CNN: Dean seeks meeting with Sen. Edwards.

[Padraig18]

Just now, Bob Franken reporting... Details as they become available.

[ChiefJoseph]

1. God, I hope he endorses Edwards.

I would absolutely love to see Edwards pick up all of Dean's supporters.

[goobergunch]

3. He won't pick up all of Dean's supporters

I for one will not endorse Kerry nor Edwards until at least the convention.

[TheStateChief]

63. That May Very Well Be True...

But I'd bet my next paycheck that more Dean supporters that vote in the remaining primaries go for Edwards than Kerry and I wouldn't be surprised if it is by a 2-1 margin. Kerry has had difficulty getting a majority in all but a couple of states and if Dean had bowed out before yesterday's contest in Wisconsin I guarantee you that Edwards would have won. Same for Oklahoma. I have serious reservations about Kerry (but will support him if he's the nominee) and his past record and I don't want to see him get the nomination. I read a poll on DU that showed Kerry dropping 8% in the past three days (since the scandal rumors and Bush's lame special interest ad). If Kerry's support is that weak what will happen when Rover unloads his $100 million on Kerry? Again, I'm not saying that Kerry wouldn't be better (MUCH better) than Bush, just that it seems like his support isn't very strong within the party if you're going to believe the polls.

[lancdem]

4. I serously doubt Dean will endorse anyone

BTW, in Wisconsin, former Dean supporters split evenly between Edwards and Kerry.

[Padraig18]

14. I'm reasonably sure he's not seeking the meeting to just have tea.

:eyes:

[54anickel]

60. That's interesting. Do you have a link for that? I was wondering about

how Dean supports would actually vote in WI and how some of the press might have effected their decisions.

[bearfartinthewoods]

10. i'd like to see him pick up Dean as his VP!

holding breath...

Dean deserves a stake in this race and a place in history and a slot for the future.

[lancdem]

13. Frankly, I think he'd be more valuable elsewhere

when you're VP you can't be as plain-spoken as Dean normally is. That's probably not the best fit for him.

[bearfartinthewoods]

23. you may be right. VP position may not be able to contain his energy

ok...so what about head of the DNC?

[liberalmike27]

35. Personally

If I were Dean, I'd have some high-profile meetings with Ralph Nader. The DLC deserves to sweat after the back-stabbing and stealing of all the poor people's money, along with the media too.

I'm most angered by the few representatives of the center we have, like Carville, and Begala. Once I'd include Chris Mathews, but he's long left the fold of the center, and fully sold out to the forces that give him his 7 figure paycheck. Can't see that we have any liberals on the tube.

[Eurobabe]

43. won't happen

any more than Wes Clark's people ALL going to Kerry.

We are not sheep for crying out loud!

[BurtWorm]

44. He won't get me.

He's my last choice.

[ShaneGR]

2. Honestly, if Dean wants to show REAL power

The ultimate F-You to Washington would be to tip the nomination to Edwards. It would show REAL power to affect the parties process. I'm still skeptical that he'll do it, but it would make things VERY close.

[Padraig18]

5. Franken said...

'Sources inside the Dean campaign' say Gov. Dean is seeking to meet with Sen. Edwards this week. No similar meeting is being sought with Sen. Kerry.

Ruh roh! :evilgrin:

[lancdem]

6. I'm not quite sure I understand your point

Edwards and Kerry are both sitting senators, so they're both "insiders."

[AP]

7. DLC wants Kerry, doesn't like Edwards (if I had to guess).

Kerry is good for the corporations. Safire calls Edwards the "soak the rich" candidate.

Who do you think the insiders want.

[lancdem]

15. Um, Edwards is a DLC member

:eyes:

[AP]

26. Um, so was Dean. Apparently membership doesn guarantee friendliness

[lancdem]

19. Apparently the DLC likes both Kerry and Edwards

Check out this statement from today:

Today's big political headline was Sen. John Kerry's win and Sen. John Edwards' close second in the Wisconsin primary. Both men will now continue their happily positive competition to see which candidate can offer the most compelling critique of George W. Bush and the most forward-looking alternative agenda for the fall campaign.

Sorry, your "guess" was wrong. :)

http://www.ndol.org

[AP]

29. Dan Schorr said on NPR that the DLC doesn't like Edwards because of

his stance on NAFTA.

I'm going to go with his reporting over your "evidence."

