Everyone should stay in

[andym]

The longer the candidates stay in, the longer the process is "newsworthy" and the longer that the media reports (for free) attacks against Bush.

The whole frontloaded primary season was designed to prevent the appearance of a grassroots candidate like Jerry Brown in 1992. And there are many other problems besides being antidemocratic, for example, there is not enough time for candidates to go through the full vetting process. But the most important tactical problem is that the primary process creates great free publicity for the presumptive nominee, and the early termination of the process will likely end the free media attention.


Btw, so far this primary season is much less "bloody" than 1992. for example, at one debate in 1992, Jerry Brown brought up a version of the whitewater charges against Clinton. Some reported that they almost came to blows at the debate.

Btw, Good old Jerry was never one to not speak his mind.
He was one of the first before Dean (and Nader) who wanted to take back this country from corrupting corporate interests.

Look at some of what he thought here:
http://www.4president.org/speeches/jerrybrown1992announcement.htm

http://groups.google.com/groups?q=%22gulf+war%22+%22jerry+brown%22&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&selm=3Rgulf-hollywood_221%40clarinet.com&rnum=1

http://groups.google.com/groups?q=%22gulf+war%22+%22jerry+brown%22&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&selm=3Rgulf-hollywood_221%40clarinet.com&rnum=1


Look at what he said about the frontloaded process for this year's primary season.

http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml%3Fi=20020121&s=nichols

[still_one]

1. Agree

The moment a candidate is chosen, the press will go back to pushing the positive aspects of the administration

[WiseMen]

2. Would Be Great. But Can We Contol the Self-Destruction Going On Now.

Some Party leaders what to wrapp-up the Party nominating proces because they think Dr. Dean is harming the party with in-cautions and unjustified slams on John Kerry.

I think that to the extent that Dean can rally a crowd to passion is good for the Party. Better the eloquence of Jesse Jackson than the precision of Dukakis. I liked the scream.

Second, I love it that Dean gets mad. The democratic rank and file feel hoodwinked, abused and betrayed by their government. Their country and their honor have been taken away. They are angry.

But, all this does not excuse or explain the real damage being done by Dean and his campaign to the prospects for the Party in November.

Leadership of the Party and many in the rank and file are justifiably furious at Howard Dean’s in-cautious attacks on Kerry.

Dean is not a novice. He knows that Public Campaign Action Fund; Common Cause; and Joan Claybrook, Public Citizen, Sierra Club and the League of Conservation Voters are all left-leaning progressive groups. So when they all publicly come out and say that the “special interests” charges against Kerry “paints an inaccurate picture using an arbitrary statistic” and contains blatantly false information, MAYBE he should pause before using the right-wing hit pieces as part of his campaign rhetoric.

Political professional see Dean falling for the Republican bait. The real impression is that he may be either too inexperienced to recognize the damage that the RW propaganda could do when repeated by a Democrat or else too self-centered to restrain himself from using it and effectively being used.

The way Rove used the Drudge Ploy and the effect of Democratic factious squabbling showed how easy it was for the Republicans to manipulate Dean supporters into trashing the nominee. In the current environment of desperate campaigns, Democrats have become their own worst enemy.

It would have been great if we had the disipline to keep the campaign going without destroying the Party chances. But it doesn't look so.

Expect the following orchestrated events to close out the primary contest:

All major Unions will withdraw from Dean and unite behind Kerry
Gore, Harkin and a train of endorsers will put pressure on Dean to end attacks
Clinton will publicly urge party unity.

So we have the Corporate Media and Rove's minions are doing everything to keep the contest going, BUT now, because of what has happened over the last week, the Party is doing everything to end it on Tuesday.

[andym]

5. Dean's attacks on Kerry are mild

Dean's attacks on Kerry are mild, compared to Jerry Brown's attacks against Clinton.


And even so, the attacks against Clinton that actually dented him did not come from Brown, but from a salacious media and the right wing media.

Similarly, Dean's attacks against Kerry are not really denting Kerry. so I don't see a serious problem.

[WilliamPitt]

3. Agreed

[chocolateeater]

4. No argument from me.

[MuseRider]

6. Yes

I could not agree more.

[KT2000]

7. Agree with you

other reasons: keeps the RW attack machine visible as they have to aim at so many people, then their message is diluted.
Also - it is easier to show the RW as the fools they are. Easier to reveal Rove's handiwork.

Also - RW won't know where questions about * will be coming from next.

Also - keeps someone in the wings in case of a fatal blow (this is why I wish Clark stayed in).