Dean vs. Dean

Elephant Party ^ | 1/5/04 | Jagrmeister

[jagrmeister]

Dean vs. Dean

Howard Dean, former Governor of Vermont, is a Democratic candidate for President.  Here is how it might sound if Howard Dean chose to debate himself on the important issues of the day.  (All of the statements below are actual quotes from Howard Dean)

On War with Saddam Hussein's Iraq

Dean:  "Is the security of the United States affected by what's going on in Iraq today? … I don't believe it is." ("Meet the Press," March 9, 2003)

Dean: "There's no question Saddam is a threat to the U.S. and our allies."  ("Face the Nation" on Sept. 29, 2002)

           "I think Saddam must be disarmed."  (Associated Press, Feb. 5, 2003)

Dean: "Now we're stuck there, because there was no serious threat to the United States from Saddam Hussein…” (debate, Durham, N.H., Dec. 9, 2003)

Dean:  "I never said Saddam was a danger to the United States, ever." (Dec. 10 news conference in Concord, N.H.)

Dean: "I'm not against attacking Saddam Hussein" (news conference, Sept. 19, 2002)

Dean: "I opposed the Iraq war when everyone else up here was for it" (Debate, Jan 4)

Dean: "It's conceivable we would have to act unilaterally [in Iraq]." (Des Moines Register)

Dean: "Why do we have to do everything in a unilateral way? It's not good for the future of the foreign policy of this country…” ("Face the Nation," Sept. 29, 2002)

Dean: "We clearly have to defend the United States, and if we must do so unilaterally, we will." ("Face the Nation," Sept. 29, 2002)

Dean: "I disagree with unilateral war." (“PBS Newshour”)

On Capture of Saddam Hussein

Dean: “This is a great day for the Iraqi people, the U.S., and the international community.” (Dean statement)

Dean: “The capture of Saddam has not made America safer.” (Dean speech to Pacific Council)

Should Osama receive the death penalty of life sentence in prison?

Dean: “I still have this old-fashioned notion that even with people like Osama, who is very likely to be found guilty, we should do our best not to, in positions of executive power, not to prejudge jury trials.” (interview with Concord Monitor)

Dean: “…as an American, I want to make sure he gets the death penalty he deserves.” (phone interview with AP)

Race in America

Dean: “Here are also a very significant number of folks in this state to whom it [the confederate flag] is a symbol of oppression and slavery.” (Charleston Post)

Dean: "I still want to be the candidate for guys with Confederate flags in their pickup trucks." (Des Moines Register)

Dean: "Dealing with race is about educating white folks…." (Boston Globe)

Dean: "I am tired of being divided by race in this country." (CNN "Rock The Vote" Democratic Debate Nov 5, 2003)

Medicare And Social Security

Dean: "The way to balance the budget is for Congress to cut Social Security, move the retirement age to 70, cut defense, Medicare and veterans pensions, while the states cut almost everything else." (Newhouse News)

Dean: "I have never favored Social Security retirement at the age of 70, nor do I favor one of 68." (debate, Aug. 5, 2003)

Dean:  "I also would entertain taking the retirement age to 68." (Meet the Press, June 2003)

Death Penalty

Dean: "I don't support the death penalty for two reasons. One, you might have the wrong guy, and, two, the state is like a parent. Parents who smoke cigarettes can't really tell their children not to smoke and be taken seriously. If a state tells you not to murder people, a state shouldn't be in the business of taking people's lives." (Slate.com)

Dean: “…The death penalty would be a just punishment for certain, especially heinous crimes, such as the murder of a child or the murder of a police officer. The events of Sept. 11 convinced me that terrorists also deserve the ultimate punishment.” (Statement, June 2003)

Middle East Peace Approach

Dean: "We have to stop terrorism before peace negotiations" (Forward)

Dean: "[I don't] believe stopping the terror has to be a prerequisite for talking." (CNN)

Any Final Thoughts

Dean: “Trying to have it both ways demonstrates neither strong leadership nor good judgment.” (Boston Globe)

[reed_inthe_wind]

That is the funniest thing I have seen. LOL

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[jagrmeister]

Thanks. It took me a while to put it together so the quotes. Howard Dean's loose cannon approach gave me much material but I wanted to group the quotes in a way that most clearly highlighted his cluttered thinking.

[Objective Reality]

Argh! Stop! Let them nominate the dope first, then let Rove trot these out, clip by clip, in a campaign ad! Don't give away the store to Kerry and Gephardt!

[jagrmeister]

Dean will win. The primaries are around the corner: he has the momentum, he has the money, he has the endorsements. There is no anti-Dean with the charisma to rally Democrat faithful against him. This is a window of opportunity now to define Dean to the populace- where we won't be inclined to fight us, since he's so busy fending off challenges from the Left.

[jagrmeister]

Here is what the title should look like:

Dean vs. Dean

[jagrmeister]

I've put together a piece of Howard Dean debating himself (using direct quotes from Dean) and thought you might find it interesting and humorous. Please let me know what you think.

Fair,Pubbie- do you have ping lists? I'm trying to get this out to as many people as possible for comment and suggestion, and would appreciate your help. Thanks.

[FairOpinion]

Great job!

Send it to all the other Dem presidential candidates campaign, seriously.

But keep a copy, the Republicans may need it too, if Dean really will be the Dem nominee.

[Pubbie]

Ok - *Ping*!

[billorites]

So, I'm guessing you're not a Deanie Baby?

[Cobra64]

Great job!

Send it to all the other Dem presidential candidates campaign, seriously.

Better yet, this piece should be sent to Karl Rove. If Rove uses dozens of Dean's flip-flop, hypocritical statements, it will have a terrific impact on the sheeple. IMOHO the synergy would grow at an algorythmic rate (well maybe at a geometric rate).

(Sorry for the reference to Algore in the last sentence.)

[Diogenesis]

[Jim Robinson]

LOL! Great post!!

[jagrmeister]

Thanks. I think now is an excellent time to make the charge of "double-talk" stick to Dean. By the time the general election rolls around, Dean will be in no position to attack Bush on the subject of credibility (ie: WMD). Horowitz once said the aim of political communication is not simply to attack your opponent but injure his ability to attack. That is what I hope to accomplish by highlighting Dean's penchance for speaking out both sides of his mouth now. If you know anyone in the GOP (I have a few connections locally, but not many), please do let them know about the elephantparty url (http://www.elephantparty.com).

[jagrmeister]

If you have any means of getting this piece out (http://www.elephantparty.com), please do so. I agree with you that the charge will stick. The best part is that there's no spinning on our part- it's just all Dean's words coming back to haunt him.

[Jank]

"Thank you, very much....

[Lady Jag]

Boing! Boing! Boing!

[facedown]

PLEASE, somebody who is more graphics-skilled than me, figure out how to make these two graphics "dance", ie. 1/2 second exposure each:

And then show me how to do it!

[Otis Mukinfus]

Why is it funny? He's just a typical aristocratic politician who will say what he thinks the peasants want to hear.