Howard Dean - Spineless, Waffling, Pandering, Racist Hatemonger

[Bill Murphy]

http://tinyurl.com/tsuk

Excerpt:

"Dean said institutional racism permeates the country, even after the success of the civil rights movement.

"You have a better chance of being called back for a job interview if you are white with a criminal record than you do if you are black with a clean record, never having been arrested or convicted," he said. "

Bullsh1t. Absolute fvcking 100% bullsh1t. Got any stats to back that up, Howie? Maybe at Bobby Joe's Gas n' Robes in Biloxi, but that's all. Not even Clinton ever tried to slip something like this in.

Can't believe no one's picked up on this one yet; most of the other sites don't even have it in their coverage(hmm, wonder why?). Dizzy's now backtracking, of course.

Don't get me wrong, Dizzy made a clumsy, off-the-cuff remark. He apologizes quickly and its done in 10 seconds, just how Blewinsky would've been, if Slick woulda had a brain in his head.

Also, the sanctimonius, self-righteous denunciations of Diz by the other Dwarves was almost as offensive as this job interview fairy tale.

BTW, there was a pitcher ay all the Dwarves onstage in the last issue ay Newsweek. The only one who looked even remotely Presidential was Clark, and even he more resembles a Jr. High principal(not that Shrub resembles Ol' Hickory).

Whatta buncha clowns. Fatboy Rove's gotta be laughing his ass off. Shrub might win all 50 off the Dean-Sharpton ticket next year.

[HDPM]

So, you know, just after reading the title of your post, how do you really feel? /images/graemlins/laugh.gif

[HDPM]

Okay, like you live in UT and I live in ID. Added together our votes in the general don't add up to being worth a used wet match. The primaries out here don't count either. So WGAF? /images/graemlins/tongue.gif

[adios]

In light of Howard Dean's recent statement about wanting those who display the Confederate flag to vote for him and the subsequent storm that followed this statement by Dean is laughable.

I've noticed that when he was attacked by his fellow Democratic presidential candidates about his stance on Medicare reform he backed way away from that.

Then we have Lieberman calling households that make $150,000 a year rich; Kerry talking out of both sides of his mouth about Iraq and the economy; Clark making up stories about memos he can't verify; and Gephardt advocating more protective tarrifs plus they all are promising to raise taxes and spend more federal $ makes for an interesting Presidential campaign in 2004. Running on raising taxes and spending more money on federal programs to support their constituency must make Republican strategists grin ear to ear every day /images/graemlins/smile.gif /images/graemlins/grin.gif /images/graemlins/laugh.gif /images/graemlins/cool.gif. Saw an article and an interview where a retiring Democratic Senator stated that the Democratic presidential candidates are a combination of the worst features of Mondale and McGovern.

[elwoodblues]

I don't doubt that the job interview thing is made up, though it reminds me of a segment on the short-lived television show TV Nation. TV Nation was created by Michael Moore (so those who wish to can take this with a grain of salt).

The segment showed two individuals trying to hail a cab in New York city. The first was Yaphet Kotto, award winning black actor most notable for his work on the TV show Homicide: Life on the Streets. The second was a white convicted felon (of murder, I think). The two were placed on the same street with Mr. Kotto before the felon --- each hailing cabs that came by. Every cab went to the white felon. They even had Mr. Kotto stand in front of a neon sign that said something to the effect of "I need a cab" with an arrow pointing to him. The most memorable part was when they did a still photo of Mr. Kotto then did rolling credits of his past performances in movies and TV; then they did the same with the felon and listed all of his convictions.

[andyfox]

George Regular Bush (my son's name for Bush 41) seemed a shoe-in a year before the election. Clinton, up until the Democratic convention and Perot's self-destruction, was running a poor third in the polls, well behind both Bush and Perot. Jimmy Carter started at 1% in the polls when he got the Democratic nomination and was elected president. And Richard Nixon was left for dead when he lost the race for governor of California in 1962 and was elected president just six years later.

So strange things can happen in politics. No doubt the Democratic candidates all seem weak, but it's not impossible one will emerge and do better than we all seem to think he could.

[adios]

Interesting that you bring this up Andy. Here's an column by Al Hunt (a regular on CNN programs) in the WSJ today:

POLITICS & PEOPLE
By AL HUNT

The Doctor Is In, But Can He Win?

Howard Dean is riding high: his presidential campaign is the class of the Democratic field, he is expected to win the backing today of the nation's largest labor union and he could sew up the nomination with early wins in Iowa and New Hampshire.

But conversations this week with a dozen Democratic politicians around the country reveal a deep apprehension over Howard Dean in a general election. They see George W. Bush as increasingly vulnerable, but doubt the former Vermont governor is the antidote, given considerable underlying problems of his own.

These Democrats are, with a few exceptions, non-Washingtonians, uncommitted to any presidential candidate and most spoke on background to be more candid. Virtually every one dismissed the notion that "electability" will be a factor in the primaries.

The despondency over a Dean candidacy is not because of the "L" word. "I'm a little surprised Howard comes off as a liberal," says former Georgia Gov. Roy Barnes, who is backing John Edwards, though he served as a fellow governor with Dr. Dean. "In fact he's a very moderate guy." And it's not the "I" word, his passionate opposition to the Iraqi war; even most of the Southerners suspect that's turning into a nightmare.


To alphabetize it, they say instead it is the "C" problems: culture and commander in chief. "Republicans will frame him as a little guy from a little state -- Ben and Jerry's is the biggest company -- who has no national security experience," says a Democrat from the industrial Midwest.

