Dean supporters please don't sit out the 2004 General Election

[TrueAmerican]

Come out and vote ABB. I am sure Gov. Dean/VT really didn't mean what he said. It probably just came out wrong.

[CMT]

1. I would just echo it by saying

Clark supporters don't sit out the election and also vote ABB if Dean is the nominee. Some of the hostitility i've seen towards Dean by some on this board makes me think that it would be hard to believe that these people will vote for Dean if he is the nominee.

[jmaier]

2. I hate to say this but your post

is simply inflammatory. What more useful reason could there be for this thread. It's certainly only going to keep stirring up shit. We can do better than this.



Wes Clark. He will be an extraordinary American President.

[Upfront]

6. What Crap!

Makes me sick.

[maddezmom]

21. jmaier, could have said it better myself

thanks for saying what needs to be said. :)

[Padraig18]

3. PURE flame bait.

:eyes:

[TrueAmerican]

I am just saying ABB

Let's support the Democrats.

[Padraig18]

8. No one has suggested that won't happen.

NO ONE

[TorchTheWitch]

18. actually

there have been several Dean supporters who have said they will not vote for Candidate X and will vote Green, sit out, or write in Dean.

[Padraig18]

26. So?

I've seen many Clark supporters say they won't vote D if Gov. Dean is nominated. Your point?

[mouse7]

4. Clark supporters need to treat Dean supporters with more respect

Keep up the "destroy at any cost" attitude, and Dean supporters will stay away just so they don't have to deal with you guys.

Clark seems a reasonable guy, but some of the Clark supporters just go WAY over the top. You guys need to start using some peer pressure on your fellow supporters when they get way out of line.

[TrueAmerican]

7. So you won't vote ABB?

Are you staying home?

[mouse7]

19. I AM ABB. I don't support any candidate.

Ooopsie. I'm simply trying to inform the Clark supporters they are costing Clark more support with the over-the-top behavior than they are generating.

Overall, at DU, more potential Clark supporters have been chased away than have been captured for him.

In otherwords, it is harming Clark, not helping him.

[TrueAmerican]

24. Please cite your sources

I didn't know someone was keeping stats on "potential Clark supporters" being chased away and captured.

Interesting.

[mouse7]

31. For example, you're turning me off right now

I'm an UNDECIDED voter. Do you believe your inquisition of me at this moment is helping your candidate capture my support?

NO.

See how that works.

I won't charge you for that 1st lesson.

Buy "How to Win Friends and Influence People"

Learn it.

The "Stone Cold Steve Austin" school of Personal Interaction impresses nobody.

[curse10]

9. I can say the same for some Dean supporters

pot. kettle. black.

[Justice]

13. Wow

how about a little mutuality here. Otherwise it just sounds like a decree.

[TorchTheWitch]

14. ditto

pot
kettle
black

[clarknyc]

5. Please! No more loyalty oaths.

This is insulting.

[quaker bill]

10. I support Dean

But will vote for a ham sandwich over Bush*. They all are a better choice than 4 more years of this.

[msanger]

11. I'm confused

Are you suggesting that the Dean supporters might be working so hard that on election day they are too busy driving people to the polls and calling old friends to remind them to vote -- and so the Dean supporters themselves forget to actually vote!!

I can't imagine anybody working that hard for Dean, or any candidate actually forgetting to vote.

But thanks for reminding us!!

Anybody but bush.

[clarknyc]

12. Do you have the relevant quote?

What exactly did Dean say, anyway? Respectfully, got a link?

[TrueAmerican]

16. link is here

"Dr. Dean also implied that many of his supporters, particularly young people, might stay home in November if another Democrat's name ends up on the ballot.

"I don't know where they're going to go, but they're certainly not going to vote for a conventional Washington politician," he said.

