Deanie's - Why do you trust him?

[sandnsea]

I just read Dean's Social Contract speech and I have to say, I'm impressed.

But I don't trust him. He hasn't been for any of this in the past. He sided with Clinton's policies and was often to the right of them, Medicare for example.

Do you trust that he's changed? Why?

Or do you think he governed Vermont in the same way his speech outlines?

Not flame bait, hard to believe I know, but it's an honest question.

[CMT]

1. for the same reason you trust your candidate

I believe in him.

[sandnsea]

3. No, it's his record

That plays a HUGE role in why I trust Kerry. So I ask again, do you think he's changed and if so, why do you trust him. Or, do you think his campaign matches what he did and said during the nineties.

[CMT]

6. I like his record too

balancing the budget, providing health care, cutting taxes, securing more land from development than any previous Vt Governor, repealing the regressive sales tax on clothing, toughest law on Mercury level in water, stricker standards on emmissions than called for in Kyota...

I don't know what you want us to say. I think you would be better off writing pro-Kerry posts instead of always anti-Dean posts.

[sandnsea]

10. This isn't anti-Dean

I start by complimenting his most recent speech, then ask an honest question. When somebody posts a question about Kerry, I answer it. I don't automatically jump down their throat. I don't know why any post about Dean has to be answered with some sort of slander against either the candidate or supporters. Thank you for pointing to what you like in his record.

[KaraokeKarlton]

15. He actually protected more acres than all other Govs combined

n/t

[onebigbadwulf]

2. Because no corporation owns him

[deutsey]

4. Because he's demonstrated an openness to changing his mind

when a convincing case can be made.

The IWR issue is a case in point: Dean's position as far back as at least September 2002 was that the Bush junta (my phrase) had not made a convincing argument that Hussein posed an immediate threat to us or the world. He felt such a case had to made in order to rally the world to our support, or, if the world community refused, we would at least have a legitimate reason for invasion. He would have supported an invasion if that had happened (I knew many anti-war activists who felt likewise).

And regarding Dean's siding with Clinton's policies and even being to the right of them: Bobby Kennedy worked with Joe McCarthy at one point but by 1968 he was seen by many as the liberal hope of the Democratic party (PS: I do not believe Dean is the next RFK, by the way).

People can and often do change.

[BootinUp]

8. "People can and often do change."

Most frequently before and after elections, I have noticed.

[deutsey]

11. There's truth to that

But with Dean I see a pattern of openness to changing his mind when a case has been made for a view that makes more sense.

[bitchkitty]

5. I believe in him.

I think he's a fighter, far more so than any of the others, far more so than all of them put together, in fact. I think he's going to kick Bush's ass.

I've had my heart broken before, but I feel very good about his campaign, a contrast with how I felt about Gore's, and believe me honey, I loved Al! I wish that the Dean bashers would stop and start promoting their own candidate, or start directing their energy into spreading the word about paperless voting. The bashing, combined with that Osama ad, just cause me to support Dean more, and think less of them.

[liberalnurse]

7. Is this a sincere question?

I really have significant concern regarding your interest. Do you have a pack of matches on your desktop?



It pleases me to see your question being a peer-to-peer inquiry.

[liberalnurse]

9. First of all.....

I began my candidate search very early. I seriously researched Dean in early February. I also like Edwards and Kerry. I respected Lieberman as he was Gore's running mate...Gore was still a potiential option as it was not confirmed he would not run.

I called Burlington; the reception was welcoming, open and inviting! They kept me personally involved, they sought to give me their message and facts on issues since I was willing to know. I went to the Ohio Democratic Convention....saw the gang and Howard Dean. I was hooked! I proceeded to attend other events in Ohio with Dean. The grassroots effort by the campaign resonated my passion to evict *bush. They empowered me and all who cared to protest the resident to feel included.

When Dean says, "I want my country back"...He is speaking for me and validates that I am in the loop....I make a diffrence and am who he is fighing for........ The issues stand firmly on their own.....

