Dean's Speech Inspired the Hell out of Me and I am for Clark

[Quixote1818]

I was thinking about Howard Dean today and his speech that he took so much heat for. At first I thought he went a little to far but as the whole thing has faded and I look back and think of this wonderful guy worried more about his supporters (and I believe he did) than himself and wanting to bring all of you up and get you excited something in my heart is really moved. We hear the media and everyone telling us that he didn't act "proper" or he should have acted this way or that way. All I can say is Howard Dean is an individual with a wonderful heart and you could truly see his heart in that speech. Who decides what is proper behavior or what is not? We have all gone crazy at rock concerts and it's inspirational and wonderful. So why can't a guy get a little rowdy and try to be their for his supporters who I am sure had lifted Dean's heart for so many months. He wasn't thinking of himself up their he was thinking of all you Dean supporters and how hard you had worked for him. He felt he had let you down and that hurts.

Emerson once said: "Who so would be a man must be a nonconformist."

That's what being a liberal and a democrat is all about. If something is in your heart let it shine and be seen by the world. Who the hell cares what anyone thinks is proper behavior for being a president. Who the hell made those rules?

Emerson also said this: "Do not be too timid and squeamish about your actions. All life is an experiment."

We hear Clark trying to defend Michael Moore's right to free speech and the Republicans are all over him telling him he didn't act properly and with good values. Well, bull shit! We can't let FOX news and all the stiffs out their tell us what is proper and what is not. In my book a guy speaking from his heart and making a fool out of himself is beautiful and inspirational and I wish Howard Dean the very best. I hope all the Dean supporters rally around Dean and let that speech be your battle cry in the fight for the right to be a nonconformist and defending all our liberal values. But most of all that your movement sprouted from goodness and things you believe in strongly in your hearts. My hats off to Howard Dean! If he Win's I will have tears in my eyes. He started an wonderful, powerful, inspirational movement that took root from all your hearts when you saw people dying that shouldn't have had to die. That's a beautiful thing that you all were so moved for all the right reasons. Howard Dean is an inspiration and deserves better than this. You all do! I just wanted you all to know it took me a while to see it but now I understand what it was about to be for Howard Dean! So scream on to that dream and show the world what you are all about. Thanks for the inspiration. May Clark and Dean's movements live on because we both know they are the movements with by far the most heart.

[ajacobson]

1. I agree

:toast:

[Quixote1818]

35. Feel free to send this letter to every Dean person in the Country!

I wan't you all to do well!

[Cheswick2.0]

2. Thank you

You get it. :hug:

[cthrumatrix]

3. Dean's rebound has been awesome to watch...my hope is he wins NH

and shove it up the media's naysayers behinds.

They are against the outsiders...it's clear.

[alcuno]

4. I want Dean and Clark to stay in as long as possible.

I've donated to both. What's the saying about it being hard to hit a moving target? We're better off with as many people in as long as possible. Once the Democrat is chosen, * will pull out his 150 million.

Dean's my first love ever since he said last January that he couldn't wait to debate GWB. Without Dean, would Gephardt have ever called * a "miserable failure?" I want Clark to keep talking about * putting on military garb and prancing around in a flight suit. I love it when he says that and I never get tired of hearing it.

[caledesi]

29. Same here. nt

[asjr]

5. Thank you

As I have said before, Dean took my heart and ran away with it.

[Democrats unite]

6. Dean went from 4th place on my list to 2nd since Iowa

That has to say something for how I feel about Dean now.

[Snivi Yllom]

51. Dean is back

Dean has a message which he is able to express.

[dae]

7. Cheers.

:toast:I agree.

[patricia92243]

8. Beautiful post! Thanks! (and feel free to switch to Dean) :)

[Quixote1818]

11. Let me tell you if you knew Clark he is just like Dean but

Today Dean went from my third choice to my second choice right behind Clark. If Clark end's up out of contention Dean will have my full support and heart.

[Duder]

9. Well said Quixote1818

The Progressive Review put it this way:

'SOME TIME BACK I heard a story about a longtime acquaintance of Dean who went to his office to express his disagreement over some issue. The governor got upset and bawled him out. The man left Dean and went down the hall to another office. The staff members present told the governor that he better follow his friend and apologize. Dean did just that. The man now says he is supporting Dean for president.

This story is not a typical one about a politician. I can't think of
any of the candidates other than Dean who would act in that manner, as a man of passion but also of decency.

