Hello

[Andy]

This is supposed to be about political debate right? I?ve been waiting for someone to post on Iowa.

It seems that Dean is a two time looser. First the media and most of the other candidates got on him, resulting in a poor third place showing. Second, he came across as a WWF wrestler in his speech or whatever that was, once the polling was done.

I mentioned quite a few posts ago that I could vote for Edwards. It was really a surprise to see him do so well, so soon. It didn?t seem that he would really get going until the S.C. primary. My hat is off to him.

John Kerry winning was no surprise at all. Almost two months ago he got rid of some of his campaign staff and Teddy Kennedy loaned him his people. A very good group of organizers, very friendly, usually drinking and lots of dollars hanging out of their pockets.

Joe Lieberman is death walking. Yes, he didn?t run in Iowa but only because he knew there was no chance at all. When he doesn?t break 20% in N.H. he may rethink his future. Things sure won?t get better when the bandwagon heads south.

The General appears to be standing in Kerry?s way in N.H. I can just see Clark saying, ?Yes John, you would make a fine junior officer.? Wonder how much the bump from Iowa will hurt Clark?

I?d comment on the others but what?s the point.

Stay healthy,
Andy

[Keith_Hixson]

Dean and his way out ideas is even to liberal for most Democrats. He won't be around come fall.

Edwards doesn't have the organization.

Clark is somewhat of a loose cannon with little political experience and won't be around come fall.

Lieberman, I somewhat like him but lacks personality and we live in a media society, He won't be around come fall.

At this point it is Kerry and He will be the only one around come fall.

Personnally I'd prefer Edwards or Lieberman but that is the way its going to be.

From my moderate / conservative point of view.

Keith

[SuperScout]

First of all, kindly let me take issue with anyone who says how the media ganged up on Dean. Dean's style of campaigning, his fiery delivery, and his frequent gaffs are all lightening rods, and the press zeroed in on what would sell. But you're right, Andy, he's a two-time loser, and only time, a blessedly short time, will tell whether or not he's down and out. One positive thing may have resulted from this: endorsements may not have the political clout they once did, or what we thought they once did. If Dean tanks, perhaps we will see him pull down Gore, the endorser, with him, the endorsee. Hmmmmmmm........ Bottom Line: he's scarier than the thought of being alone with my first ex-wife!

Edwards is the surprise entry of the season, rather refreshing, but considering I've got gravy stains on ties older than him, I wonder if he has the experience necessary for the job. One term in the US Senate is hardly grounds for entry to the most powerful position in the world. Add this to the fact that I have a visceral dislike for trial lawyers and dogs with rabies, and I'd have to look elsewhere for a viable candidate.

I think that Kerry even surprised himself! Agreed, with boodles of cash and flowing adult beverages, many campaigns have been won, but Iowa is a far cry and far distance from Boston. Among other things, which I'll post in another place, Kerry orates, and when it might be just a brief comment, what results is bordering on a condescending sermon.

Right on again, Andy, Lieberman (and I might add) Gephardt are/were both dead men walking. We saw Gephardt bail out today, and may see Lieberman taking a dive in two weeks.

Clark, or as I affectionately refer to him, "Hillbilly Lite," dodged all the bullets while in the NE, avoiding Iowa like he avoids GEN Shelton. His pomposity, waffling responses, and think skin will cause him to explode in the next debate, and he will be revealed as the shallow egomaniac he always has been. And then he will become..... a has been.

The others???????? Hardly worth a comment...........