Dean has empowered the people to take responsibility to evict the resident. We are all doing it as citizens of this country.


I never, ever got that from any of the others. Never will.

[slinkerwink]

12. same here too----and that's why I like Dean

[helleborient]

13. He has already involved us in his campaign...and responds to us...

And gives us real tools to work on the campaign.

Tell me...what tools have John Kerry and Wesley Clark given to someone who wishes to work on their campaign in central Illinois...what kind of monthly packet of materials do they send out to supporters?

We get packets of material every month...letter writing supplies (complete with stamps), DVDs to share, the "Common Sense" brochures, etc...I'm not aware of anything John Kerry or Wesley Clark send out to anyone in our area to work on the campaign...certainly not every month like clockwork.

I'm looking for a truly national campaign that proves its ability to gather support, raise money, AND, most importantly, reach out to give people everywhere in the country, not just Iowa and New Hampshire, something to do as part of the campaign.

Concentrating just on a few states before their primaries is the politics of the past...Joe Trippi and Howard Dean have said this is a new campaign that will break the rules of the past, and they have delivered. That engenders trust.

[KaraokeKarlton]

14. I'll be happy to field this one

First of all, the stuff being repeated about Dean being in any way opposed to Medicare is complete and utter nonsense. Gephardt sent a gal named Monica to dig through info in Vermont trying to find dirt on Dean. She essentially came up with no real dirt. What she did find was comments Dean made that sounded somewhat ominous if half of what he said was left out. Basically, the actual quotes was taken entirely out of context. Dean's comments about Medicare were NOT about the actual program or the services it is supposed to provide. He has been a true champion of those services throughout his political career...it's been his personal agenda, in fact...health care. He was actually complaining about the way the program is run because he was frustrated with the road blocks that keep so many seniors from getting the help they need and deserve. Do a google search on Howard Dean Congressional Testimony on the Aging and Disabled. You'll find the text of his various testimonies on this very frustration over the need to reform eligibility rules so people get help. Maybe you haven't been open to looking into this stuff because some Dean supporters have annoyed you. If that's the case, I encourage you to take the time to check these things out. It will make you feel much better should Dean be the nominee...I promise.

Is he the same person now as he was in Vermont? Yes and no. He still has the same basic beliefs he did as governor, and he honestly did a damn good job here. Vermonters don't re-elect bad governors. He did the job we demanded of him, and he did it well. Serving the interests of Vermont obviously is not going to be entirely the same as serving the interests of the country. He is a politician who deals in facts, realities and common sense and he will always act in the best interest of the country as a whole. When he entered the race, he did so because he was entirely disgusted with what Bush was doing to the economy and the fact that so many Americans are uninsured. He was reading the paper, complaining about what Bush was doing out of frustration. He stopped and asked himself if he was just going to complain and do nothing or if he was going to stand up and actually do something about it. He decided he would run for president. As his campaign began to grow and he went around the country talking to people, things changed for him. He saw that he had the ability to get people involved and active again. That's when the campaign changed and when his agenda changed. It wasn't just about the economy and health care anymore. Those are still important, but they were secondary to the bigger issue...which is giving the government back to the people it belongs to...you and me.

Yes, I trust him. If there's one thing you can count on with Howard Dean it's that you can trust what he tells you. If he says he's going to do something, he'll move heaven and earth to do it. He won't lie to you about where he stands or just tell you what he thinks you want to hear. Should he become our next president you can be certain that there will be choices he makes that don't make sense to you or that you don't like, perhaps even hate. But you will NEVER wonder why he does something or what he's thinking and what his goal is. At the same time, he'll do even more things that just make you beam with pride. You will always respect him, even if you don't agree with him on something. The one thing I discovered from living under Dean's leadership is that he's incredibly smart, resourceful, effective, can accomplish a lot...and he has impeccable long term vision. There were times he genuinely pissed me off with something he did. People would think he had no idea what he was doing. Then, lo and behold...what he did worked and did just what he said it would.