His way of handling the over-emphasized yelling incident is another case in point. It is clear that he is no more happy about what he did than are many voters. Yet again, his graceful, decent, and even funny way of handling this rhubarb suggests a rarity in American politics - a politician who is still human. As he told Diane Sawyer, "I was having a great time. I am not a perfect person, believe me, I have all kinds of warts. I wear cheap suits sometimes, I say things that I probably ought not to say, but I lead with my heart, and that's what I was doing right there, leading with my heart."

Most national politicians don't act like Dean because they have been taught to act in essentially artificial and non-human ways towards the real things that happen around them. They have been taught to lock up their hearts as if they were dangerous firearms. Dean dares to be himself. Whether one ultimately votes for him or not, he should be honored rather than punished for this. He has reminded us all that we are still alive and not merely virtual parodies of ourselves like our media mannequins and political puppets.' - SAM SMITH

[Quixote1818]

20. That's awesome hear is the story that made me believe in Clark

"It is not until one reads Holbrooke's book, To End a War, that one finds out that after the APC went off the road, Clark grabbed a rope, anchored it to a tree stump, and rappelled down the mountainside after it, despite the gunfire that the explosion of the APC set off, despite the warnings that the mountainside was heavily mined, despite the rain and the mud, and despite Holbrooke yelling that he couldn't go. It is not until one brings the incident up to the general that one finds out that the burning APC had turned into a kiln, and that Clark stayed with it and aided in the extraction of the bodies; it is not until one meets Wesley Clark that one understands the degree to which he held Milosevic accountable.

Can you imagine a four star General rappelling down a muddy hilside with gunfire? It looks as though we have two very special people in Dean and Clark. We are all inspired by these two. I love Edwards and Kerry but there campaigns did not take off like Dean and Clark because those of us who who are for Dean/Clark were moved in our hearts. It would be sad if neither one of these two camps wins. Very sad.

[Norquist Nemesis]

41. Clark did even more than that...

On CSPAN today, the wife of one of the men who died in that accident told the story. He was a good friend to Clark for many years. Not only did he do all of the above, but he managed to somehow get her husband's wedding ring and the Clark personally and privately gave it to her following the funeral services.

[mmonk]

10. well put

[dontstopthere]

12. all of the

superdelegates that have pulled support from Howard Dean and endorsed other candidates are idiots. In my mind, if a speech is enough for you to change your mind about a candidate (overnight I might add) then you do not stand on your principles and are not a true Democrat.

[sonias]

13. Thank you Quixote1818

The whole thing was just a media scandal because they hate Dean and they actually pick up stuff from right wing sites like Drudge. If nothing else remember that Dean is keeping the race exciting, and encouraging new voters to take our country back. I will never be sorry for supporting Dean and I fully expect that should Dean not win the nomination that he will work for the winning candidate. I know he will. Now will the other candidates please stop attacking him and keep their focus on bu$h.

I do love candidates who speak with passion and from their heart. Candidates who take stands, even if they are not popular but, because they are right. Dean, Clark, Kucinich , and Moseley Braun I think have that extra reach. Moseley Braun I know is out now, but I was so inspired by her courage. I truly love this woman. I sincerely hope that whomever wins the WH, that they give this wonderful woman a job in the new administration.

I'm not knocking the other guys I just don't see the same passion in them, and that's just my opinion.

Sonia

[MODemocrat]

14. Quixote, you are awesome to post that lovely tribute

I agree with you about Dean's speech. Yes, he does have a heart, and if others would just take time to listen to his passionate speech instead of the media's version, maybe they could make a rational decision about him. Thank you so much.:thumbsup: :hi:

[are_we_united_yet]

15. Agreed

I think it is the media whores who should be apologizing for such a disgraceful, chilidsh response to Howard Dean's speech. Also, Peter Jennings' questioning of Clark on Michael Moore was appalling.

Media whores have no shame or so it appears.

[xxqqqzme]

16. Thank you.

I have seen Howard Dean 3 times now, all rallys, all w/ his supporters pumped. I have heard him deliver a hearty shout like the one last week, which was why I did not find it out of bounds (whatever the hell the pouty pundits R calling it). He was, as U said, picking his supporters up. That is what I heard and that is what I saw.

[Loren645]

17. The past few days I've thought Dean's speeches were great

Exactly what I'd hope to see.

