Gov. Richardson of NM: Dean doing best among NM hispanic activists

[CMT]

Gov. Bill Richardson of NM who will be moderating tonights debate said that Howard Dean is the candidate doing the best among New Mexico's Hispanic activists. He said the progress became evident a few weeks ago as Dean's stock rose nationally.

The 8pm EDT debate will be broadcast on PBS and Univision with simutaneous Spanish translation. New Mexico has a large Hispanic population--about 42%--and an HIspanic Governor in Richardson.

http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/bw-elect/2003/sep/04/090404590.html

[bushisanidiot]

1. I hope Richardson Ends Up Backing Dean

Damn, would I love to see a Dean/Richardson Ticket!

[meegbear]

4. I hope not ....

if he's gonna moderate, then he'll be biased. Remember Florida's debate with Jeb when the moderator was for him? Hmmmm?

[GainesT1958]

2. Whether it's protecting our national security interests...

Or protecting the security of Texas state senators, Bill Richardson is ALWAYS on the job!:D

B-)

[Cha]

3. Check this out!

"Dean and Gephardt planned to begin their debate day by meeting with 10 Texas lawmakers who have taken refuge here to block action on a Republican redistricting plan"! How exciting! Go :kick:

[ProfessorPlum]

5. Well, that will put one of our favorite posters

into a twist, what with him claiming that Dean has no support or appeal among minorities. I hope the shock of the headline doesn't blow his head apart.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

19. Now, now.

LOFL.

[Andromeda]

27. Professor...

I'm afraid you're too late!

[DrFunkenstein]

6. Hmm, This Is Strange

(Dean's) position on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict might cause some problems in the Jewish community, a key Democratic constituency. Dean told the crowd there are an "enormous number" of Israeli settlements that must go.

"It's not our place to take sides" in the conflict, he said.

-

This week Dean traveled to Israel on a trip sponsored by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). After meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, Dean stated: “I do not think that as long as Yasser Arafat is president there will be peace." He went on to say that he “did not fully appreciate the scale -- how everything is right on top of each other” and that “my assessment also is that terrorism is an enormous problem here and no peace is going to be made as long as the terrorism is going on." Before leaving, Sharon asked if Dean would support requests for new loan guarantees to Israel. Dean “promised him he would.”

http://www.aaiusa.org/countdown/c120602.htm
--

WASHINGTON -- On a recent trek around the capital seeking support from pro-Israel lobbyists and Reform movement activists, Democratic presidential candidate Howard Dean may have been the only non-Jew in the room.

But Dean, the former governor of Vermont, should be used to that. It's the same way in his own home.

Dean, a Congregationalist, has a Jewish wife, and both his children, 17-year-old Paul and 18-year-old Anne, have chosen to identify as Jews.

...

Dean, considered a long shot when he first entered the race, has made a splash as of late, exceeding expectations in fund-raising in the first quarter of the year.

He has been aided by a key figure in Democratic and Jewish politics, Steve Grossman, the former president of AIPAC, the pro-Israel lobby, and national chairman of Democratic National Committee.

...

Dean believes the Bush administration should be giving Israel $4 billion in military aid to fight terrorism, not the $1 billion it proposed last month.

http://www.jewishsf.com/bk030418/us02.shtml

------

Has Dean changed his mind?

[Freddie Stubbs]

7. He certainly has changed his mind

As former a Governor, his biggest weakness is inexperience in foreign policy. As he becomes more educated on foreign affairs, he is adopting more reasonable positions.

[sfecap]

10. I heard Gov. Dean speak to this last night...

On changing his mind/position/opinion....

I'll have to paraphrase him:

" I was trained as a doctor to look at both fact and theory...sometimes under analysis, the facts don't fit the theory. When that happens, you don't change the facts to fit the theory, you change the theory to conform to the facts. There will be times when I change my mind. It's part of the fact finding process...I'm not afraid to change if the situation and the facts require it."

(Note: That is not a quote.)

[RevolutionStartsNow]

12. Call it what you will...

I call it refreshing. I change my mind about things, too, when appropriate. This is what I want from a candidate -- Dennis K did this with abortion rights, and I applaud his open mind -- I don't want an idealogue like Bush.

[sfecap]

14. I agree totally!

And so did everybody else there...he got huge applause...I want a candidate who is willing to examine an issue, and then make a decision...

[DrFunkenstein]

15. Again, Dean Chooses To Omit Inconvenient Positions

Much like he (oops) forgot to mention he supported multilateral invasion for a couple of months to peace crowds, I don't see anything here that suggests he has taken back the promises he made to AIPAC and Sharon.

--
The candidate's anti-war stance may have filled the park, but the broader foreign policy debate to come—one of two areas, along with the economy, that Dean recently said "every president must get right"—will be about more than just Iraq. And his positions on a variety of issues are far from clear.

Usually at this point in the campaign, said Gergen, "it doesn't get into specifics. If that were the case, John Kerry would be doing much better."