[Tweed]

70. Ah yes, Dan Schorr, a household name

[Padraig18]

8. The point, which most Kerry supporters have NEVER understood.

MANY of us believe Sen. Kerry to be an inferior candidate for the GE--- not just inferior to Gov. Dean, but inferior to MANY of the other candidates in the race.

[lancdem]

18. I guess that's why Kerry leads Bush by 1 to 9 points in polls

and Dean trails by double digits. Even when Dean was the front-runner, he never led Bush. I'm sorry, but there's no evidence Dean would've been able to reach moderate and swing voters the way Kerry and Edwards appear to be able to. I love what Dean has done for the party, but that has always been my concern.

[Padraig18]

20. That ignores the point I made.

All of those statistics may be true, but they are in no way responsive to what I said.

[AP]

37. He also led Edwards by over 30 points a week ago. If Edwards could

close that gap, he'll probably close the Edwards v Bush gap too.

[PROGRESSIVE1]

9. True. I am sick and tired of this Kerry bashing!!!!!

If Dean backs Edwards, I would have to reserve my vote for him in
the GE. Do I really want Edwards backed by Dean???

:eyes:

[spooky3]

11. Edwards can't "win." He's an "insider" because he's a senator

but he has "too little experience" to be taken seriously.

I would like to see us judge our candidates on the stances that they have taken, take now, and promise to take in the future, and on their other characteristics that will appeal to voters, such as communication skills.

[lancdem]

17. I like Edwards and don't care if he's an "insider"

My point is, Edwards supporters calling Kerry an insider while acting like Edwards is not is ridiculous.

[spooky3]

31. It depends on your definition of "insider."

[katieforeman]

32. Spooky experience has nothing to do with it.

Remember Arnold is now governor of the state with the fifth largest economy in the world.

If we judge candidates on their characteristics that appeal to voters, John Edwards is by far and away the best candidate. He is the best communicater. He connects with people. He is very persuasive. People like him because he understands their problems. His lifestory contrasts sharply with George Bush's.

In terms of stances on the issues, voters appearantly prefer his stance on jobs and the economy.

[bearfartinthewoods]

40. hehehe..Edwards as OUR "terminator"!

[spooky3]

41. katie, I am one of the biggest Edwards supporters here.

Please pay careful attention to the fact that I put quotes around certain words.

My point is that many people seem to have difficulty with the fact that the majority of his experience is in the private sector, and that he has a moderate amount of experience in the Senate. They want to create a category or black and white dichotomy in which he does not fit. Some people criticize him for having too little experience (ignoring the private sector experience and discounting his Senate work), which they view as negative compared to Kerry's 20 years, while others equate 5-6 years in the Senate as making him an entrenched "insider", the same as Kerry's 20 years, which they view negatively, though we all know Washington politics is heavily influenced by seniority. It would be fine to call him an "insider" if the definition is "you have been elected and served for at least one day in the House or Senate." But that of course would put Dennis Kucinich in that category.

The reality is that Edwards is in some ways an outsider and in some ways an insider, and there is a middle ground that does not fit cleanly in black and white categories. You could probably make a case that each of the candidates does not fit cleanly into a category. And the point is that these categories are really useless in evaluating candidates.

[katieforeman]

66. Thanks for the clarification Spooky

I'll read more carefully next time.

[in_cog_ni_to]

21. AND

they BOTH voted for the IWR and the Patriot Act! Dean MADE his campaign by speaking out AGAINST those 2 issues. This would be very bizarre if Dean does endorse Edwards....who STILL believes we should be in Iraq. Who STILL believes we were right to attack Iraq illegally and pre-emptively. :eyes:

[eileen_d]

57. It would demonstrate that Dean is all about revenge

and I honestly don't think that Dean is that petty.

[tridim]

36. I had a dream last night that Dean was picked as FCC chairman

Gawd, I'm such a political nerd.. Anyway, I believe it was his comments on big media that caused the massacre by the media. Makes perfect sense. Dean as FCC chair would be the media's worst nightmare.

[Tweed]

69. Honestly if Dean wanted to REALLY sell himself

The ultimate F-You to his principles would be to tip the nomination to Edwards. It would show that he REALLY didn't care about his anti-war stance. I'm still skeptical that he'll do it, mainly because Dean isn't that shallow and Edwards isn't that great of a candidate.

[spooky3]

12. As an Edwards supporter, I would be thrilled to have any

support from Dr. Dean that he wants to offer to Edwards, if in fact he is coming out of the race. He has done more than anyone to get the Democrats going this year.

Howard Fineman (questionable source, I know) said on the Today Show this AM that "Howard Dean dislikes Kerry and likes Edwards", which would be interesting if true.