I know lots of his supporters didn't want him to change his
style, but I like the evolution I'm seeing.

[Lobo_13]

26. I don't mind the change

We know he's got the fire in his belly, so I don't mind if he tones it down to get the nom.

At least he's genuine and doesn't have to steal his points from other candidates.

[milkyway]

18. This Dean supporter loves Wes Clark. Thanks for a great post.

I've attended a Clark fundraiser, and even got to shake hands with way cool Gert Clark, a fellow New Yorker. I've really liked Clark since I heard him say when talking about cutting the Defense budget (I believe before he even announced his candidacy): "The Pentagon is a want machine." There is no other Dem candidate that can say that and survive.

Clark and Dean are both outsiders, and not as polished as the other candidates. But they both have an idealistic, almost naive, optimism about what is possible. Clark can make a good argument, as he did this evening, that he can expand the Dem Party by drawing in independents and moderate Republicans. Dean can make the argument that he can energize and bring out the vote of the Dem base. John Kerry can try to make both of these arguments, but he may be wrong on both counts. He will get portrayed by the wingers as an aloof Teddy Kennedy liberal, and he doesn't seem to inspire anybody, not even his own family.

[Hoppin_Mad]

19. Thanks - Clark sounded very impressive on Cspan today himself !

[milkyway]

22. BTW, I still have dreams of a Dean/Clark or Clark/Dean ticket. nt

[Quixote1818]

32. Thanks Hoppin_Mad we have clashed before but we are on the same side now.

[dontstopthere]

21. also you guys

Dean's comeback bat is in pitiful shape. I think if we can donate anything more to him we should. Being a student I'll be donating my monthly $10 this week to help him out, but I haven't seen his fundraising this bad since the very start.

[Lobo_13]

24. Pitiful?

It's only been up since Friday evening and he's already over 300,000.00

The New Year bat was way slower than this way longer.

It's gonna be fine.

[meti57b]

23. I liked that speech too! After hearing it, I am much more pro-Dean!

[Norquist Nemesis]

42. I agree he's on a 'comeback'

I think if he learned anything from Iowa, it's to keep talking the message. From what I understand, he didn't do a very good job of that. Plus the fact that he was being attacked from all sides as the front-runner. It sidetracked him a bit.

[KittyWampus]

25. Dean Is A VERY Talented Motivator

he does have a gift.

[cthrumatrix]

33. I know he could beat bush...w/o a doubt

[KaraokeKarlton]

27. Thank You

I've been saying all along that the only reason the media is making an issue out of that speech is because he didn't react to the loss in Iowa the way they wanted him to react. They wanted to see him feeling defected and knock all the wind out of his sails. He didn't give that to them, so they made up some stupid story that isn't even a story. It's dumb and I think it's beginning to wear on people who are sick of hearing the media harp on such a non issue. In the end, I think it's going to just earn Dean more supporters.

I think the press is doing the same thing about the whole Michael Moore thing. The media wants everyone to conform to their expectations, and if they don't do that then they just make dumb shit up.

[krkaufman]

45. Agreed, overblown

I wholly agree that the reaction was overblown; just ridiculous -- but not surprising, I guess. He was bloody smiling, just trying to jazz-up his supporters. I didn't see any "anger" at all... just determination... and fun.

The only concern that I had with his speech that night was that he didn't take the opportunity to lay out his vision for the nation, or to differentiate himself from the other candidates. It was a national audience, and he missed an excellent opportunity to make a great first impression with a lot of voters.

He's got some catch-up work to do to recover, but he'll do fine -- especially if other candidates fail to inspire the electorate.

[Carolina]

28. I agree

I have been glued to C-SPAN this weekend and although I am a Clark supporter, I too have been quite moved by Dean. You have to listen to the man and not what others say about him which BTW is why C-SPAN is the place to go. There you can hear the candidates without some know-it-all pundit interpreting for you!

Anyway, I have found myself moved by the Dean and Edwards rallies. Both men are great stump speakers and really connect with people. I am not moved by Kerry and have not liked how he, Lieberman and Gephardt jumped all over Dean. The Democratic Party is indebted to Dean for waking their conciliatory, lily-livered, gelding asses up. I hope Dean does well on Tuesday. In fact, I hope he wins and Clark comes in second. Third can be a toss-up between Edwards and Kerry.

