Dean Now Says He Will Stay in Race After Wisconsin

[NNN0LHI]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=584&ncid=584&e=3&u=/nm/20040209/pl_nm/campaign_dean_dc

GREEN BAY, Wis. (Reuters) - Democrat Howard Dean (news - web sites) said on Monday even if he loses Wisconsin's Feb. 17 primary he will remain in the race for his party's 2004 presidential nomination.


"It's critical," Dean said when asked about the importance of the contest. But, he added, "It's not going to be the end of the line."


Asked if he would drop out if he lost Wisconsin as he had said he would just last week, Dean said, "No." Asked if he was in it for the long haul, he said, "Yup."


The former Vermont governor made the comments during interviews with local television stations. He later told a reporter that people who had urged him to stay in the race had convinced him to fight on.

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[Bill McBlueState]

1. as a Dean supporter,

I'm kind of annoyed by the tone of the e-mail that came out last week, if Dean is indeed planning to stay in regardless of the Wisconsin result. More power to him if he stays in the race and continues to amass delegates, but I feel like that e-mail was just an underhanded ploy for contributions.

[pacifictiger]

8. I never took his statements to mean that

he would quit after wisconsin. What he said was, he needed wisconsin to have a realistic shot at the nomination. That's recognizing pragmatic reality and he was asking for money to buy ads that might help him win. He also said he would not quit until his supporters thought he should, and after that he would do whatever he could to help the final nominee. His supporters have spoken that they want him to continue regardless, right up to the convention if possible. It was the media that promoted the fact that he would quit, not him. The media is once again guilty of twisting what he actually said.

[PaDUer]

18. You're right....

the media is playing some vicious games..thought you would know this by now..look how they play the moron up...that's proof!

[jeter]

19. Dean seems hell-bent on destroying himself

and any potential of using whatever leverage he has amassed.

[Guaranteed]

37. What, do you want him to quit? nt

[Adamocrat]

2. as a strong Dean supporter

I'm happy that he's in it for the long haul, especially after Kerry's recent abuse of his gay and lesbian supporters. I gave money, and I don't feel duped at all. I'm happy to hear he's had a change of heart.

-A

[sallyseven]

5. Too bad his ego is bigger than his power

to persuade the electorate. If you cannot get democrats to vote for you you will not get independent voters.

[Rich Hunt]

9. I guess Kerry is the most 'persuasive', then

...and all the rest are egotistical clowns.

[Skidmore]

13. Nope, but you can sure get yourself

some bargaining power for your constituency at the convention. I'm for Dean being a broker there. He needs to keep helping Sharpton slap the donkey.

[concord]

26. "Slap the donkey"

Exactly why he needs to stay in as long as possible. What a patriot!

[loudnclear]

36. Funny how "ego" wears so well on Repugs and we admire them for it

then when it comes to one of our own...he's dog meat! Dean has an ego and rightly so. He single-handidly woke this sleeping ass-kissing Dem party up. The RWingnuts know it and were scared shitless... We seem to be the only ones who don't appreciate it. And I am a Kucinich supporter but I respect Dean for what he has done for the party and he would be my second choice behind Kucinich. My gripe with Dean is who he has managing his campaign and it worries me...he is a member or former member of AIPAC.

[LittleDannySlowhorse]

39. Good

I want to vote for him in my primary in March. I'm not voting for anyone else until I absolutely have to.

Ha HA!!!

[MarkTwain]

3. But, but, but....

.... I thought that Doctor Dean (who always speaks incontrovertible truth) said he would not continue past Wisconsin unless he prevailed; thus saving himself, our party, and the country further embarrassment over his failed candidacy.

Ahhhh. Finally, a Presidential candidate who keeps his word. We are so, so proud, Doctor. Maybe, just maybe, you should find yourself placed at 1600 since you've obviously mastered the art of turning on a dime while making "inoperative" and "mis-spoken" prior words out of your own mouth less than a week ago.

Keep going, Doctor. Karl still has dreams of you as our candidate. Afterall after the last three weeks, you seem to be the only thing (short of Osama's capture) that could save DimSon and The Cabal in November.

