Why Dean won't drop out until after 3/2

[dansolo]

It would be rediculous for him to drop out before Super Tuesday. By staying in, he will be entitled to participate in any debates leading up to the Super Tuesday primaries. That should be reason enough for him to wait.

[WhoCountsTheVotes]

1. yes, it's ridiculous to drop out before super tuesday

Dean's second isn't he? No way he should drop out before then. When Kerry has 50% of the delegates, it's over. Until then, it's not.

[Dookus]

3. Dean is second in total delegates

Edwards is 2nd in delegates chosen by voters.

[KC21304]

Am I the only one who thinks there are 30 times the threads about

why candidates should not drop out than there are even hinting that they should drop out ? I think they should all stay in until they want to drop out. The more the merrier.

[liberalhistorian]

8. Exactly, and, while I haven't committed

fully to a candidate yet, it irritates the hell out of me that I don't have the full choice available for my primary (March 2) that the first primaries did.

[LittleDannySlowhorse]

10. I've noticed that myself

On the plus side though, there are much fewer ABB loyalty oath threads than there were a couple of weeks ago.

[For PaisAn]

2. You're right

n/t

[GRClarkesq]

4. Did he hang around for a Kerry "intern" implosion?

Cant pick up a dropped ball if you are not on the field.

[revcarol]

6. Huh?

,

[GRClarkesq]

9. He was talking about leaving after Wisconsin

then he reversed course. It would be reasonable for him to stick around in face of mounting electoral odds if he thought the frontrunner was going to stumble.

[revcarol]

13. Dean people say he never said that.

I never followed it that closely because he's not my candidate.

the media wants him to drop out. They want my candidate, DK, out too. Something about making the media accountable to the public again and undoing media conglomeration. It ruffles their feathers.

[GRClarkesq]

15. I think he should stay in

and ignore the Terry gang. There is still plenty of time for the party to consolidate around a nominee.

I guess my point is that if Dean was thinking about getting out he may have reversed course if a potential scandal was rumored. Now that the drudge/intern thing appears to be in the process of blowing over, Dean can reevaluate.

[Auntie Bush]

5. It also keeps the Primaries in the news. Free advertising.

[GRClarkesq]

7. removed

[madfloridian]

11. I read on dailykos that he got 4 of Clark's superdelegates.

I can't find it now, but read it there tonight. Kerry got 5, Dean got 4 and someone else got 1.

That is not bad at all.

[GRClarkesq]

12. Surprising

I thought the super delegates would be flowing to Kerry. You know Terry has to be leaning on them pretty hard. Party unity and all that.

[madfloridian]

20. I am looking for that thread now. Yes, it was surprising.

:hi:

[GRClarkesq]

24. Of course they can always switch again later

[madfloridian]

27. Right, that is why I just posted that it is not significant.

I know they can switch later.

[madfloridian]

26. I found the kos thread..

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2004/2/17/3243/23887

Don't know the sources or the significance. I am sure some will tell me not significant at all. There is a lot of stuff going on that is good, but the obits are all over web.

Oh, well. We could just roll over and play dead.
;)

[Sean Reynolds]

14. Dean's message needs to stay in as long as possible.

Without Dean, Kerry would be a brainless drone spewing the typical Republican-lite rhetoric we heard last year.


Err wait, he still is.

[GRClarkesq]

17. Kerry was doing better

but his last debate performance was not so hot. He droned on when should have a short concise (easy to remember!) answer.

[Sean Reynolds]

19. Exactly.

He took the gold for taking both sides of every issue.

Kerry's logic: Yes/No with a but.

Always gotta have that BUT in there.

[GRClarkesq]

23. He needs to get over that

or the media meme will be that Kerry flip flops and cant make up his mind even now. NOT SAYING THIS IS THE CASE (retreating into abestos lined bunker), but I can see it start to develop now. They need a meme for Kerry since Bush is a know quantity.

[Sean Reynolds]

25. They did it to Gore, they'll do it to Kerry.

Remember, they all said Gore was lying every time he opened his mouth. Yet it was proven after the election that Gore was in fact right about what he was saying. If Kerry continues with the but, but, but crap it'll eat him alive.

[GRClarkesq]

28. his answer to the "war president" question is case in point

[Sean Reynolds]

29. Damn shame he's goin to be the nominee.

[GRClarkesq]

30. Its a done deal

unless the intern think goes nuclear. Even then, difficult to see how he could lose.

[quinnox]

16. Problem is if he really wants to compete then it takes $$

The super tuesday are the most expensive markets around.

But if he just wants to keep up the debate and his ideas in the focus, then it is no problem for him to go as long as he would like because then he won't need to advertise.

Maybe he will go this route, I doubt it though.

Anyway, it was encouraging to see him change his stance in the debate. Maybe Kerry has offered him a position in the cabinet or he has got other assurances. I think Dean will no longer be aggressive against Kerry.

[GRClarkesq]

18. I cant imagine Kerry offering Dean a cabinet slot

Just doesnt sound right. Dean wants to lead, not be a bureaucrat. After the election, assuming he loses, he can hit the book and lecture circuit.

[revcarol]

21. How about a bulldog DNC chair?

Grow the grass roots and get us away from the DLC and the soft money hacks.

[GRClarkesq]

22. Agreed: better use of Dean

[DemBones DemBones]

33. Hit the book and lecture circuit? Maybe, but

I'd think it more likely for Dean to grab a position in Washington if it's offered to him. Power is addictive and an ex-governor/ lecturer has no power. He seems to be motivated by having power and being in a position to change things in government, not motivated by money.

[madfloridian]

32. They have many thousands of us giving today.

Much of the ads are being done for radio by other means. Think shoestring, think people doing it. It is amazing.

I talked to HQ yesterday, said reassure us he is going on, and our checkbook is open again. The guy got almost weepy, and said they were getting calls like that all day. He was so emotional, almost excited.

Most of the folks here are not maxxed out, and when we are we contribute in other forms.

He will not have a money problem and he needs to go on.

[shivaji]

31. Kerry could explode any day with another scandal....so

it would be dumb for Dean to drop out anytime before May.

[DemBones DemBones]

34. Explode with another bogus scandal? Don't

you realize that the nasties in the right wing GOP are going to try to smear our nominee, whether it's Kerry or Edwards or Dean? Remember that Dean had more women than men working closely with him in Vermont, has a long-time chief of staff who's a woman and has traveled with him in the campaign -- I'm sure they have thought about using that against him if he seems likely to have a real shot at the nomination.

Any Kerry "explosions" will be generated by the RW, quite possibly by Rove himself. I think we've all learned about their tactics. Only those who want Kerry out seemed to have been customers for the "Kerry intern" story.