Fellow Deaniacs

[dave29]

Am I wrong in remembering Howard being resoundingly attacked here at DU during his campaign for being a DLCer and too far to the right?

Maybe I've been here too long, but that is my recollection

[dave29]

1. How does one unrec a question?

I'm sorry if this seems like flame bait... I am just trying to remember

[NorthCarolina]

9. The Rahmbots will unrec anything that has "DLC" portrayed in a negative light

Oh, and to answer your question, Dean was never a member of the DLC.

[NYCGirl]

2. My recollection also. I was called all sorts of crazy for backing Dean. NT

[dkf]

3. It's Sure is nicer this way

Now I know why my Obama support was a little more tepid. I had forgotten what a bulldog Howard was.

[HardWorkingDem]

4. Don't recollect that at all...unless...

You are referring to a smaller number of hard-left people who did not see Dean as a far-left or hard progressive.

In my time here, Dean has always been well thought of and given much credit for getting Dems where they are today.

[Renew Deal]

5. There were a number of things he was attacked for. His disingenuous campaign at times.

His dishonest treatment of Kucinich with the "I'm the only major candidate to support XYZ." His cultish campaign. His past DLC ties. And his lack of polish is mostly what did him in.

[dave29]

7. ok that sounds about like what we heard.

Thanks for the reminder...

[Renew Deal]

8. Ahhh the good old days.

I joined DU in 2003 and cut my teeth on those primaries. It was intense.

[Armstead]

6. At times -- Dean was and is basically a mainstream moderate

The fact that he is demonized as a far left disrupter by phony "centrists" says more about the sad state of the Democratic Party than it does about Dean.

In a rational world, he would be recognized as a modeerate common sense maionstream Democrat.

[denem]

10. Dean's a conservative: "The biggest lie that people like me tell

people like you at election time is,'If you vote for me, I'll solve all your problems;' The truth is, the power to take this country back is in your hands, not mine."

In earlier times, that would be considered mainstream, progressive Republican rhetoric.

In today's corporate state, it's radical.

[RufusTFirefly]

11. I supported Dr. Dean even though his liberal credentials were totally oversold

I knew that on most issues Howard Dean was a moderate. And despite being an unapologetic liberal myself, I still supported him enthusiastically.

We live in a make-believe world where the media are "liberal" and Pres. Obama is a "socialist." It's no wonder that Dean was pegged as being something he wasn't. Even so, he was my candidate, while John Kerry, whose liberal credentials are -- ironically -- much stronger than Dr. Dean's, was a big disappointment to me.

[jgraz]

12. Dean's certainly more conservative than I am..

but he's a helluva lot more liberal than he was when he was governor of VT.

[LastNaturalist]

13. You guys run him in the Democratic primary in 2012.

And then you'll see the minority of the party you really are. OBAMA '12.

[dave29]

16. I support Obama, strongly.

I supported Dean first. But thanks for the sentiment ;)

[mike_c]

14. he was largely attacked that way by DLC and blue dog types who...

...were trying to undermine liberal support for him. Many of us who supported Dean were fully aware that he is well to the right of Kucinich. However, at the time he was spot on several liberal issues, such as outspoken opposition to the invasion of Iraq, when Kerry was mealymouthed about it at best.

But anyway, yes, he was "criticized" for being too moderate, but mainly by moderates who preferred Kerry, IIRC, and who sought to undermine his support among liberals.

[mdmc]

15. I found this place through the Dean campaign

At the time, it was considered "unfriendly" to Dean. But by the time I got here it was all Dean..

Kerry, Kucinich, Braun, and Sharpton were all more liberal then Dean. But Kerry failed to oppose the war (the way I see it), and Dean was vocal in his opposition..

[freddie mertz]

17. He was attacked from every direction on many web forums, including this one as I recall.

Some attacked him as not a liberal, some as a leftist lunatic.

They wanted to bring him down to make way for their candidates, of course.