[Padraig18]

16. It's been obvious in the last 2 debates.

They agree on soooo many issues, and each has rather obviously refrained from attacking the other.

[Leilani]

46. I heard a discussion on CNN the other day

& they said Dean hates Kerry for what he did to him in Iowa, & he might endorse Edwards.

This is all gossip, & don't know if true, but I am still mad at Kerry for the dirty campaign he ran against Clark.

I think Kerry helped take Dean down, then Clark, & if Edwards becomes a real worry, he will also go down.

And the party regulars, the establishment, will help.

I think the big money was always on Kerry, & they will not allow anyone else to get this nomination.

[katieforeman]

22. This could be great news.

If Dean endorses Edwards, Edwards will win the nomination and Democrats will win the White House.

Dean is a class act.

[Padraig18]

25. Yes!

Last night proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that Sen. Kerry's nomination is NOT inevitable. I hope Howard does it!

:hi:

[SadEagle]

24. WaPO reported that he met with Sen. Edwards on Sunday, post-debate...

... and that they were going to meet on Wednesday, too... Sorry, don't have the link at hand

[Padraig18]

27. I think I just heard a big "Ruh roh!" at Kerry HQ!

:evilgrin:

[maddezmom]

30. doubt it

Don't think anyone at Kerry HQ is expecting an endorsement from Dean.

[Padraig18]

33. My point was this:

I agree with your statement, but I also think many/most at Kerry HQ probably weren't thinking Dean would actually endorse Edwards, either, hence the 'Ruh roh!'. :)

[maddezmom]

55. guess we'll find out for sure at Dean's news conference

but the word is he's not endorsing anyone.

[northernsoul]

28. I was a Deaner, just gave $$ to Edwards this morning

I'd been sitting on my checkbook for a while because I was really happy with the way that Dean had blown through his $40 Million and had so little to show for it.
Now that it's a two horse race, with two candidates I'm willing to fight like hell for in the general election, my preference is Edwards and I like the guy enought to put my money where my mouth is.

[spooky3]

34. thank you, northernsoul, I know that is hard to do.

[mr715]

38. Geez...

What are you people talking about with the DNC and DLC?

First off... Edwards is a New Democrat (DLC member), Kerry isn't and never has been.

Theoretically, Edwards is supposed to be a conservative democratic in the Clinton tradition with more liberal social policies. He has, however, had a much more liberal voting record than his membership suggests.

Kerry is perhaps the most liberal Senator around today. He is not, never has been, a DLC member.

As for the DNC? Dean's campaign manager is a former chair of the DNC.

All this anti-establishment stuff irks me. Kerry is incredibly liberal, and I dont understand where these anti-Kerry allegations come from. Hes a politician, through and through, but so is Dean. The only difference is Dean panders to young idealists, while Kerry panders to his own constituencies.

Get information on votes before you people bash who will likely be our candidate.

I love Edwards, I love Kerry. Either would be a great president, BUT polls suggest that Kerry is stronger. He has experience and a long history.

[Cuban_Liberal]

42. Polls 8 1/2 months out from the GE mean zip!

Might as well try divining the future by reading pigeon entrails, like the Roman augurs did. :eyes:

[mr715]

45. Agreed

Accepted and agreed to.

Whats unusual is the massive turnout for this election.

I do not buy the electability arguement... I genuinely believe that Kerry is the best candidate because hes the only one that calls himself a liberal, save Kucinich.

[SadEagle]

47. Kerry *is* a DLC member

See http://graham.senate.gov/sndc.html, there is a membership list at the top.

And as for Dean's campaign manager? Dean's campaign manager is Roy Neel, who was basically Gore's chief of staff all along. Who you're probably thinking of is Grossman, who is the -former- campaign chair, with the -former- being there because he is a traitor and sell-out, who got politely fired for mouthing off too much

[mr715]

48. No sir

The New Democratic Coalition does not include John Kerry.

The only reason you see John Kerry as a DLC member is because of his support of the Graham-Rudman-Hollings Act. He is not a DLC member.

[SadEagle]

49. Then why is he listed as a member on their webpage?

http://graham.senate.gov/sndc_members.html

Scroll down to the very bottom

[mr715]

51. Balancing the budget

He is listed as a New Democrat because of his support for a balanced budget.

Despite him being the most liberal member of the Senate, he has been with the moderates on balancing the budget before Clinton made it popular.