Though Dr. Dean has repeatedly said he would back whichever Democrat wins the nomination, he said Sunday that support was "not transferable anymore" and that endorsements, including his own, "don't guarantee anything.""


http://www.nytimes.com/2003/12/29/politics/campaigns/29DEAN.html?ex=1073365200&en=9ea1ffc64c5e720d&ei=5062&partner=GOOGLE

[clarknyc]

25. So

What didn't he mean to say? Seems like an honest statement to me.

[clarknyc]

15. Should I start a loyalty oath thread for Clark supporters?

Nah. That would be an insult to those whose support we'll need if Dean wins the nomination.

[killbotfactory]

17. Your fears are unfounded...

Dean will win the nomination, so this is a non-issue.

[TrueAmerican]

20. Did you just return from the future?

How do you know? The votes haven't been counted yet.

[Capn Sunshine]

27. Yeah, stranger things have happened

ask President Mc Cain

[Demobrat]

22. At this point I don't know what I'll do.

If Dean loses the nom fair and square, I'm ABB. But if he gets screwed out of it...I will not be rewarding whoever does the screwing with my vote.

[WillyT]

23. Ok, I Support Dean, But I Don't Necessarily Take This As Flame Bait !!!

I think that almost all of us here, despite our tug of wars for our favorite candidates, are smart enough to give our support to whoever gets the Democratic nomination. There will be some who don't, but it will be a very few in the scheme of things.

The ONLY variable here, is that many Dean supporters out in the hinterland, are first time politicos. They are thrilled to be involved in the process, and believe that they are being heard, and making a difference. Which, they are.

But being new to the process, or newly reinvigorated in it, can come with (and often does) great disappointment. If Dean were to lose this fight for the nomination, and so far it looks like it is his to lose, it won't be so many here at DU throwing in the towel and staying home on election day.

The possibility is that the Dean supporters around the country will be heart-broken, and disillusioned. And many may have put all their hopes on this one guy. Many will want to give up. It will be Howard Dean's job to tell them to keep their chins up, to throw their support to whoever the nominee is, and to never give up the fight.

I believe Dean WILL do that if this scenario plays this way (contrary to some stuff I've seen here, LOL), and if he does so intelligently and passionately, these people will stay onboard for the fight against Bush.

IMHO!!!

:shrug:

Edited cause I still can't spell, LOL!!!

[imhotep]

28. Anyone but Clark

A line has been crossed that is impossible to go back.

[jmaier]

32. Crossed by

whom exactly? Just curious ...

[Brian_Expat]

29. I agree!

Also, please do NOT rape sheep as Gephardt said. I am sure that came out all wrong.

And when Wesley Clark urged you to stab your mother in the heart before crucifying her, I don't think he was really thinking very much. Please don't hurt your mother, no matter what General Clark might have said -- it just came out wrong. :eyes:

As I've told some of you guys, sleaze will not "win the White House." Sleaze against Dean is only going to erode your credibility in the eyes of objective people who read the quotes you're contorting. It's a Rovian tactic, and I'd like to encourage the large number of Republicans in Clark's campaign to leave their Rove tactics at the door when they joined our party. We're not going to win this election with Republican tactics like leveraging regional hatred, hatred against minorities, or stereotypes about candidates' backgrounds.

Thank you.

[JNelson6563]

30. You twist the Governor's words TA

No surprise here. And lookie here! Yet another (2nd I've seen just today) demand for a loyalty oath (not-so-cleverly disguised as pleading).

So far I've been ABB, if the Clark supporters keep up their obnoxious behavior both on the board and the near hysterical PMs I get from time to time, lets just say I'll vote but my valuable effort will definitely be directed more toward some more local efforts.

Julie

[AntiCoup2K4]

33. I've said this before, but....

There are only two candidates of the current 9 that I simply cannot vote for because of their loyalties to the PNAC agenda, and if either of those two were to be the nominee, I would take whatever steps were neccessary to move to Canada. The other 6 candidates - and that includes your man Clark - would have my vote if nominated, even though I have my doubts about their ability to beat the Bush/Rove machine.

