Ummm, what's the deal with all the Gephardt bashing?

[ShaneGR]

Just wondering. It seems odd to me that he's being bashed over a labor issue. No one, and I mean no one, did more to stand up for Labor than Gephardt. Not Kerry, Graham, Edwards, Lieberman, Dean, or anyone else. This guy went to bat for Labor for nearly two decades. Yeah, he missed a vote but, he's on the campaign trail in the race of his life!

NOTE: I'm not a Gephardt guy, but he's a good Labor guy... just seems a bit offtrack.

[tjdee]

1. He skipped the overtime bill--his vote would have counted...

And he missed another labor vote.

Those are both recent, so maybe that's why the rash of anti-Gep sentiment.

Plus, in general, people just don't like him.

[ThorsteinVeblen]

2. Labor is NOT the issue.

His assumption that because he supports labor strongly he has an excuse to undercut moral opposition to an illegal war to further his presidential ambitions is the issue.

Plus, the bastard has no eyebrows...

[salin]

3. ya that eyebrow thing

there should be a law... ;-)

[Rick Myers]

4. I think alot of people think of him as a demopublican

or republicrat, a DLC construct. Missing that vote really PO-ed labor folks. Just my opinion...

[Jacobin]

5. Gee willikers, I dunno...

Could it have something to do with this?





"The highest responsibility our government has is to keep our people safe. I wish that it didn't come to this. Nobody wishes for war. But, we must face the challenge of terrorism head on and I support our Commander in Chief and the American military at this critical time in that struggle."

[ThorsteinVeblen]

6. Dickie kissing Bush ass.

That smile is disgusting.

[DemBones DemBones]

9. Gee, you think? LOL

Gephardt has some strengths that I respect and I'll even buy his excuse that if he had been there to vote, House pukes would have pressured their moderates to get the extra votes needed to win, anyway. But I still have a problem with him being so cooperative with Bush* about war.

Personally, I haven't seen any criticism of Gephardt strong enough to call "bashing" -- except for what Thorsten Veblein just said about his eyebrows. What's a naturally blond man supposed to do? Men don't generally use eyebrow pencil, you know. :shrug: Maybe he could buy some false eyebrows from wherever Bob Novak buys his?

[DemBones DemBones]

10. Gee, ya think? LOL

There's an echo in DU!
(message deleted because it's an echo of previous post)

[ott]

7. "...no one, did more to stand up for Labor than Gephardt?"

Tell me again about Dennis Kucinich, his labor record, and how many votes he missed.

I think Geph's OK. I disagree with him on a lot, but for the most part we're on the same page. My major problem with him is that he was largely ineffective at his leadership position in the House.

[smoothyking]

11. Gephardt is the King of Labor

Although Kucinich has a high rating from the unions, there has gotta be a reason why Gephardt's campaign has 6 union endorsements and your boy Dennis the Menace has none.

[DemBones DemBones]

12. Please don't knock down Kucinich to build up Gephardt, okay?

I'm guessing Gephardt's getting the endorsements because he's been a House leader and been able to do more for unions than Kucinich has. But if there's another reason, please tell us. I certainly want to elect a pro-Labor president.

And welcome to DU, smoothyking! :hi:

[clarkbarr]

15. Limp Dick laid down for Master Bush when it counted

Sorry, but DICK is TOO LIMP for me.

It never fails that Dicky the Pink Tutu laid down every time Massa Bush told him to!

[danbee46]

8. Gep's Mistake

Yeah, it was a labor issue, but it has the potential to affect an incredibly large number of workers. I've heard that more than a million workers will no longer be entitled to overtime pay. That's not a trivial matter and Gephardt should have been there. The GOP won by only 3 votes. Yes, his pro-worker past counts for something, but it doesn't take much to turn people around, especially when they see their paychecks shrinking.

[Cha]

13. It's like ..What was he thinking?

I found it incredible! But then there is a lot of incredulous things happening all over the place!

[DemBones DemBones]

14. I'm really angry about the overtime bill because I've worked in

industrial quality control and know how many production workers and their families depend on overtime pay. But Pelosi and Gephardt claim that if he had been there, the GOP would have put the squeeze on some of their moderates and gotten them to change their vote so that Gephardt's vote wouldn't matter. That sounds plausible, though I'd still say he should be there for votes. I think too many people in Congress miss votes.

Welcome to DU, danbee46! :hi:

[aquart]

16. Excuse me, squeeze Republican moderates to hurt labor?

Therefore Gephardt shouldn't vote? So Republican moderates can go back to their constituents and claim to be pro labor??????????

Sorry. This would suggest that Gep and Pelosi are trying to get Republicans re-elected.

Does that strike you as a poor explanation? It does me.

[KG]

17. dick gephardt would never wear brown shoes with a blue suit.

and he wore a very nice tie to the rose garden photo-op handing the chimp the ability to invade iraq.

but i believe presidential candidate ought to have eyebrows.