[Seascamp]

Dean has hogged the media spotlight, pissed on virtually every campfire in the Democratic Party digs, ignored the center stripe of the US statistical bell-shaped curve of political distribution, made contradictory screw up after screw up, behaved as if he were as dumb as a burlap sack of river stones, attacked and demeaned in a full 360 degree circle and then tromped into the heartland as if he owned the place, and thought he did. Some political pundit said long ago ?it?s got to play in Peoria?. Peoria isn?t in Iowa but the concept is hard cold fact when dealing with the center stripe and the heartland. My guess is that loose cannons careening about the gun deck trailing block and tackle don?t play well in Peoria. We?ll see how Dean?s supposed jugranaught plays in New Hampshire. It seems to me that at long last the power machinery of the Democratic Party riseith, are mightily pissed-off at Dean & Co. and got the squish machine warming up as I write. Now maybe we?ll see if Dean starts to play to the vote-rich center stripe or no. In a bit from now it could be that the powerful Union vote block may have to strike a deal with some other candidate and that could be about it for the Dean odyssey. But in his ra-ra speech Dean vowed to take back America for the common folk. Who dat ?common folk?? I don?t know any as everyone I know seems to be rather unique in their own way and owns a mind of their own. Maybe he is referring to department store manikins or the Hollywood ?elite?, I don?t know. Maybe it?s Al Gore he refers to, who knows.

Externalizing his less than stellar showing in Iowa by blaming attacks/attackers tells me that he?s got some mighty big cracks in the breastworks. I think it is he that has been hurling the most stones and it was he that rolled in his out-of-state mob to get out and hoodwink the heartland. Kersmack, I think he just stepped on a rake and got a melon thumping right between the peepers.

Scamp the unequal and unclean

[BLUEHAWK]

Two days ago I would have sworn Dean was a stalking horse for Gephardt... until the Show Me guy showed us by withdrawing.

At this point I believe their party just lost the election unless something truly weird happens to or amongst the GOP...

All those guys with shirt sleeves rolled up... all those standing O's during the State of the Union speech... laughable.

They oughta just let the guy give his speech from start to finish, and then see how they feel about it. It all seems forced, every time in recent decades... not sure what this has to do with anything in this thread, but it seems to.

[SuperScout]

Lest ye goeth and heapeth glowing coals, harken ye back to yesteryear, and recalleth the Standing O phenom dosth be created in yon history! Granted it is a highly partisan maneuver, the Principal Ownership varies, and doth indeed maketh for longer speeches, but is almost one of those PAR's - political autonomic responses.

What will be truly illustrative of the coming months is to see if Dean undergoes any metamorphesous (did I spell that right?) and becomes an attractive buttefly from the rather ugly cocoon he spun out in Iower. (I kinda like Sir Scamp's metaphor of loose cannons careening around the gun deck, too!) But stalking horse? Perhaps more like an untamed gelding.

[MORTARDUDE]

The picture that was posted on Drudge under "Dean Goes Nuts", looked sort of like Adolf Hitler in one of his tirades. Dean is a big time loser.

Larry

[BLUEHAWK]

Ah Yes Emperor!

The dread PARS and Ye Olde Untamed Gelding by half...

How could the Liege Knight have forsooken his powers of experience :-)

[frisco-kid]

I thought this guy was a horse's ass 6mos. ago, and his "I Had A Scream" speech the other night just confirmed it. It has amazed me how much money has been dumped into this clown's War Chest. He's had alot of people seeing him for what he is in the last several weeks, and the people of Iowa pointed it out to him. If I were a Repub, I'd be PRAYING that this moron got the nomination. It would make Bush a shoe-in. Alot of Dems, myself included, would vote for him.

The jury is still out with me. I need to do somemore homework on these guys. As a moderate, I find Kerry alittle too far to the left. I'm glad Gephardt bailed. I would have liked to have seen a better showing from Leiberman. I kinda' like him. I'm glad Edwards had a respectable showing. I find his optimism and refraining from mud slinging refreshing. As far as being an attorney, aren't most of 'em? It's not such a big leap from attorney to politician, and not necessarily up.

I'm just gonna continue to hang out in the weeds for now.

[Keith_Hixson]

Tom,

Of the Democrats, I liked Leiberman, too bad he lacks personal charisma.

Keith