”Howard Dean really is the only candidate who has been able to inspire at the grass-roots level all over this country, the kind of passion and enthusiasm for democracy and change and transformation of America that we need.” — Al Gore
Like a lot of people, I was at first a bit disappointed that Al Gore endorsed Howard Dean. First, I was still dreaming that Gore might be drafted when no one else proved as popular. Second, though I like Dean most of the other candidates (after Gore), I was looking forward to the primary process to weed out some of the Nine. Let the voters speak.
On the other hand, many have been bothered by too many candidates with little or no chance. For example, though I greatly respect Carol Mosley Braun, like much of what she has said and would, in fact, vote for her instead of Bush, she doesn’t really have a chance — and I am truly sorry to say that. I could say the same about Dennis Kucinich. I don’t fault any of these candidates for trying and appreciate the messages they have communicated. If only they had stayed on target with attacking Bush and uniting voters against him. The last few “debates” seem mostly to be try-outs for VP — who will bring the most to the presumptive Dean ticket? Who has attacked Dean the least?
There should be one thing that unites ALL Democrats, Independents, Libertarians, and countless others: dump Bush. Get Bush out of the White House. This is going to be much more difficult than it should be — the Radical Right literally has a stranglehold on power. It is already time for the general campaign against Bush. It is time to stop spending money and time undermining the eventual Democratic candidate. I’m afraid that Gore’s announcement will not succeed in uniting everyone NOW, not later, but that may have been the right idea.
Dump Bush and the Radical Right. Vote for the Democrat! mjh
Dump Bush — Keep George W. Bush a one-term president
News Analysis: Dean’s Role Is Redefined by Gore’s Endorsement By R. W. APPLE Jr., NYTimes
Al Gore’s endorsement confirms the status of Howard Dean as that rarest of animals in the jungle of presidential nominating politics: an insurgent front-runner. It gives him the legitimacy he has been seeking, but it also presents him with problems of self-definition.
Gore’s endorsement divides Dems / Race now pits Dean against everyone else
Gore praised Dean’s early opposition to the war in Iraq, calling him “the only major candidate who made the correct judgment.” He urged Democrats to rally around the former Vermont governor, saying “we don’t have the luxury of fighting among ourselves to the point where we seriously damage our ability to win” the White House back.
Gore, the party’s standard-bearer in 2000, declared Tuesday morning that Dean is the strongest candidate to defeat Bush. By evening, none of the other candidates would even acknowledge the possibility that Dean could win the presidency, an indication of potential divisiveness ahead.