Why I'm Supporting Howard Dean

[LightTheMatch]

(I posted this as a reply in the William Pitt's "Deanapalooza" thread, but I thought this might start a good discussion on political campaigns in general, and supporting Dean in particular)


I support Dean because he's charismatic, is a good speaker, went on the attack against the "Republican-Lite" DLC strategy, and said everything that I wanted to hear.

Mostly, though, he's been able to do all that while building one HELL of an infrastructure for his campaign, like nothing else that has been seen before it in this stage of the campaign season.

I was supporting Gore 100% until he said he was no longer running, and then because of Glen Maxey's (the Texas Dean coordinator) support of Dean, and my friend Elliott's remarks after meeting Dean in person last year, I decided to support him.

If Dean gets a good, moderate (Southern?) VP candidate, and wins the nomination and the election, he could be setting up the infrastructure for US, the Democrats, to win the next three decades of elections -- his ability to build a campaign organization has taught us things we will be able to take with us for a long, long time.

If Dean loses the nomination, we might be in deep, deep trouble, because we stand a very good chance of LOSING everything that he has been able to build up, and all those supporters who had never been involved in politics before. That, in my opinion, would be a tragedy for us all.

[gate of the sun]

1. so are you saying that you

are behind this man because he is a good campaigner? This is what I'm thinking about many Dean fans. YOu say he said all that you wanted to here but you were not specific.I don't feel a "good" campaigner is a good enough reason to vote for the guy.I don't agree with him on the issues either. It's strange to watch so many intelligent people fall for this "charisma", that's why it's called charisma by the way. If you've got it people will like you even if you don't deserve it. i

[LightTheMatch]

3. YES, for one thing.

Not only is Howard Dean a moderate candidate with the ability to appeal to many different constituencies, he's showin himself to be an extremely effective campaigner. This, in my opinion, is what sets him apart from the other candidates.

If you're thinking long-term strategy, this is extremely important, as he's in the process of helping to build the future of the party, not just win one election.

To answer your question about what "I wanted to hear" , here goes:

1) He stood fast against this particular war. Not all wars, but this one. I'm not against all war, but I was DEFINITELY against this one, as I saw it as a huge disaster waiting to happen... which has now happened.

2) He's for balanced budgets. Not exciting, but very important. I do think that Clinton's economic policies helped us in the middle class during the mid to late nineties, and I would like more of those policies espoused.

3) He, like many democratic candidates, talks about expanding health care coverage. The difference, though, is that he actually did it... a huge difference. As both a person involved in political campaigns and a small business owner, I strongly support expanding health-care coverage.

I would love to see health care made affordable for every Amercan, not just as a matter of fairness and human decency, but also as a *stimulant* to the economy -- a way to stimulate the growth of more small businesses and microbusinesses/home-based businesses. If people weren't so afraid of losing their health care, we would have more productive risk-taking businesses formed... and small business is a major portion of the life of our economy.

[GalleryGod]

7. Is this your FIRST War??

Seriously:shrug: just wonderin'?
If you ever have to actively SURVIVE one with your life intact-your perspective changes on the deployments that follow.

[LightTheMatch]

10. First War?

Ummm... No. I was around for the first gulf war as well.

[Agent X]

11. I think "good campaigner"

is a legitimate qualification. We need one to defeat W's $250 million re-election machine.

[WilliamPitt]

21. Good campaigners win elections

and beat Bush.

Goooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooood.

[usregimechange]

2. and

His record in Vermont is amazing! 99% of all children with health insurance. Cut taxes twice kept a big surplus. etc...

[LightTheMatch]

4. Exactly!

Talk with results. What more could you ask for?

[mandyky]

5. Great to see more Texans warming up to Dean

I know it's a longshot but I'd love to see Dean get Texas in the general election!!

[LightTheMatch]

6. Not going to happen.

Our state party organization is basically out of it, and has been for a few election cycles.

