My message to Howard Dean's supporters

[bluestateguy]

I want to send my best wishes to Governor Dean and his supporters today. While I endorsed another candidate for the Democratic nomination, I always shared Dean's anger at this Administration, and I am glad he was a part of this race.

I admired and watched with awe as Howard Dean put together an energetic and committed organization of devoted supporters. Even though he will not be the party nominee, he can already claim to have changed the Democratic Party for the better. He openly took on the DLC and stood up proudly for Democratic values and issue positions, even when they were not popular (i.e. the war in Iraq). He forced the other candidates to fight for traditional Democratic constituencies and to stand up to this evil Administration. Our nominee will be a better nominee because of the influence of the Dean movement.

All of you who devoted your time and money to the Dean campaign can hold your heads high. Granted, it's more fun to win than to lose (my first-choice candidate was not nominated either), but your participation has served the party and the liberal issue agenda well. I have no doubt that Howard Dean will continue to play an important role in American politics. I am proud to have the Dean supporters in the Democratic Party and I hope you continue to work for change within the Democratic Party.

[placton]

1. I agree!

Dean was the one who gave Dems a voice when we had none.

[Nanski]

2. Thanks!

I now plan to back Edwards with everything I've got. I'll be talking to every young person I know encouraging them to vote Democratic to keep them out of the draft (strong incentive).
ABB

[Walt Starr]

3. Yep, my wife is ready for an Edwards bumper sticker

and I'm getting some Edwards signs for my front lawn, too!

I figure we'll be donating to Edwards too!!

[Plaid Adder]

4. Same here

I was never that excited about Dean as a candidate. But I do want to say that I think this would have been a totally different race if he had never entered it--and it would have been a lot worse. The only reason Kerry picked up steam, IMHO, is that he started to sound more like Dean. They could use that as a slogan now. "Like Dean--Only Electable!"

Dean was also better on gay marriage than Kerry, whose "it would depend on how it was worded" answer to the FMA question does not bode well either for me and my GBTL sistren and brethren, or for his future life as a principled fighter who will stick to his guns.

However, as it appears that unless Edwards trounces him on Super Tuesday he will be the nominee, I hope Kerry will beat the crap out of Bush and wish him all the best. BUT, I am very grateful to everyone in the Dean and Kucinich campaigns who have worked hard for the candidates who finally pushed, scared, and shamed the mainstream boys into sticking it to Dubya in public and calling the Iraq war the bloody waste of time, money, and life that it is. Without them, I'm tellin' you, we would not now have a viable candidate in Kerry.

It sucks that some get the guts and some get the glory; but that's politics. You guys should be proud of the work you've done, and I hope that we can all celebrate together in November 2004.

C ya,

The Plaid Adder

[sybylla]

5. What change?

Howard Dean was a speed bump on the road of corporate politics. Will the DLC, as they flaunt their corporate cash before the eyes of our Democrats, hold Dean's loss up as proof that his message was a failure and that candidates can't count on "the people"? Will the Democratic party be able to bring all the newly inspired liberals into the fold or will they shun the kind of thorough change Howard Dean's supporters sought?

Without nominating Dean, we really have accomplished nothing of any lasting value. We vented, we shamed our Dems into standing up and that was about all history will record. I have never been so disappointed by a primary in my 22 years of voting as I am in this one. Populism is dead. RIP.

[SinkingInTheRain]

6. Thanks but this Dean supporter is pushing for Dean and Kucinich

If we have to take it via third party we will. Kerry is not the anointed one and we plan to promote a real change for America and not cave in to the Kerry ruse.