The secret Dean in all of us. ..

[eileen from OH]

okay, maybe just SOME of us.

See, I've been a tree-hugging, protest-sign-carrying, go-against-the-mainstream liberal for a loooong time. But with that has come a lot of lost battles, and a growing pragmatic streak.

Y'know what? Dean's gun stance, which is not my own PERSONALLY, secretly pleases me because it's a winning stance that takes an issue off the table for the 'pubs, but at the very same time, it also isn't overtly offensive to me. That is, it isn't exactly what I like, but I can live with it.

Likewise, I would love a pure anti-death penalty candidate, but right now, that is a non-starter. So, again, part of me is secretly pleased that Dean is not exactly what I want, but his position is a more "electable" one.

It's the "guilty pleasure" syndrome, and it may have a lot to do with the whole electibility issue. That is, considering what Bush is doing to this country, I am willing to accept a less than 100% reflection of my own opinions if it's a trade-off for the larger picture and the chance to take an issue off the table for the 'publicans.

You may call it selling out. You may tell me that I should be supporting Dennis Kucinich - except that I'd also have to accept compromises with some of HIS positions. (And on a personal note, being from NEOhio, have had entirely enough of him, thank you very much.)

My point (and, yes I DO have one) is that we all have to make compromises in supporting candidates. We look at the WHOLE picture and are willing to let gooooo, or give a pass, on those things we do not like, in favor of our overall scorecard.

We all choose that which we can and cannot accept in candidates. I'm just a helluva lot more willing to compromise on the stuff that has in the past, and will in the future, kill us in the general election. And I'm a lot more interested in the whole package, rather than individual issues.

Flame away, call me a sellout, but at least I'm being honest here.

eileen from OH

[slinkerwink]

1. welcome to the Dean campaign!

[REP]

2. Flames? Heck No!

I'm just glad to see more Dean supporters!

Is wanting to win with a candidate you can live with selling out? I hope not - otherwise I sold out when I voted for Gore in 2000.

[PurityOfEssence]

3. Damned healthy approach, there...

You'll find a lot of like-minded folk out there, and you'll find a lot here, too. In my constant information gathering at large, I find ENDLESS numbers of undecided ABBers; hell, it's even becoming a standard term. This is all good.

There's hardly anyone more frustrating than a perfectionist; they never get anything done. We're defined by our extremes, but life is decided and lived in the middle, so we can take at least a little comfort from that. This goes for society at large, too.

No shots from this little black duck; I'll see ya on the barricades.

[Unity]

4. Remember that "Progressive" also means in small steps...

Dean has said his favorite quote is "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step".

[Fleshdancer]

5. You get no flames from me!

Sounds like you and I share similiar views on this subject. The idealist in me sees the world the way it should be. The pragmatist in me sees the steps I have to take to get there...as much as I want it to, progressive change doesn't happen in one giant leap.


:toast:

[rucky]

6. No! Democrats must be perfect!

and by perfect, i mean agree with me on everything.

:freak:

seriously, tho: Dean actually won me over on the gun issue - i was staunchly anti-gun before, but I'm a city boy & don't know much about rural life (except for the high-gun & relatively low crime rate).

[ThirdWheelLegend]

7. I admit I have lied and changed my story for my benefit.

You're Right! I am like Dean!

:eyes:

TWL

[REP]

8. Used To Be Anti-Choice and Voted That Way

until it was no longer convenient? Wait, that wasn't Dean, was it?

[Padraig18]

9. Welcome to the Dean campaign, Eileen from OH!

:hi:

[calimary]

10. Sorry, no flames from me, eileen.

I happen to agree with you, particularly about the gun issue. That's the ONE issue that can defang all those nuts in the south who will mindlessly claim he's too liberal. And I'm no gun nut, either. But it's something I can live with.

You further make an excellent point about a candidates ethical purity. NOBODY's perfect here. NOT Dean (said this Deanie). NOT Kerry. NOT Gephardt. NOT Clark. NOT Kucinich. NOT any of 'em. You weigh everything and you go with what weighs out best. I happen to think Dean does. There's WAY more to like than there is to dislike. I'm not willing to wait until the perfect candidate comes along. Chances are, he/she hasn't even been born yet. It's like waiting for the perfect man. You dance with what there is. And you pick the best among 'em.

It is NOT selling out. It is strategic practicality. It's figuring out which is your wisest chess piece or strongest card to play.

And Welcome to DU!