Ire not enough, Edwards says

[chimpymustgo]

By JOHN WAGNER, News & Observer Washington Bureau

DES MOINES, Iowa -- U.S. Sen. John Edwards told more than 8,000 Iowa Democrats on Saturday night that the party should nominate a presidential candidate who can move beyond anger at President Bush and offer a positive vision for the country.

"We are all angry with George W. Bush," the North Carolina Democrat said. "We should be angry with him. ... if we are the party of anger in 2004, we will not win." Though Edwards did not mention Howard Dean by name, his remarks were clearly aimed at the former Vermont governor, who has ridden anti-Bush sentiment to become the Democrats' front-runner.

Edwards was one of six White House hopefuls who appeared in Des Moines at the Jefferson-Jackson dinner, an annual fund-raising event in the nation's first presidential caucus state.

In his remarks, a feisty Sen. John Kerry led the crowd through a list of groups he claimed Bush had given "a raw deal."

But the senator from Massachusetts made a plea similar to that of Edwards: "We need to offer answers, not just anger. ... Iowa, don't just send them a message next January. Send them a president."

-snip-


http://www.newsobserver.com/edwards/coverage/story/3029055p-2772893c.html

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I totally agree with Edwards on this one. I love his anger: it's candid and caring and comes with solutions.

[ScreamingMeemie]

1. I agree that we can't run just on anger. But it's a good start.

I don't see just anger from any of the candidates. I see a heck of a lot of passion.

[chimpymustgo]

2. Raw anger is not going to win votes - and there's too much of that

in certain camps.

Passion is good - that's what I see in Edwards, in Kerry, in Clark even. Passion.

[ScreamingMeemie]

3. It's really what I've seen in them all. Some just get a bad rap.

Me, I'm mad as hell, and I do want these candidates to speak to that. For the most part all (most) of them are doing a good job, and it will be interesting to see how it pans out.

[clarknyc]

4. Dean is really a candidate of hope

Dean's message is not one of "raw anger", but one of passion, as well. And hope. I've seen him speak many times and I've always left inspired that we can make positive change in this country. As far as I'm concerned, this "anger meme" that is being spread only benefits the Repblican party. That said, I do respect Edwards and Clark, even Kerry. I just disagree with the portrayal of Dean being angry and nothing more.

[aldian159]

5. Good post and welcome to DU!

n/t

[newyawker99]

27. Hi Clark!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[sendero]

6. Yawn...

... Howdy Doody strikes again. When is he dropping out? Can't be soon enough.

[young_at_heart]

13. Our paper today says he would lose to Bush

Another poll.......but I'm sure it's true, unfortunately.

[AP]

7. One of the reasons you have to run a postitive message

is because if you run on a message like "the war is wrong" or "Bush i bad", even if it worked, you'd find that, next October the US will pull out of Iraq, or Bush will drop out and Bill Frist is running for president.

[arewethereyet]

8. this really is what seperates him from the others

and makes him a better choice.

we'll see if this begins to make itself apparant to the decision process. hope so.

[killbotfactory]

9. Being son of a millworker not enough

says me

[chimpymustgo]

11. No, it's not enough. Edwards has got the package. Smarts, looks,

charisma, solid proposals, great wife. It's all here.

[arewethereyet]

12. can't argue with that but...

...when you get nothing but sound bytes to work with its hard to articulate his rather extensive message that is available on his web site.

on a similar note, its not enough to:
-have served in VietNam but we all know he's done more than that
-gotten medical care for kids and he's done more than that too
-been a faithful friend of unions and he's done more than that too
-been the only one to vote against the war and he's done more than
that too

to be fair, this is a problem they all face because they just don't know if people have even heard of them or not and they have to have some tag (or at least they think they do).

when you see any of them in a reasonable forum you find out that there is a whole lot more to all of them than comes across on TV.

[WindRavenX]

10. Anger is a gift

But if it's used in the wrong ways, we will destroy ourselves. That's what I worry about with Dean.
Edwards has a great message. I really like what he's said!

[JohnKleeb]

14. What I like with Edwards is

how he tells about how hes fighting for the people he grew up with, I like the millworker dad thing too, interestingly most dont like it but I like personal perspective and such but talking about fighting for the people you grew up with is a good thing. I like Edwards.

[clarknyc]

16. I like Edwards too

I just don't like the "all Dean has is anger" meme. I don't think it's true...

[WindRavenX]

17. Like I've said...

...people are going to listen to the loudest, biggest guy on TV. Without a doubt, Dean has held Kerry at bay simply because he is physically intimidating and is LOUD. I have no real problems with Dean except that he thinks that by yelling and thumping his chest that means he should win. Kerry beats Dean on the issues, but Kerry is rather...quiet and deliberate. In other words, he's not as interesting as Dean :)
Edwards is like a blend of both. He's physically a bit more entertaining than Kerry.
I would have no problem supporting Edwards. He seems like a good man.

