If not for Dean, the primaries would not be the success they have been.

[KissMyAsscroft]

Kerry may be the frontrunner but he needs to thank Dean for getting people voting and aware.

If not for Dean we would be having another spineless, worthless primary with non-issues getting boring treatment by Kerry and Edwards.

Dean got people excited enough to get to the caucuses to vote in the first place.

I think Kerry owes a debt of gratitude to Dean for waking everyone up and putting real issues on the table.

People might not have liked him personally as a candidate, but he is truly the only one who "gets it"

.....

[bigwillq]

1. I agree.

Dean did a lot for the DEM party and politics in general this primary season. He brought new voters to the party (even though some still didn't vote for him, a shame) and he got the repugs buns in a knot (even though Dean most likely won't be the nominee). His vision and take on issues are ground breaking (even though he most likely won't get to put them in use in the WH).

[Guava Jelly]

4. As a Clarkie

America owes The Gov. a lot.
He gave the democratic party back their nuts and their spine..Must be the doctor in him :)
As a fellow american and staunch liberal Democrat I take my hat off to the man who has changed the party forever in a positive way.
Thank you Howard.

[bigwillq]

5. Thanks for your thoughts about Dean

I have to be honest. When Clark first joined the race I wasn't impressed, maybe I saw him as a threat to Dean but in the last few weeks I came to like, respect and care for Clark (and his supporters) in a big way. I saw that Clark wanted to change America for the better and he did have a strong, clear vision. Congrats to you for sticking by Clark through everything. This place (DU) got rough when it came to Clark, a lot of bashers, but feel proud to support such an honorable man.

[janx]

7. Meetups, blogs, the energy, and the message--

most of the other candidates adopted all of these from the Dean campaign.

[Old and In the Way]

2. No question he set the rhetorical bar early on and he most

certainly provided an avenue for Democrats to marshall their anger before the race really began. I think all the candidates "get it", but I'll give the Doctor credit for tapping into the collective anger that Democrats have had since the stolen election.

[cid]

3. Yes and after dean is out of the race they democrats will go back

to being the spineless bunch they were before Dean as they have been for the last three years. I can tell you one thing, I bet they DLC and Kerry are just salivating at the thought of getting Dean's mailing list to try to use it for fundraising. Or getting Dean to try to use it raise money for them. Might as well take that too, they co-opted his message after they saw it was popular. Wouldnt it be wonderful to have a dem nominee who actually didnt rely on polls to tell him how to think? Oh well, maybe next time. :)

[ozone_man]

10. Maybe next time is right.

We woke people up, but the media put them back to sleep with their powerful drugs. Maybe next time, when they can't afford a TV anymore for the media to use against them.

[silver state d]

6. Damn skippy

The good Dr. definitly smaked up the hornets nest and i am greatful so should all the thoughtful dem out there

[Kahuna]

8. So true. Dean has motivated a lot of people to vote against him.

rimshot
:silly:

[Maddy McCall]

9. I don't agree...I think people are coming out in droves to oppose Bush

I think this is a portent of what we will see in November...record numbers of voters.

If all the voters are coming out for Dean, then why are so few voting for him?

[jamesinca]

15. I disagree

based on one anemic result, that of the VA vote. From what I understand VA is fairly republican in its leaning, and they did not have the voter turn out that other states have had. If it was ABB VA should have been in line with the rest of the states that have voted. Looking at the CNN site, specifically AZ, over 30% of those that made up their mind on election day voted for Kerry. Dean made them aware, Kerry got their vote. Exit interviews in NV showed that people thought that everybody had or was dropping out so they voted for Kerry. ATT home page is where I saw the exit interview comments for NV. If you go to the CNN site they have demographics of each state and voting trends.

The rest of the nation may show up in droves if there is a person that can stir it up like Dean still working on a campaign, but I think it will be business as usual. I think the south will still go to Bush. They have not wanted to be part of the Union since at least the 1860's anyway.

[mzmolly]

11. You are damn right my friend!

;)

[jrthin]

12. I am not a Dean supporter,

but I totally agree with you. Dean helped to show that Bush is not god, and he challanged Bush.

[dorktv]

13. Dean gave me the courage to run for congress. If a little

known former Gov. from a small state can raise more money then anyone else, come in second or third in most primaries, and inspire this many people (we got 75,000 people more to vote in our primary then we were expecting) to actually vote, then why can I not at least show the world that young people DO matter and DO want a voice in how the money we are to earn is spent, weither or not we are to get affordable health care, good educations for our children and ourselves, and something other then McJobs. :) Thank you Howard.


He also is a really nice guy who somehow manages to not sweat in Phoenix!

[DebJ]

14. Dean got the people and Dean got the messages right. Now Kerry

mimes the messages....but what will he do if he wins?

Same as when he votes, how he explains himself 'out' (not!) of voting for the Patriot Act, NOT voting at all on the Medicare Bill, saying okay to give Bush full power to do as he pleased in Iraq, then refusing to say yes I am responsible I could have voted otherwise.

If Kerry isn't responsible for the results of how he has voted so far, will he be responsible for what he might do as Pres? Of course not. It will be someone else's fault. That's NOT what I look for in a leader.

Thank you Edwards for saying Yes we are responsible!

[onecitizen]

16. Amen and pass the hat!!

You are absolutely right!!

[GodHelpUsAll2]

17. I second that

And agree with Edwards. That was theeeeeeee longest answer to a yes or no question I have ever heard.

[stickdog]

18. How true. (nt)