Howard Dean is mental!

[Mr. Irrelevant]

I've got to agree with everyone here on Dean's speech. Way over the top for a guy that finished 3rd.....Guess he felt he had to say something and went a little too far.

The democrats need to get their act together - and push out the clintonian types among them. I don't see myself voting democrat anytime soon, but I wish they would make my decision harder. They make it easier all the time. To little legitimate opposition, and some of the republicans are going to let it go to their heads.

I have to admit I don't agree with 100LL often on political issues but most of this is right on. The Dems need to get someone on the ticket that is as close to center as possible. I know Astra mentionedd that in one of his posts. I wonder if the people in Iowa started to realize that Dean just wouldn't beat Bush. He's just too liberal. Most of the Clinton campaign top aides by the way are in the Clark camp. I assume if Clark gets the nomination he'd be the first General since DDE to run for President. There may have been someone else, I'm not sure.

The dems are fractured right now. Hatred of Bush is not a platform. (Apologies to the crazies on this board).

I would also agree with this statement but the same could have been said for the GOP in 96.

I don't think Kerry is all so bad. Amazing that some would put down his Vietnam experience though. I wonder if anyone here really knows first-hand about what he did and whether he functioned in his role well. I think he was a platoon leader but I really don't know either. I don't think the Dems can win the White House with him unless they get Zell Miller on the ticket as VP. Need a southern influence to win.

I'm not from NC but John Edwards doesn't seem so bad. Conservative Democrat (it's all relative guys, relax!!), self made guy (even if it is as a lawyer), probably understands your typical American alot better than GW. Maybe that's not a pre-req to do a good job as President but I'd rather someone from modest means run the White House and not a silver spooner.

Today's "New York Times" reports a 10.6 percent increase in Medicare payment to HMOs being proposed by the Bush administration. In addition, the president is asking -- is expected to ask Congress to appropriate another $1 trillion for his so-called Social Security reform.

In addition, the president wants to spend another half trillion for going to Mars and the moon. This is, of course, on top of the $3 trillion in tax cuts for the wealthy, $400 billion in pharmaceutical subsidies, and $180 billion farm bill. When asked about taxpayers could afford all this, Bush said, the same way I afford everything. Daddy will pay for it.

Any idea when this guy will stop spending? I know alot of people believe deficits are not a big deal but it really ruined his father and wasn't his fault. When it comes time to pay these debts he's running up, the cost of floating debt on the market is really going to screw us. His father had to raise taxes, he had little choice. GW must be banking on another big ride like we had from 95-00 because there is no way to pay off that debt he's building without another huge run. I think whoever takes over in 2008 is really going to get screwed, Dem or GOP!!!!


Mr. I.

 

[SteveR]

Yell Dean yell. What a dope.

I generally agree with Bush, although he has done a few things to make me mad. Why would you EVER grant illegals permission to work here? I have to admit that is pretty stupid. Nothing can convince me otherwise. Still, Bush is MUCH, MUCH better than any of the democrats. Logic really escaped those guys.

 

[merikeyegro]

clark

I don't think that the record of Wesley Clark will be much worse than that of GWB. It's not as if GWB's past is very strong. Let's see...Failed oil tycoon, boozehound and drug addict, history of lying to a country, using war and terror for political gain (who else would STILL be trumpeting 9/11 as if it happened yesterday - I understand terrorist hate us, but are his policies REALLY helping that problem?), and propping up the USA PATRIOT Act as if it were the greatest thing since sliced bread. Oh yeah, GWB had a DUI. Real responsible.

Somehow I don't think that Wesley Clark's record in 35 years of military service and disagreements as a GENERAL (you can't get to that high of a rank without at least SOME integrity) will hurt him that much. Of course, they'll come into the campaign. The GOP would be stupid to not at least try to discredit him. However, the records have already been used in the Dems primary race. It's not as if if it's secret info. He has even acknowledged it and made it sound worse than it really was. Clinton staffers said they asked him to resign, Clark said he was fired. I guess I don't see this as info waiting in the wings...

GWB can trumpet poor showings in the past for the opposition. He's just lucky he's the incumbent and is basically innocent until proven guilty. He's NOT a good person and many people know it. He also has no interest in helping this country into the future. We're on a dangerous path here at home and he doesn't really seem to care.

What ever happened to fiscal conservatism, anyway? Curious...

 

[Fly2Scuba]

Why I vote Republican

As a union member, the Democrats have much to offer. That's certainly an important part of my life. With that said, the parties' general social platform has pissed me off way to many times...

-Secularism: Let's see now, one of the national holiday where all federal workers get off work is CHRISTMAS. If you don't like the fact that this nation leans toward Christianity and has been that way since the beginning, then move to France; which by the way will most likely be lead by Muslims 20 years from now due to immigration and faint Christianity among the rest of the population. Gee and which party supports secularism. I can't think of a more important issue then God and our own existance.

-Morals: Alternative Lifestyles, think outside of the box, yadda, yadda, yadda...The liberal wing of the party is just so open to the idea of everyone should be free to express themselves, even if the you don't care for that. Case in point: Boy Scouts of America. Because BSA doesn't allow homosexuals, the liberals sue and sue and sue...

-Which leads us to lawyers and the ultimate despicable organization...the ACLU. This organization has supported child molestors and other sick and twisted people including other sex offenders. When someone commits such serious crimes, their rights for the rest of their lives should be terminated.

-And speaking of Serious consequences, I'll never understand the Lefts view that we can't execute the most evil people. If you don't want execution, then how about locking them in solitary confinement for the rest of the basterds life with just a faith based book of their chose. Oh, but that's cruel and unusual.

