WTF??? Dems criticize Dean???

[Van23]

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apwashington_story.asp?category=1155&slug=Democrats%20Dean


When was the last time you heard a Republican criticize Ken Mehlman? Just let Dean be Dean, for God's sake. The Repugs have proven that vicious wins elections.

[liberaliraqvet26]

1. mehlman is a robot.....

and they have more discipline than us

[Southsideirish]

2. Howard Dean is the future of the Democratic Party. The DLC'rs are the

past and the sooner we realize that the better off we will be. The DLC needs to go away, far away. Their day is over and it wasn't much when it was here.

[Califooyah Operative]

9. that's exactly what this is about.

we all know what biden and richardson are about and their affiliations with the dlc. they've got an interest in seeing dean and progressivism fail. we've got to stick up for dean through the mischarecterizations, falshoods, and misquotes. The right is cheering the dlc'ers on, we gotta confron them every step of the way and correct the misinformation. they've already succeeded in creating some turmoil, they want an all out split though.

[mandyky]

17. Ed Kilgore of the DLC stood up for Dean

Kos had a post about it and joked "who knew there was a Dean wing of the DLC". I believe it was posted yesterday or Friday on the main page of Daily Kos.

[Todd B]

3. Republicans are too busy towing the co. line to criticize each other ;)

To be fair, Republicans are too busy goose stepping and worshipping dear leader to ever criticize one of their own - unlike Democrats, they don't have one original thought in their bodies.

Still, it is kind of annoying though - Gov. Dean is doing a tremendous job as it is - why can't they let him be himself instead of the same ol' politically correct congressman?

I think it is worthwhile to blame the media, as well however. They've already shown that they'll do anything to bring down Dean - this only proves that theory.

[The Doctor.]

4. I believe that Dean's message could catch on.

Fiery rhetoric is how the GOP has been 'winning', the Dems just look like wimps.

If Dean and the Dems are smart, they'll out-Hitler the Repubs when it comes to harnessing anger.
Let's face it - harnessing intelectualism and civil debate doesn't get people off the couch, and if Dems don't get off the couch, or just get more Americans off the couch for that matter, this game is over and the country is way too far gone.

I believed that 2004 was the last chance for the Dems to route this cancer, and I was probably right, but if there is a fighting chance anywhere - it's in getting people fired up. And that's what Dean is trying to do.

[BamaLefty]

5. Shit

Now this is the Dem party I know. I know them too damn well. :eyes:

Typical.

[knowbody0]

6. divide and conquer

it always works

[BillZBubb]

7. Same old same old.

The Democratic circular firing squad lines up. The Repugs cheer them on.

[dajoki]

8. we need dean

and our leaders should back him. he has the balls to say what they wish they could say.

[inthebrain]

10. Let Dean be Dean

And start whacking the Media for repeating RNC distortions as if they are fact.

As long as that behavior continues it won't matter who is at the helm of this party. The right has built one hell of an empire of the last thirty years. Unless you take them by the horns, it wont matter if you win or lose. You will always be seen as outsiders.

Let Dean be Dean.

Whack the Media when you can.

[mojogeorgo]

11. Primer on party unity for Dems

Please recommend, if you're a MyDD member
http://www.mydd.com/story/2005/6/9/9541/52979

[pat_k]

12. Contact the leadership: Tell them to "Carry the battle to them"

I posted contact information and included a sample of the type of thing that I, and I hope others, want to hear from them.

Carry the battle to them. Don't let them bring it to you. Put them on the defensive. And don't ever apologize for anything. - Harry S. Truman (Quote courtesy OX on tabletalk)

[Akno21]

13. Umm, look at what he's been saying.

His comments are not winning us any votes. I don't see how saying most Republicans have never earned an honest days living attracts people to the Democratic party. It makes us look loony. We don't need that image right now.

Did the attacks on him go to far? Yes. But are some of his comments doing a lot more harm than good? You bet they are.

You can say Let Dean be Dean, but it's not like Dean is extremly popular. You say Let so and so be himself when that person is popular and people like him. Howard Dean is a very polarizing figure, and his comments from ever since he got in the spotlight haven't warranted letting him be himself, because he isn't helping.

[Fire]

19. I'm going to have to agree

I thought some but not all of those comments went to far, especially the part about republicans not working a day in their lives. I know a great deal of working class Republicans. I don't get along with them but it isn't accurate to imply that all republicans are wealth robberbarons. Also considering that he is a politician, he needs to be more politically aware. Aware enough to not say "I hate republicans." It's fine when we do it, but politicians should be more subtle than that.

Still, I don't think he should backpeddle on that. Let the comments stand, just don't do it again.

[Ken Burch]

20. The Beltway types attacking Dean want another Quisling type

like McAuliffe, who left the GOP unchallenged.

They think we can surrender our way to victory.

Like we did so effectively in 2000, 2002 and 2004.

Blandness never works. Face it, Beltway people.

