Reply #90: You DO realize that all Democrats aren't left-wing Dems, right?

[MercutioATC]

Gov. Dean is a centrist Democrat. Did he do everything that progressive Dems in Vermont wanted him to? No. Is he an environmentalist to the EXCLUSION of financial security? No. Is he pro-gun control to the EXCLUSION of common sense? No.

Howard Dean is a pragmatist. That's actually what makes him so atractive as a candidate to me and to most of the people I've spoken to. I realize that there are people who want somebody who's more of an idealist. That's fine. To say, however, that Gov. Dean is "practically a Republican" or to say that he's somehow being dishonest because he's a centrist doesn't hold water. Want to know where he stands on an issue? Check his speeches or his website. As he says, you might not agree with him, but you'll at least know where he stands.

Howard Dean does NOT seem to be your candidate of choice. That's great. Why spend so much energy attacking him, though? I don't agree 100% with some of Gov. Dean's positions, but he seems to me to be the one candidate that can actually implement his plans BECAUSE they're NOT ultra-liberal. It's just an opinion, and we all have them.

For the last time, show me when Gov. Dean called ANY candidate "Bush-lite". He has always said "We can't beat Bush by being Bush-lite". WHY are some of the Kerr people SO upset by this? Do you see the Dean people going off about Graham's "I'm from the ELECTABLE wing of the Democratic Party" statement? Graham WAS singling Dean out by using a variation of a quote that Dean uses. Dean's "Bush-lite" comments don't attack any candidate individually, they are a simple statement that the way to win is to hold up a different agenda.