[library_max]

11. Darn it, can we please lay off this kind of stuff??!!

Full disclosure, I am a Kerry supporter. But good grief, where does it get us to sneer and smear the other candidates? Do we think it makes us or our candidate look good?

As I've said for a long time, one of these guys is going to be our nominee. I'm not yet willing to say that it can't be Dean. And if he is our nominee, we'll need to unite behind him, right? So what good does it do to tear him down now?

And if Kerry or one of the others is our nominee, we'll expect Dean supporters to unite behind him, right? Otherwise, what chance do we have in the general election? So why go out of our way to alienate people whose support we'll be asking for in a few months? Where does that get us?

This isn't an original idea, but it bears repeating here. The supporters of all of the candidates owe Howard Dean a debt of gratitude. When he was the frontrunner, he took the fight to Bush rather than sniping at his opponents. That was the right direction, the one that helps us in the fall election, and the others started doing better when they picked up on it.

[progressivebydesign]

16. Thanks!

I"m a Dean person, but totally ABB. You have the right idea. When I see supporters of once candidate trashing another, it doesn't make me like their person.. it has the opposite effect. Let us draw our own conclusions about our candidate... You're right. ABB all the way!

[kurtyboy]

44. Right on

Whoever get the nod, that's my candidate. I've worked for Kerry, but will happily work for Dean, or Sharpton, or Kucinich, or Edwards, or Clark.

Keep on truckin', Doctor.

[belle]

35. Oh, big deal.

I'm okay if Kerry wins, which seems a forgone conclusion anyway; but I see no reason why Dean should drop out even before Kucinich does. He *is* in second place right now; maybe he actually changed his mind, you know? I think he should at least stay in through Super Tuesday. If he still hasn't won a single state and isn't even in second place anymore, then he should probably throw in the towel.

[Gman]

4. This is the type of flakey behavior

that makes a lot of us say he's unelectable.

Dean is saying his supporters want him to stay. That may be the reason he's staying. But he didn't have to set up his Waterloo to begin with then now back out. Everyone else that has dropped out has done so very uncerimoniously. At most, like Gephardt, there was talk a couple of days before of dropping out, then he did it. No one else set up a dramatic Waterloo much less then later having to back out of it.

It may be hard to see from the inside of being enamoured with Dean, but from the outside looking at the Dean campaign, it makes Dean look flakey.

[progressivebydesign]

14. So.. when Gert convinced Clark to stay on.. that was different?

Be fair.

[Gman]

17. I am being fair

Clark has had his share of double speaks, or contradictory statements. And, Clark has also been stuck, probably indelibly, with the label of being "not ready for prime time". And, it didn't take any more than a couple of weeks of repeating this that it caught on and stuck. Unfortunately, I'm afraid (in my opinion based on 30+ years experience in politics) that this label has more than a little truth to it. (For those that are appalled that I don't live and die with my candidate, you too will one day learn to never ever fall in love with any politician as they will eventually break your heart. So if Clark gets the nomination, fine. If he doesn't then I can back Kerry or Edwards just as easily. I just know whom we can't win with in November and that's what's most important right now.) When you get down to it, I"m not certain Clark wasn't in the race simply to be the anti-Dean. That is, to stop the Dean steam roller. That has been accomplished. Right, wrong or indifferent, it worked. I like Clark, I think he'd make a good president if he had a strong group of advisors and he listened to them. He'd need these advisors to make up for his lack of practical governing experience.

That being said in the sense of fairness, Dean did not need to add more kindling to the fire that he's flakey but that's what he has done. However, at this point I don't think it really matters any more as Dean is pretty much out of it.

[progressivebydesign]

27. Honestly, I like Clark.. I expected him to get the nod.

I really did. I'm as perplexed as everyone else as to why particular candidates didn't take. Regarding Dean's email. I did receive that email. I didn't see it as a, 'fund me or I quit' email. It was.. more of a rally to let everyone know how serious Wisconsin will be for him. I also heard him dispel the notion that he was going to quit after Wisconsin, without a first place win, he did that in an interview.

