Top aids: Dean prepared to abandon race,

[buckeye1]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=694&e=1&u=/ap/20040215/ap_on_el_pr/dean

Hard to believe,a month ago he was the front runner.

[Moderator]

1. Message from the Moderator

When this article was first published on the Yahoo! News website, at around 3:30 pm, the title appeared as "Top Aides: Dean Prepared to Abandon Race."

The published title of the article has since changed to "Aides Want Dean to Quit if He Loses Wis."

Just FYI for everyone interested in this story.

Thanks!

DU Moderator

[Kahuna]

11. Very interesting.

:wow:

[Cooley Hurd]

2. whoops!

nevermind... :hi:

[joeybee12]

3. As a Dean supporter, I have to say I'm not surprised...

...many friends who supported him now are looking at other candidates, even people I thought would stay with him until the bitter end.

Anyway, when my primary comes around, I'm voting for him even if he's not on the ballot or has dropped out. I will support the nominee in the general election, but I really don't believe that the so-called Democratic leadership gets it--I fear they'll cower in fear at the first sign of a Repuke attack once the general election campaign starts in full swing.

[diplomats]

6. I think the fact that they're going after Bush on AWOL

tells me this ain't the pink tutu Dems of recent memory. They smell blood, and they're not letting up. Plus, Kerry has said repeatedly he's anxious for a mano-a-mano battle with the Rove machine. It won't be pretty, but I have a feeling the Dems learned some painful lessons from 2000 and 2002. Playing by the rules when the other guy doesn't gets you nowhere.

[LiberalFighter]

26. What would be the best way to counter Rove??

How about compiling the research on Rove and his tactics and make it public?

[Blue_Roses]

37. bingo!

so true...

[joeybee12]

27. I hope you're right...

...then should have learned it in 2000, but then 2002 came around and they learned absolutely nothing. I just hope they continue to smell blood. There are no rules anymore, since Dumbo and his evil henchmen did away with them.

[belle]

52. 9/11 was a big factor in '02, though. It was still really fresh.

And possibly rigged voting machines...but that, we'll have to keep looking at, won't we.

[buckeye1]

18. I think he will still be on the ballot.

I voted for Clark. So much for that. Write him in. Its the primary. I do understand that you feel robbed.

[LiberalFighter]

25. Dean supporters should support Dean until it is over!

Likewise the campaign staff should continue until it is over.

[goobergunch]

4. I'm still supporting him in the Pennsylvania primary

Filing deadline isn't until after Wisconsin.

[otohara]

5. Won't Get My Chance To Cast Vote For Good Dr. w/ Big

ass balls.

Thank you Howard Dean sharing for your/our anger, for bringing so many new comers to the process. :cry:

[KoKo]

7. I, too, will write him in. If and when NC has a Primary. July is the

latest news, but some are hoping for April caucuses. Our Repug Legislature screwed our Primary.

A "write in" will be my protest for the candidate I wanted. I also supported Kucinich, but Dean was my first loyalty.

[buckeye1]

20. If that doesn't suck.

July? Do a caucus. They tried to scuttle the primary here but Janet out maneuvered them.

[Baclava]

8. Does anyone think Dean will accept a VP position?

If he loses the nomination, I doubt his followers will vote for Kerry. Or will they, like RFK's followers in 1968, simply stay home or vote for the Green candidate as a sour grapes maneuver?

[jsw_81]

10. Nobody's going to offer Dean the vice presidency this year

[Frances]

12. I can only speak for myself

I donated a small amount of money to Dean early on, and I am extremely grateful to Dean for standing up to Bush, but I have always said that I would vote ABB.

Bush is not an ordinary opponent; Bush wants to turn our government into a theocracy, and I don't think any Democratic candidate, including Lieberman, would try to do that.

[Kahuna]

13. He would accept it. But it ain't gonna be offered.

:wow:

[nolabels]

47. Could you really say that?

I don't think he is guy that likes to play second fiddle, probably wouldn't get asked anyway because it Howard is the insurgent they had to seal off. I am betting he was costing a lot of the Dems them corporate bucks

When he is gone a lot more whoring will go on because only people who they have already trashed or minimized will speaking out against it. They killed a peoples movement for the third presidential contest out of the last four.

We were almost ready for them and the onslaught, maybe next time.

[MODemocrat]

33. I'm a Dean supporter who will follow his example

There's no way I would give my vote away to George Bush by switching parties or by staying home. Howard Dean said he will support whomever the eventual nominee is, and I will do the same. I'd rather have anybody for president over Bush, as long as that person is a Democrat. I'll be so sad if Dean does drop out.

Think I'll have a :beer: :cry:

[mistertrickster]

38. What tells you Deaniacs will stay home? Kerry's a strong candidate--

I prefer Dean because I still think Kerry is too same-old same-old, but if he gets it, he's the man, and Dean supporters will back him.

Besides, he has that important element that every president in the televison age must have--he's tall.

