch with him and value him as a true friend.

I bet many Dads changed their minds about their gay and lesbian children when Dick Gephardt publicly embraced his lesbian daughter.

I bet some of Al Sharpton's volunteers had never encountered someone with that much pure charisma and good humor ever before in their lives.

I bet there are people in the Deep South who remember Joe Lieberman coming down there in the early years of the Civil Rights movement because he knew it was the right thing to do.

I bet Dennis Kucinich has changed the lives of the young people in his ranks of volunteers, and pointed them to both the past and future at the same time.

I bet Carol Mosely Braun's campaign will be known as THE model for civility and compassion in modern politics from this point forward. The phrase "class act" in Websters will say, "SEE Carol Mosely Braun."

I bet General Clark could tell us about the nobility of the human spirit against impossible odds in Kosovo -- a place Bush could probably not locate on a map.

And as I bet Dean's patients rely on his medical expertise, I bet the clients of John Edwards would tell us that he listened with his best ears to their needs and delivered what justice he could for them, true-blue.

We can disagree with various candidates' ideologies, but there is much to praise. Not so with Bush/Cheney.

[boilerbabe]

29. You are probably the only voice of reason i've heard in ages

You have found good things to say about all of the candidates and I think that is wonderful... I have been working on Howard Dean's campaign, and working like 80hr weeks, and also taking a night class. My brother told me that people were totally slashing Howard Dean. SO I am maybe in a Naive sort of way, hoping not to see it? There is no reason to be slashing fellow Dems unless one is not really a DEm after all??
I don't reallly care for this 2nd grade action and splintering of the Dem party just when we need to get our shit together against an INCUMBENT president, duh, somebody must wake up. here. Either we back up who wins the nomination or we might as well just give up?? I think that a lot of the divisiveness has been engendered by the "other political persuasion" and we are just falling for it hook, line, sinker. If ya don't think so, well, guess we will just have to take over the Supreme Court or something outlandish like that....'

[askew]

20. Good news for Kerry.

Good news for Kerry. But, just like the Kerry campaign, this announcement was 3/4 of a Dean-bash, 1/4 Kerry-praise. This is one of the main reasons Kerry is sinking like the Titanic.

[w4rma]

21. After Complaint, Dean Explains Himself to Party Chairman

By DIANE CARDWELL and JODI WILGOREN
Published: December 30, 2003

Howard Dean reached out to the Democratic national chairman on Monday, a day after rebuking him as failing to stop attacks by Mr. Dean's rivals for the Democratic nomination, even as those candidates seized on the episode as grist for new criticism.
…
A senior aide to Dr. Dean, Kate O'Connor, said that he called Mr. McAuliffe in the morning to discuss his comments and that they spoke for about five minutes. Ms. O'Connor would not say whether Dr. Dean had apologized to the chairman.

"I can't talk about what they talked about," she said, "but I can say it was very friendly. Believe it or not, they touch base fairly often."

The call to Mr. McAuliffe came less than two weeks after Dr. Dean, a former Vermont governor, called former President Bill Clinton to clear the air a day after seeming to repudiate Mr. Clinton's statement that the "era of big government is over."
…
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/12/30/politics/campaigns/30TRAI.html
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=132&topic_id=40309

[DemBones DemBones]

24. Do you find it somehow charming that Dean

is constantly putting both feet in his mouth and then having to make "I didn't really mean to say it" phone calls?

The man is a disaster. Yes, he has lot of people going to meet-ups and he's raised lots of money, and that's great. But he's still a disaster. He is not who he now claims to be and he keeps screwing up. Do you think the media will continue to prop him up forever? If he runs aginst Bush, will the media keep on letting his gaffes slide and allowing his record to remain unreported?

I really hate to think of what Bush will do in a second term. :scared:

[boilerbabe]

30. keep watching FOX news hunny

Glad to see your'e so informed!

[snyttri]

22. The Democratic Party cannot afford a professional gaffe machine for a

presidential candidate. Only Republicans can.

[eileen_d]

23. Well, as a Montana resident

My Democratic Party Chairman is certainly speaking for me on most of this. Who'da thunk it?

As for endorsing Kerry - he was my first choice, so I can't argue with that either.

[LimpingLib]

25. Ever hear of Pat Williams?

That man was one of the most outspoken liberal members of the House and represented Montana statewide till 1997. He survived the 1992 matchup against a GOP incumbent in a member verses member race (state lost its 1 other congressional seat after the 1990 census)and survived the 1994 GOP wave.

I didnt think you would.

Reminds me of people forgetting Huey Long and saying John Breaux is " one of the most liberal Senators that could possibly be elected in Louisiana " .

We Democrats are truely our worst enemy and thankfully Dean is a refreshing exception the the rule we have let elitest out of touch leaders make.

EDIT: Before you respond ,better apologize for the condacending tone. Just responding to the endless "Dean is too liberal" crap which may not have been your point. Consider it a general statement not aimed at you.Sorry

[eileen_d]

27. Yikes! You are way off.

I don't think Dean is too liberal. I don't even think that was the point of the original message.

And I do remember Pat Williams. On a related note, I don't think it's me who needs to apologize for the condescending tone. :eyes:

Since you seem to need some clarification, this is the part of the original post that I agree most with:

With this in mind, we must express our strong disappointment in the recent statements of Howard Dean. Over the past few weeks, Gov. Dean has spoken before he thought, been forced to retract, apologize for and “clarify” many of his remarks. In addition to ill-considered statements on critical subjects, such as reserving judgment on what punishment should be meted out to Osama bin Laden, he has attacked our party leaders and the policies of President Bill Clinton that produced the most sustained period of economic growth in our country’s history. Rather than welcome full debate on his policy positions he has called on Party leaders to intervene in the nominating process to stifle debate between our candidates. Gov. Dean has gone so far as to suggest that he and his supporters may have an agenda other than insuring the defeat of George Bush if he isn't the nominee of our party.

I don't think Dean is a great candidate, and not because I think he's "unelectable" either. I simply would prefer to have a different Democratic candidate in the White House. That's all.

(edited to change wording about "better Democrats" - the argument about who's a better Democrat is not where I want to go, to say the least)

[LimpingLib]

31. It was ME lol

"..(I) better apologize..."

That was the point of my edit.To apologize. I needed to edit this post because it wont let me use brackets for my "I" that I left out. They vanish once you post. Had to use () instead.

[Name removed]

26. Deleted message

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[blm]

35. These guys know how to read internal polls in their states

and no that Dean brings down the WHOLE ticket for Democrats.