What Can Dean Do To Earn A More Favorable Opinion From You?

[rucky]

If anything.

Pretty straightforward question.

I'd like to see him clarify his I/P position, for one.

[Eurobabe]

1. get a personality

n/t

[CMT]

2. I think he has a pretty good one already

unlike some candidates who do nothing but utter platitudes.

[GregorStocks]

3. If he wins the primary...

pick Kucinich as his running mate.

Otherwise, lose to Kucinich.

[baggypants]

4. If he's going to shoot himself in the foot, get it out of his mouth first

[DuctapeFatwa]

5. His I/P position is very clear, and very mainstream

"...the former Vermont governor declared that, while the United States should become more engaged, he did not have any fundamental objections with President George W. Bush’s policies...

When asked by the Jewish newspaper Forward late last year as to whether he supported APN’s perspective, Governor Dean replied "No, my view is closer to AIPAC's view."..

He also rejects calls by APN and other liberal Zionist groups that Israel’s requested $12 billion loan guarantee be linked to an Israeli freeze on constructing additional illegal settlements on confiscated Palestinian land, arguing that such aid should instead be unconditional...

http://www.commondreams.org/views03/0226-04.htm

[rucky]

8. Old quote. Then he made the "evenhanded" comment

which pissed off AIPAC.

So which one is it?

[DuctapeFatwa]

12. He spoke without thinking, repented, and was forgiven by AIPAC

His campaign co-chair is an AIPAC guy.

[rucky]

18. I liked the "evenhanded" comment better

if those are my choices.

[Scott Lee]

37. Yes, Gods forbid we are FAIR in the region

That seems to upset the Zionists.

[auntpattywatty]

11. When something doubtful needs to be said, let some of his staff say it

first to see how it "goes over". And learn some things need to be said in private - like the complaint to McAluff should have done quietly just between the two of them. In other words he can still be the outspoken candidate that he is, but learn to use tact when it is called for.. Other than that he is perfect!!!

[eileen_d]

6. He could stop pretending to be an outsider/underdog/victim

For starters.

[democratreformed]

20. Second this one n/t

[curse10]

29. me too!

I forgot that one :-)

[sandnsea]

30. That's a good start n/t

[adadem]

34. Absolutely

though it's still too late for me to come back.

[curse10]

7. change his death penalty stance

change his gun stance
change his attitude towards other candidates
admit he wasn't the only candidate to oppose the war
apologize for his bush-lite comments
apologize for his cockroaches comment
come up with a half decent higher education plan (his is not good right now)
apologize directly to Dennis Kucinich for his improper campaign tactics

that's just off the top of my head

[DuctapeFatwa]

9. Most voters love the death penalty

Why would he want to change his position on something that is so popular with the voters he wants to reach out to?

[curse10]

22. The question asked about me personally

I abhor the death penalty. It was one of the biggest issues I had with both Clinton and Gore.

If he were to change his wishy-washy stance on it, it would make me view him in a better light.

And, I think the recent backlash against the death penalty appears to have some staying power. Heck, even my republican mother is starting to think twice about it.

[rucky]

25. I agree 100%, but it's not a dealbreaker for me.

as it would be for some of those bloodthirsty "swing voters". almost a non-issue, since Congress would never repeal it.

[curse10]

27. even so

a president can set the mood for the country-- especially on an issue like this. It may not be popular, but for me it's very important.

[Zomby Woof]

57. so he should pander?

So much for Dean being a straight shooter. :eyes:

[democratreformed]

24. Second these as well

change his attitude towards other candidates
admit he wasn't the only candidate to oppose the war
apologize for his bush-lite comments
apologize for his cockroaches comment
come up with a half decent higher education plan (his is not good right now)
apologize directly to Dennis Kucinich for his improper campaign tactics

Who does he want to take back the Democratic party from? People like me? I am one of those who don't buy into the line that all the current Democrats have been doing nothing. Sure, some of them could have done some things better, but others are doing great. My congressman, who voted against the war and medicare, was included in that "cockroach" assessment as well. He is NOT a cockroach. He has done a great job for us. One of our Senators, on the other hand, has done some questionable things (vote for the medicare bill). The thing is that he did not distinguish between the two.