When asked to characterize his opinions on the Middle East, he said, "At one time the Peace Now view was important but now Israel is under enormous pressure. We have to stop terrorism before peace negotiations . . . I don't do things for political reasons. I'm very loyal to my friends."

Dean said that his views of the conflict "are much closer to AIPAC"—the hawkish American-Israel Public Affairs Committee— than to the Jewish coexistence lobby Peace Now.

James Zogby, head of Washington's Arab-American Institute (AAI), says he was initially troubled by Dean's response to one of his questions at the Council on Foreign Relations. Zogby had asked Dean how he would handle comments from the religious right disparaging Arabs and Muslims. Dean replied that he would "stand up" against it but that he also felt "it should not have to be a white Christian president of the United States whose burden that is."

Jacques Englestein found fault with Dean for "supporting Israel, but not supporting the Palestinians." He also criticized the candidate for not speaking out against the so-called separation wall—the wall the Israeli government is building ostensibly to deter attacks by militants. Many have accused the Sharon government of using the wall to annex more Palestinian land. Even George Bush, in a joint appearance with Palestinian prime minister Mahmoud Abbas, said, "It is very difficult to develop confidence between the two sides with a wall snaking through the West Bank."

"Security is a great thing," said Englestein. "But this is a land grab."

http://www.villagevoice.com/issues/0336/fahim.php

[sfecap]

16. DrFunk...nice try, but I'm not a one issue voter...

In any event, I'm off to the Democratic Debate in Albuquerque, to watch Gov. Dean, so...I'll have to let you have the last word.

Hope your candidate does well tonight.

[DrFunkenstein]

30. Drats! Foiled Again!

Just when I thought you were fixated on the IWR, you pull the rug from under me!

[AP]

24. Clinton said the advantage a Governor has over everyone else

is that governors, as chief executives, have had an opportunity to figure out where the stand on the issues, and have had an opportunity to transfer how they feel about how the world works into actual policy.

I guess that isn't the case for all governors, eh?

[DrFunkenstein]

13. Do You Think He Is Reversing His Promise To Sharon?

Do you think he is rejecting his eariler offers to quadruple the military aid to "fight terrorism?" Or his promise of significant increases in loan guarantees? Or his support for the separation wall/land grab?

It'd be really cool if he did.

[Cha]

8. And this is what the post was About.....

"Gov. Bill Richardson of NM who will be moderating tonights debate said that Howard Dean is the candidate doing the best among New Mexico's Hispanic activists. He said the progress became evident a few weeks ago as Dean's stock rose nationally."

[sfecap]

9. I'm curious, DrFunk.....

What did your post have to do with the original one?

[DrFunkenstein]

11. It Came From The Original Article

Sorry if that was unclear. The quotes at the beginning of my post are at the end of the article.

[KaraokeKarlton]

22. No, he said that all along

As I've been trying to point out to you for awhile now...he is fair on the issue. He has a 2 state vision. He will support peace, fairness and respect for both sides. That's how he does things. Just because he said he will support Israel doesn't mean that he won't also support Palestinians.

Someone took one small bit of what he's said on the issue and used it to portray him as pro-Israel and anti-Palestinian, when in reality, he's pro-peaceful solution with 2 states.

[DrFunkenstein]

31. Even Bush "Supports" A Two-State Solution

The trick is whose "solution" will it be. Israel continues daily to erode (to put it euphemistically) Palestinian infrastructure, making any Palestinian state unlikely to succeed.

Secondly, Israel proposes deep cuts into Palestinian territory to incorporate hundreds of illegal settlements ("some" of which Dean supports dismantling).

Thirdly, Israel proposes to carve up the map to disallow a contiguous state in favor of islands of Palestinian sovereignty.

Fourthly, and most importantly, Bush - and Dean - support unilateral concessions from the Palestinian leadership that are purposely undermined by Israeli forces "leaning" on Palestinians. It is hard to stop fighting when someone is standing on your neck.

Only if Israeli leadership is strongly pressured to accept parallel concessions will the peace process ever have a chance of success. Under Howard Dean's (ahem) vision of a two-state solution, there simply is no chance.

[Nicholas_J]

17. Hispanic Activists are not All Hispanics:

And another recent poll


According to the largest national survey of Hispanic attitudes released this week by the Annenberg Foundation, Hispanics tilt toward a more liberal position on economic issues.

Eighty percent favor more federal spending on schools, 75 percent favor more spending to provide health coverage to the uninsured.

But Hispanics are more conservative on social issues, even more so than most voters. A survey found that 37 percent favor a federal ban on abortion, and 58 percent favor school vouchers


http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/politics/july-dec03/hispanics_09-04.html

Latest Hispanic Survey states something rather different.


2003 National Hispanic Survey

August 20, 2003

Most are undecided. but among those decided, Dean lag behind
Lieberman and Kerry.








