Dean: Don't expect clear front-runner even after Feb. 5

[madfloridian]

But he really hopes for one by mid March. He says they need to get a nominee so they can start going after the Republicans. From Denver.

Dean: Don't expect clear front-runner even after Feb. 5

Democratic Chairman Howard Dean said today he expects no clear decision on the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee even after Feb. 5, the day more than 20 states hold primaries or caucuses. The comments came after Dean convened with the DNC's Executive Committee in Denver and offered a frank outlook on the battle between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.

"I don't believe it will be over by Feb. 5 by any stretch of the imagination," Dean said. He also said he hoped it would be decided by mid-March "because we have a lot of work to do." He called the possibility of a brokered convention "a nightmare."

The chairman said he's not currently concerned about the sniping between the Clinton and Obama campaigns, though he acknowledged an extended primary season could ratchet up the political heat.

"The truth is, it's not that ferocious yet, and I hope it doesn't get ferocious, and I obviously have some responsibility to make sure it doesn't," he said. "But it was much worse four years ago, and it's much, much worse on the Republican side.

"I don't want it to get personal, and we have a protocol for what to do if it does."

He said he thought the Democrats had a chance to win three Southern states. He mentioned..."Florida, Arkansas and Virginia, which he deemed "a battleground state."

He and other members of the DNCC, the convention committee were in Denver yesterday doing community work.

Dems practice their strokes at Manual High School

DENVER - Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chairman Howard Dean, along with members of the DNC's Executive Committee, will join Convention CEO Leah D. Daughtry and the staff of the Democratic National Convention Committee (DNCC) for a service project at 3:00 p.m. on THURSDAY, January 10, 2008. In a project coordinated by the Colorado branch of Volunteers of America, Dean and the DNCC team will paint and plaster a room in need of repair at Manual High School and partner with students for a crafts project in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.As one of Denver's oldest schools, Manual first opened its doors in the 1890s. After a recent closure due to declining enrollment and low student performance, Manual re-opened its doors this past fall with a goal of emerging as one of Denver's premier high schools.

DENVER – Democratic Party Chairman Howard Dean and members of the Democratic National Convention Committee picked up paintbrushes to help refurbish a classroom at a local school Thursday.

[Bicoastal]

1. Shout-out to Doctor Dean!

Love that man....

[SmellsLikeDeanSpirit]

13. No doubt about it, he is the man.

[nikto]

39. Just tell me...

Do you really think ANY of our current leading candidates could be
a better President of The USA than Howard Dean?

I don't.

Somewhere in a parallel dimension perhaps,
Howard Dean became US President,
and the true repair and healing of America is taking place.

Unfortunately, not in THIS dimension.

[still_one]

2. Hey, if it goes to the Convention without a clear nominee, that should be a message

that maybe the people are saying they are tired of the same old party machinery

[ellisonz]

29. Howard Dean is party machinery?

That'd be news to me.

[still_one]

33. No, but the machinery is beyond his control. Perhaps you don't remember

the hate that was thrown at Howard when he became DNC chairman by some of that machinery?

[Kucinich4America]

3. This may be the first time since 2003 that I have disagreed with Dr. Dean

I still say a full primary season, with the nominee decided at the convention, is the best thing that could happen to this party, AND this country. More people would feel like they had a voice in the process, less would feel like it was bought and paid for (which would happen if it was forced in early February)

[madfloridian]

4. You may be right. I guess he is thinking from his point of view as chairman.

As it would make his job pretty complicated.

I don't remember a convention like that. I have no candidate especially this time.

[Mojambo]

8. Yeah, it'd be a nightmare for him

The great thing about nightmares, though, is that you almost always wake up.

Let's do this, and WAKE UP.

[madfloridian]

24. More about what he said....he was speaking of level of complication.

for organizing and getting ready for the election. That's what he meant. He would probably relish the confusion if he were not chair,

While Howard Dean acknowledged the potential convention fight in Denver over who wins the Democratic nomination would generate huge public interest, he said it would actually be "a nightmare" for him.

Which, incredibly, earned him a tiny bit of understanding from Colorado's Republican chairman.

"National chairs want things to be defined so they can start the fall campaign," Dick Wadhams said. "It diverts from the main event and I frankly sympathize with Dean on that."

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/jan/12/dean-... /

[ellisonz]

30. Except when you don't wake until morning...

...and are left thinking: what the fuck was that?

[tsuki]

28. Except for Floridians whose state Democratic Party disenfranchised us.

[madfloridian]

32. And the state Democrats are still proud they did it.

They just don't really have a clue how confused people are. People just don't understand they are not being told the truth, that the vote was 115 to 1, that they worked with the GOP to do it.

[stickernation]

41. TOTALLY ! i want my money's worth !!!!

i could watch debates until the day of the convention if i had to. i mean it is hard to WORK !! i've donated to edwards many times over the last few years and it is great to see him run like he owes me one !!!

i am a politics junkie and this is the best race i have ever seen !!! plus this time the internetz, social networking, youtube, it is a political feast that i don't want to see end. i am thinking the debate keeps democrats and the democratic race top-of-mind. just today the jaguars made a fierce showing against the undefeated patriots. anything can happen in football, why not in politics?

-s

[Seabiscuit]

43. Anything CAN happen in football, especially if you're from San Diego

and your Chargers just mopped the field with the Super Bowl Champ Indianapolis Colts.

Now watch Edwards during the next month or so knock Hillary and Barack off the media pedestals they've been perching on for far too long.

[dorktv]

42. I agree.

[fightthegoodfightnow]

5. BE OUTRAGEOUS IN YOUR VOTE

......... because the powers that be want the status quo.