[clarknyc]

20. Obviously

You and I just see a different person in Dean. I don't see"physically intimidating". I don't see "LOUD". I don't see "yelling and thumping his chest" either. I do see in Dean a candidate who takes Bush to task and then promotes a positive vision of how to improve the condition of our country. I find that inspiring.

That said, I also like Edwards

[WindRavenX]

21. But, that said...

Dean would still make a good president.
The reason I'm hard on Dean is because beating Bush is going to be hard, and I see some things in Dean that might make it harder.
He is inspiring- look at the movement he's started. I find that very positive.
The bottom line is this: I will vote for him. He would make a great president. But I just am a bit cautious of him now, that's all.

[CWebster]

30. Kerry is a flat, boring, monotonous, pompous windbag

subject to bad advice in his alpha male role--which only succeed in making him appear the elitist snob, whose aloof bearing makes his stiff attempts to pander to the common man as forced and condescending.

He should talk about anger, his entire catty campaign has been an anti-Dean crusade and if the establishment thought he had a song, with all of his military macho posturing, they wouldn't have encouraged Clark to step up to the plate.

Damn right I am angry. We all are, everyday, and if you weren't you wouldn't be at a site featuring Bush and Cheney being socked in the face. There is nothing wrong with the anger! The anger is correct! The anger is necessary! The anger is justified! Without anger there is no hope.

What worries the likes of losers like Kerry, Edwards and Lieberman is the anger is directed at them as well.

[clarknyc]

15. Just curious

How has Dean been angry in the wrong way?

[WindRavenX]

19. In my opinion...

He's letting his anger completely dominate him and is making him very aggressive (in a bad way) towards the other canidates. He comes across to me as being arrogant and extremely stubborn. Outrage is good, it should fuel the canidate to work harder to defeat Bush, and to a degree I feel as if Dean is more angry at Kerry and the others than Bush. That's where I think Dean is angry in the "wrong" way.
Again, I'm not bashing Dean...I will vote for him if he gets the nomination.

[clarknyc]

25. OK. And I think...

"He's letting his anger completely dominate him and is making him very aggressive (in a bad way) towards the other canidates."

Honestly, I've not seen "anger completely dominate him" at all. And as for anger "making him very aggressive (in a bad way) towards the other canidates", what I see is Dean aggressively questioning their policy choices and alliances, nothing more.

"Outrage is good, it should fuel the canidate to work harder to defeat Bush, and to a degree I feel as if Dean is more angry at Kerry and the others than Bush. That's where I think Dean is angry in the "wrong" way."

Well, I just disagree.

When I've seen Dean speak (5 or 6 times), his focus has always been predominantly on Bush. He has said a few things about his Democratic rivals, but it's always in the context of opposition to Bush. I don't find that to be "angry in the 'wrong' way" at all.

[arewethereyet]

18. real anger is always a problem

but you can use the appearance of anger to inspire.

real anger indicates a loss of control of intellect over emotion. this is a bad thing for everyone and a leader most especially.

[Eloriel]

24. Well, dear, your worry is for naught.

You can safely lay down that burden. Dean is properly outraged by the things Bush has done to imperil this nation is so many ways, but his message is of hope, empowerment, revitalizing the democratic process, scores of wonderful, sensible, DOABLE policy initiatives, etc.

See? No need to worry at all.

Eloriel

[WindRavenX]

26. I hope so

I really hope so.
I want to like Dean, I really do.
I'm just more worried about losing in '04 than anything else...and that may be making me hyper sensitive to everything.
Oy. Long road ahead...

[stickdog]

22. A picture worth 1,000 words.

[drfemoe]

23. John Edwards still supporting the

patriot act makes me angry. He likes the way things are going so much, why is he running?

[CWebster]

28. Fuck off Edwards

If you had done your job perhaps we wouldn't have so much reason to be angry. Understand this---the anger, boy, isn't limited to Bush and that is why perhaps you fear it.

If you are not angry, you are not paying attention, if you are not angry, you don't care. Anger is hope. Characterizing Democrats as "angry"
is the Republican strategy.

Again:

Who needs Republicans with Democrats like these?

[JNelson6563]

29. I canunderstand that painting Dean as some

incoherently angry feloow might seem helpful to Edwards and the others but it's not true.

What I would like to see is Senator Edwards say something a little bolder than "Saddam being gone is a good thing". In this day and age when most non-neo-cons chief complaint has been hand-wringing compliance by the "loyal opposition" Edwards may have to do a little more risk taking than that. Until he does so I have little use for him.

Julie