Al Gore and Howard Dean VS Wesley Clark and Bill Clinton

[ProudToBeLiberal]

Many people have brushed aside the Gore endorsement of Howard Dean. They say that it is small pie compared to who Bill Clinton is going to endorse. Many people say that Bill Clinton is going to endorse Clark and that is what it counts. In my opinion I think Al Gore ranks with Bill Clinton.

If Bill Clinton endorses Clark it will split the democratic party into two warring factions. We can't have a divided party. It has to be unified. Gore made the first move. Now Bill Clinton can either divide the party or unify it behind Dean. What Al Gore did is very genius. This gives Bill Clinton only two choices. If Bill Clinton cares about the democratic party he'll endorse dean. If he doesn't....we know where his heart lays then.

[dobak]

1. why would it fracture the party?

It is just the opinion of two guys?

It is not like they are suddenly trying to pull the party in opposite directions. Clark and Dean are rather similar people.

[WillyBrandt]

2. Democratic Party = Dean?

"If Bill Clinton cares about the democratic party he'll endorse dean."

Ah, so you're either with us...

[dobak]

3. LOL!!!

nice!

[JI7]

5. hahhahha

yup, that's what it reminds me of.

[Guaranteed]

14. No, you're with us, either way.

I think of it as more like the Civil War. Bush isn't the only one who's said things like that, you know- Lincoln did, too.

We're moving forward with Dean.

I'm not worried about Clinton, though. He's smart- he wouldn't endorse Clark when Dean has the momentum.

[5thGenDemocrat]

4. Yeah, I've heard that argument about a million times

If we don't get behind Dean, we aren't Democrats.
John
Problem is, some of us just don't like Doc Dodger very much. Make of that what you will.

[KittyWampus]

10. Not Some of Us- Most Of Us Don't Support Dean

about 80%, in fact.

[Chryslin]

19. Better than the 85%

.,..that doesn't support Clark, according to your standards.

Geez, quit doing the Repukes work for them!

[ProudToBeLiberal]

15. you're putting words in my mouth

I didn't say you weren't democrats if don't get behind dean. I just pointed out a senerio of what the implications of gore's endorsement

[5thGenDemocrat]

26. Well, if Al didn't care enough to fight for his own Presidency

I don't know why I should care about who he wants to annoint now. If he'd showed more guts three years ago, we wouldn't be having this discussion now. Forget Florida, though -- Gore would have been President if he'd just carried his own home state. Some political genius.
Now he wants to be kingmaker. Phooey on him.
John
And, as far as splintering the Democratic Party, bring it on. I'll vote for Dean in November if he's the candidate -- but I won't lift a finger to help his campaign.
See you in 2008.

[burning bush]

27. ALL I need to know about your attitude

is summed up in one post.

I hope I'm wrong, and you're just being pissy. Here's to HOPE.

See YOU in 2004 :)

[5thGenDemocrat]

29. Hey, I said I'd vote for the guy

I ain't going green, I ain't going Repuke. I'll vote for Dean if he's the nominee.
John
Won't like it. Will do it.

[ClintonTyree]

32. That's the spirit

That's what we need, more positive support for our eventual candidate. This is why Democrats lose elections, they're so petty and spiteful.

[5thGenDemocrat]

33. What part of "I'll vote for the guy" don't you get?

I don't see anything in the handbook that says I have to like or even admire the candidate. I'll pull the lever for Dean (if he even IS the nominee) because voting Dem is what my family's been doing for five generations.
I don't like Dean. I don't trust Dean. I think he's better than Chimpy, but not as good as any of the other Dem candidates. But, again, I will vote for him in the general election.
John
What else do you want from me? Unqualified support and admiration? No way. He'll get my vote and that's it.

[xultar]

6. Sounds alot like GWB's famous either you are with us or you're with the

terrorists.

Muy intersante!

[ProudToBeLiberal]

16. wrong

I was merely pointing out a senario

[Donna Zen]

20. "Your either with us or against us."

Judge Hathorne also says this at the Salem Witch Trials.

But who cares what we think?

[tinrobot]

I doubt...

That Bill Clinton will endorse anyone until the nomination is locked up. Hillary just said something to that effect on Meet the Press about her own endorsement.

[Guaranteed]

7. You're right.

If Clinton really was going to endorse Clark, Gore just outflanked, and outsmarted, Clinton. Wow...I didn't even know that was possible.

Very perceptive of you. :)

[eileen_d]

8. Perhaps Mr. Clinton won't endorse before the primaries

I agree it wouldn't look great to have split endorsements from the last two Democrats to hold the highest offices (notice I didn't say "elected" - we all know about 2000). But I don't think there's any need to start wringing hands about it before something actually happens. And Clinton is free to endorse whichever candidate he feels is best.

[Frances]

13. I would guess that Bill Clinton

will wait to endorse anyone until after the primaries. I think he will campaign for the candidate in the same way that he campaigned for candidates in 2002.

