What Would the Race Be Like Without Dean in It?

[rucky]

Would it be any cleaner?
Would we be more unified as a party?
Would the other candidates be as critical of Iraq? of Bush?
Would we be talking about other issues? Not talking about certain issues?
Would the media be ignoring all of us, or would they spend more time on the other contenders?
Would the internet be as much of a factor? Meetups?
Would Rove be acting any differently? *?

How would it affect your candidate's standing?
Who would Dean supporters be supporting?

I'm undecided, but I couldn't imagine myself being as actively interested in the race if it weren't for Dean. Meetups got me interested in Dean, which got me interested in the process - and other candidates... and DU. Without Dean, this race would be snoresville - but the Clark factor may have had much more play in the media.

Peace!

[beyurslf]

1. YAWN! Clark may have perked things up more I suppose. n/t

[UrbScotty]

2. Well...

Would it be any cleaner? Probably not
Would we be more unified as a party? Perhaps
Would the other candidates be as critical of Iraq? of Bush? no and yes
Would we be talking about other issues? Not talking about certain issues? Perhaps
Would the media be ignoring all of us, or would they spend more time on the other contenders? Other contenders
Would the internet be as much of a factor? Meetups? No and no
Would Rove be acting any differently? *? No and no

[bearfartinthewoods]

44. i think it would have been more substantive

instead of there being one, among many who was saying
"i am different.. look at me" all the candidates would be saying, i am better and here is why"

this would have meant a more intense study of the issues and records of the candidates which would have resulted in a more informed electorate.

[liberalnurse]

3. None of them inspired me to donate.

Of couse I've given now $1,800 to Dean as of this month.

[Castilleja]

14. I'm with you, here...

I doubt I would have been moved to donate money to others either....

[readmylips]

4. There would no race...

Dean is the one rounding up and energizing citizens. If Dean weren't in, Rev Sharpton would be ahead. I'd vote for Sharpton in a second.

If Clark, who has access to military records, can come out with proof that little man bush went AWOL, I would vote for Clark.

[Scoopie]

34. No one can come up with those records

because they "mysteriously" burned in a fire at the Alabama National Guard.
True statement.

[SheilaT]

5. Probably

the front runner would be Kerry and the others would be sniping at him instead.

And I rather doubt that Clark actually has special access to military records.

[quinnox]

6. I have a feeling that before the primary season is over

we will find out.

[Jerseycoa]

29. Oooh

:smoke:

[cprise]

7. Kerry and Clark would have a pissing match

...about their military service, and who supported the Iraq war more.

Lieberman's hysteria would be directed at Kerry ("too liberal... economic death!")

Gore would not endorse until after the primary.

[maddezmom]

8. the same, just a different front runner.

[poskonig]

9. A:

Would it be any cleaner? Would we be more unified as a party? No, and no.

Would the other candidates be as critical of Iraq? of Bush? We would see much more of the "I agree with the president on issues of war but disagree on the economy" talk all of the major candidates began with. So no.

Would we be talking about other issues? Not talking about certain issues? Yes. We would be talking about healthcare and social security again, like 2002. We would be talking less about defense, and if we did, it would be in superficial terms like "W fights the terrorists well, but we can do it very well!"

Would the media be ignoring all of us, or would they spend more time on the other contenders?" The media would be about the same.

Would the internet be as much of a factor? Meetups? No.

Would Rove be acting any differently? *? **Kerry** would be winning, there would be a bunch of Kerry-haters saying he couldn't win because he would be Dukakis all over again, the Republicans would talk about how they "want" Kerry, and there would be talk about who would be the anti-Kerry. :silly:

How would it affect your candidate's standing? Who would Dean supporters be supporting? As a current Dean supporter, *I* would be supporting Kerry, like I initially did. I suspect Dennis Kucinich would be able to gobble up a lot of the antiwar vote in such a scenario.

[Padraig18]

10. It would be much the same.

Rather than Dean being flamed on a daily basis, I suspect Kerry or Clark would have the, ummm, 'honor'. SSDD. :shrug:

[woofless]

11. I don't know what the race would be like,

but DU would be a lot more peaceful.

[Gore1FL]

42. I doubt it

look at the 2002 midterms and what DU was like then. the absense of dean would just change the subject of who was bitching about whom.

It is the nature of a place like this to get heated.

[Zynx]

12. It would be a relatively boring race.

It would still be nasty, but the field would stay relatively stable.

[MIMStigator]

13. winnable in november n/t

nt

[Padraig18]

15. It still is

Not a single vote has been cast, and 10 1/2 months is a lifetime in politics.

[AP]

16. IWR vote would be off table, and we'd all be focussed like a lazer on...

...economy, and middle class opportunity, and I'd feel very confident about winning in 2004.

Also we wouldn't be listening to DEMOCRATS defend things like how it's OK to burden middle class with taxes, how it'd be OK if AA didn't consider race, etc. etc.

[AnnabelLee]

20. I disagree that the IWR would be off the table

IMO, there is a significant number of Dems who are very unhappy with the candidates who voted for it; in the absence of a Dean candidacy, Clark may very well still have made it a big issue, if only to differentiate himself on that front from Kerry, who probably would have been the front runner, once Lieberman's name recognition advantage was overcome.

I think it would have been interesting to see how it would have played out between Kerry & Clark. It's a whole 'nother can of worms to speculate on whether Clark would have entered the race in the absence of a Dean candidacy.;-)

[ibegurpard]

25. What you just said

was the EXACT strategy many Democrats were pushing for the 2002 elections and we got creamed.