Statewide, we generally have a 500,000 vote deficit in elections, and we aren't going to make that up anytime soon. I don't think we will be capable of winning any statewide elections until 2010, and we BETTER win those to control redistricting at that point.

[GalleryGod]

8. Long shot? How's NO shot.

Put that ba-by in the W column.

[WilliamPitt]

22. And I'd like to be able to levitate

Not gunna happe'.

[demigoddess]

9. I liked the fire in his eyes when he said "I want my country back"

I think he has an honest dislike for the direction this country is going and

1. he says he will un do all those stupid executive orders that bush has signed.
2. he says he will balance the budget and he is for the average man and I believe that is genuine. Kerry and Edwards are both wealthy and that is hard to believe of them when they look like they are carefully measuring their words
3. Dean was anti war and he states clearly why. And he has the guts to stand on that opinion. The others all say 'Yes, but....." wimpy!!!!!

[LightTheMatch]

12. Infrastructure, Infrastructure, Infrastructure

It's so important for us to come out of the 2004 election with a strong majority, with new voters brought into the fold that *we can keep in the party* ... This is the most important thing, we must keep growing the party, and expanding our methods of reaching voters. And, of course, standing up for ourselves and fighting. No more squishy bullsh*t.

[David Dunham]

13. Dean's Proposed Repeal of Middle Class Tax Breaks Stinks

Senator Kerry on Meet the Press correctly pointed out that Dean's plan to repeal the entire Bush tax cut will seriously raise taxes on middle class families. The taxes for my family, with two kids, will be raised over $2000 if Dean's repeal goes through. We really need to get Dean to change his position on this issue, or Kerry and other candidates will nail him in ads in tax-concerned New Hampshire and other states. Unless Dean changes his position, I will vote what's best for my family, and that's Kerry and his plan.

[LightTheMatch]

15. No, this is the correct decision.

My local taxes have gone up considerably since Bush's tax "cuts" ... they were simply a tax "transfer" because states are having to raise taxes so much.

Clinton had the tax system dead on correct, and we should have kept it that way. Besides, my health insurance for my wife and I costs more than $2,000 a year just for the two of us.

[Name removed]

16. Deleted message

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

[caledesi]

31. Yes, ms, it's a shell game w/ *.

You get a tax cut, but your property taxes go up and tuition for school goes up. Nice, huh?

Also, Dean asks the average middle-class person, "would you rather have a tax cut or guaranteed health insurance?"

What do you think 99% choose? Duh.

[Eloriel]

17. Oh, please, unless you're salary is above $200K,

and probably well above, you didn't get $2K in tax cuts from Bush.

Was it really so terrible under Clinton? That's what Dean wants -- to go back to the Clinton era taxes, and then let everyone have healthcare. Let education be properly funded. Etc.

Disingenuous.

And no, Dean will never change his mind about that. Balancing the budget is one of his most important policies, and your children will thank him for it.

Eloriel

[David Dunham]

19. Dean's Soaking the Middle Class Tax Increases

Sorry. The $1000 per child credit applies regardless of income level. My families' federal taxes will be increased 20 times if Dean's repeal of middle class tax cuts goes through. That is elitist on Dean's part and against Democratic tax fairness.

[liberalmuse]

20. That's not true...

Dean isn't repealing 'Middle Class Tax Cuts' because there is no such thing. He will be repealing welfare for corporations and people in the uppermost income brackets, which I fully support.

[Eloriel]

25. There you go.

A $1K tax credit is NOT a $1k tax cut. It doesn't work that way.

My families' federal taxes will be increased 20 times if Dean's repeal of middle class tax cuts goes through.

And that can't be true, either. Your taxes haven't been reduced the equivalent that would make them go up "20 times."

Plus, the vast bulk of the tax cuts went to the wealthy, so it's just plain dishonest for you to continue calling them "middle class tax cuts." What the middle class got was peanuts.

Garbage.

