Can someone seriously read this and tell me the problem? (Kaine)

[mattclearing]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/31/AR2006013101246.html

What exactly is the big deal? The main complaints I've heard so far are "He looks strange," and, "He didn't call for immediate withdrawal from Iraq." Looks are pretty weak grounds for criticism, and he looks normal enough to me. And the last I checked, immediate withdrawal from Iraq was not the Democratic Party's position, nor is it feasible policy option at this point.

But there's a larger point here.

I'm sick to death of people bitching about Dems.

The Democratic Party has its problems. The people who voted for cloture rather than block an anti-constitutional Jurist from the Supreme Court need to be challenged in their upcoming elections. That is going to happen in a lot of cases.

If the people complaining about Dems spent half as much time complaining about Bush, I'd feel better about it, but I worry that people are just letting their frustrations get the best of them and attacking their own rather than focusing on the common enemy.

It has to stop. We can be critical of ourselves, but the name-calling and bemoaning of everything Dems do is getting ridiculous.

This election year is too important to let ourselves be divided and conquered.

This is the year we get the opportunity to take back the House and impeach Bush. Tom DeLay is primed to be defeated...and there are so many others that we can take down with decent opposition.

Dems and lefties need to keep their eye on the ball and stop slinging mud at each other.

[Joe the Revelator]

1. If he didn't call Bush a "big crap face"...

or shout at the top of his lungs, some Duers would never be happy.

[mattclearing]

2. It just bugs me that they focus that on Dems.

So much vitriol for people who are at least on the right side of the aisle. Give them credit for that.

[papau]

3. I thought it dull - but it was not ineffective. I agree all the bashing

is something DUers should not do to other Dems.

But folks here like to/need to rant a bit.

:toast:

[mattclearing]

4. Bush gave us so much to rant about.

Kaine did a good job as far as I can tell.

[Midlodemocrat]

6. I thought it was a good speech.

He isn't passionate like the Big Dawg, but he did touch on 'cronyism' and deception and I really liked that.

Some folks are having a hard time with the way he looks.

:shrug:

[mattclearing]

8. I'm sure they would love him if he had Kerry's Leno chin.

:D

[seabeyond]

12. i would suggest that probably those that support kerry, support

this man. and are not the ones attacking the man. probably you will find the same people attacking kerry, calling the party spineless and ineffective. cowards.... yada yada yada... are the same dissing this man

just a guess. but then as much of a guess as your guess

[mattclearing]

14. I just think it's dumb.

If people are going to criticize, start with Bush, and then work your way around to the substance of the response. When people start with the Dem responder's looks, it's clear their opinion isn't very well grounded.

[seabeyond]

15. well i agree. was that sarcasm towards kerry in your post?

but i absolutely agree and think it is ridiculous to take all of bush's so many fuck ups and time and again dump it on the dems. i think it is just downright .... stupid

[mattclearing]

17. Yes, it was a joke.

Kerry's outrageous chin is cool with me.

[seabeyond]

18. wink.... gotcha n/t

[Nikki Stone 1]

5. It was the eyebrow

So salient that even people who had no clue about the speech could say "what's going on with that eyebrow?"

[JeffR]

7. It wasn't problematic

I doubt if it even had much of an audience, sad to say.

[On the Road]

9. If Kaine's Speech was Any Indication of the 2006 Elections,

this will be a very poor year for Democrats.

You don't have to become a viscous attack dog or even espouse progressive policies to give an effective rebuttal. Bill Clinton is a master of taking advantage of his opponents, and he does it all without changing his sunny disposition.

I'm not dumping on Kaine -- I'm glad he was elected governor. More power to him. But he was in over his head. Murtha should never have been replaced. Regardless of the text, the speech left viewers who are dissatisfied with Bush with no standard to rally around, and left Bush politically untouched.

I am most upset with the poor judgment shown by Reid, Pelosi, and everyone else responsible for the decision to feature Kaine as the face of the party last night. They are our leaders in Congress, and they have some critical things to learn before this year's election.

[mattclearing]

10. Was Murtha ever chosen?

I never heard that he was replaced.

[On the Road]

11. That's What Was Being Bandied about on DU

I don't know the details or whether it was accurate.

[mattclearing]

13. I know people were disappointed when Kaine was chosen because

he wasn't Murtha. That was my understanding of it.

[stray cat]

16. I prefer rational discourse and leadership to rants

and I think most Americans that could help swing elections to the democratic party do to. I want to hear options and not rants and I did.

[mattclearing]

19. Thanks.

I think most people feel this way, and Kaine's response was effective for that. A lot of people here seem convinced that the Democratic Party is solely responsible for its own problems. They are responsible for some, but much of it is the other side, the media, apathetic voters, lack of fair elections, and all manner of other issues. Dems are getting better over the course of the past few years and I feel it is important to keep at them.