43. (Non-republican identification only): If the 2004 primary election for the democrat presidential nominee were held today and the candidates were John Kerry, Joe Lieberman, Dick Gephardt, Howard Dean, John Edwards, Bob Graham, Dennis Kucinich, Carol Mosey Braun, and Al Sharpton, for whom would you vote?

Undecided 61.6

Joe Lieberman 8.4

John Kerry 6.9

Howard dean 2.6

Dick Gephardt 2.6

Bob graham 2.5

John Edwards 2.3

Al Sharpton 1.8

Dennis Kucinich 1.3

Carol Moseley Braun 1.0

Dk/refused 8.9



44. If the 2004 election for president were held today and the candidates were George W. Bush (r) and the democrat candidate, for whom would you vote?

George W. Bush 31.4

Democrat candidate 42.6

Undecided 18.3

Dk/refused 7.7

http://www.hispanic.bz/2003_hispanic_survey.htm


Again, Hispanics are not fiscal conservatives, and Dean is likely going to have to misrepresent his position again if he is to comvince latinos to vote for him.

At this late date in the campaign It would be hard for Dena to attempt to represent himself as a fiscal liberal and social conservative after all these moths of runnig as a fiscal conservative and social liberal, and with the media beginning to scrutinize him it is unlikely that he will make antother flip flop on such a major platform and political position.

[dsc]

18. I see you posted from a right wing polling company

given their use of Democrat instead of Democratic. That is Limbaugh's pet term. Try to find at least a neutral source.

[Forkboy]

21. Hey at least he's consistant

:)

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

34. Could've been worse.

I got jammed with a LaRouche link from his pal.

[RevolutionStartsNow]

23. Some interesting things in that survey

Not sure what to call it, it doesn't say the sample size or the MOE.

But:

45. If the 2004 election for president were held today and the candidates were George W. Bush (r) and John Kerry (d), for whom would you vote?
George W. Bush 33.2
John Kerry 38.1
Undecided 21.7
Dk/refused 7.0

46. If the 2004 election for president were held today and the candidates were George W. Bush (r) and Hillary Clinton (d), for whom would you vote?
George W. Bush 31.2
Hillary Clinton 47.1
Undecided 16.3
Dk/refused 5.4

47. If the 2004 election for president were held today and the candidates were George W. Bush (r) and Howard dean (d), for whom would you vote?
George W. Bush 34.9
Howard dean 33.5
Undecided 23.6
Dk/refused 8.0



In these scenarios, Kerry beats Bush by 5 pts, Hillary trounces Bush, Dean is right on his ass (heh).

Dean is just starting to reach out in these areas, as his campaign branches out. We are planning major outreach in the southern part of our county, which is largely Hispanic, though we are waiting until after the recall (this is in California).

The other interesting thing in this survey is that a majority (I forget the exact numbers) are Dems, and the majority also consider themselves moderate Dems. I would say this looks good for Dean, once he gets his message out.

And if the activists are behind him, that will happen.

[AP]

25. I don't know if it's fair to say "Dean's just reaching out to..." anymore

He's gotten way more publicity than any other candidate. What more can he do, relative to the other candidates?

And how many of the candidates besides Dean didn't beat Bush in the matchup?

[RevolutionStartsNow]

26. They didn't ask about any of the other candidates

which seemed odd to me. They only asked about "generic Democrat", Kerry, Hillary, and Dean.

I can't speak for what the campaign will do, but I know here locally we are going to focus not just on getting Dean support in the communities that are largely Hispanic, but in Getting out the Vote, which is a big deal there.

[CMT]

28. boy he sure is far behind Lieberman and Kerry

about 4-6 percentage points--all under 10% with many undecideds. Dean's positions on immigration and his advocacy for healthcare and record in providing it will be key issues with latinos. Not to mention that he actually has taken the time to learn spanish and not have to rely on interpetors so he can speak one on one--and not like Bush--but Dean is actually pretty fluent.

[UnapologeticLiberal]

20. REALLY?

That is surprising...one of the things the campaign gets criticized for, and rightly so, is how white most of the crowds are at meetups and rallies. It is something we are working hard to change but it is still a problem and I am surprised to hear Governor Richardson say that we are doing the best among New Mexico's Hispanic activists. This is great news!

[Rose Siding]

29. According to the blog

half of those at the San Antonio, Sleepless Summer rally were hispanic. The campaign has put focus on outreach and seems optimistic about the progress. It takes the press critics a while to catch up.

[CMT]

33. yes

he is outreaching for instance here is a website:
http://www.latinosfordean.com

[revcarol]

32. I guess Richardson isn't aware of the Hispanic labor activists

and the Hispanic civil rights activists and the Hispanic activists for clean air that are supporting Kucinich.

If he is going to chair the Democratic Convention, he'd be better off not to make any comments of this sort, especially in his state, which has many Hispanic activists for KUCINICH>