[OneBlueSky]

10. really, I have nothing against Gov. Dean . . .

I just don't think he can beat Bush in the general election . . . but then again, my doubts about ANY Democrat beating Bush are growing by the day . . .

[Nadienne]

13. First and foremost:

Work towards discrediting the media. Point out their bias towards himself AND other candidates.

A number of people here have reminded me that Dean earns his media attention. He should start putting it to good use.

[VelmaD]

14. Become an actual liberal

He's too centrist for me to support him in the primary.

[Hep]

15. LOL

What can he do? God, I can't wait to hear the replies.

Stop Being Howard Dean is gonna be the gist of it.

[windansea]

16. he could stop

pointing his friggin finger

seriously...he could start by running a cleaner campaign..but it's kinda late for that

[Scott Lee]

38. Sorry, should he do that knuckle gesture, like Bill Clinton did?

...which was the same thing if you think about it.

There goes Dr. Dean, being forthright and honest again. We can't have that.

[dpbrown]

17. Drop out and endorse Kucinich

Oh, was this a rhetorical question?

[Rose Siding]

19. Beat Bush

When that's done, my already high opinion will increase exponentially.

[eileen_d]

21. This would certainly increase my opinion of him too!

And I do think it's possible for Dean to beat Bush. My opinion of him isn't on the high side, but any Democrat who beats Bush in 2004 is going to be a hero/heroine for sure. :)

[AP]

23. Nothing. He'd have to change so dramatically to be a good candidate

(on race, taxes, corporate welfare specifically) that I wouldn't trust him if he did.

Also, symbolically speaking, there's nothing he can do to change his biography.

[LuminousX]

26. Get the support of Senator Paul Simon and maybe Representative Conyers....

oh wait...

[Bucky]

28. Recant the "non-transferrable" hokum. Beg Clark to be his VP.

I'll support him enthusiastically in the GE. I want some goddamn reciprocity.

[mike_c]

41. Clark on the ticket in any form will blow it for me....

Sorry, I wouldn't vote for god himself with a career militarist on the ticket-- one heart-beat away from the oval office and all that....

[cryofan]

31. Admit he is hiding his RW past under a swirl of faux-liberal propaganda

Whenever you hear Dean speak, it is all about how the liberals are going to take back the party, but if you look at what he said as the governor of Vermont, he is clear he holds the left wing voters in contempt. Here are some quotes from his past:
read Dean's own words:


>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Most of the Democrats in the legislature rebelled against Dean over the budget cuts, and he ended up depending on Republican votes to pass most of his proposals. At the time, a local Vermont newspaper wrote, "The biggest items on Dean’s agenda for next year are likely to provoke more opposition from the Democrats than the Republicans. Nevertheless, Dean said he feels no particular pressure to deliver the goods to his party or to promote the Democratic agenda."15

In the mid-1990s, Dean even aligned himself with the likes of Republican Newt Gingrich on his stance on cutting Medicare. He opined at the time, "The way to balance the budget is for Congress to cut Social Security, move the retirement age to 70, cut defense, Medicare and veterans pensions, while the states cut everything else."16
....
The Rutland Herald described how one protestor, Henrietta Jordan of the Vermont Center for Independent Living, "said it would be much fairer to raise taxes on people with expensive homes and cars, children in private school and a housekeeper at home than to cut programs that helped the 66,000 Vermonters living with disabilities."17 Dean responded callously, brushing off the pleas of Vermont’s most vulnerable by saying, "This seems like sort of the last gasp of the left here."18"
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>


The rest of this article is here:
http://www.isreview.org/issues/32/dean.shtml

[Raya]

32. Tell the Truth

[adadem]

33. Nothing

The damage has been done. Dated Dean and paid for too many dates. No credibility, no trust, no faith. Like a bad ex-boyfriend.