Edit: And I could go into some kinda rant about how spoiled and selfish you are, wanting to pass all that debt -- TRILLIONS OF DEBT on to your children. Plus, you haven't been paying attention. These tax cuts have raised your OTHER taxes -- or will -- in other areas, specifically at the state level. It's a MASSVIE transfer of wealth from the middle classes and poor to the wealthy. If you want to saddle your children with all that debt, and the horrific erosion in the quality of life that entails, why you just go right ahead and vote for someone else who is mostly just promising you either pie-in-the-sky and/or stuff he can't deliver anyway, if he even has the slightest intention of following through on a campaign promise.

Eloriel

[RetroLounge]

23. are you going to spam this paragraph in every Dean Thread?

just wondering...

[LightTheMatch]

24. eh?

Who were you referring to?

[Eloriel]

26. The reply was to post #13

from our new "friend," of the Kerry campaign. David Dunford or whatever.

Eloriel

[gully]

14. Dean...more then a great campaigner.

http://howard-dean-for-president.mydd.com/2004.html

If Howard Dean wins the election, it will change the face of politics forever...

Paul Wellstone quoted Lincoln in his book "The Conscience of a Liberal" ..."Government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the Earth." ... We have strayed greatly from that ideal.

The Dean Campaign is grass roots at it's finest. I have followed/supported Howard Dean for several months, and I am in awe of this man and this campaign.

It's amazing to watch and take part in what will hopefully be history in the making.

Howard Dean is on fire, and it seems (today) that he is un-stopable.

"You have the power to reclaim our nation's destiny.

You have the power to rid Washington of the politics of money.

You have the power to make right as important as might.

You have the power to give Americans a reason to vote again.

You have the power to restore our nation to fiscal sanity and bring jobs back to our people.

You have the power to fulfill Harry Truman's dream and bring health insurance to every American.

You have the power to give us a foreign policy consistent with American values again.

You have the power to take back the Democratic Party.

You have the power to take our country back.

And we have the power to take the White House back in 2004."~Howard Dean June 2003

[Eloriel]

18. Me too, gully

GOD, that is really powerful just to read it, isn't it?

YOU HAVE THE POWER!

Eloriel

[caledesi]

32. Gully - that was beautiful!!!

[Kanola]

27. I agree with you

From what I have been seeing about the Dean campaign is for the most part unprecendeted as far as gathering pretty good crowds (Sleepless tour) so early on. Why I like Dean and will work very hard for him as the nominee is that he actually answers direct questions (some sarcasm here), has a fearless quality that most don't equate with Democrats, charisma, and has demonstrated that he can adequately answer some difficult policy questions (from what I have seen on CSPAN).

I will support another candidate and vote for him but probably will not work as hard to get him into office.

[LightTheMatch]

28. That's part of my point

There are probably many people who feel the same way you do, because they were brought into politics by the Dean campaign. I don't meant to spread FUD or anything, but it really seems like something very important will be lost if Dean loses the nomination, and I'm not sure we will be able to make up for it.

[Kanola]

29. A concern

What if the DNC and DLC does not support him and supports some ho hum will not get out the vote candidate. My husband brought that up and he is not as political as I am and sees Dean as the real deal. I cannot fathom that they can actually be ignoring his ability to attract new voters to the DEM party. If so, they will blow it big time.

Like I said before, I will not actively work hard for any other candidate other than Dean. I will vote for the DEM in 2004 but none of the other candidates impress me or are too inside the beltway.

[Eloriel]

30. Well, Dean just did a fairly brilliant thing

He helped Terry McAuliffe raise money for the Presidential Trust (whatever that is). He apparently initiated it. Soooo, that means that he's built some bridges to the DNC and I'm sure Terry appreciates his involvement.

The DLC is terrified of Dean because he's proving how wrong they've been. So don't expect any "help" there -- the last thing they want is an empowered people. That could easily be true of the DNC too, but I'm not sure they're going to be able to thwart Dean, or pass up a revitalization of the party, whether that's what they want or not.

Someone posted elsewhere (here or the official blog?) that some of the Dem Party offices around the country are being inundeated by new people -- Deanies! ;-) Now how're they gonna turn ThAT down?

Eloriel