campaign freak-out

[verte76]

No, this has nothing to do with the infamous Dean outburst. I was just at a meeting at church and I sat next to a lady whose daughter is John Edwards' *national* director of communications!!! I was shocked! We were talking about the rosary society, then someone asked her about her children, and she said "oh, she's communications director for John Edward's presidential campaign". It turns out this girl has been in Democratic party politics for about eight years! We had an interesting conversation about Iowa, New Hampshire and so forth. I'm still in shock.

 

[MrsSpringsteen]

Cool!

I like him, I think I might even vote for him. I hope to God he doesn't drop out.

 

[U2andPolitix]

kerry/edwards is my dream ticket. i'm going to get to meet both (kerry for the 2nd time) on february 7th. i really want edwards to do well in addition to kerry. anyone but dean!

 

[verte76]

She told me that she has gotten a gazillion phone calls since Iowa, including one from a state senator.

 

[U2andPolitix]

i'm really glad to see edwards doing so well...the media polls are decieving because all of the events in NH where edwards speaks are overflow room only. i believe he'll do really well...i hope and pray kerry will too and that dean will go down.

 

[verte76]

That "screech speech" of Dean's probably nuked his candidacy, if his placement in the caucuses themselves didn't. Local rumors are still claiming that Kerry might not run well in the South; the best people from up East have problems in these parts. Not really fair, but..........that's why I wouldn't mind a Southerner. Edwards might even be the first Democrat to carry Alabama since '76 if he is the nominee. He's really catching on around here.

 

[U2andPolitix]

yeah as a fellow southerner i know kerry won't do well in the south but he's 2nd in many polls in the south. that's one reason why i want a kerry/edwards ticket, because that would get both the north AND south.

 

[TylerDurden]

It's a pity that so much of this process is spent competing with each other, not against the opposition (Bush).
Dean wouldn't be a good President, but I was hoping that before his spotlight went out that he would be the guy who was not afraid to ask some real obvious questions of Bush without being afraid of how he'd be portraid to the all important Fox News demograph the next day. Sadly, he didn't do it. He sounded more like a confused college protest leader. I guess he had the balls, but not the brain. Really, I want someone to tear Bush to shreds in the debates. It shouldn't be difficult.

(As an aside, I often read/hear Americans talk about the 'liberal' media, from outside the US, the vast majority of the online newspapers I read, plus the US news channels we get here, lean right. I don't know what you are talking about!)

 

[verte76]

I think this "liberal" media label is a bad joke or something myself. This is the most competitive Democratic primary in some time, although in the past it has taken until March or April to decide the nominee. It's not all bad: the best guy will come out. It's not like some years when a mediocre candidate gets a free ride. But I agree, I want them to take on Bush sooner rather than later.

 

[U2andPolitix]

I agree with everthing said too. I see no 'liberal' media...not the majority of it anyway. There are some parts that are liberal, but that's nothing compared to talk radio, fox, etc. Y'all should all read "Lies and the Lying Liars who Tell Them" by Al Franken if you haven't already. It's a riot.

 

[IWasBored]

and why isn't kerry going to do well in the south? i was sure he ran on the conservative side...voting for the war in iraq, supporting aspects of both the patriot act and no child left behind.

 

[verte76]

and why isn't kerry going to do well in the south? i was sure he ran on the conservative side...voting for the war in iraq, supporting aspects of both the patriot act and no child left behind.

Geography and stereotypes. It's stupid, but some Southern voters just don't take to candidates from New England. I think they're cool, but there's alot of paranoia around here, I think. That's why people are throwing around the "electability" card and saying that the Democrats need a Southerner. Edwards is from North Carolina, thus some people like him better. It's crazy, I don't give a damn where someone was born, and I don't know why anyone does. Edwards is a good candidate, but it's because he's a great speaker, not because he was born in South Carolina and represents North Carolina. Kerry voted for the war, and he has a military background, and this will play well in the South. It's really conservative around here, this was Bush country when Clinton was president. Nothing wrong with that, but it's not my cup of tea politically because I happen to be a member of that endangered species called a Southern liberal.