[Akno21]

21. Stupidity Never Works...

and that is what you are advocating. His comments about many republicans having never done an honest day's work was complete BS and just pisses off a lot of hard workers in West Virginia, Ohio, Florida, and other states. Do you think someone is going to be more likely to cross party lines and vote Democratic if the DNC chair says they have never done an honest days work?

Dean isn't challenging the GOP. They don't fear him. I actually know Republicans, and they don't fear him. They know he'll take a shovel and dig himself a really big hole, just like he did in the primaries.

And we actually did well in the 2000 election, picked up 4 or 5 senate seats, IIRC.

[mojogeorgo]

14. Petition!

"Dean speaks for me" petition

Diary where the idea was raised
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/6/10/1585/58255

Diary with the petition link and html so that you can add a graphic petition link to your site or blog
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/6/10/215519/522

Link to the petition
http://www.petitiononline.com/Dean/petition.html

[Name removed]

15. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[mojogeorgo]

16. Petition diary

If any Dean-supportive Kos members here haven't recommended the latest petition diary, please click and do so. It's about to slip off the recommended list.

[davelyoung1]

18. Republican

The thing that Republicans do is to find a weak link and talk about it. The weak link takes the heat of them. If anyone is speaking out for Democrats they are targeted, while Republicans are forced into silence to assume a solid party line. So, Democrats take on the Republican weak links, like DeVay. and rile up the Republicans. Force on them questions that need answers. Once most Republicans speak out, they do their own damage. Democrats need to rattle the henhouse scattering them, do what the Republicans are doing by keeping the limelight on others, so use questions like Iraq timelines.

The best thing is to have Democratic Party have open house meetings trying to moderate the public in open debate. Anyone can attend, so the public are then asking the questions that maybe the White house might have to answer. Go into the streets of our cities, go into poverty area to ask questions, find the heartbeats of the common person

Make the streets talk Democratic. They cannot plan an attack on public opinions. It is time for all Democrats to hit the streets and do their homework, teams from the party must have the barber shop talks that shows where the public stands. It is time to find the color of the streets. The time is now to fight the battle for our moderation; extremists are hoping we wail until it is too late.

[KansasMeg]

22. When did we become sheep?

I personally found Dean's generalizations to be embarrassing. As the DNC chairman, I don't believe saying "let Dean be Dean" is a good argument. If he's a political pundit, fine, that's what's expected. But he's a representative.

I also don't see why many of you are so upset by Democrats not supporting Dean's comments. Aren't we, after all, the party that doesn't follow our leaders blindly? One thing I can't stand about the Republicans is that they are a bunch of sheep.

Surely, I'm not the only one on here who sees it this way.

[ihaveaquestion]

23. No, Dems shouldn't be sheep, but neither should Dems cut each

other down in public. It just reinforces the negative public image that most people have of the party as a bunch of squabbling scatter-brains with no cohesive message.

There were much better ways to disagree with Dean's comments than was done by leading Dems. They did the party no favors.

[Linette]

26. With all due respect...

You "don't see why..." because you don't understand what James Kroeger explains quite clearly in The Republican Nemesis.

The Republicans are doing something to us that the DLC'ers just don't grasp. It's time to get an education.

Linette

[Township75]

24. "The Repugs have proven that vicious wins elections"-Bullshit!

they prove cheating wins elections.

why do we still have this arguement on DU? everyone should know by now that we didn't lose...IT WAS STOLEN!!!

[KansasMeg]

25. I agree!

I would hate to see the Dems fall to the level of the Republicans. I don't want to be a part of a party who would sink so low. I say we play nice and let their nastiness catch up with them. And I'm sure it will. I've seen many dissatisfied Republicans claim they'll vote Independent next time around.

[Akno21]

27. Oh Give it up...

it didn't help us to run around screaming theft months after the 2000 election, when it was actually stolen, and it's not going to help running around screaming theft now either. Kerry lost, OK? Blame the Bush campaign for smearing him and spinning everything to death, but no one likes a sore loser.

[Bluzmann57]

28. So we can't criticize anyone affiliated with the Dems anymore?

Except for Leiberman, H. Clinton, Edwards, Kerry, and on and on. Criticism isn't always a bad thing. Sometimes it can help. Grow up.
True story about Dean backers to illustrate my point. As many of you know, he campaigned for President in 2003 and '04 here in Iowa. In winter of 2003, there was a benefit concert for him at a local drinking establishment. It was there that I decided to caucus for Senator John Edwards. I was a bit undecided at the time, but Dean's backers were not only out of staters, but came on strong, to the point of being annoying. Continuously asking for money, even after I said that I'd think about it, razzing other Democratic candidates, particularly Kerry who was making inroads at that time, trying to generalize Iowa voters, not really coming out in support of organized labor, which is a HUGE issue with me, just generally being obnoxious. This is one reason I supported Senator John Edwards in the caucuses. So Dean backers, lighten up. We can criticize him and back him at the same time. We are all working toward the same goal, the defeat of repubs in '06 and the White House in '08.