[msongs]

6. howard dean accepts nomination after the third convention ballot : - ) nt

[fightthegoodfightnow]

7. Now that's a Wet Dream

........actually........... I think Dean has become an apologist for the status quo. I use to applaud him as an outsider, but he's become more of the same.

[harmonicon]

26. I've had the same concern.

I like Dean a lot, and voted for him, but you might be right. That being said, his job has to be hard. He can't go around criticizing dems any more - he has to support them all. If he stays active, it may not be so bad to lose him as chairman (he has done great work there - won us the '06 election) if it means we get to hear his personal stance over what's good for the party as a whole again.

[XemaSab]

9. Al Gore accepts nomination after second convention ballot :P

(Not to slight the good Doctor... Howard's my baby daddy, but I think 8 years as vice president would work out well and position him for 2016 )

[Pastiche423]

38. Al Gore accepts the nomination after the second convention ballot

then asks Howard Dean to be his vp!

[Kucinich4America]

22. Works for me.

This country would be well on the road to recovery by now, had he been allowed to run in 2004. Chimpy would have been no match for him in the general.

[mzmolly]

10. "I don't want it to get personal, and we have a protocol for what to do if it does."

I so love that man!

[bleever]

16. That was a pretty interesting line,

eh?

[mzmolly]

23. Indeed it was.

"Someone" is thinking ahead!

[madfloridian]

34. Sounds like a plan.

[mzmolly]

35. And, we knew our "Man" would have a "plan."

Thanks for keeping us posted MF.

[BlackVelvet04]

11. Gov. Tim Kaine backs Obama

02/20/2007

RICHMOND, VA. -- Gov. Tim Kaine became the first state executive to endorse Sen. Barack Obama's bid for the Democratic presidential nomination.

"I won't lose a second of sleep with Barack Obama as president of the United States as I know what he's bringing to the job," Kaine told a gathering of reporters Saturday outside the Executive Mansion in Richmond.
Kaine said he had an early favorite -- former Gov. Mark Warner, who dropped out of the race -- but chose Obama based on his principles.
"I don't always do things the cautious way. I do things when my gut tells me it's right to do it," Kaine said. "I'm very excited to stand here very strongly in Sen. Obama's camp.
http://www.zwire.com/site/tab12.cfm?newsid=17876389&BRD...

[Cha]

12. Mid March is not too far

behind Feb 5 and I can wait that long..but then we get a candidate, I hope so too.

[UTUSN]

14. Uh, Doctor Howard, I love you, but can we have a different primary system NEXT TIME?!1 n/t

[madfloridian]

15. He does support rotating regional primaries.

http://journals.democraticunderground.com/madfloridian/...

"(Host) Democratic National Committee chairman Howard Dean says he'd like to see his party adopt a system of rotating regional presidential primaries beginning in 2012.

Dean says the approach would give most states an opportunity to have a greater influence on the selection of presidential nominees.


(Dean) "I think the thing to do is to move some of the other primaries back and then rotate them through so in the future every state can count on having some significant input into who the presidential nominee is."

[UTUSN]

17. Yeah, O.K. But it's always too late for me (I'm tired of this ****)!1 n/t

[OzarkDem]

18. Thank you, Dr. Dean

A voice of sanity in the wilderness.

I think he's sending us a message here: Its not over yet and all our candidates deserve to have their forum to let voters decide. He's telling us there's no pre-ordained candidate this time.

I really don't think a brokered convention would be such a bad idea. Big corporations don't have any delegates, they don't even have a ticket. Conventions are strictly an "in house" decision-making processs.



Fuck the DLC.

[madfloridian]

19. No pre-ordained candidate...

good thought. I thought there was, but the change in the party structure might have made a difference in several ways.

[OzarkDem]

20. Did you read it the same way?

It was his subtle way of sending a message. He's been muzzled by the DLC/Clinton/Obama crowd who think if Dean speaks out, all the corporations will stop funding Dem candidates and the GOP will win.

This primary is different from 2004 and 2000. There's real competition, though no one can say it.

[madfloridian]

21. I just think it is amazing...

that he is still standing after the pummeling he took in 2004.

This is an article from FAIR about the how the media did it, and it was totally widespread. And I think about the fact that they still get their insults and digs in about him, and also about Al Gore. They are seldom on TV, but the media either ignores or digs. They have done that to Gore forever. It never quits.

So it is amazing he kept on his feet and is still working hard.

[ZinZen]

25. Madfloridian

I have always appreciated your backing and support of Dean, especially with all the attacks he getting from the Florida party. I was a major Dean backer in 2004, and still a huge fan of Dr. Dean. Dean has been right about most things, so he may be right about things not being decided next month. But I am glad CA finally has a say so this time around instead of being an afterthought.

[madfloridian]

27. When is your primary? Feb. 5th?

Can you just imagine if Florida had said ok, we will keep our Feb. 5 primary. We would still have had a way to choose the nominee. But the greedy bas-----ds just had to move it up one more week, even though they had been warned by the rules committee.

All big states should have a say, but so should little ones. If the big states move too far ahead, the candidates won't bother to go to the little ones to campaign. They won't need them at all.

Dean's idea of rotating regional primaries would be good.

[mzmolly]

36. Democracy!

Imagine that?!

[Le Taz Hot]

31. Arent' we so glad the Party Machine

chose Kerry for us in 2004?

[mnhtnbb]

37. As a former Deaniac, I have news. NC will be in play if Edwards is top of ticket

along with several other southern states.

[martymar64]

40. Dean should be running

He's head and shoulders above Hillary and Obama.
I'd support him just for the joy of watching DLC heads explode, knowing how much they and many of the more "moderate" members of this DU hate him.