If anyone can get the folks in DC to get things done...it's Howard Dean. That's what the "cockroach" comment was about. He'll set a firecracker under their behinds and ride them incessantly until they get things done. They'll be more productive than we've ever seen. I don't know how he manages to do this, but he does. The results are actual progress...what a concept that is! He wasn't saying they are all insects...just that under him, at first they would be running around, shocked by the changes they'll face. It will be a good thing, too.

If anyone can get the kind of foreign policy we need...he can do that too. No, he doesn't have anywhere near the most experience, but he has the kind of skills, common sense, sense of fairness and genuine willingness to learn and understand the whole picture. Some people have decades and decades of the experience but no skills. It's the skills and right attitude that matter most in foreign policy...and Dean has both.

Okay, I hope that answers your questions. I'll also add that there has been A LOT of false information posted on here about Dean. It's entirely possible that some of the things you may dislike about him might not even be true. That would be really unfortunate. If you're genuinely interested in figuring out what is true about him (from Vermont especially), I'd be more than happy to answer those questions. There are actually a couple other Vermonters who post here besides me. Maybe they will chime in on this if they're reading.

[deutsey]

16. RE: Gephardt digging up dirt

What's really scary is the thought that Democrats like Gephardt think they can win against Bush and they can't even launch an effective attack campaign against Dean.

[Hep]

17. Yes, it is hard to believe

that this is an honest question. Because people have been saying why they support Dean for months and months, and You're still asking.

If you're being sincere, how about you go so far as to admit that up until your "honest question" you'd been ignoring and dismissing all arguments in favor of Dean?

[rucky]

18. The best litmus test is to ask what he has to gain by lying

sure the presidency is a big motivator to lie, but if that were your only criteria, it would apply equally to all the candidates.

I don't see that he has any hidden agenda for personal gain. I don't see he has any other ideology he's supporting something other than what he says. He has no clear corporate/industry ties. He's of a liberal Christian faith. The only money to follow is the flow of cash going into his campaign. He's a bootstraps politician who started as an obscure hopeful & turned into the frontrunner on his own merits. He shoots from the hip, which works for him as much as against him... I say if he were lying he'd choose his words much more carefully, or avoid anything other than prepared statements (like one particular liar I know of).

[ozone_man]

19. Trust is a gut reaction.

Either you feel it or you don't. Listen to a candidate speak. Does he speak straight from the gut? Not to imply that the candidates record is not equally important, and Dean's is exceptional.

In Vermont we are a pretty close community and you get to know politicians very well. We also like to share opinions openly, for example at town meeting day (first Tuesday in March), when people get together and discuss local and state issues. Howard Dean has been a fixture in Vermont Politics for so long that we know just about everything about the guy. Maybe even what side he holds a hockey stick. He sent his kids through public scholl and even helped coach his son's hockey team while governor.

He has done an outstanding job as Vermont governor for 11 years and has been returned to office by large pluralities from all sides of the political spectrum, except the far right and maybe the far left. He is a moderate. We have a progressive party (that launched Bernie Sanders) that likes to run their own candidates, and that syphons off some of the left vote that Dean might get. Bernie is now our Representative in congress and the Democrats have sort of accepted him as one of their own (they don't run a candidate against him anymore).

Regarding medicare, I can't answer knowledgeably other than to say that health care is one of Dean's greatest strengths and he thinks medicare, as it exists, is deficient in many ways. I think whatever attack was made against him in regards to medicare was taken out of context, as almost every attack that I have read to date. I cannot think of a stronger advocate for health care than Dean.

[Skinner]

20. I'm locking this.

The term "Deanies" is not appropriate to refer to dean supporters. Please review the Rules for starting threads in the General Discussion forums, which have recently been re-written to be more clear.