Rivals Attack Dean for Wooing 'Guys With Confederate Flags'

[pruner]

By DAVID M. HALBFINGER
Published: November 2, 2003

WAVERLY, Iowa, Nov. 1 — Howard Dean's rivals for the Democratic nomination roundly attacked him on Saturday for telling an Iowa newspaper he wanted "to be the candidate for guys with Confederate flags in their pickup trucks" in defending his opposition to some gun-control legislation.

But Dr. Dean retorted that he had said much the same thing in front of largely black audiences months ago and said his opponents were merely flailing away at him in desperation.

The fracas comes as the other contenders for the Democratic presidential nomination — especially Senator John Kerry and Representative Richard A. Gephardt — are struggling to overtake Dr. Dean, who leads in most polls both in Iowa and in New Hampshire.

<snip>

Dr. Dean's reference to pickup drivers with Confederate flags is in fact one he has made several times, though in a different context: calling for a reversal of Richard Nixon's 1968 Southern strategy.

In February, for example, at the winter meeting of the Democratic National Committee, he said, "White folks in the South who drive pickups with Confederate flag decals on the back ought to be voting with us and not them because their kids don't have health insurance, and their kids need better schools too."

The line got a loud ovation.

<snip>

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/11/02/politics/campaigns/02DEAN.html?ex=1068354000&en=31807d02d3911de5&ei=5062&partner=GOOGLE

[pasadenaboy]

1. Gebhardt and Kerry are right!!

We should only appeal to people who pass the ideological purity requirements of the party. Who cares if that's only 30% of the populace.

These are the same guys who sold out to give W the Iraq authorization. These guys are losers, and will always be losers. Its their type of congressional "leadership' that has lead us into the mess with bush. tell them to go hang out with their fellow bush loving buddies Zell Miller and Joe Lieberman.

[Eloriel]

4. Yeah, forget trying to bring them into the party --

woo them on economic issues and then help change their minds about racial issues.

The White South -- racists and NON-racists alike -- has been voting against their own self-interests for a very long time now. How dare Dean point that out to them.

Eloriel

[tsipple]

6. The Kerry & Gephardt Purity Test

Let's see if you qualify! Give yourself one point for a "yes" answer and zero points for a "no." Here we go!

1. Do you favor the pre-emptive invasion of an oil-rich country that poses no national security threat to the United States?

2. Do you believe that libraries should be forced to surrender the reading lists of any patron to all government authorities upon mere request?

3. Do you believe that law-abiding citizens should not be permitted to carry firearms?

4. Do you live anywhere except the South?

5. Do you drive a vehicle other than a pick-up truck?

6. Do you drink latte?

7. Did you graduate from a four year college?

8. Have you ever had smoked salmon for breakfast?

9. Is your favorite cheese brie?

10. Have you ever attended a poetry reading?

Ten points? You pass! Welcome to the Kerry & Gephardt Democratic Party!

Nine points or less? Sod off. We don't need your vote.

[FauxNewsBlues]

2. Flyover country matters

No matter how badly, the people on the coasts try to pretend it doesn't.

Dean is not changing his position on choice, or on gay marriage, but he is "soft on guns" and a whole bunch of urban city liberals seem to want to crucify him on this. It reminds me of California. The Republicans kept running purer than though candidates for state office, and kept on losing.

Arnold the groper won because he was pro-choice, pro-environment to a degree, and not stridently anti-gay. It really infuriates the McClintock wing of the party, but there would have been no successful recall if it was a choice between Davis and McClintock.

Dean understands this. By appealing to the Bubba crowd, it could put Louisiana in play. I think Dr. Dean is correct in saying that banning weapons in an urban environment, doesn't mean that it should apply to a rural pastoral area where alot of people hunt for their own food as opposed to driving 15 miles to the Supermarket for hamburger.

Urbanites don't get it. Dean does. He is in no way promoting the confederacy. He is promoting bringing back southerners, who feel that they are loathed by the democratic party, back into the fold. This is a far cry from a Zell Miller who just simply sells out his party on just about every issue. I thought the big worry was that Dean was too much of a liberal anyways.

[PurityOfEssence]

3. Ya know what? The REAL issue is Dr. Jekyll's shooting off of his mouth

The essence of what he's saying is very true, but to use a quick and loaded phrasing of it is endemic of his bizarre podiatric target practice habit. Of course, when he's called on incorrect statements, he turns into Hyde. (Remember: Jekyll was a nice fellow; I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt.)

He's trying to point out that the poor and uneducated rural types should be with us, and he's right, but he says this with such a loaded reference to one of the greatest symbols of racist hatred in the country. Is he just such a quick-tempered rabble-rouser that he's capable of saying ANYTHING? A President has to be sophisticated and capable of nuance. What kind of idiotic mispoken insult is he capable of as CIC? He could get us into a damned war with his lamebrained broadsides someday.

The character issues are mounting in a serious way with Dean, but to a certain degree, there's some opportunism going on in criticism of this particular instance; the real issue is that he makes sweeping generalizations, incorrect and inflammatory statements, unfounded accusations and smears of individuals by lumping them with others whose records are often very different.

This man is not ready for prime time. Yes, his spirit is enchanting, and yes he'd make an infinitely better President than the current creep, but this is getting crazy. He can still pull it together and throttle back on his smart-ass hyperbole, but he needs to do it soon; the curtain's about to go up. He may be the nominee yet, and if so, he needs to get a handle on his errant tongue.

[Eloriel]

9. You act as if he misspoke.

He did not. He's used that phrase and that argument a bunch of times. Only now that the race is heating up and some candidates are seeing their hopes and dreams about to go up in smoke has it become a straw man "issue."

Fortunately, some people can see through the garbage:

Jesse Jackson Jr's statement http://blog.deanforamerica.com/archives/002084.html

Eloriel

[Adamocrat]

5. DUPE

Here is the original post.

[pruner]

7. this is not a dupe

it's the NY Times' Sunday story on the issue.

[TahitiNut]

8. duplicate

See http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=195077

At best, it's a development in the story, not LBN. I'm locking this thread. Interested DUers are welcome to continue discussing this in the referenced thread.

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation,
TahitiNut - DU moderator