[Rowdyboy]

9. Who are these many people and where

are they saying these things? Regardless, Clinton won't endorse anyone, and Gore's endorsement-while valuable, doesn't assure Dean of anything.

[ProudToBeLiberal]

18. hmmm

many people said the same thing of gore. That he wasn't going to endorse anyone until the primaries were over

[Donna Zen]

23. At the time

We still thought he understood how important it is to let people vote and have their say.

We all know what Al Gore did today to these primaries. Al Gore exercised his power.

[mmonk]

11. Too much

:hi:

[quaker bill]

12. I don't buy it

While I can be surprised, I doubt Clinton will endorse Clark, unless it looks very much like he is going to win it.

So far, that outcome seems unlikely. Not a flame, I like Clark alot. I think he did great on hardball this evening. So far, there doesn't appear to be a contest he is winning. I wish it were otherwise as I prefer him over 6 other candidates.

[janx]

17. Getting into division, are we? Take this tabloid tripe

and flush it down the shit-hole, please!

Enough of this!

[ProudToBeLiberal]

21. Just because I'm a Dean supporter.

Who's doing the dividing. Dean wants to Unite not Divide

[democracyindanger]

24. Ah, I see

He's a uniter, not a divider.

Karl, is that you?

[ibegurpard]

22. Well since Bill Clinton hasn't endorsed anyone yet

Why don't we cross that bridge when we come to it?

[ProudToBeLiberal]

25. well I think a healthy discussion is a good thing

I mean it's like we'll talk about the pregnancy when it happens. I would think a little pep talk would be a good thing

[LuminousX]

28. Amazing how people turn so quickly against Gore

It is politics. You are only as good as what you did for us today.

Instead of speculating about who Clinton will endorse, why not wait and see. He did say he wouldn't endorse anyone. Will he keep his word? Oh well.

[stickdog]

30. It appears that many in the ABD crowd want another four years of Bush

unless they get their way.

[burning bush]

31. Clinton has THREE choices (or maybe 4)

1) Endorse Dean
2) Endorse "Candidate X"
-OR-
3) Wait till after the primaries are over and endorse the winner


But I agree that for Clinton to NOW endorse a candidate other than Dean would be a fracture in the party's identity. Bad Blood.

Of course, Clinton could choose a 4th option, and refuse to endorse anyone. That would have ramifications as well, eh?

[LuminousX]

34. I honestly don't believe Gore made this move in a vacuum

All interest party officials had to be informed one way or another.

[John_H]

35. This is an admirable try

but Clinton's endorsement is going to trump Gore's in every way possible--effect on money, grass roots support, media attn, everything.

Clinton's smart enough to reject the "division" bit for the spin it is--if the part is "split" by endoresements, then it gets split every for years and always will. If--and I repeat IF--Clark is "Clinton's Guy" Clinton's going to help him win and he's going to do it at the most perfectly timed, wrecking-ball-for-everyone else moment.

My guess is that IF Clark is his man, he's going to wait to see if Clark still has a chance going into New Hampshire--'cause he's not about to endorse someone who's likely to lose.

I don't blame you for worrying what Clinton's going to do one iota.

[MariaS]

36. In my humble opinion

I honestly don't see what the big deal is with the Gore endorsement. I really can't envision hoards of voters forgoing support of their own candidates and sprinting to the Dean camp simply because Gore throws his support to Gov Dean. Not all Democrats are fans of Al Gore. I didn't hear him in 2000 and I voted Nader. I don't hear Gore anymore today than I did then. Also I can't conceive of the Republicans and others that didn't voted for Gore in 2000 lining up behind Dean just because of Gore's support no matter how sick they are of Bush's Bull. If anything this could work out well for General Clark. Couldn't this help lean some undecided non-Dem, non-Gore fans towards Clark? I don't intend this to be a slam against Dean or to lessen the importance that Dean supporters place on this endorsement. I would feel the same way if Gore had endorsed Clark. I would think of it as a slight boost for Dean. Just my take on it.

[retyred]

37. If Clinton endorses anyone

I think he'll wait till a nominee is chosen first, I don't see him thumping his chest trying to skew a primary race in favor of who he'd like to see win. The man is a player. He doesn't need media face time for folks to remember who he is.



retyred in fla
“good night paul, wherever you are”
So I read this book

[dfong63]

38. i mostly agree, but bear in mind:

the longer Clinton waits, the greater the number of people who will have already made up their minds - and the less valuable Clinton's endorsement becomes. Gore timed his endorsement perfectly imho. it adds to Dean's momentum AND gives the Dean campaign enough time to capitalize on the endorsement for all it's worth.

[PurityOfEssence]

39. What the hell do you think a primary is?

It's factional infighting, and it's GOOD. It's healthy sparring and it refines tactics and separates the naifs from the leaders.

What's the abject terror about this? This is ridiculous.