Preaching to the "Core": Questions from a Worried "Centrist" Answered

[dpbrown]

http://minnesotaforkucinich.com/Articles/Local/PreachingtotheCore.pdf

Questions addressed:

Question: Say if Kucinich does win and both houses stay in GOP hands, just how effective will a Kucinich administration be? Would he be able to get anything done for the American people?

Question: Wouldn’t think that Democrats even if they are not backing Dean at this point would at least be happy with the many positive articles written about Dr. Dean? People say Dr. Dean has given us our focus and strength back again. Wouldn’t you say that Dr. Dean has become such a leader?

Question: Why can't we be happy? Why can't we at least champion one who is a member of our own party for helping to bring us a voice again where the mainstream media is hearing it and writing some pretty good articles on him? In the past, we have complained that no one is hearing us and that the mainstream media is not reporting anything in a positive nature concerning our party or someone within our own party. Well now they are and instead of complaining, we should be saying, YES!

Question: Do people wake up every morning thinking of new ways to trash Dr. Dean at the expense of the greater good and that is getting our country back? If this is you that I speak of then shame on you.

Question: Isn’t it true that when you have the Bush administration railing against Dean, that says something right there that they see this man as being a credible threat to him and his administration?

Question: Come on, aren’t you liberals just whiners? I hear people saying that if one does not back a certain candidate of liberal leaning that they will take their ball and go elsewhere. While we abhor Bush's statement, "You are either with us or against us" aren't some using the same tactic towards others to back a candidate not of their choosing in the name of liberalism? The party does not necessarily belong to the liberals, it belongs to the moderates and the conservative Democrats as well. I thought we were the party where all were heard?

Question: How dare Ralph Nader almost using a threatening tone to urge that our Democratic nominee must be Dennis Kucinich? Who is he to tell us Democrats who our party's candidate should be? Even if I have the utmost respect for Dennis Kucinich, how does Nader have any right to tell us anything? Especially since he said there was no difference between Gore and Bush.

Question: A candidate cannot be EVERYTHING TO EVERYONE. Even Molly Ivins sees “a winner” in Howard Dean. Why shouldn’t we follow Molly’s advice?

Question: I’m willing to pledge to support any candidate. Isn’t everyone?

Dan Brown
Saint Paul, Minnesota

[LWolf]

1. I like this one:

Question: Isn’t it true that when you have the Bush administration railing against Dean, that says something right there that they see this man as being a credible threat to him and his administration?

The Republicans don't care who the candidate is, but they'd likely be
happier if it was a weaker candidate, like Dean, than someone who
breathes fire and backs it up with action like Dennis Kucinich.

[The_Joker]

2. Hate to be the Prophet of Doom and all, but...

Has it occured to y'all that Kucinich, Dean, and anyone else running for the Democratic nomination can't beat Bush? No incumbent with an approval rating greater than 50 percent has EVER lost a repeat bid in all the time they've been keeping that statistic. Except for one guy -- a little fellow named Jimmy Carter. And we all know it was the October Surprise that beat him more than anything else.

Don't get me wrong. I still intend to fight for whomever the Democratic nominee may be. But my sleep is bothered by feverish nightmares of a second Bush term that appears seemingly inevitable. Among the weekly news mags, even ones once thought to be liberal (I'm looking at you, Time and Newsweek) have started marching to the tune of America, America Uber Alles. Have any of you read the Man of the Year (American Soldier) issue of Time? Karl Rove must have seen that and thought, "Wow. I must've been a good boy this year for Santa to bring me that one."

Cheers.

[dpbrown]

4. No, because the Democrats have only to find their base to win

Bush is out-of-touch, and that's very analogous to the way Carter was characterized by Reagan.

Reagan seemed to ooze folksy populism, and made Carter look a bit like an egghead - and the economy wasn't doing so well under Carter (from outward appearances).

Bush is in that position, and likely will be in the fall - war not going well, out-of-touch with the people, and economy not going well.

The time will be ripe to pluck the nation back from the jaws of the BFEE, if only the Democrats are able to seize their base, and find a way to project the folksy, populist image that resides at the core of liberal, traditional Democratic values - as espoused most clearly, not coincidentally, by Dennis Kucinich.

Dan Brown
Saint Paul, Minnesota

[dpbrown]

3. Me, too!

Pass it on!

;-)

Dan Brown
Saint Paul, Minnesota