[lurk_no_more]

35. Hopefully nothing

It would be hard for me to recognize him without his disguise!


” JAFO”

[Tom Rinaldo]

36. Maintain a more positive tone while differentiating from Dem opponents

I know Dean has to draw distinctions between himself and other candidates as to why he is the right guy to lead us in 2004. He doesn't need to distort anyone's records, or present facts out of context, in order to do so. Dean has lots of real strengths to point to about himself. His opponents all have aspects of their prior records that are subject to fair scrutiny, and positions taken on issues that are debatable.

I know Dean usually attempts to be responsible about how he contrasts himself with other Democratic candidates. I almost didn't answer this post because I don't have time for a long discussion and I don't want to get drawn into any "He said this", "No he didn't" debates. So please don't ask me to document instances where I feel Dean could/should have framed a difference differently. Please just take this as a sincere, personal and general observation of an area that I think Dean can improve on. Most of what I find some fault with Dean about in this regard is being done by some other candidates as well, and I have trouble with that also. I wouldn't have brought this up had you not directly asked for some feedback. I like Howard Dean and would be glad to support him if my candidate does not win the nomination.

[Scott Lee]

39. Tom, that's really rich..considering that,

In the debates so far, many of the other candidates cluster-fucked Dean in one of the most shamefully stupid displays of internecine cannabilism I've yet beheld. If you take an honest look at just who ravages who on a constant basis, the reality would have you rethinking your post.

[Tom Rinaldo]

42. Ah Scott

Damned if you do, damned if you don't. Please don't tell me that this discussion thread is just an ambush to get us to say something critical about Dean so that we can be attacked for having said it.

I wasn't asked to comment on other candidates, I was asked to comment on Dean, and I made a special effort to note that Dean is usually responsible and that others often aren't.

You should see what I would have written if a Lieberman supporter had asked for my honest feedback.

I acknowledge the truth in what you point out. I'm not supporting any of those guys. I said I liked Dean. I am looking for a leader of our Party, that means I have very high expectations of how a leader should handle himself.

If you insist: I would not expect a Dean spokesman to release a comment blasting Clark for "a lifetime of voting Republican". I would expect Dean to point out that the Democratic party welcomes Clark into our camp, he is an asset to our Party, but for a standard bearer in the critical 2004 election, most Democrats would feel more comfortable with a leader who has a long prooven track record of standing up for the Democratic Party and everything it stands for. See, that's what I mean about tone. Again, I was only asked to comment about Dean.

[Tom Rinaldo]

46. By the way, to be clear, I don't think you were attacking me.

I think you were just trying to make a valid point, and you made it, but I needed to point out how dangerous it can feel to be invited to point out anything that could be thought somewhat negative about Dean in the current heated DU environment. I really was trying to answer the question in good faith.

[Nadienne]

50. I second... well, most of your comments.

Positive tone = good thing. Media seems to amplify negative tone.

[mike_c]

40. well, I'd REALLY like Dean to...

...become Dennis Kucinich's VP running mate!

[WhoCountsTheVotes]

43. apologize for supporting "free trade agreements"

If he was closer to Kucinich on this issue, I might even vote for him myself (and everyone knows I can't stand the guy). Personally, I think the man is a dud, with no, and I mean ZERO, charisma. I certainly can't argue with the *excellent* Dean campaign - you guys are doing everything right - but personally the man is a loser.

I like his Second Amendment stance, I like the "anger", I like the "bluntness" and I'll even go on record saying that "he's peaked too early" "he can't win" and 95% of the complaints about his "gaffes" are BS.

But damn did you have to pick yet another rich, draft-dodging, second rate trust fund baby from Yale? With all of these highly intelligent, normal American Democrats like Kucinich, Moseley-Braun, Clark, and Edwards? ABBDK - Anybody but Bush, Dean or Kerry. Yuck.

