Posted on 05/15/2003 11:26:39 AM PDT by lilylangtree
SEATTLE--Democratic presidential candidate Howard Dean likes President Bush as a person, he said Wenesday, "But his policies I can't stand."
The former governor of Vermont roused a crowd of more than 1,000 in Seattle to several standing ovations by blasting Bush's economic and domestic policies. He spoke to supporters after raising money and meeting with top state Democratic leaders.
"I'll make you proud to be Democrats again," Dean told the crowd on Wednesday night. Dean said he thinks the administration's policy in Iraq will "come back to bite us."
"If the president thinks our troops will be out in 18 months, he is smoking something he forgot about when he was at Yale," the former governor said. Dean, like Bush, is a Yale graduate.
Dean made a nme for himself nationally with his strong opposition to the U.S.-led war in Iraq. He is one of nine candidates vying for the Democratic nomination to challenge Bush in 2004.
Earlier this week Dean, who is also a medical doctor, proposed an $88.3 billion plan to provide health coverage for all Americans up to age 25 and slash tax breaks for corporations that don't provide health insurance to workers.
After his speech, he told reporters that his health care proposal differs from the failed Clinton plan because it builds on existing federal systems rather than making drastic changes.
"Nobody has to change insurance companies if they don't want to," he said. "Nobody has to change doctors if they don't want to. It's not going to look any different to the consumer."
Asked about globalization and trade, Dean said he believes the United States should tie labor and environmental standards to trade in agreements such as the NAFTA.
"I think other countries would do it, because now they're in the tent, they've got a lot to lose," Dean said.
Bringing countries into "the tent" also came up in Dean's discussion of North Korea's nuclear threat. He said the United States should resume food and fuel aid--diplomatically recognize North Korea--in exchange for that country's allowing weapons inspectors to enter. Diplomatic recognition will pay off, Dean said.
"We'll have more leverage over their behavior when they're in the tent than when they're out of the tent," he said.
Dean also spoke strongly in support of affirmative action, and harshly criticized Bush's support for Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, a Republican who compared homosexual behavior to incest or polygamy.
"I am tired of being divided by race," Dean said. "I am tired of being divided by gender. I am tired of being divided by income, sexual orientation, religion."
Dean's ideas appealed to Jim Halfaker of Seattle, a retired minister and development officer.
"The kinds of things he's said make me happy to be an American again," said Halfaker, a longtime Democrat. "This guy's a fresh voice. He feels like a stronger candidate than bill Bradley, just personality-wise."
Short, true story. I have a three-year-old niece. Her father's a staunch, die-hard conservative. He also has a Special Forces son in Northern Iraq, by the way of Afghanistan. Anyway, him and his wife collect antique puzzles. I know squat about antiques of any kind but they spent $2250 for a puzzle of a map of the U.S. It's the pride of their collection. It's on their mantle and lit with a spotlight and the whole dog and pony show.
They woke up one morning and discovered the top-left piece was missing. They searched for hours and hours. They thought Kelie, my niece, was too small to reach it so they didn't even tell her what they were looking for. They finally decided their housekeeper must've taken it . . . and they were discussing calling the police at lunch.
Kelie said, "I ate it."
Brad, her father, said, "You what?"
Kelie . . . "I ate it. F____ing coward sumbitches!"
Brad nearly fell out of his chair. His sweet and beautiful and "surprising" daughter . . . she's nineteen years younger than her brother . . . had never said a curse word in her life.
Barbara, her mother, smells a rat. "Why did you eat Washington, honey?"
Kelie turns up her little nose, and repeats, "F____ing coward sumbitches!"
Brad and Barbara can't help it. They laugh so hard they both nearly have coronaries.
Barbara finally asks, "Where did you hear that, honey?"
Kelie flicks her head at her father.
Turns out Brad had been watching TV late, late the night/morning before . . . supposedly by himself . . . when he saw an anti-war protest in Seattle. Kelie had snuck out of bed, hidden behind the couch, and paid close attention to what he said. When Brad went to bed, Kelie got a stool and took Washington State out of their antique map and ate it.
Kelie was taken to the local Dairy Queen and treated to a banana split for knowing her states . . . after she promised to NEVER repeat anything Daddy says.
Good definition of Seattle . . . poop from a three-year-old.
The BILL will look a heck of a lot different!
I like Howard Dean!!! He's an unelectable idiot who's going to wound the front-runner DimWits (Gephardt, Lurch Kerry, Edwards). We'll get lots of good ideas for anti-Dimwit commercials from his attacks on his competition. LOL, I just love it.L
I knew there was something wierd about this guy, he's got multiple genders, explains a lot.
He conviently forgets X42's promise of being out of Kosovo in one year too. But then, we make special concessions to DemocRATs, don't we?
Seattle, of course, is where Baghdad Jim McDermott gets elected no matter what he does or says.
He obviously didn't get Terry's talking points. According to the rats, Pres. Bush has no policies.
his health care proposal differs from the failed Clinton plan because it builds on existing federal systems rather than making drastic changes
Oh and the Klintons weren't planning building up existing federal systems? Wasn't the entire system supposed to be federalized?
[My health care proposal is] not going to look any different to the consumer."
If health care is 'bad' now, how is 'no difference' better?
Oh I give up. Let's hope this is the best the rats can do.
Hideous is a strong word, care to elaborate? ALL bad?
His use of the pronoun "us" is a lie.
Ostensivly he is trusting enough to take the word of North Korea--assuming he is not a total idiot the only explination that comes to mind is that he has not thought this through, or he is just making up some B.S. that sounds good to those that aren't thinking things through. Either way it seems to say that electing this guy would be a disaster.
And if they do derail him, the DU types might run to the Greens. Especially if Lieberman were the Dem nominee.
The most dangerous candidate for Bush would be Gephardt. He's far enough to the left that he won't run off the DUers. He's close enough to the center that he won't scare mainstram America. He's clean enough and psychologically stable enough to not melt under pressure.
Oh? He must already have an intern picked out.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.