Dr. Dean's effort this week to curry favor with rednecks -- vowing to be the "candidate for guys with Confederate flags in their pickup trucks" was seen as awkward at best. And when attacked in a debate his refusal to back off seemed arrogant, while diminishing his effectiveness in the encounter.

But his culture problems start with civil unions for gays; Vermont, under Gov. Dean, was the first state to adopt such a measure. "That will be very difficult to overcome in this state," says Susan Westrom, the chair of the Kentucky Democratic Party.

It shouldn't be. The chief effect of Vermont's civil union statute was to grant spousal benefits to gay and lesbian partners. That's now the policy of most enlightened companies -- including the owners of this newspaper -- and more and more state and local governments. But the issue is red meat for the right wing. Dick Cheney has a gay daughter, but that would not deter political smears, which more than a few Democrats fear would resonate with culturally conservative voters.

But Dr. Dean may have difficulties connecting culturally in a broader sense, his sympathies with gun owners notwithstanding. He's aggressively secular, not eager to talk about personal faith. Indeed he left the Episcopal Church because it opposed a bike path in Burlington. (This still is not as good as when Newt Gingrich explained he didn't go to Sunday services because his church was gerrymandered out of his district.)

To be sure, ostentatiously religious politicians should be suspect; they are captured beautifully in an otherwise forgettable Chris Rock movie in which a pandering politician closes every speech with a "God bless America -- and nobody else." But where a Democratic candidate has to do better than last time -- Missouri, the Florida panhandle, West Virginia, Southern Ohio -- voters like to hear some God talk.

On commander in chief, credibility was a requisite during the Cold War and then largely irrelevant from 1992 through 2000. In the aftermath of September 11, it matters again. It may not be the biggest issue but it's an admission price to credibly compete.

The Iraqi war, and the Bush administration's dreadful mismanagement of it (see last weekend's New York Times Magazine piece), should benefit Dr. Dean, the most prominent critic of the Iraqi venture. Yet however Iraq evolves, it could be a lose-lose for Dr. Dean.

In the unlikely event that stability and a budding democracy are flourishing next fall, Dr. Dean will be discredited. But if it's a debacle, it will accentuate the need for stronger leadership and the national security credentials that he lacks.

"Karl Rove, with $200 million to spend, will scare people that Dean is someone without any experience or ability to deal with a crisis," worries Tim Hagan, a veteran Ohio Democrat.

The general election is still a year from this past Sunday and if Dr. Dean is the nominee, events -- and his growth as a candidate and financial war chest -- could reshape these dynamics. "We don't know if he has the ability to broaden his base," notes a top California Democrat. The endorsement of the politically powerful Service Employees International Union today would be a signal his support extends beyond disaffected Starbucks voters.

To be fair, not one of the other Democratic aspirants -- a shaky consensus is starting to emerge that Dick Gephardt is the most probable chief rival to Dr. Dean -- excites these party professionals. Thus while they see George W. Bush as beatable -- a calamity in Iraq and a jobless recovery -- they increasingly worry about the ability to tap someone who can beat him.

More than ideology or issues, there are three qualities voters look for would-be presidents to convey: competence, strength and optimism. Dr. Dean, these party professionals fear, instead exudes inexperience, anger and pessimism.

* * *
The greatest scholar on the modern presidency, Richard Neustadt, died this week. His seminal work on presidential power, written more than 40 years ago, remains the best study on how to exercise leadership, particularly the critical use of the "power to persuade." He also was an invaluable resource for political journalists, including me; this brilliant and always generous Harvard professor and dean -- a founding father of the fabled Kennedy school -- will be missed, but his wisdom never forgotten.

Updated November 6, 2003

[Kurn, son of Mogh]

In light of Howard Dean's recent statement about wanting those who display the Confederate flag to vote for him and the subsequent storm that followed this statement by Dean is laughable.

Somewhere, John Kerry is smiling.

[Cyrus]

Votes in UT and ID count more than votes in pinko commie states (http://www.omega23.com/Reference/electoral_college.html)

[Bill Murphy]

The neon sign thing. Hilarious. And very sad.

Kotto is a very large, intimidating looking guy, and the white crook they had looked like a librarian.

Remember the Public Enemy song & video, "911 Is A Joke"?

[Bill Murphy]

Main problem w/guys like Kerry & Lieberman is that they fit the classic Demo-loser mold: Swing far to the Left to get the nomination, then swing as far back as they can during the campaign, to convince middle America they're not "liberals".

Kerry certainly won't energize the Far Left. Neither will Joey or Dickie. Clinton looks like FDR next to these clowns.

Of course, Lord alone knows what the next 18 months will bring to the economy, Iraq, Al Qaeda, etc.

But Kerry, et al, are hacks. Democrat Doles. No shot.

Dean has the best chance of getting the nom. He'll pick a non-white male VP(nothing wrong w/that) unless they force Clark on him.

Everything stays as is he wins 5 states.

[BruceZ]

Saw an article and an interview where a retiring Democratic Senator stated that the Democratic presidential candidates are a combination of the worst features of Mondale and McGovern.

That would be Zell Miller from Georgia. He is going to vote for Bush. I saw some interviews with him on Fox, and he seems like a real bright and well-spoken guy, especially for a democrat. The next day I saw an interview with Charles Rangel of NY, who was also very well-spoken and extremely critical of the Iraq policy. Anyone seeing these two interviews back to back would have very little doubt about what Fox's fair and balanced is all about.