[jsw_81]

9. Good

After Kerry takes Wisconsin, it will be time for all loyal Democrats to unite behind him. If Dean, Edwards and the others decide to continue their floundering, hopeless "campaigns" against Kerry, they will only weaken his chances of victory this fall.

[demgrrrll]

14. I think we do owe Dean a debt of gratitude for making it imperitive

to criticize and stand up to this regime to gain a foothold with the public.

[ninkasi]

28. I agree.

I do appreciate Dean's coming out swinging hard at the * bunch. I think he helped many Democrats find their voices, and their willingness to speak against the unelected fraud.

[Bertha Venation]

32. Yes, we do.

I grieve at the turn Dean's campaign has taken, because he has the potential to be our best president in decades. He showed us something vital, and we needed it. I hope he doesn't rule out future runs.

[Frances]

15. Contested primaries are good for Kerry

When Kerry wins a contested primary, it's news, and the news is that Kerry is a winner.

The news usually shows Edwards and Dean giving speeches and usually they are saying something bad about Bush. That's good for our team.

Sometimes the news even shows Dennis and Sharpton. That's also good for our team.

Let each candidate make his own decision without pressure from any of us.

[jsw_81]

17. Wrong

Every dollar that the Kerry campaign spends to defeat Dean and Edwards is a dollar that could have been used against Bush.

[LittleDannySlowhorse]

22. Boo fucking hoo

Poor John Kerry will just have to wait until he's actually NOMINATED to get one cent from me. I realize that supporting any candidate other than Kerry before the primaries end is tantamount to voting Republican in some people's eyes, but I still have the inalienable right as an American to vote for the candidate I want as long as it's possible to do so.

I know that barring some unforeseen calamity Kerry will get the nomination. Until that moment, however, I'm not supporting him until I have to.

I have always been ABB and most of us Dean supporters are. The implication that we're somehow undermining the Democratic party by waiting until the primaries are over to support the nominee is insulting and presumptuous.

Besides, if Kerry is up by 30% or more in most polls over his primary rivals, then what does he need us for now anyway? We're just a bunch of Kool-Aid drinking cult members anyway.

[Bertha Venation]

29. Danny, may I say, with all the restraint I can muster:

BRAVO.

"John Kerry will just have to wait until he's actually NOMINATED to get one cent from me." Same here.

"I realize that supporting any candidate other than Kerry before the primaries end is tantamount to voting Republican in some people's eyes" -- their problem, not ours.

"I have always been ABB and most of us Dean supporters are. The implication that we're somehow undermining the Democratic party by waiting until the primaries are over to support the nominee is insulting and presumptuous." God damned right!

Thank you very much for posting this.

[LittleDannySlowhorse]

45. Thank you

I've been waiting since Al Gore conceded in 2000 to vote for whoever runs against Bush in November, so I find the encouragement of our fine colleagues here to "unite behind the nominee" a bit on the unnecessary side. As well as premature.

I still support my candidate and I have no reason to withdraw that support while he's still in the race. When I decide to support the nominee, whoever that is, it will be MY decision to do so. Until then, it's real simple: I liked Howard Dean when I first heard about him, I liked him when he was gaining in the polls, I liked him when he was the frontrunner, and I still believe he's the best candidate running. The fact that the chips are down doesn't change any of that for me.

My sense of duty and responsibility is no less than that of those who support any other candidate. I believe in him and I can't just toss that to the side because a few people insist that my loyalty is desperately needed now, as opposed to a month from now when the primaries end.

[Bertha Venation]

48. Well said.

:toast:

[54anickel]

54. Great posts! To rally behind Kerry too soon would also discredit

the importance of the Grassroot efforts. The DNC/DLC will be able to point that the grassroot was just a small fringe group. I don't want to believe that, nor do I want that idea pushed around. It would mean that us "regular" folks don't matter.

That is one defeat I do not think anyone wants to see.

[LosinIt]

43. JFK* will have to wait till Hell freezes over to get one cent from me.

Which according to tonight's forecast isn't that far off. But, seriously, I am so disillusioned with this whole nomination/coronation that I am ready to drop back out. The day after the NY primary I will proudly switch my party affiliation (back) to Independent. The DNC is no better than the RNC, they can both kiss my formerly fat ass! They won't see a penny from me or my children in my lifetime. My kids got excited about Dean, the ones old enough registered to vote, now they are being told that it is sewn up, Kerry '04 ad nauseum. I thought this was still a democracy?

[graelent]

44. I will not give money to Kerry

He will get my vote, but he will not get my money or my time.

I will give my money to moveon.org or to a Dean lead PAC, if the rumors I hear about him forming one are true.

Kerry has done nothing to earn my money or my time, and I am doubtful he ever will.

[jamesinca]

41. Every dollar that John Kerry spends

Keeps Sharpton from spending it on a campaign against Bush. It is called the primaries and John Kerry is $2.2 million in the hole after all debts and loans are figured in. He does not have the most cash on hand either.

[goobergunch]

21. Kerry won't have 2161 delegates after Wisconsin

Therefore, I will not feel compelled to support him at that time.

