Reply #46: I tried to make peace

[Feanorcurufinwe]

and you just tell me it is BS. Just what do you think my motivation is here? Am I just evil? You really can't conceive of anyone having honest doubts about Dean?

"never misrepresented himself?" No flip flops?

"We have to stop terrorism before peace negotiations"
http://www.forward.com/issues/2002/02.11.22/news3.html

said he didn't "believe stopping the terror has to be a prerequisite for talking."
http://www.cnn.com/2003/ALLPOLITICS/09/10/elec04.prez.dean.mideast/

That's not a flip-flop? Not re-inventing himself?

Howard Dean committed Friday to taking taxpayer dollars to finance his presidential campaign while fellow Democrat John Kerry laid the groundwork to do the same with a letter to donors suggesting they could double their money by helping him qualify.

In fact, only donors’ first $250 gets matched by the government.

Like Dean, Al Sharpton, former Illinois Sen. Carol Moseley Braun and Ohio Rep. Dennis Kucinich are committed to taking public financing and the spending limits that come with it, aides said. They are trying to raise the required amounts – $5,000 from each of 20 states in contributions of $250 or less – to qualify for the public money.

Former Vermont Gov. Dean said he has already met the requirement. He promised to make it an issue in the Democratic primaries if any of his rivals decide to skip public financing, as President Bush did en route to winning the Republican nomination in 2000.

“It will be a huge issue,” Dean said. “I think most Democrats believe in campaign finance reform.”
Dean commits to public financing for campaign



Democratic presidential candidate Howard Dean backed away from his pledge to adhere to spending limits, saying some advisers want to explore opting out of the Watergate-era public financing system because of his sudden fund-raising success.
Dean said he still intends to accept taxpayer money and spending restraints, and suggested he has discouraged his staff from considering alternatives right now. But he left open the possibility of following President Bush's lead in rejecting public financing.
"Could we change our mind? Sure," he said. The rival campaign of Sen. John Kerry accused Dean of hypocrisy.
Just five months ago, Dean committed to accepting taxpayer money and vowed to attack any Democrat who didn't.
Dean backs away from pledge on campaign spending limits

Not a flip-flop? Well, maybe this is an isolated thing?

Howard Dean’s flirtation with foregoing spending limits for the Democratic presidential primaries is no surprise to the woman he beat in his last race for governor of Vermont.

In 2000, he not only flirted, he ended up rejecting the limits altogether and helped set what was, up to then, an all-time record level of spending on a governor’s race.
Dean has rejected spending limit before

Governor Howard Dean has proposed to permanently gut Vermont's campaign finance reform law eliminating our landmark public financing option for governor and lieutenant governor. VPIRG opposes removing any money from the Fund because it sets a dangerous precedent for undermining democracy in Vermont and limits the legislature's options to strengthen the law in the future.

The Governor's move will simply open another door for access by corporations and other wealthy donors seeking generous tax breaks, permission to pollute our air and water, boondoggle electric rate contracts and other special interest perks. As Lieutenant Governor Doug Racine said at a public forum on December 11th "I do believe money is corrupting the political process."
Governor Dean Proposes Gutting Campaign Finance Reform Law

No, not an isolated thing...

Look, there's more I could post but I didn't want to make this into an attack against Dean, in fact I attempted to do just the opposite in post 43. I'll say again what I said there: If he does get the nod I just pray I'm wrong about him.

Just saying I'm full of BS, and denying there have been any flip-flops is not helpful. Why can't we have some honest discussion of Dean's record and positions? Anytime anyone brings this stuff up they are just dismissed as a Dean-hater.