I desperately want as many candidates as possible to hang in as long as they can. For some reason, the Republicans and the media want this wrapped up as soon as possible. I suspect the Republicans want us to give up soon.. so that the nominees momentum, and continual media coverage of Democrats would end ASAP so Bush can turn on the "charm offensive".. oxymoron in HIS case! Clark and Dean, and everyone else have too many important issues to be swept aside this soon. It ain't over till it's statistically over. Pardon the grammar.

[Lugnut]

33. Same here....

Re: the e-mail and having a choice for the primary.

I'd really like to have a vote choice on Apr 27th. Fat chance, I know. Yogi Berra and Caliphoto both had it right.

[shanti]

22. as a dean supporter

unfortunately, i have to agree with you. his flip-flopping is beginning to bother me.

*edited for typo*

[stevedeshazer]

6. He'll be accused of flip-flopping

I'm not for or against Dean, but this is what the press will say.

[Rich Hunt]

7. I just want to say

YAY!!


:bounce:

[shance]

10. I love this man. This is just one more reason why**

Hes got to be tired and feeling a little side-swiped.

Can you imagine how any of us might feel, and yet hes continuing on.

Thats grit*****

[seventhson]

12. I am one of those supporters who say he must stay in to the convention

I met with Howard's Mother and Brother recently and I told them that he needs to stay in until the convention even if he has to walk to Boston (Hey - maybe that is not such a bad idea. A March from Vermont to the Democratic Covention with all the "other" candidates and their supporters).

Imagine Dennis, Al, Clark and maybe even Edwards and ALL their supporters marching from the Vermont state line (at Dean's invitation) to DEMAND that the progressive issues get put on the platform.

I, for one, who protested AGAINST Carter in 1976 (and spoke after Wavy Gravy outside Madison Square Garden at the protests) because he was a corporate (Rockefeller) Flunky - would GLADLY march to Boston to make the demands of the left of center Democrats heard.

Kerry is the kind of democrat that Nader was all about exposing. He is as corporate as they get. He is a great pseudo-liberal and poseur IMHO.


DEAN REALLY needs to bring his supporters and his agenda to the Convention.

It may well be that Dean now knows he cannot win in Wisconsin but that he will continue to pick up delegates all the way to the convention if he just stays in play.

You have to be IN IT to WIN IT!

BUT even if he does NOT win the nomination - and those young folks new to this may actually see a covention contest as we used to see when I was a kid (I think) - Howard Dean's PRESENCE and the air of POTENTIAL that he and his supporters will bring are CRITICAL to bringing the nation around.

We know that at this point Sharpton (altho he might be a plant according to some sources) and DK (who is as solid a progressive as we have seen get this far in recent memory) have as their plan to get their issues to the convention floor and to the party platform.

Howard needs to stay in to do that.

California and Texas have LOTS of delegates which Dean can win if he stays in.

He admitted that his effort at a "last gasp" was intended to shake money from the tree of the faithful. But I think those folks like me have and are giving in order to keep his POLICY ISSUES on the convention table.

That is a good thing and I think Howard is doing the right thing - even if the finagling makes the campaign look shakey. We know it is reeling from the hits of CNN , the Jackson Stephens' nasty "Growth" ads, dirty tricks, lies, and possibly tampered voting etc..

So we have to help and support the wounded campaign to do what is RIGHT for America.

Kerry is NOT right for America.

and SOMEBODY at the convention needs to say it.

LOUD

Even if they have to suck in their gut and support him in the end

[progressivebydesign]

15. I like that idea..

really make the convention useful, for once. Dean, and the other candidates deserve to be heard.

[ozone_man]

25. Very well said.

I think Dean has said all along that he would carry on to 3/2. He is also responding to his supporters now to stay in it all the way to the convention and I am one of those requesting that.

The primary season is not over yet and the big states are still to come. Kerry is a poor choice, a spineless Washington insider, and with luck, we can do better. At the very least, if Kerry gets in, I would like to see an active convention, where all candidates are able to have a voice, not just the DNC backed candidate.