[jsw_81]

24. Prediction: Kerry will have Dean's endorsment by this time next week

What will you do then?

[Bertha Venation]

31. chuckle

You're young, I'll bet. 23 years old is my guess from your handle.

You're quite cocksure.

See you this time next week.

[jsw_81]

51. My candidate is 14-2

How many primaries and caucuses has your candidate won? Zero.

[goobergunch]

49. Still support Dean

Although I detect an invalid premise.

[buckeye1]

23. You sound alot like the Deaners In December.

Pride goes before the fall.

[GreyV]

16. Good... now...

Good. Now if Kerry and Edwards were to follow his example, everything would be even better. When was the last time this country had a president without a southern accent? 1970s? I thought north won the civil war.

[BadGimp]

19. I know it's over for Dean...

cause I saw it on TV.

[DU GrovelBot]

## Support Democratic Underground! ##

RUN C:\GROVELBOT.EXE
 
This week is our first quarter 2004 fund drive.
Please take a moment to donate to DU. Thank you
for your support.
 
- An automated message from the DU GrovelBot

Click here to donate.

[shance]

30. Establishment/DNC/Andrew Grossman are trying to silence Democrats?

How can any of us with a straight face support John Kerry when it seems increasingly more obvious to me the DNC/DLC elected him instead of mainstream Democrats.

This primary continues to look more manipulated and contrived by the Washington insiders, and not to mention the fact that they have been trying to derail Govenor Deans campaign since he became the front runner?

Very disappointing to see Steve Grossman trying to derail Dean as well.

[NashVegas]

34. They (his aides) Won't Have Jobs in the Kerry Administration

If they stand by him (if he continues in the race).

[Crachet2004]

35. I wish Dean had done better...

A Bush/Dean matchup would have been loud, lively and a lot of fun. And I think Howard Dean would have won. Oh well. ABB.

[Jackpine Radical]

36. Wife & I spent part of this weekend making local (WI) phone calls

for Dean. Yeah, we're both ABB, but we've been in it since the first Dean meetup & we're not going down without a fight.

[jamesinca]

42. Somebody in here said it nicely a few weeks back

I will quit supporting Dean when they pry him form my cold dead heart! Or something to that effect.

[PassingFair]

55. Hang in there, Jackpine...

my best friend and I stood tall in Michigan. At our caucus spots, we were the only people there supporting a candidate! No one for Edwards, Clark, Kerry, etc., NO ONE.
Made phone calls to win one vote at a time. We came in second in Michigan, but only because the unions waffled. I have no compunction in continuing to wear my Dean buttons. Just because he's not leading, doesn't mean he's not the best person for the job. I hope he stays in until the convention. What happens if the 'pukes drop a bomb on Kerry before the election?
Win or lose, he is the best hope for our country.

[twilight]

39. Excuse me! The headline now reads ... Dean to Advisers: 'We Are Not Bowi

Dean to Advisers: 'We Are Not Bowing Out'

WASHINGTON - Howard Dean (news - web sites)'s top advisers are urging him to abandon the Democratic presidential race if he loses Wisconsin's primary, officials said Sunday, but the former Vermont governor asserted, "We are not bowing out."

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=694&e=1&u=/ap/20040215/ap_on_el_pr/dean

Same link - different headline/apparently different story ...

:wtf: ??????????????????????????

:dem: :kick:

[onehandle]

40. Try this one...

Dean's own advisers are urging him to abandon the fight if he loses Tuesday and predicted that he soon would. ``We are not bowing out,'' Dean told The Associated Press before a 90-minute debate in Wisconsin.

But campaign chairman Steve Grossman told the AP that with a loss Tuesday, Dean would seek to convert his grass-roots network into a movement that helps expand the party and elect Kerry.

``When Howard Dean says he's not going to quit, what he means is the battle to restore democracy and citizen participation is long-term and he's not going to quit on that battle,'' Grossman said.

http://nytimes.com/aponline/national/AP-Democrats.html

[alarimer]

46. He should stay in

at least until this whole intern story plays itself out. If it is true than we have at least 2 other candidates to choose from (Dean and Edwards) who have at least don't have "bimbo" problems. Or if it isn't true, Kerry is a much stronger candidate for having the competition. Although I think the whole story the media are allegedly sitting on won't come out until/unlesss Kerry is the official nominee. And then we are toast, if Rove has the goods or at least enough to torpedo the Democrats.

[Norquist Nemesis]

50. Very hard to believe

it was only a few months ago he was front runner. I still support him. Here's an article Mike Hersch wrote in August 2003 why Bush/Republicans were afraid of Dean and what they were doing about it.

http://www.mikehersh.com/Republicans_Fear_Howard_Dean.shtml

*sigh* Guess they got what they wanted. :sob

[FlaGranny]

53. I've totally stayed out of discussions on candidates,

but here, I will interject my feelings on this. I will vote for ABB. But I must say, from the very beginning, Kerry has excited me way less than ANY of the other candidates. Yes, he has the most experience and has more name recognition than the others, but there's something about him that says "dry, uninteresting, establishment."