Now having once again stated that position for the record, I would also like to say that I'm not worried about that, because Howard Dean will be the nominee, and he will beat the Bush Criminal Empire :evilgrin:

[WillyT]

34. OK, Read It Again... It's Flame Bait !!! --- So... TrueAmerican...

Is YOUR vote transferrable???

I mean, if your guy doesn't get the nomination, and it goes to somebody..... Let's say DEAN. And YOUR guy urges ya to vote for him...

Are ya gonna?

If you are, then right on to you and your ABBness. If not, then WTF is the problem here. Dean probably has seen enough true believers in his ranks, as any other candidate has in theirs.

:shrug:

[TrueAmerican]

36. Clark never said Clark votes were Non-Transferable

So there is no issue here with Clark supporters.

[WillyT]

37. LMAO !!! --- So, I'll Take That As A NO !!!

Your vote is NOT transferrable. You do NOT support ABB!

If Clark does not get the nod, but he urges his supporters, like YOU, to vote for the Democratic Nominee, even if it is (Oh Horrors, Dean), you are gonna.... WHAT???

Am I gettin any of this right???

Jeez, man...

:eyes:

[TrueAmerican]

38. No, you are not getting anything right

Clark never said his votes were non-transferrable. What part of "never said" do you not understand?

[meow mix]

39. clark voters are the most transferrable

after all he's in come late.
we all transferred already! probally..
therefore we would do so again - more readily. (imo)

its the difference between people who just want the best leader.
and koolaid.

no issue here with clark voters.

[meow mix]

35. plz support ABB

dont do this... dean supporters.
i cant believe it!!
is it really that purple? holy smokes - scared now.

[KaraokeKarlton]

40. A lot of Dean's supporters aren't even Democrats, you know

Dean recognizes that, and that portion of his supporters probably won't be "transferable". Clearly Democrats who support Dean are going to vote ABB, but to get angry or indignant over some of Dean's supporters not being willing to vote for other Democrats is pretty silly and inane...and Carville's comment on Crossfire certainly won't help. Independents, Greens, Moderate Republicans, Libertarians and new voters who only are interested because of Dean owe nothing to the Democratic Party. Actually, no voters owe any party anything. If the Party wants people to vote for them then it's their responsibility to provide a candidate those people want to vote for. As a registered Independent I will NOT vote for Bush. I WILL vote for Dean. Will I vote for anyone else? I'm not sure at this point. Referring to me as a "snot nose", "cult member", implying I am stupid by assuming I'm not familiar with my chosen candidate certainly aren't positions that make me want to vote for the others. If anyone takes the position that I owe them my vote while they disrespect me time and again, I sure am not likely to make the effort to go vote for who they want me to.

Ironically, the more those who oppose Dean insult and degrade his supporters, the less likely we will be to vote if Dean isn't the nominee. I suppose you could call it a "self-fulfilling" prophecy. Sometimes I think the Democratic Party wants to lose with how they choose to alienate potential voters.

:shrug:

[Brian_Expat]

42. That's hitting the nail on the head!

People are still viewing Dean as a phenomenon who can "send his votes over to the party." That's naive. Lots of Dean supporters aren't Democrats -- and the key is to keep them for several election cycles and bring them in to grow the party. You don't grow the party by telling them to vote for some other Democrat -- you have to give them a reason not only to vote for the Democrat, but stay in the party.

You have to let them know why the Democratic party is their home.

Dean's critics and DNC insiders don't seem to know this. Dean is growing the Democratis party and reversing its slide. The insiders are hoping for a victory this time, but screw the long-term future of the party.

[rucky]

41. Screw That! I'm Voting for *

[NewYorkerfromMass]

43. Dean: some support "not transferable anymore"

yep. bad.

[Hep]

44. And I'm sure

everyone who jumped on the comment based on misinterpretations is very sorry and promises not to do it again.

Thanks, but I'll decide what I'm going to do when a winner emerges.

[Moderator]

45. Locking...

Please do not start inflammatory threads in GD.

Thanks,
DU Moderator