[AP]

26. I don't think the Dems campaigned to win in 2002.

Anyway, wasn't it the case that the differense between what happened and a Democratic sweep was only something like 60,000 votes nationwide.

My theory is that the Dems knew that if they controled the senate or house, then Bush would have had an excuse for ruining the country (eg, "Congress wasn't cooperating with me").

As has been the case, Bush only has himself to blame, and Bush hasn't really benfitted from having Republican Congress anyway.

I think things were going to plan until Dean started playing into Republicans hands by makng war an issue.

[sandnsea]

41. The war would be the focus, not the vote

And our candidates would be ripping Bush a new one over the war itself, instead of having Dean constantly turn the debate back to the vote. We'd be so far ahead without Dean in this election.

[AP]

46. I agree with that.

[mot78]

17. Republicans/Freepers would be stronger on internet grassroots

Dean stopped them from having that and has made the internet into a blue state.

[retyred]

18. If dean weren't here I'd vote for Clark

Oh wait, I am voting for Clark....never mind.




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

[primarycolored]

19. Kucinich would be in the lead

[Jacobin]

21. Everyone would be trying to be as Bush-Like as possible

as in Holy Joe.

They were ALL doing it before Howard came out swinging.

[AP]

24. Yeah. Because that's how you win primaries and general elections.

[arewethereyet]

28. the idea is that you lean left for primaries

since its only the serious wonks who vote in them and the you head back to the middle for the general.

I like Edwards because he, like CLinton and Carter before him, is sticking to HIS course and will continue to do so.

Should Dr Dean get the nomination and take his turn, it will fracture his supporters and cause a great yawn in the electorate killing much hope of the grassroots effort his candicacy would require.

[arewethereyet]

22. a lot more respectable

and productive

[quaker bill]

23. Hard to tell

But my guess would be that IWR would be off the table, as unfortunate as that would be. The argument would then center around the notion that the war was a great idea, just poorly managed.

The argument would be framed by Bush* to determine just how much of his lame tax-cut based economic program we wanted to keep.

Difference by degree rather than kind, much like 2000 and 2002.

[Myra]

27. If Dean wasn't in the race the media would be much more hostile

Because they wouldn't have someone to promote.
At least not a serious candidate to promote.
They'd have a couple of candidates like Lieberman and Gephardt
who have traditionally been...very congenial to the Republicans.

[mikehiggins]

30. Kerry would be the nominee eom

[PassingFair]

31. Let's see...

We would not be discussing Health Care...
We would not be discussing the legality of the war...
We would not be discussing civil unions...
We would not be discussing Enron, or Global Crossing, or
any other business scandal in which the democrats are shockingly
complicit.
He has raised the bar further than I had dared hope. He espouses uncommon sense. He was the first and remains the most believable candidate with the nerve to point his finger at this abominable administration.
He will be the first to expose PNAC in a grand and comprehensible manner. Then the feces will hit the fan.
We will win BIG in 2004 (if they don't fix the voting boxes...)

VIVA LE DEAN!

[He loved Big Brother]

32. If Dean weren't in the race I'd support Kucinich or not vote.

I can't vote for someone who voted in favor of the PATRIOT ACT. So be it if that means there's nobody for me to vote for come 2004.

[He loved Big Brother]

33. Oh and if Dean weren't in the race-

There'd be a helluva lot less younger people involved or interested. Kucinich would keep their interests in beating Bush amplified, but not enough to win.

[Scoopie]

35. Dean as the younger crowd nominee

HA!
That's funny since he got his arse whopped on Rock the Vote.
By, you know, that General Dude.

(Who is also the favorite among those older voters. You know, the ones who actually, year after year, despite weather and ailments, actually MAKE it to the polls.)

[He loved Big Brother]

36. Rock the Vote?

I guess that means everything, and Generation Dean means zilch. They may as well give up now. :eyes:

[KaraokeKarlton]

40. Clark is the favorite among both young and old, huh?

Then why isn't he leading in all the polls everywhere? The fact is, Dean is leading in every region of the country, including the south according to the newest polls...and yeah, even after Saddam was caught. So, do explain how Clark is the leader when he's not actually leading...

[Myra]

37. "What Would the Race Be Like Without Dean in It?"

I would so love to see.

[Hippo_Tron]

38. Kucinich would be more significant...

And somebody else would be getting the media attention.

[KaraokeKarlton]

39. It would be boring as hell and I probably wouldn't be paying attention

and I most definitely wouldn't be voting in the primaries. This will be my first time voting in the primaries and if it weren't for Dean running, I wouldn't be doing it this year either.

[PAMod]

43. Lieberman would be running away with the nomination...

because none of the other candidates would have had Dean to follow.

Criticism of Bush would have been muted, because Democratic candidates would have still been afraid to stand out.

The result would be the electorate would see no real reason to change administrations - therefore 4 more years of Dumbya.

Say what you want about Dean; the truth is he is a leader and has courage. That's a winning combination, folks, and if the Democratic Party unites after the primary season, we'll have a newer world in January 2005.

Even if he is not the nominee, thank God for the candidacy of Howard Dean.

To those who think the primary season would be more civil or united without Dean; we grizzled veterans welcome you to the rough and tumble of elective politics!

If we are to save our country, we need as many active participants as we can muster!

[TexasSissy]

45. It would be more unified and less negative.