Dean's DLC comment

[muchacho]

You know, Dean calling the DLC “the Republican wing of the Democratic party” moves him higher on my support list.

[molly]

1. Where do his stances differ?

[CWebster]

3. Obviously, the DLC takes issue

with the differences. Ask them.

[Cheswick2.0]

5. he doesn't pander the the WAR LOVERS

there ya go

[Polemonium]

7. Most obviously he encourages grassroots support

He doesn't just cater to the corporate fat cats. Surely you must see this as a difference.

[molly]

12. Remember this post from November?

http://www.isreview.org/issues/32/dean.shtml

This article, very well researched, and footnoted! talks about Howard Dean pre-presidential run. It addresses his stances on many items of interest to this community throughout his years as governor of Vermont.

Snippets:

Though he has been dubbed a "raging liberal" by admirers and critics alike, Howard Dean governed Vermont strictly within the framework of the conservative Democratic Leadership Council.

Many people on the Vermont left see Dean’s current posture as politically motivated. "The notion that he is a liberal is ludicrous to those of us who worked with him in Vermont," said Terrill Bouricius, a former state representative.4 Dean admits that he recognized early on that the popular anger at Bush is "a raw energy, an energy that I know could be channeled."5

and

But such political maneuvering is nothing new for Dean. Upon becoming governor of Vermont in 1991, after the sudden death of then-Republican Governor Richard Snelling, Dean made a sharp turn to the right and pursued that course ever since. In his 11 years as governor, Dean would shift rightward on one position after another, all the while claiming to be concerned for the needy and less-fortunate, and disappointing all who thought they were getting someone who would govern from the liberal end of the political spectrum.

Dean inherited a massive deficit in the state budget from Snelling. Refusing to raise taxes on wealthier Vermonters (and rendering the tax system more regressive than previously), Dean declared in his first State of the State address that it would be his mission to balance the state budget with some "tough" cuts. Even though Vermont has no law requiring a balanced budget, Dean promised, "The pain for Vermonters will be real."7

Dean slashed millions of dollars from all sorts of social programs, from prescription drug benefits for Medicare recipients and heating assistance for poorer Vermonters to housing assistance funds. In defending his cuts to social programs, Dean said, "I don’t think I have to shy away from that just because I’m supposed to be a liberal Democrat."8

You owe it to yourself to check out this long, but very informative article.

[CWebster]

15. no secret there

Dean is a moderate Dem who used to align himself with the DlC but believes they have moved too far to the Right - probably a view Al Gore shares.

http://www.progressive.org/may03/rc0503.html

"An Old-Style Centrist"

[Polemonium]

19. I'm aware of the good and bad, and more informed than you

presume. Ultimately, Dean believes in making things better for his constuituents, and in todays climate that is a big change.

Or you owe it to yourself to read this long article. Shall we dance?

http://www.newyorker.com/fact/content/?040112fa_fact

[hedda_foil]

29. And again! The International Socialist Review is cited against Dean!

How many times can this very strange source be recycled here on DU? Even more interesting to me is the question of whether one of the campaigns or blogs has this posted somewhere.

[Rose Siding]

30. He'll lose those socialists if he isn't careful!

That's 28 times by my count :silly:

[mouse7]

8. Health care and plans for tax cut

Dean wants to get Health Care for everyone. DLC wants Bush tax cut mostly left alone.

Al From is also on the board of the National Chamber of Commerce. Ooopsie.

[Cheswick2.0]

2. I liked that too

I call them the appeasement wing.

[BeyondGeography]

4. Where does his record differ?

Dean is exploiting your emotions. Don't fall for it.

[Cheswick2.0]

6. Clark is a lobbyist for the war industry

:shrug:
check it out

[CWebster]

13. And Clark is exploting your fear--

propped up by the party establishment to triangulate the Republicans strategy to capitalize on the new shadowy fear of terrorism to replace the old commie threat. It is essential to have an enemy to create paternalistic aggressor-protector images.

The DlC has led the party into irrelevancy but still seeks to maintain their seat of power within the corporate ruling class. they need an image to compete with the Republican perception of power although, in truth it is a facade--a cover for a dismalfailure.

They are exploiting your emotions through a front man image. Don't fall for it.

[JVS]

14. Well said!

[molly]

25. Exploiting your emotions - that best describes Joe Trippi's

campaign.

Maybe this is premature - but do Howard/Joe actually have a plan on how to unite us all if they get into office?

[Cheswick2.0]

31. us?

No Molly, I think they understand you can't be forced to be united with the rest of us. That's your choice.