When the balanced budget became the issue of the DLC, and they sorta forgot about their more conservative social policies and private sector action, Kerry got inducted into the fold.

Kerry is a liberal, not a new democrat. The voting record speaks.

[SadEagle]

56. Ehm, this is a -membership- list of the Senate arm of the DLC.

It's not a "who we like" list. It's a membership list. It's a simple as that.

[mr715]

59. Its in the votes.

The arguement made by people in this forum is that the DLC is an awful, evil establishment that is corrupting the democratic party.

My assertion is that Kerry is not a New Democrat because he does not, and never has, voted with the DLC.

Just as Zell Miller is a "member of the Democratic caucus", he is not a democratic voter.

Kerry gets newsletters from the DLC because he preempted their stance before it was popular. He has not, nor ever will be, a voting member of the Third Way Coalition

[lurk_no_more]

61. Do you really think being DLC matters now

Haven't you learned by now that whatever dean does is OK for whatever reasons he gives.



And then there were none!
” JAFO”

[Cuban_Liberal]

39. Please, let it be so!

I would be incredibly honored to have Dr. Dean's endorsement! :)

[JohnLocke]

53. I as well, Cuban_Liberal, I as well.

[Cuban_Liberal]

58. It's pretty clear that many more respect him than have voted for him.

I think Dr. Dean's endorsement would send a real message of hope to many Democrats who are simply 'resigned' to voting for Sen. Kerry, and to many who remain undecided.

:hi:

[JohnLocke]

62. Indeed. The tide is turning yet again.

:hi: :)

[cryofan]

50. An Edwards-Dean ticket may be a loser; Edwards need military VP

I think Dean may be bargaining for the VP spot. Dean is promising his endorsement if Edwards will promise him the VP if he wins. And I think there is a chance that Edwards COULD win with Dean's endorsement.

But Edwards needs to choose a VP with military experience: Kerry would be the obvious choice, or at least Clark.

I have a bad feeling about this....I think Edwards-Dean could be in trouble against Bush.

[Cuban_Liberal]

52. I don't think dr. dean is seeking the VP nod.

I think he is, rather, seeking some sort of assurances that his movement's foundation/principles will be incorporated into the platform, i.e., be given a 'seat at the table'. :)

[edzontar]

54. Right now, if I HAD to make a choice for a non-Dean candidate

It would be Kucinich.

If not Kucinich, and if it came doen to ONLY a choice between Edwards and Kerry, i would pick Edwards as by far the lesser "evil."

Indeed, Kerry is and will remain my last chocie for his involvement in the Iowa dirty dricks and smear campaigns.

[littlejoe]

64. Makes sense, since he feels that Kerry tried to torpedo him.

[On the Road]

65. IF....Edwards Thinks Dean's Support Win Him the Nomination

He might just offer Dean the VP slot. That is my hope.

Dean's leverage is shrinking by the day. If he wants to remain relevant, he needs to make a deal fast.

Edwards may feel he can win on his own. He has a retained a sunny optimism even when behind in the polls. Dean may strike him as having too many negatives. But on the other hand, if Edwards is starting to taste blood and just needs a little push, who knows?

[AnnitaR]

67. How can Dean endorse Edwards???

I do not understand this at all! It makes no sense. Edwards has yet to admit he was wrong about his vote on the IWR. He has no regrets at all it seems about it.

How can Dean and the die-hard Dean supporters endorse Edwards? I may be missing something here. But this endorsement seems like it's just mainly a big "fuck you" to Kerry.

I sincerely hope that Dean doesn't endorse anyone. He should hold fast to his belief that the war was wrong. I think endorsing Edwards would be a HUGE sell out. I would lose respect for Dean if he does so.

[madfloridian]

68. Don't think he is. Mostly supposition.

He did not sound like it today. If you are forming a movement within the party, you need your resources. I don't think he will endorse, as he is still viable on the primary ballots.

[AnnitaR]

72. I hope he's not!

No one really deserves Dean's endorsement. They all treated him like shit. He should focus his efforts on becoming one hell of a force in the party. He should not compromise his beliefs just to get back at what Kerry did to him. Endorsing Edwards isn't worth it.

I have always had such respect for Dean for giving our party hell about their support for this war. I hope he doesn't throw that away.

[WiseMen]

71. Wouldn't this be a betrayal of the whole movement? Edwards is Opposite

to most of what Dean supporters have been for in the past.

[ibegurpard]

73. Maybe on some things

but he's sounding the right notes on others. You don't give Dean supporters enough credit for pragmatism.