[Old and In the Way]

30. No kidding?

"I, for one, who protested AGAINST Carter in 1976 (and spoke after Wavy Gravy outside Madison Square Garden at the protests)"

What did you drop, microdot or windowpane?

[DemBones DemBones]

31. Good one.

"microdot or windowpane?" :evilgrin:

[GoldenOldie]

32. They all should stay in til Convention

As a supporter of Dean's and one who contributed, I believe Dean is listening to the pleas of his supporters to stay in the race. I think that Dean, Howard, Clark, and Kucinich can force Kerry to remain on script and keep him from being so uptight and boring. It also keeps the Rovian's off balance because they are unsure of who they should attack.

I wonder why DNC, DLC and Kerry supporter's are so eager to have his competitors bail out. If all of them take it to the Convention floor, it should be one of the best damn Conventions of my voting lifetime....and I'm damn old.

[Lugnut]

34. Taking it to the convention floor....

A beautiful thing. :)

[pacifictiger]

43. I love the idea of a march

and if I were not from the other end of the country, would certainly be there.

[Ripley]

20. If his supporters keep sending him money, why should he quit?

I see this has made the media ratchet it up a notch. Tonight on Lou Dobbs all three "politcal journalists" said about Dean in one way or another "since he lost his credibility." Um, when? where? how?

The new meme...not crazy anymore, just not credible. No reason tho, except we are bad at subliminal shit anymore.

Why are people here so ready to kick somone out of the primaries? Oh yeah, Dean is the only one that can catch Kery.

[wabeewoman]

21. It occured to me watching the news

last night that the longer ALL the potential nominees stay in the race the better for 3 reasons: 1. They are getting news time which is more than just one will get when they are the nominee, 2. They all say something different that hurts bush nearly daily and 3. bush can't attack the eventual nominee as effectively if he doesn't know for sure who it is. Until someone wraps it up, I fully support them all staying in the race. BTW, I have donated to Dean several times and I'm not worried about how he spent the money. He'll make sure the party keeps its backbone.

[vanityfair]

23. I agree with you...

and hope that the candidates will stay in as long as possible. Better to keep the Rethugs hanging, not knowing who the candidate will be, for the longest time possible.

I agree with your reasons for them hangin' in there.


(Maybe Dean could do a few more war whoops in the meantime! At least he's lively and passionate. Could get the others going.)

[Barkley]

40. I agree! Dean is not afraid to attack Bush on Iraq.

This morning I heard Kerry's NY Chair debate L.A. Times columnist Robert Scheer on KPFK (WBAI).

The Kerry's guy was not willing to say Bush had lied/ misled us about Iraq.

Kerry may have more medals than Dean, but Dean has courage to stand up to Bush on Iraq.

The Dean folks created not only a campaign they created a movement!

Dean would definitely make a better president; but because of conservative predisposition of the country, Kerry will make a better candidate.

Dean is wise to stay in the campaign and amass as many delegates as possible. Hopefully, he will have enough to influence the party's platform.

The Convention is in Boston, Kerry's backyard.

[Just Me]

24. Good!!! He had the courage to take the first oppositional stand!!!

I want him to hang in there until the very end!!! He stirred up passion because he was the first to take on Dubya and the Washington establishment!!!

GO!!! DEAN!!! GO!!!

[PROGRESSIVE1]

28. Hypocracy anyone?

:eyes:

[Guaranteed]

38. HypocrIsy? What's hypocritical about this?

He's not telling anyone to do something that he's not doing.

[Le Taz Hot]

29. I am SO relieved!

He HAS to stay in for New York, California and other Western states where I believe he has a chance. I think he has a GOOD chance in California. We've been working our butts off for the last year. It's time to reap some rewards for all that work.

[sonias]

41. We're in for the long haul!

Win or lose we go out fighting. Never give up and never surrender.

Sonia

[David Zephyr]

42. There's No Reason Whatsoever For Dean to Drop Out.

None.

There are primaries all around the nation.

Democrats can hardly scream about Bush's end run against democracy in Florida, if there's an orchestrated end run against scheduled primary contests, can they?

There's no compelling reason for Dr. Dean to drop out. Not one.