That would put the media talking heads in a tizzy. Without a single frontrunner and with the voters figuratively giving them the finger for daring to try to annoint a candidate for us, we would have more time and more people still drawing attention to the Bush Failures.

[Quixote1818]

30. What can we do to Keep these two alive? Please Read!

Is their a way we all can create a new national movement?

Right now I don't care who wins as president as long as Dean and Clark are together at the end. I am very worried that that may not happen. What can we all do to get this message out loud and Clear? Their is something special here. We recognize these two campaigns stand for something powerful. Something the other campaigns lack. Something that needs to take off and inspire the world. Can we start a website dedicated to what these two men stand for to get our message out as loud as possible? Their is something special and rare here and the small group of democrats on this site must make this happen! We can't let this die now and we can't let it even get close to dying. We must act!

If we started a website we could call it "Dean and Clark supporters united for Good" or something of that nature. Try to get some media attention to put our anti war message forward and what we are about. Lets take back the election from the media so we can take back America! Once it comes down to Clark Dean again then may the best man win.

Is this a nutty idea or is their something to this?

[krkaufman]

46. Call/email Paul Krugman..???

> What can we do to Keep these two alive?

I don't know; maybe call Paul Krugman for advice?

[KoKo]

31. Thanks.....this is a great post about what's being villified as the Dean

Scream. I watched it late, and thought it was great that he wasn't playing to the media, he was rallying those who had worked for him.

That it was trashed and ridiculed showed what the media think about "sincerity." Unless you're playing to the big money and the media and willing to "play it safe" they trash you. And, even if you play their game and you are a Democrat they trash you anyway. Think Gore/Dem Senators and House Members. Unless they are the "chosen" known for their total complicity with big business.

[milkyway]

38. Dukakis and Gore were killed by the media for being too cold...

and wooden. If Kerry wins the nomination he'll get the same treatment, and there will be his "moment" that television will use to define him. His "moment" will be the opposite of Dean's: cold and detached instead of caring too much and out of control.

[RetroLounge]

34. And every time I see it I get MORE inspired

[intheozone]

36. thank you for your beautiful post, I agree

and I think you should put your words in letters to the editors of all the large newspapers in your entire state. You obviously get the whole Dean thing, you are feeling the hope and the inspiration that brought us to Dean's team. Tell your friends, tell your neighbors and your coworkers, write letters to your papers.
As another poster here said the other night, the media is doing this to Dean in an attempt to stop him, but it is not really him it want's to stop, it is us, the people! We can't let that happen.

[Zinnola]

37. Beautiful and thoughtful post

Thank you so much for being impartial and seeing Dean's strengths, that takes a good person to do so.

[Lisa0825]

39. Thank you Quixote!

I love it everytime I see a Clark supporter post something good about Dean, or about them considering him their second choice, because that is how I feel about Clark. And I agree with an earlier poster who expressed that it would be great for the party if both Dean and Clark were in it to the end.

Thanks for your very nice post!!!

YEEEEEAAAAAAAHHH!
:loveya: :yourock:

[WillyBrandt]

40. Hear, Hear! Clark/Dean 04

Dean has changed American politics forever. Whoever wins the nomination--and, therefore, the Presidency--will have Dean to thank (naturally, this would include Dean himself...)

[krkaufman]

47. No question. Thank you, Dr. Dean!

Posted by WillyBrandt: Whoever wins the nomination--and, therefore, the Presidency--will have Dean to thank

Agreed. Thanks, Dr. Dean.

However, if he *doesn't* win the Presidency, we need to start a new movement to oust Terry McAuliffe -- and replace him with The Doctor!!


EDIT: Idea from my brother.

[mzmolly]

43. Thank YOU!

:)

[slinkerwink]

44. thanks for saying that!

[Tesha]

48. Dean inspires the hell out of everyone who hears him! (NT)

[cthrumatrix]

50. with time...people will understand that Dean is "for the people" and

he speaks with conviction, experience.

[GalleryGod]

49. I've heard him. Am less impressed every day.

BTW what happened to the "never gonna use my wife as a prop" promise?

Say G'nite,Howie.

You are indeed, J.A.R.K.

[Tesha]

52. Perhaps you should ask...

BTW what happened to the "never gonna use my wife as a prop" promise?

Perhaps you should ask Judy Dean whether she feels like she's being
"used as a prop".

Tesha