Which of the nine candidates will do a better job of leading this country?

[Ani Yun Wiya]

And what things will they do to show better leadership?

[Booberdawg]

1. What are your thoughts on the question you pose?

:shrug:

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

2. Dean

Because he is a problem solver. He is willing to tell things like they are, like about taxes, and explain why changes must be made. His health care plan makes the most sense of any of the plans I've seen. He has a proven track record of leadership in Vermont, and the way he has chosen to live his life shows that he has concern and compassion for all people.

[mrbill]

3. it's ten with that clark guy....

[Friar]

4. Any of them

will do better than BushCo. I hope Wesley Clark leads the ticket in '04. ABB, though.

[newsguyatl]

5. DEAN

[bearfan454]

6. I want Kerry, but

It is really hard for a northeastern liberal to take the south. JFK was the last one. Dean is starting to look better to me at this point.

[hippywife]

7. Why...

Kucinich, of course. :)

His healthcare plan, and Carol Moseley-Braun's, is the only one that leaves no one without coverage for the price we are now paying for adminstration by private HMO's. He also recognizes that the pentagon budget can and needs to be cut without minimizing the defense of this country due to unaccounted for expenditures. He has stood against the Bush admin on attacking Iraq from the very beginning based upon the lack of credible evidence. He has never ceased calling for the investigation of the admin with regard to the evidence they used to scare most of the Dems into following Bush into war. He is calling for renewable energy of 20% by 2010. He stands against NAFTA and the WTO and calls for fair trade to lift up the workers of all nations, not just free trade that allows corporations to exploit workers abroad while cutting work forces here.

He's the man!

I will back whichever Dem gets the nod but I don't want someone who is just better than Bush...I want way, way better!! ;)

[peabody71]

8. Dean/Clark ticket will inspire a new day.

[searchingforlight]

9. I see 6 candidates whom I believe could run this country well.

There are a few capable of it but their time has not come in my opinion.

[MaverickX]

10. John Kerry ...

He has been in national government for 25 years and has a very serious and evenhanded ability to lead. Dean seems like too much of a my way or the highway type to be a great leader.

[redeye]

11. Dean...

...because his rhetoric features both "follow me," and "you have the power." The only other candidate I see saying the former is Kerry, and the only one I see saying the latter is Kucinich.

[maggrwaggr]

12. yawn.

how many of these posts do we freakin' need on this board?

Come on, post something intelligent. I'm getting tired of this "who's your favorite candidate" crap.

[snyttri]

13. A long primary season will be required to sort the wheat from the

chaff. The frontloaded season could result in a candidate that can't withstand 8 moths of attacks after just a couple months of real focus in the primaries.

[LWolf]

14. Kucinich.

Healthcare for all. Period.

No preemptive attacks on other nations.

Investment in infrastructure at home.

Social justice at home and in the world.

Protection of and promotion of a safe, clean environment. Including energy generation, agriculture, and more.

And...NO CORPORATE OWNERSHIP OF THE POLITICAL PROCESS. GOVERNMENT FOR THE PEOPLE AND BY THE PEOPLE, NOT THE CORPORATIONS.

[redeye]

15. How's that related to leadership?

The question was about leadership, not issues.

[hippywife]

16. Leadership

to me anyway, is having a vision that inspires and making people realize that they have the power for change within them. It also means making people realize that you really listen and empathize enough to look at what concerns them and have a plan to remedy the problem. Hence the stance of a candidate on the issues that effect the people and how they pursue those issues in indicative of their leadership.

[Dragonfly]

17. What LWolf and hippywife

said addresses the matter of the Kucinich leadership nicely for me, as the direct well-being of our citizens, culture and world can change markedly for the better from domestic and foreign policies initiated by the truly representative "people's candidate."

A Kucinich presidency will vividly transform the full scope of what being "an American" means: away from the avalanche of widespread avarice and human debasement...toward the prosperous daily reunion with our 6-billion-member tribe living in every corner of the planet.

Another Dem candidate other than Dennis Kucinich might be able to defeat Bush in '04, but we will still be kept in the tailspin spawned by the increasingly dire dysfunction of the tyrannical corporate-military-media status quo, since the preponderance of the federal Dem-Repub sphere is the same moneyed special-interest zone.

Nice posts: LWolf and hippywife!

[redeye]

19. You didn't address the point of issues vs. leadership

I consider the two to be distinct: issues relate to agreeing with me, whereas leadership relates to being able to, well, lead, i.e. to be outspoken but not fanatical about one's positions, and to be able to take courageous decisions.

[Dragonfly]

20. On the strength of Kucinich's

passionate, rational and courageous stances on issues that matter most to me, his stellar leadership qualities have no peer in this field.

Having studied the Department of Peace conceptual framework over 3 years ago, it's implementation alone would positively alter our sick culture. Universal health-care is the way to go, going against the wallet-draining grain of big insurance companies. The U.N. taking over the bulk of Iraq security matters, bringing our military home, is the only way to stop the building guerilla movement there. Championing the cause of sick and dying citizens who find consistently valid health benefits in using marijuana displays both compassion and courage not seen very often.

If you choose your leaders via other yardsticks, that's fine; good luck to them and you.

[LWolf]

21. Good responses for you from

Dragonfly and Hippiechick.

Here's mine:

Dennis embodies leadership. While many of his peers waffled around on Iraq and the Patriot Act, he led the opposition.

He leads the way in not just opposing bush, but in offering ideas and plans significantly different from the status quo...see my previous post.

He is chairman of the largest congressional caucus (the Congressional Progressive Caucus). That's a position of leadership.

He's led the effort to close the school of the Americas.

He organized 114 democrats to help convince President Clinton to seek human rights, workers rights and environmental quality principles as preconditions in all US trade agreements.

He is the uncontested leader in this nation in opposing de-regulation of public utilities.

I could go on. Do you need more?

[Dob Bole]

18. All 9 of them...

I want all of them in leadership posts. Except perhaps Braun, who has disgraced herself somewhat. That's why she's a "former Senator."