"White folks in the South who drive pickup trucks with Confederate

[hedgehog]

flag decals on the back ought to be voting with us, and not (Republicans), because their kids don't have health insurance either, and their kids need better schools too."


Q. Did that statement mean that Howard Dean was a racist willing to win by any means possible?

[rinsd]

1. As I recall, Dean got a great deal of shit for that comment.

[Clark2008]

2. No - it meant that Dean doesn't know much about the South.

Which was a given...

:shrug:

[depakid]

29. Seems to me he knew enough to consider

that the region is full of low wage earners, shitty schools with high dropout rates, poor health care outcomes. Among other ills.

[BeyondGeography]

3. It meant Dean wanted to reach the economic victims of Reaganomics

who have been opposing us for decades for mostly emotional reasons.

His motives were good. God bless Dean.

[hedgehog]

5. Not unlike people who've been told that it's the gays threatening

them and not the corporations, perhaps?

Can't change their minds if they're never exposed to your ideas.

[BeyondGeography]

12. Absolutely

[Uncle Joe]

15. I agree with your analysis, BeyondGeography. n/t

[bunkerbuster1]

4. It was a stump speech line

Applauded by all kinds of folks when he'd deliver it.

So, no.

[riqster]

6. IIRC, Dean didn't have a racist MCing his events

...or any "ex-blacks" either.

[Devlzown]

7. Dean was talking about white southerners who

have been voting against their own interest for some time now. I believe he made a comment about "guns,God,and gays" that also got him into some hot water. What he meant was that white southerners should vote their economic interest rather than with their religious and racial prejudices.

[meow2u3]

24. The "Religious Right" have so brainwashed many Southern whites

...that fundie preachers/con artists have effectively conned an entire region into voting for the economic interests of their big bosses at their own expense.

Those ministers who intimidate churchgoers from the pulpit into voting Repubican are the same ones living high on the hog, many of them multimillionaires, and guess how they got that rich--off the tithes of their poor parishoners!!! What we need to do is infiltrate the churches, gather intelligence, and then inform the rank and file that some preachers are robbing them blind in the name of Jesus Christ.

[Demobrat]

8. When Edwards said to Dean at one of the debates

"People like us (southerners) don't need people like you (northerners) coming down here", did it mean that he was willing to resort to any bigoted, divisive means necessary to stop Dean? Or did it just mean that in his mind the Civil War still isn't over?

[surfermaw]

36. In the Charlotte area

you hear discussions often about the Civil war, from Yankee transplants and red neck southerners.

[laureloak]

9. It simply means they don't have insurance.

Man, I'm sick of people twisting racism into everything. Those that do it are usually the biggest racists of all.

[dflprincess]

10. Economics gives people a lot more in common

than race, religion or sexual orientation makes them different. You start getting people together based on their economic situation and they'll start to forget their differences and work together. Martin Luther King, Jr. knew this, that's why he was planning the Poor People's March on Washington - and that's made him a big threat.

[cali]

11. LOL!

No, it was just howard being howard. blunt as hell and good at sticking his foot in his mouth because of that. As a Vermonter, I kind of enjoyed it during his 11 years as gov.

[FredScuttle]

13. Aw Jeez, Not This Shit Again

For the 100th time, Dean didn't welcome a bigot into his campaign with open arms, give him a microphone and a 1/2 hour to spew his bigoted filth to an audience and then spend 2 weeks defending this horrific insult. Got it?

[Chovexani]

17. LOL

They still don't get it.

[FredScuttle]

18. They have to learn to keep the good Doctor's name out of their pathetic defense of Obama

Embracing clownish bigots with enthusiasm and giving them starring roles in the campaign was not part of the Dean strategy.

[CyberPieHole]

23. Obama's pandering is indefensible...

that is why his supporters grasp at straws...what else can they do?:shrug:

[AtomicKitten]

14. Dean was right to widen his horizons like this.

An election isn't a pillow fight.