[Bombtrack]

9. It's completely hypocritical and completely a pander

he know's that anti-DLC chic is just another can of red-meat he can throw at the easily pandered to wing of the activist left.

Dean has a DLC record as governor and attended DLC events as governor.

[jonnyblitz]

27. pandering (it that is what it is) isnt unique to Dean.

As a vet I have a particular distaste for the candidates that pander to the military BUT I realize they all do it so I refuse to take the hypocritical stance of selective outrage.

I guess if you are opposed to Bush you are engaging in anti-Bush chic.

[Atlant]

10. It was a big part of why I support him also.

It's been clear to me since, oh, 1992 or so that my party
was hijacked by aliens who thought losing our souls was
a fair trade for winning an election or two. And then they
started failing to even win any elections, although our
souls are still in hock to the devil.

Atlant
(Help stamp out the DLC!)

[Cheswick2.0]

33. I don't think the DLC was such a bad idea at first

many good people belonged to it over the years. However it has been taken over by assholes like From and become, well... yeah, the republican wing of the democratic party.
When Al Gore refused to come kiss their ring at last years annual "kiss our ring or get no support" forum last year they turned on nhim big time. Of course he turned on him first, so ..........

[Skinner]

11. When did Dean say this?

I quickly googled it, and I found the quote attributed to him with no context whatsoever. It is clear that Lieberman accused him of saying it, but I am a little skeptical without a direct citation.

Did he actually say this? Or was it it inferred from his "Democratic wing of the Democratic party" comment?

[maddezmom]

16. this is where I saw it

http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-na-dlc24dec24,1,4777215.story?coll=la-headlines-politics

it was during a speech in NH. :)

[CWebster]

17. Seems I recently read it attributed to him

It is somewhere on DU.

Out of the loop on holiday, eh? ;-)

[liberalmike27]

18. Can't agree more

It is no coincidence, pointed out by Jessie Jackson Jr., Illinois Congressman, that the DLC is also the initials for the old group that this group replaced, the Democratic League of the Confederacy.

Clinton was the most right-wing of all Democrats, ever, though he had some successes in a time of maturing baby-boomers, and their increased spending. Any president would have done well, but credit is due since any president can muck up the works.

[muchacho]

20. frenzy

wow, it seems any comment about a Dem candidate is like a bone in a pit of starving mutts. The fur will fly.

Sure woud be nice if half this energy was focused on shaving Bush's growing popularity on the polls.

[Renew Deal]

21. I don't like it for 1 reason.

It is a nasty thing to say about fellow dems. How will he unite the party if he wins? Why would they want to deal with him?

[muchacho]

23. buh bye

well, it hard to unite people that want nothing to do with you and want to be the other party SOOOOOOO BAD!

[jonnyblitz]

26. we don't need two right wing parties

I don't care whether they call themselves Dems or not, one right wing party is enough. If both parties are beholden to corporate interests who is going to represent the people?

[Jerseycoa]

32. Nasty name-calling

It gets us nowhere, but some people love doing it.

[Cheswick2.0]

34. are you kidding?

They will unite behind him because he will lead them out of the bush darkness. The DLC will crumble when other democrats no longer see them as leaders.

[DemDogs]

22. Dean participated in the DLC

I think we should demand a minimum level of candor in our candidates. That is the most important thing I have to say.

I don't have an opinion on the DLC; we are a big party with a wide range of opinions, and I hope it stays that way. If we become a monolith, whose ideas do we follow?

[CWebster]

24. Hopefully

not the DLC's, because they seem to think being Democrats is a losing proposition.

[Cheswick2.0]

36. 1) prove he participated

2) prove he still is

He may have belonged at one time, that says nothing about now. I was once a girl scout, so what?

[robbedvoter]

28. Blow your base to smithereens! Good idea! Cockroaches! Bush lite!

"Not quite democrat enough" and in between: "Sob! I feel like Job. Terry, help! They are mean to me!. Why me Lord, why me?"

[sandnsea]

35. Emotional manipulation

He supported DLC ideas his entire career, every single time without fail. He was often to the right of Clinton and the DLC. We know this. This is pure election year manipulation. He sold Yankee Nuclear after California's blackouts which was recommended by his own deregulation committee. He hasn't changed a bit, he's a pure DLC centrist Democrat in policy, if not in name.

[Cheswick2.0]

37. is this "emotional manipulation" meme on the Clark Blog?

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

[Crunchy Frog]

38. I pretty much agree with the sentiment

but I don't think it's a good idea to be burning bridges. He's going to need the support of everyone in the party if he's going to take the white house. He won't get that by antagonizing large segments of the party. That's just plain common sense.