-Finally, we have affirmative action. A policy that is plain reverse discrimination. What's next? Every company has to hire at least one transsexual Communist Eskimo?

The best candidate of the bunch: Joe Lieberman. I'll take a faithful Jewish guy any day over the rest of the Secularism leaning Yahoos. Unfortunately his chance of winning is on par with Annika's chance of winning the Masters.

 

[bart]

Somehow I don't think that Wesley Clark's record in 35 years of military service and disagreements as a GENERAL (you can't get to that high of a rank without at least SOME integrity) will hurt him that much. Of course, they'll come into the campaign. The GOP would be stupid to not at least try to discredit him.

He did it by stomping on his subordinates and spending all his time managing UP. It will be Clinton operatives that s h i t can his campaign, and not the GOP if he gets close to winning in the general election. The Dems do NOT want to win this election (and by dems I mean the DNC, McAulliffe and his crew). That means an incumbent would run in 2004 and not her majesty.

 

[Mogus]

who else would STILL be trumpeting 9/11 as if it happened yesterday

I would be. It was only a little more than two years ago.

 

[AeroBoy]

OK, now let me get this straight: Four years ago, Gore was criticized for being too robot like and not showing any emotion; now, Dean shows a little too much emotion in ONE speech and everyone jumps on him just for being human and non-robot-like?! C'mon...give me a break...

 

[Mogus]

OK, now let me get this straight: Four years ago, Gore was criticized for being too robot like and not showing any emotion; now, Dean shows a little too much emotion in ONE speech and everyone jumps on him just for being human and non-robot-like?! C'mon...give me a break...

No, we're jumping on him for looking like he's gonna jump off the screen and bite our heads off. There's a happy medium between Gore's sleep-inducing rhetoric and Dean's just-plain scary behavior.

 

[N2264J]

What are you talking about?

Kerry will never get elected. He has a past that will haunt the hell out of him. Proud veteran, my ass. Just do a Lexis/Nexus on John Kerry and Jane Fonda and let me know what you come up with.

Since very few people subscribe to Lexis/Nexus, why don't you tell us why you mention John Kerry in the same sentence with Jane Fonda?

Is the purpose of this "guilt by association" angle because the two belonged to the same anti war organization?

 

[ShinerBocknabtl]

Every politician has their good points and bad points but from what we've got to choose from in this next election, Bush is the best choice in my opinion. Like Bocephus said..."if the south woulda won we'da had it made."

 

[Astra Guy]

Guys,

Since I have been of age to vote the final vote always comes down to the lesser of the two evils.

As for the deficit situation I think much of this is situation is smoke and mirrors. We go from unbelievable surpluses which succeeded record deficits and now back into forecasted record deficits. After WWII with unbelievable deficits we somehow recovered rather quickly and as a baby boomer I can't say that I knowingly suffered economically.

I think we need to deal with the subject at hand. First, ensure that our country is secure. This is undoubtedly costly. At the same time there have been many new areas in business created by the situation. Next, we need to focus on getting our people back to work. The hiring swing upward always lags the economy swinging upward. There are so many areas that we need to work on that I can't even count them on all my fingers and toes.

Bush has muddied the water with the illegal immigrant situation, in my mind. I can only hope he has some vision that I don't have in many areas.

As the Democratic field narrows and they come up with their final candidate then we will see who makes the most sense. From what I hear from my wife if Lieberman looked and sounded like Edwards he would probably get the nod. You know these gals vote based on good looks! With Kerry's anti-war efforts after his service there he might actually come out a winner, atleast on the single point. Clark is good looking so that might sway the feminine vote but he has the skeleton of being fired, for whatever reason, by Clinton....the ultimate draft dodger. Something doesn't seem right there. Clark used our military might to stop the oppression in Bosnia but then later says we weren't right in going to war against someone who had undoubtedly killed 100K+ of his own people needlessly. This is a little mind-boggling.

Dean, even with his toned down rhetoric, is still "out there!"

Phew! This is too much for me to think about! I think I will go have a beer...maybe it will all go away!

 

[Cokie907]

Leave SECURITY to the GOP

Take pity on the ignoramuses amongst us....

This fella named Merik (for short) has turned a blind eye to history. Must I remind everyone of the sordid 90's where we all put the security of our country second to a supposed roaring stock market and national economy.

The WTC's were bombed in 1993 and we did nothing
The Khobar Towers were bombed and we did nothing
Embassies in Tanzania and Nhairobi were bombed and we did nothing.
The USS Cole was attacked in Yemen and AGAIN we did nothing!

Winston Churchill once said that the route to victory against Hitler would be a route of ".....sweat, blood, toil and tears." The Democratic party, led by a perjuring draft dodger named Bill Clinton was not ready and is not today ready to do what Churchill said was necessary 60 years ago when liberty was threatened!

Thank God we have someone in a position of leadership who will occupy the pages of history with Churchill! Thank God for Tennessee, a state which rejected its "favorite son", Al Gore and gave 11 essential electoral votes to GWB! Only one other time in US history did a presidential candidate not carry his homestate. Attribute this to the "Clinton effect" and poor Al Gore knows it. That is why he is supporting Howard Dean, a candidate who has renounced the Clintons and their appointed jackass puppet, Terry McAuliffe, the head of the DNC. Dean has made it very clear that he will SHIATCAN MCAULIFFE in the event he wins the nomination.

Sean in Ole Rocky Top Tennessee

 

[barnyard]

I like to practice my Dean Scream on my freight run! It keeps me sane. HYaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!