[Rowdyboy]

44. Dean's my second choice but he needs to change his stand

on repeal of that part of the Bush tax cuts that goes to the middle class. They (BFEE) will crucify us with that.

[ThirdWheelLegend]

45. Tell the truth.

TWL

[Name removed]

47. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[ErasureAcer]

48. Nothing...

I don't trust the man.

"Once you lose your intergrity, you have absolutely nothing."

--Detective Lash of the Minneapolis Police Department and an 11th grade teacher of mine.

Dean has nothing and always will. Down with liars.

[TexasPatriot]

49. open the records in VT

he does that, and they find nothing in there, i'll be a LOT more comfortable with him. That alone would move him up my list about 3 spots.

[TLM]

51. The records are open in Vermont...

The only thing sealed is personal correspondence and memos... and everybody ruining has done the same.

Dean has opened those memos and correspondence to review by a judge.

So the whole attack is baseless as well as hypocritical.

[Feanorcurufinwe]

56. Simply untrue.

In the course of negotiating an unprecedented 10-year period for keeping his official papers confidential, former Vermont governor Howard Dean through his legal counsel explored the possibility of making the privacy period contingent on whether he was running for president, according to newly released documents.

Discussions between the counsel and the state archivist about a potentially longer sealing period centered around the possibility that a future political opponent of Dean's might seize on a document and use it as ammunition, according to the correspondence.

State archivist Gregory Sanford noted that in the talks a primary concern was "the `Willie Horton' example," referring to the furloughed Massachusetts prisoner whose crimes surfaced as an issue in the 1988 contest between Vice President George H.W. Bush and Michael S. Dukakis.

A seal longer than 10 years would have significantly eclipsed periods sought by previous Vermont governors, who traditionally received six-year seals for their official papers.

Dean, who left the governor's office in January 2003 and is now seeking the Democratic presidential nomination, agreed in the end to a decade-long seal -- with no extension -- for nearly half of his official correspondence, meaning the documents will be available for public viewing in 2013. Shortly before he left office, Dean told Vermont Public Radio, "Well, there are future political considerations. We didn't want anything embarrassing appearing in the papers at a critical time in any future endeavor."

In an interview with the Globe in July, he said in response to a request that he waive the seal, "No, it's sealed for a reason."
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2003/10/09/dean_feared_a_horton_scenario

[TLM]

52. Simple... stop winning.

Stop beating their candidates.

[Feanorcurufinwe]

59. You must be in some strange fantasy world. In this world, Dean hasn't won

anything.

[andym]

53. Change his position on tax cuts to retain middle class cut

I think he'll do this anyway. I do think he will
change his position, to appeal to the apolitical
middle who decides elections.

If he doesn't, it will be a very hard sell to the apolitical people who decide elections, that is, those who don't pay attention until a few days before the general election.

[takebackthewh]

54. That's pretty easy.

Stop being so damn arrogant and condescending.

And learn to think before he opens his mouth.

If he doesn't shape up soon, he's going to make a wreck out of the party in 2004.

[Feanorcurufinwe]

55. Drop out. (n/t)

[Desertrose]

58. I second that :) n/t

[LWolf]

60. A few things.

1. Cut the ONLY candidate crap. Now. And get all of the fliers using that rhetoric out of his campaign offices in any state.

2. Publicly remind his supporters that no one has voted for him yet and he is not the defacto nominee.

3. Drop out and endorse any of the other candidates except Lieberman. Ok, this one is wishful thinking on my part, but the first two would go a long way.

[revcarol]

62. Another "the only" flyer hits NM

where we have a Feb. 3 primary.
Disgusting.

He should drop out NOW.

[MaggieSwanson]

61. Stop calling himself the only major candidate...

and saying that we should all fall in line behind him.

[Eric J in MN]

63. Dean should promise to lower middle class taxes, not raise them.

Dean should endorse Kucinich's Progressive Tax Act of 2003.

http://www.kucinich.us/issues/taxes.php