 

[IWasBored]

i'm from freaking massachusetts, but that doesn't mean i automatically like kerry better.

wierd.

 

[U2andPolitix]

Geography and stereotypes. It's stupid, but some Southern voters just don't take to candidates from New England. I think they're cool, but there's alot of paranoia around here, I think. That's why people are throwing around the "electability" card and saying that the Democrats need a Southerner. Edwards is from North Carolina, thus some people like him better. It's crazy, I don't give a damn where someone was born, and I don't know why anyone does. Edwards is a good candidate, but it's because he's a great speaker, not because he was born in South Carolina and represents North Carolina. Kerry voted for the war, and he has a military background, and this will play well in the South. It's really conservative around here, this was Bush country when Clinton was president. Nothing wrong with that, but it's not my cup of tea politically because I happen to be a member of that endangered species called a Southern liberal.

well said! although i often speak of how i loathe 'yankees' its usually tongue in cheek. and i am proud to be a part of the shrinking breed of southern liberals!

 

[meegannie]

This must be like the nature preserve, since there are at least three of us on this forum. I'm too liberal for the Democrats, though.

 

[FizzingWhizzbees]

That "screech speech" of Dean's probably nuked his candidacy,

Is it just me who finds it ridiculous that elections are decided on irrelevant things like this, rather than actually on where a candidate stands on the key issues?

 

[IWasBored]

of course it's rediculous. but it's easier to base your vote on something trvial like that, than actually THINKING, isn't it?

stupid...stupid...who am i blaming on this? who's fault is it...is it the news media for selling us this stuff? or is it our own faults for swallowing the bullshit they give us?

but that's an instance where you wonder where in the hell people get the 'liberal media' tag from if this so-called liberal media is blasting dean for not boring his supporters to death.
or atleast i wonder...

i figured out what the hell i'm doing in fym though...this will be the first presidential election i will be able to vote in. so suddenly i seem to want to pay attention to this sort of stuff? hmm...i thought i was on to something. guess not.

 

[verte76]

Is it just me who finds it ridiculous that elections are decided on irrelevant things like this, rather than actually on where a candidate stands on the key issues?

I agree, in alot of ways it's much ado about nothing. It's another thirty-second sound bite on the evening news. I first saw it the day after when the CNN people claimed Dean had "scared" the voters. The press dubbed it his "screech speech" and claimed he'd nuked his candidacy. You'd think he'd committed a murder or something. There were rumors that the guy was a bit nutty for a presidential candidate but I think people who run for a killer job like the presidency are nuts anyway. The press want to either crown or behead these guys after every caucus and primary. It's the media throwing itself around. Of course it's ridiculous.

 

[IWasBored]

you know what i think is kind of amusing? my sister will be able to vote by the time novemeber rolls around, so she was watching the news dean's 'rant' came on, and she goes "i'd vote for that guy!"

 

[U2andPolitix]

i won't be able to vote in this year's election (I MISS IT BY 3 FREAKIN DAYS) but i listen and pay attention because i know that my future is at stake, and it doesn't matter that i can't vote. i try to remind my friends of this, and many are catching on.

 

[sue4u2]

Way to go IWasBored: I love to hear new voters are actually paying attention and doing their on research. Too many people in this country vote by way of their church, spouse, or worst some 30 second sound byte on tv commercials. Dean's screech didn't scare me or turn me away from him, that had already happened. I was already leery of him. So him getting caught up in his own self didn't make any difference.
Hey Verte your not the last of a dying breed in the South. There are plenty of us here, albeit, we are outnumbered.
but we fight on. And speaking of the media, keep in mind they (the talking heads) had Dean the winner in Iowa all along. We see how much their predictions mean...

 

[verte76]

Oh, Dean's speech didn't have any effect on me either. I was already a bit leery of him also, I think Kerry is a better choice. In fact, that was a heck of an original concession speech. I took the "presidential " matching poll anitram posted and Kerry scored higher with me on the issues than Dean did. If I could just vote my conscience I'd vote for Kucinich. But the guy has to be able to beat Bush, so I pick either Kerry, Edwards or Clark.