By the way... check this out 
Posted on 09/10/2003 6:29:51 AM PDT by finnman69
Wednesday, September 10 2003 THE DEMOCRAT'S DEBATE: Some initial thoughts and grades from the Democrat's debate last night in Baltimore.
THE BIG THREE Howard Dean (A-): Dean wasn't great, but he was very solid, which is probably exactly what his campaign wanted him to be. It was obvious he was trying to portray an image of seriousness and responsibility, as opposed to trying to gin up the faithful. Hey, he's already got the faithful. He came in as the front-runner and he left the front-runner, if not even stronger in relation to Kerry and Gephardt.
John Kerry (C-): The man is lost. His campaign is lost. They are walking around as if they are somehow entitled to the support and press Dean is receiving and they don't appear to have any plan to change their floundering campaign. Just another missed opportunity last night. Whoever has been advising him for the last six months should be fired.
Dick Gephardt (B-): Unlike Kerry, Gephardt at least seems to have some semblance of a plan - attack George Bush mercilessly and loudly. Given the voters he needs to win the nomination it is not a bad strategy. However, he needs to come to grips with his vote for the war and turn it into a positive and use that to attack Dean as weak on defense and national security. His defensiveness on the war vote hurts him. Instead of treating the war vote as an albatross around his neck, Gephardt needs to turn it into a positive and use it to make him the alternative to Howard Dean and someone who has a chance to win the general election. The problem with that advice is that it involves telling a lot of the Democratic base some things they don't want to hear. I acknowledge Gephardt is walking a tightrope, but in the end if he is going to win the nomination he cannot continue to back away from his support of the war.
THE MIDDLE TIER John Edwards (B): I thought Edwards did a pretty good job. The problem for his campaign is I just don't see the strategy that leads him to capture the nomination. Finishing fourth or lower in Iowa and then New Hampshire isn't a winning plan, especially when he does not have the South wrapped up, not even close. He's a credible dark horse candidate, but I have got to think his main goal is the VP slot.
Joe Lieberman (D): Poor, poor, pitiful Joe Lieberman. I'd feel sorry for him except he has exposed himself to be such a fraud and his racial demagougery on the Florida vote was just despicable. He's getting what he deserves: boos. Does his campaign know that that there is not one national primary for the Democratic nomination? He must sleep well at night trying to reconcile the fact his party's base hates most of what he believes in. Someone should put him out of his misery, he's painful to watch.
Bob Graham (C+): He's the longest of long shots for the nomination and his only chance is a brokered convention. His real campaign seems to be for Vice President and he's doing an OK job. His resume and his home state will keep him on everyone's shortlist and his campaign is helping his odds of being someone's #2.
THE JOKE CANDIDATES Al Sharpton (A): Funny, entertaining, and he won a lot of respect with how he spoke and dealt with the protesters in the audience. Of course, the man will never be the Democratic nominee or the President of the United States, but he's a fabulous public speaker and he will continue to be a thorn in the Democratic Party's side.
Dennis Kucinich (B): The guy's a socialist, which is fine because thankfully socialism doesn't have a lot of support in the United States. His level of applause and the amount of support he gets in relation to what he should get as a bad ex-mayor and smalltime congressman shows just how far to the left the base of the Democratic Party is in 2003.
Carol Moseley Braun (C+): She looked nice and she gave decent answers, but she is really just taking up space. Maybe she is deluded into thinking she is a viable VP possiblity. On paper she should be a prefect VP candidate: She's black, she's a woman, and she's a former Senator from a big important state. Of course in reality only a fool would pick her to be their running mate.
All in all it was an interesting debate that changed little in the race, which makes it a win for Howard Dean. I think the Democrats self-control in focusing 95% of their attacks on President Bush and not each other helps their party keep Bush on the defensive, though they have to be careful not to go too far. Some of the comments about the President last night seemed to cross the line and were just plain mean-spirited, as opposed to legitimate criticisms over policy. At some point this will turn off crucial voters.
I live in Massachusetts. My wife and I registered to vote as independents in this one-party, near Communist hellhole. We learned independents can vote in any party's (but only one party's) primary.
We have decided to vote in the Democrat Party's primary. Why? Because we get to vote against Gigolo John a/k/a Ketchup Boy a/k/a Mr Teresa Heinz. The question is for whom do we vote? The answer is simple. We vote for Al Sharpton. Why? Because the more votes Crazy Al gets, the more delegates he gets and the more delegates he gets, the more the Democrats will have to deal with him in -- of all places -- Boston when they hold their convention. And the more middle class people who see and hear the race-baiting shyster Al on the television, the fewer will be willing to vote for a Democrat because it is the Democrats who have given life to Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson for 30-plus years.
If you live in Massachusetts, I urge you to register as an independent and vote for Al Sharpton in the DemonRat primary.
Faced with repeated eruptions of hecklers, the other eight just stood there smiling weakly, which is a good metaphor of what they would do in a terrorist attack. Sharpton was the only one with the guts to say something.
By the way... check this out
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