Dean out in front as campaign heats up

[unfrigginreal]

By ROB HOTAKAINEN, McClatchy Washington Bureau

NEW YORK (October 25, 1:42 p.m. PDT) - After making her way to the front of the crowd of 10,000 people at Manhattan's Bryant Park, Heather Palazzo, 32, let out a scream: "I touched him!"

Then the desktop publisher from New Haven, Conn., explained her delight in making contact with Howard Dean, the former Democratic governor of Vermont: "He has a ton of charisma! He's very sexy!"

Plenty of folks are trying to get their hands on Dean these days, particularly his Democratic rivals for the party's 2004 presidential nomination. Polls show that Dean has emerged as the candidate to beat, and that means fending off attacks.

They're coming from all sides.

Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts says Dean is out to raise taxes. Rep. Dick Gephardt of Missouri says he once wanted to cut Medicare. And Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut suggests that Dean is too liberal and would lead the party back into the "political wilderness."

more...

http://www.tribnet.com/24hour/politics/story/1036208p-7274989c.html

[alphafemale]

1. heehee. Political groupies. Gotta love it.

Add a touch more guitar playing and they'll be swooning I tell ya!
;-)

[Demobrat]

2. Put him in a pair of jeans and a leather jacket,

give him a guitar, and I bet his support would double overnight.

[hedda_foil]

3. Ya mean like this ? If we build it, they will come.

[JNelson6563]

4. Great pic!

I love it. Dean rocks!

Julie

[David Zephyr]

5. Great Graphic!

Thanks.

[Demobrat]

14. WHOA!

Yes! Just like that!

[belle]

6. BACK into the political wilderness, Joe??

I mean, *you* may be in your own personal Club Med, but for those of us *not* living in the Bizarro World, this IS the wilderness. And you, sir, are no Moses. Hell, you're not even Moses the greengrocer on Bleecker and Third. Go home, Joe. Go quietly.

[w13rd0]

7. Well Joe...

...if Dean gets the nomination, you'd best support him, or it'll be you who will be "in the wilderness" in the Dean WH Administration...

[imax2268]

8. They say a picture is worth a thousand words...

Well...I found this and I think it speaks for itself...

Dean supporters

[w4rma]

9. Here's another great photo titled "Dean Scene" from Falls Church, Virginia

IT WAS THE LARGEST political assembly ever convened in of the City of Falls Church. Over 4,000 citizens from throughout the greater Washington, D.C., area descended in the City's historic Cherry Hill Park last Saturday to listen and show support for Democratic presidential hopeful Howard Dean. Dean is shown here greeting the throng shortly after moving onto the stage for the first stop in a whirlwind "Sleepless Summer Tour" that put him in front of similar mass rallies in eight U.S. cities in four days. More photos of the historic event are on Page 13 and a comment on his candidacy appears in the "White House Report" on Page 5. (News-Press photo)
http://www.fcnp.com/325/story4.htm

[RevolutionStartsNow]

10. All good news!

I am thrilled that Dean is doing so well, I couldn't be happier!

We are working hard for him where I live, and I know it's making a difference. Yay!

Bought a car today, the salesman was for Dean, I gave him a button. (And no, he didn't tell me he liked Dean to make the sale, the deal was already done.)

Going out to put a Dean sticker on my new car! :bounce:

[imax2268]

11. I have been...

doing some homework on Dean...I was a bit stand-offish at first...but doing some research and seeing how strong and passionate he is...that's all I needed...I am putting my vote for Dean...Let's kick "w"'s ass out of the White House...

[MGKrebs]

12. More good news for Dean:

If the next general election were held now with Bush as the Republican candidate and retired General Wesley Clark as the Democratic candidate, 43 percent would vote for or lean towards Clark, while 49 percent would vote for or lean towards Bush; an increase of two percentage points for Bush over Clark from the Newsweek poll of October 9-10, 2003, when 47 percent would vote for Bush and 43 percent for Clark, a statistical dead-heat. A matchup between Bush and former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean would see the same result: 49 to 43 percent, a narrower margin (six percent) than in the last Newsweek Poll when Bush led Dean by nine percent. By comparison, Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry trails Bush by 42 v. 50 percent, Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman trails Bush by 43 v. 50 and Missouri Rep. Dick Gephardt trails Bush by 42 v. 51 percent, the poll shows.

Among Democrats and Democratic leaners, Dean has overtaken Clark as favorite for the party's presidential nomination for the first time since Clark entered the race, with 15 percent. Close behind, 12 percent favor Clark, while Kerry, Gephardt and the Rev. Al Sharpton are tied at eight percent each.

http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/031025/nysa015_1.html

[intheozone]

13. Jr. must worried sick,

more and more Dean is started to look, sound and be thought of like Bill Clinton, without the baggage and bad reputation! Jr. must be having nightmares of himself voted out of office by Dean supporters the same way his Dad was voted out by Clinton supporters. That will be a dream come true for me!

Please, please, if there is a god, please let her make history repeat itself in '04.

I take heart in what Dean said, "Remember what happened the last time a governor from a small state ran against a Bush." or something to that effect!

Go Howard, go, help us get our country back!!!

[Voltaire99]

15. After he referred to Washington "cockroaches," I wanted to shake his hand

He should make a habit of it.