I'm not ready to condemn Dean as a racist although...

[wyldwolf]

...the charge has been made by some in the past based on his statements on affirmative action and his position on the death penalty.

Paul Wellstone declared the Vermont plan to ship nuclear waste to Sierra Blanca, as "environmental racism."

But all this is open to interpretation.

The problem Dean will have with his confederate flag comments is that they are on the heels of the Rush Limbaugh ESPN flap (Dean called for him to be fired) and the Trent Lott comments are still fresh in many minds.

Republicans feel that Limbaugh and Lott were treated unfairly.

It is the right who will have a field day with this. They will be calling for Dean's head. And they will dig for more - anything - from Dean's past that even looks like racism.

Dean's handlers need to work overtime on this one.

[pruner]

1. I thought the right wanted Dean to win the nomination

make up your damn mind already.

:eyes:

[Julien Sorel]

2. They'll save it for the general,

like they already are other things, no doubt. I think I was more pessimistic about Mondale's chances, but maybe not.

[wyldwolf]

3. Their desire to make a point and hold Dean up as an example...

...of "racism on the left" will be too tempting to pass up.

Mark my word.

You can blow it off with that rolling eyes emoticon if you wish, but Dean has a rough storm to weather.

[pruner]

4. you think the GOP will call Dean racist for going after Repub voters?

if they did, they'd be calling their own supporters racist. I don't see that happening.

[wyldwolf]

5. When it hits, I'll remind you of our conversation.

[pruner]

I'll bookmark this thread to save you the trouble

:)

[Clark Can WIN]

7. I do think major portions of the right

want Dean to secure the nomination. Tweety, Bob Novak, Tucker Carlson and Ann Coulter have all said that Dean is the guy for the Dems.

[DrFunkenstein]

6. It's Not Racism, It's Ignorance

Dean just says whatever comes out of his mouth. It's not a quality I want in a President. He could have easily expressed the same sentiment boldly and eloquently, instead of looking like a horse's patootie. But the guy can't control himself.

[MercutioATC]

10. It's not ignorance, it's reality.

The quote was completely appropriate if you're trying to encourage inclusiveness. Why SHOULDN'T we welcome the guy with the Confederate flag on his pickup if he shares our need for a job and healthcare? How do we benefit by dismissing him as a "racist"?

The way to affect change is to stress the ways in which we're alike. That's what Dean is doing here. Rather than demonize all southerners who choose to display the Confderate flag, he sees the value in showing them (and us) how our needs are the same. Instead of taking the obvious political shot, he chose to stress the ways in which we are the same. That's the mark of a leader, in my view.

[DrFunkenstein]

11. There Is No Reason You Can't

As I pointed out. But Dean chose to do it in an off-the-cuff way that I find offensive in its dumbassness. If he was going to take this step, he should have had prepared a statement ahead of time to lay out his reasoning. As it is, he has only reinforced the fact that he will have virtually no support from the African-American base.

[MercutioATC]

19. I disagree...

African-American voters are no different than the rest of us. They understand the difference between supporting racism and fostering an inclusive atmosphere. I have a hard time believing that they are such single-issue voters. Dean said nothing good about the Confererate flag, he just said that the needs of southerners who display the flag and the needs of southern blacks (and the needs of us all) are the same. He's not going to lose votes over that.

[Eloriel]

Not at ALL off-the-cuff

He has used that argument in a lot of his stump speeches. In fact, he got applause during the DNC Winter Meeting:

edda_foil (1000+ posts) Sat Nov-01-03 04:44 PM
Response to Original message
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=195077#195101
8. BTW, here's the entire quote of what Dean said (and always says)


Re Confederate flag:

Here is what he said - how can you disagree with that?

"I intend to talk about race in this election in the south because the Republicans have been talking about it since 1968 in order to divide us. And I'm going to bring us together, because you know what? White folks in the south who drive pickups trucks with confederate flags decals in the back ought to be voting with us and not them, because their kids don't have health insurance either and their kids need better schools too." (big applause)


Not off-the-cuff, not racist.

And here's Jesse Jackson, Jr.'s statement on the subject:
Jesse Jackson Jr's statement http://blog.deanforamerica.com/archives/002084.html

and Dean's statement in response to Gep and Kerry: http://blog.deanforamerica.com/archives/002081.html

Eloriel

[Eloriel]

21. dupe

wonder how that happened?

[tsipple]

8. Gephardt REALLY Goofed

Here's what Dick Gephardt said:

"I don't want to be the candidate for guys with confederate flags in their pickup trucks."

Now, does anyone think for an instant the Republicans wouldn't use this quote all over the South if Gephardt were the nominee?

What a dumb thing to say. Playing right into the GOP's "wedge issue" hands.

[LoZoccolo]

12. Yeah that's basically like...

"Forget you /forever/. You don't even want to listen to me. Just keep on trucking with your Confederate flag - I'm not gonna change your mind."

[SahaleArm]

14. It's a group that will never vote Democrat.

They vote on social issue; I don't expect bible-thumpers to vote Democrat either.

[LoZoccolo]

15. Well I'm sure they appreciate that.

Being condescended too, and all.

[SahaleArm]

17. Huh?

That they vote on social issues?

[LoZoccolo]

20. To say that someone cannot change their mind is like saying...

...that there's probably something wrong with them. Or you. But I don't think you're saying the latter.

[SahaleArm]

23. I'll be impressed if Howard 'The Messiah' Dean...

dissuades confederate flag wavers from the Republican party. What's his plan for the bible-thumpers, can he change their views as well?

[liberalhistorian]

18. That's not necessarily true.

I recently read an article in the Nation that talked about this, it said a lot of these people would overlook the differences of opinion on the social issues as long as the candidate has a meaningful, effective economic message that they can relate to. The repukes don't have that message, and that is a void the Dems desperately need to fill if we're to have any chance at all. We CANNOT just write these people off, or we can kiss elections goodbye.

[Eloriel]

24. SOME of that group never will -- by no means all

The economic argument Dean attaches that remark to is pretty compelling. Things in the South are getting worse by the day economically. And healthcare is a HUGE issue too.

Eloriel

[mitchum]

9. not a racist, but a condescending opportunist

[Maddy McCall]

13. That's what I have been saying all night.

Yes, that is exactly it, and that is why, as a Southerner, it pisses me the hell off.

[Syrinx]

16. Dean ain't no fucking racist. Enough already!

[onebigbadwulf]

22. Excuse me...

How does economic affirmative action make him a racist?

The whole point of AA is give people a level playing ground.

A rich black guy going against a poor white guy doesn't need any more assistance.

[Syrinx]

25. I agree with you and Dean

And I did my senior term paper on Aldous Huxley. He was one interesting dude!

[wyldwolf]

26. Take your arguments up with those who made the accusation...

...I'm just reporting that the accusation was made. My original post was very clear on that point and that it was open to interpretation.

[kodi]

27. dean is no racist. he is a good man, a progressive man

trying to smear dean about this is repugnant.

dean was referring to many white southern men who have every reason to vote democratic but have been manipulated into thinking that their lot is improved by voting republican.

and i consider the original poster's oh so subtle attempt at tying dean in with limbaugh disgraceful and beneath contempt.

[billbuckhead]

28. You're inferring what he said and he did the same exact same thing as Rush

For all intents and purposes Dean brought the confederate battle flag to a healthcare debate. Just like El Rushbo brought race to ESPN.