Dean vs Candidates, McAuliffe, Clintons, The World

[Guest Jobber of the Week]

http://www.msnbc.com/news/934793.asp

 

2004 Campaign: Lying in Wait for Dean

By Howard Fineman

NEWSWEEK

 

You’d think that Howard Dean’s rivals would start attacking him—big time—now that his Internet-based fund-raising prowess has elevated him to what amounts to front-runner status in the Democratic presidential race. But each leading contender has his own strategic reason for laying off, at least until the fall, if not beyond—a scenario that could backfire by allowing Dean a free ride until it’s too late to stop him.

 

ADVISERS TO THE other front runner, Sen. John Kerry, don’t want to attack Dean now because they think he’ll crumble quickly when they finally do. In the meantime, Kerry advisers say, it’s good for the race to be seen by many party insiders as a two-way Kerry-Dean contest, since that deprives the other top-tier candidates—Dick Gephardt, John Edwards and Joe Lieberman—of media attention and campaign donations. “We can take Howard Dean on whenever we want to,” said one Kerry adviser. “Why do it now?”

 

If it really is a two-man race, Kerry hopes ultimately to argue that the party can’t afford to nominate the antiwar Dean. Another Kerry adviser says, “The Democratic Party isn’t going to want to nominate another 49er—a guy who loses 49 states, the way George McGovern did in 1972.” Other Dean rivals are happy to leave Dean alone on the theory that he is most bothersome to the Kerry campaign, especially in New Hampshire, where the primary next January is do or die for both men. “Either Kerry or Dean is going to survive the New Hampshire Primary, but not both,” said an adviser to another rival. “Why should any of us get in the way of that? If Dean defeats Kerry there, it opens things up for the rest of us.” Gephardt’s and Lieberman’s advisers see Dean blocking the progress of Edwards, who has positioned himself as a new-face, new-ideas outsider but who has yet to make any headway in the polls. Lieberman and Edwards are delighted to see Dean rising in the polls in Iowa, where he is making life more complicated for Gephardt.

 

But some independent Democratic strategists say all this Machiavellian restraint could backfire on Dean’s rivals. When Kerry finally does unload, for example, the theme will be that Dean is a phony because he really isn’t the progressive—or liberal—he claims to be. The Kerry team will focus on the fact that Dean has supported a balanced-budget amendment, opposes gun control, now supports the death penalty in some cases and has talked about raising the retirement age for Social Security. The Kerry team will use these issues to attack Dean’s character. But, ironically, those issues could undercut the other point Kerry’s advisers want him to make: that Dean isn’t mainstream enough to win the general election. “This race isn’t about left and right in any case,” says Simon Rosenberg, an independent Democratic strategist and head of the New Democrat Network. “It’s about insider and outsider. Dean has lucked into being the only credible outsider.”

 

Of course, Matt Drudge and Rush Limbaugh are stirring the pot:

 

http://rushlimbaugh.com/home/daily/site_07...ctor.guest.html

 

Drudge ran an interesting story over the weekend reporting that, "Presidential contender Howard Dean has confided to associates how he desires a fresh course for the Democratic National Committee, including a dramatic change in its leadership, specifically [The Punk] chairman Terry McAuliffe."

(...)

Dean has told senior staffers that people are coming back to the party, energized only now thanks to his campaign, that it has nothing to do with McAuliffe and that he'll make a change there immediately after the New Hampshire primary.

 

Howard, you better be careful here, because you're taking a huge risk. You don't want to be seen in Fort Marcy Park, Howard. This is incredible. Howard Dean challenging Terry McAuliffe is a challenge to the Clintons. This is a result of the Democrats sabotaging their own front-runners, which is a Clinton pattern. Dean knows what's going on. He's smart enough to figure out that the Clintons don't want any of these nine Democratic contenders to have a prayer in this election because if one of them does succeed, then you can say bye-bye to 2008 and Hillary.

 

Meanwhile, Newsweek moved two versions of a story about John F. Kerry, the French-looking candidate on the Democratic side, in which Howard Fineman quotes a Kerry advisor on Dean. Now, the original quote was, "We can take Dean out whenever we want to, said one Kerry advisor, why do it now?" That was later changed to, "We can take Dean on whenever we want to, said one Kerry advisor, why do it now?"

 

So Howard Dean is telling the Democrats and the DNC that the Punk, Terry McAuliffe, has to go - and the F. Kerry camp is making threatening noises. Many in the Democratic Party probably agree with you on McAuliffe, Howard, but don't have the guts to say so in public. Something is going to give here, folks - and it isn't going to be pretty.

 

 

Ehhh.. So does Dean get eaten alive? Does Kerry? Does shit hit the fan within the party?

 

Will Rogers' classic "I do not belong to an organized political party. I am a Democrat." line never seemed as true.

[Guest Jobber of the Week]

Also, in regards to how much Dean is blocking Gephardt in Iowa, Crossfire just mentioned that Gephardt raised $1000 in Iowa. From three people.

 

He also had an online rally that had to be cancelled because less than five people RSVP'd.

[Guest Vyce]

Even with Dean's surge in the polls, I still believe that ultimately it will be Kerry who takes the nomination.

 

Dean knows what's going on. He's smart enough to figure out that the Clintons don't want any of these nine Democratic contenders to have a prayer in this election because if one of them does succeed, then you can say bye-bye to 2008 and Hillary.

 

I think there's some truth to this, actually.

[Guest Slapnuts00]

Kerry for the primary.

Bush for the election.

Hillary never gets past the primaries in 08. If she is somehow their candidate she will be DECIMATED.

[Guest Tyler McClelland]

The Drudge "article" is a load of horseshit, as is the American Spectator article about Kerry digging "dirt" on Dean.

 

What higher-up in Dean's campaign would talk to DRUDGE, of all people? Likewise Kerry?

[Guest Powerplay]

Kerry for the primary.

Bush for the election.

Hillary never gets past the primaries in 08. If she is somehow their candidate she will be DECIMATED.

 

I dunno why, but I see Gephardt getting the nod and losing. And I agree on Hillary: It seems for every person who likes her there are two that just HATE her.

[Guest Hogan Made Wrestling]

There is no way Hilary beats Gore in 2008. Or probably about a half-dozen other democratic possibles for that matter, assuming the Dems are planning on fielding the strongest possible group for 2008.

[Guest kkktookmybabyaway]

HOLY SH*T!!!!!!!!

 

I can't wait to vote for Howie Dean now! Where's that 2004 ballot?...