Some Moderate Democrats Like Howard Dean (Calls For Iraq Investigation)

[Khephra]

July 11, 2003, 7:59 AM EDT


WASHINGTON -- He's known as the anti-war candidate whose appeal is to the liberal wing of the Democratic Party, and some Republicans say if Howard Dean gets the nomination, President Bush will be a sure bet to win a second term.

Not so fast, say some moderate congressional Democrats who would be affected if Dean is at the top of the ticket. He also supports gun rights, the death penalty and a balanced budget.

Republicans and even some moderate Democrats have portrayed Dean as the next George McGovern, who won the 1972 Democratic nomination by appealing to anti-war liberals only to get trounced by a sitting Republican president, Richard Nixon. But behind Dean's liberal image is his record as Vermont governor of reforming welfare, slashing state spending and cutting taxes for businesses.

Moderate Democratic Rep. Cal Dooley of California says Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman is the best Democrat to take on Bush next year. He says Democrats in moderate districts wouldn't want to see Dean on the top of the ticket right now, but that could change if Dean changes his rhetoric and starts talking about his record.


snip.........


Appearing Friday on ABC's "Good Morning America, Dean called for a "full-scale investigation" into who in the Bush White House knew reports that Iraq was trying to buy nuclear material from Africa were based on faulty intelligence.
MORE......................

http://www.newsday.com/news/politics/wire/sns-ap-democrats-dean,0,7845199.story?coll=sns-ap-politics-headlines

[RogueTrooper]

1. Good article

I am sure it will dawn on them, some time soon, that Dean has been campaigning on his record and his centerist politics are wlll known to his supporters.

[hang a left]

2. I want to share your optimism

I would love to see Dean or Clark (my first two picks), but I will settle for the dem front runner to win in 04. But I'll tell you something has got to come out of this administation's deceitful rational for the war. I live in San Diego, and your everyday ma and pa little leagues, grandma and grandpa have yellow ribbons tied to their car antennaes, support our troop bumper stickers, and flag lapel pins, all seemingly supporting Bush fighting the good fight. It is really scarey. Something has to happen and happen big, or we will be in for another 4 years. God help us all

[Le Taz Hot]

3. Cal Dooley?????

ROFLMAO!!! Oh please! Cal Dooley represents a highly conservative area just south of Fresno and is scared shitless for his job 24/7. He's beholden to AIPAC BIG TIME, corprorate farming interests, votes with the Republicans at least half the time and endorsed Lieberman. What does that tell you? Cal Dooley. Oh goddess, I'm STILL laughing.

[Melinda]

7. Drat two threads on this subject - Cal is scared shitless, Taz!!

He has to be in order for him to pull his head out of Joe's ass like this.

Old joke at my house. What's the difference between Dooley and Radinovich?

Geography.

[Le Taz Hot]

8. LOL!

Great joke and oh-so-true! I'm sure ole' Lieberman is sleeping better at night knowing he's got Dooley's endorsement. <snicker>

[mumon]

4. Joe LIberman is toast. Friggin' toast.

I wish the media would stop shoving DLC losers down our throats.

[Khephra]

5. kick

:kick:

[wheresthemind]

6. ugghhh

and Dennis gets NO recognition from months and months of this?

LEADING the house into getting an investigation going!?!

AHHHH

[Aaron]

9. Ty Khephra! This is a good find -

I never get any decent news in the local paper so I rely on DU to keep me up to speed. It's comforting to see that some epople are willing to look at Dean objectively, or for that matter any candidate objectively, rather than based on press-labels like 'the next McGovern' etc.

[Khephra]

11. Thanks Aaron!

I'm always happy to help!

[VolcanoJen]

10. Kick!

:dem:

[w4rma]

12. "Dean has been reaching out..." (Nice! He's pulling the Party together!)

Many of the more conservative members of the caucus say they don't know much about Dean yet. Rep. Gene Taylor of Mississippi said he is so ignorant of Dean's record that "I would be perfect to serve on a Howard Dean jury."

But Dean has been reaching out to some moderate congressional Democrats who have not yet endorsed one of his opponents.

Rep. Charlie Stenholm, a Democrat who describes his Texas district as solid Bush country, said he's meeting with Dean next week. Reps. Baron Hill of Indiana and Dennis Moore of Kansas say they've talked to him and even if they don't agree with all his positions, they like him personally and are impressed with what he has accomplished so far in the race.

Rep. Bart Stupak, D-Mich., represents a rural district that favored Bush in 2000, but he says his constituents could be attracted to Dean's record of expanding health care to children in Vermont.

"In my district, I tell people to watch Dean," Stupak said.