[Basileus Basileon]

16. Dean unfairly got a huge amount of shit for that one.

But that was more demonstrative of a broad-brush ignorance of the South than it was supportive of racism.

[OHdem10]

19. You can make a racist charge on anything you wish--

Yelling racism can diminish its effect and when the time
comes for real racism--no one will help. Kinda like a little
boy who cried wolf too often.

Howard Dean was being dramatic. Our party abandon the South
a long time ago. This is one reason why we have problems
winning elections.

There are many Democrats in South who having been abandoned by
our party do not even vote.

No Dean was not and is not racist.

[CyberPieHole]

20. Is this related to Obama pandering to bigots and homophobes...

and giving a self-hating closet-queen the job to emcee a concert and to spread bigotry and homophobia? Is that what this is about?:shrug:

[LanternWaste]

21. I think it means...

I think it means he recognizes that many poor, white southerners aren't aware that they're getting bent over by the GOP and wants them to recognize it, too.

[meow2u3]

22. I think it was a royal screw-up

at least, with the way he said it. If Dean said all poor people, regardless of race, should vote with us (Democrats) because their kids have been priced out of decent health insurance, it would resonate with voters. He'd definitely make health care a class issue rather than come across sounding prejudiced against Southern whites.

[ileus]

25. Not racist, but willing to say anything for a vote yes.

[beaconess]

27. Not racist - but insensitive and revealing of an amazing lack of understanding about racial dynamics

[cali]

31. nope. that was genuine howard. I remember him campaigning

here in the Northeast Kingom of Vermont when he was running for gov and he genuinely believed in reaching out to the "rednecks"- and believe me, the Kingdom is full of them, and they drive pickups, and they're loggers and millworkers. They don't have confederate flag decals, but other than that....

[ecstatic]

26. If KKK votes result in a democratic win

I'm all for it. They are despicable and morally repugnant, but in this case they would be a means to an end. What's the alternative? Another 8 years of neocons? In *real life,* we often have to work with people who we cannot stand in order to meet certain goals. That's life.

[Solon]

32. Working with them is one thing, but if a KKK dude was allowed on a stage...

to support a candidate and ranted for a half hour about blacks, Jews, other minorities, etc. I would imagine that the folks here on DU would universally condemn such an action, even if that candidate tried to go after the "KKK vote".

[OHdem10]

34. It is equally insensitive to imply all white Southerners

are KKK.

Cultural Differences really should be respected.

[beaconess]

28. Of course not

It did mean that he either 1) doesn't understand the real reason those white folks don't vote Democratic (i.e., the Democats view of us black folks); or 2) he was willing to kick black folks to the curb to attract this segment of the white vote since the only way these people would vote Democratic is if they are given a reason to believe that the Democrats will advance their view of what the social order should be.

[rucky]

30. So it's true! The last four years have been a bad dream...

I wake up, and we're still talking about Howard!

Woo-HOO!

[BootinUp]

33. It was a clumsy attempt to reach out to idiots. nt

[sandnsea]

35. John Matthews and Linda Short

Did Howard Dean have people running his South Carolina campaign who had voted to put gay discrimination in the SC Constitution?

[madfloridian]

37. Are you trying to excuse what Obama did by referring to Dean's statement?

This is the third post doing that.

Grow up, they are not the same thing.

They are different.

I have been attacked in the other two for pointing out what was being done.

So go for it.

This is a childish waste of time to compare the two.

What Obama did was far worse, because his motives were suspect.

Now pile on me, I am used to it.

3 times is just overkill

[madfloridian]

38. 3 threads doing this is more than enough. My comments:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x3692013

[hedgehog]

40. I would have hoped it was obvious that I was NOT attacking Dean

but rather noting that he also believed that we have to build a coalition based on our common interests.

[Mutineer]

39. The enemy of my enemy is my friend?

Is that what he's thinking?