If you were Howard Dean

ledveddermanledvedderman Posts: 7,761
edited February 2008 in A Moving Train
I know that the vast majority of Democrats on here are Barack Obama supporters. Here's something to debate. Howard Dean, DNC chairman, has said that if there isn't a clear winner by the end of March or April that he will sit the candidates together to force one of them to drop out.

What do you do?

Do you force Hillary Clinton out and upset the blue collar lower income Democrats, and everyone that had some sort of contact with the Clintons while they were in the White House. Doing that you are also losing possibly support of the 60+ crowd and a growing latino vote that could possibly support a candidate like John McCain in November.

Or

Do you force Barack Obama out and upset the millions of new Democrats and Independents who have supported him. You would be turning off a grass roots fundraising effort that since January 1st has raised $40 million dollars. In the general election you would need those independents against a candidate like McCain that would rather vote McCain than Clinton.


I really don't have any idea what I would do if I were him. It's really between Barack and a hard place. (:)) I know what I would prefer him to do, but he's got a lot of thinking to do.

I know Clintons argument is "day one", but if I'm Howard Dean I only care about November. Just win the election, and Obama is the one who can do that. That's the best thing for the Dems is to win. Dean has been in talks with Michigan and Florida (according to the NY Post) to hold caucuses again. If I'm those states I'd make the DNC pay for it.

What it boils down to is...who the fuck knows?
Post edited by Unknown User on

Comments

  • He didnt say force... he said "we will all have to come to an agreement". He cant force either out of the race.

    If this conversation happens I would think Dean would side with Obama...
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  • jeffbrjeffbr Seattle Posts: 7,177
    If it comes to that I give the not to the Clinon clan. They're good party apparatchiks, afterall. Dean is the ultimate partisan, and will reward party loyalty. The superdelegates are currently lined up for Clinton, and Dean, being the most super of all, would also lean this way.
    "I'll use the magic word - let's just shut the fuck up, please." EV, 04/13/08
  • tybirdtybird Posts: 17,388
    He didnt say force... he said "we will all have to come to an agreement". He cant force either out of the race.

    If this conversation happens I would think Dean would side with Obama...
    ...especially if the Clinton campaign is still hurting in the pocketbook.
    All the world will be your enemy, Prince with a thousand enemies, and whenever they catch you, they will kill you. But first they must catch you, digger, listener, runner, prince with the swift warning. Be cunning and full of tricks and your people shall never be destroyed.
  • He didnt say force... he said "we will all have to come to an agreement". He cant force either out of the race.

    If this conversation happens I would think Dean would side with Obama...

    I was reading between the lines when I said "force".
  • tybird wrote:
    ...especially if the Clinton campaign is still hurting in the pocketbook.


    rumors about Senator Clinton's financial demise are greatly exagerrated

    http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2008/02/07/clinton-stretched-for-cash-pushes-for-debates/?mod=googlenews_wsj

    Update at 11:48 a.m.: The Clinton campaign announced their fund-raising figures as well this morning, noting that they raised $4 million in the 24 hours after the polls closed on Super Tuesday. Further, the campaign said they have already met the “$3 million in three days” goal they set yesterday and are now upping the ante to “$6 million in three days.”
    I hate quotations. Tell me what you know.
    ~Ralph Waldo Emerson~

    The Tie-Dye Lady is HOT!!!
  • rumors about Senator Clinton's financial demise are greatly exagerrated

    http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2008/02/07/clinton-stretched-for-cash-pushes-for-debates/?mod=googlenews_wsj

    Update at 11:48 a.m.: The Clinton campaign announced their fund-raising figures as well this morning, noting that they raised $4 million in the 24 hours after the polls closed on Super Tuesday. Further, the campaign said they have already met the “$3 million in three days” goal they set yesterday and are now upping the ante to “$6 million in three days.”

    Obama is over the $7.5 million mark since Tuesday. I think you are right though, I think they are stretching the story to try and draw some supporters in to donating money.
  • rumors about Senator Clinton's financial demise are greatly exagerrated

    http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2008/02/07/clinton-stretched-for-cash-pushes-for-debates/?mod=googlenews_wsj

    Update at 11:48 a.m.: The Clinton campaign announced their fund-raising figures as well this morning, noting that they raised $4 million in the 24 hours after the polls closed on Super Tuesday. Further, the campaign said they have already met the “$3 million in three days” goal they set yesterday and are now upping the ante to “$6 million in three days.”


    I'm sure it is exaggerated, but they can't expect a good reaction when they announce that she loaned money to the campaign, and some advisers are skipping paychecks. No matter what the reason is behind it, it just can't look good.
    My whole life
    was like a picture
    of a sunny day
    “We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses.”
    ― Abraham Lincoln
  • Obama is over the $7.5 million mark since Tuesday. I think you are right though, I think they are stretching the story to try and draw some supporters in to donating money.

    exactly and really in the big picture perfectly normal for such crazy expensive campaigns.

    Sick how much money needs to be spent to win a job the average person would never want.
    I hate quotations. Tell me what you know.
    ~Ralph Waldo Emerson~

    The Tie-Dye Lady is HOT!!!
  • rumors about Senator Clinton's financial demise are greatly exagerrated

    http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2008/02/07/clinton-stretched-for-cash-pushes-for-debates/?mod=googlenews_wsj

    Update at 11:48 a.m.: The Clinton campaign announced their fund-raising figures as well this morning, noting that they raised $4 million in the 24 hours after the polls closed on Super Tuesday. Further, the campaign said they have already met the “$3 million in three days” goal they set yesterday and are now upping the ante to “$6 million in three days.”

    It's not exagerrated... she is in trouble. She had to dump 5 million of her own money in... last I checked Obama had over 7.5 in a day and a half. Once Obama sweeps the cacuses this weekend, the money trend will continue to flood to Obama and dry up the Clinton bank accounts. Its all about the momentum. Clinton is banking on Ohio and Texas to keep her in the race. Those primaries are almost a month away... sounds like a Rudi tactic to me...

    She is going to start a slow slow death beginning saturday....
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  • exactly and really in the big picture perfectly normal for such crazy expensive campaigns.

    Sick how much money needs to be spent to win a job the average person would never want.

    7.5 million in a day and a half is far from "normal"
    10.31.93 / 10.1.94 / 6.24.95 / 11.4.95 / 10.19-20.96 / 7.16.98 / 7.21.98 / 10.31.00 /8.4.01 Nader Rally/ 10.21.01 / 12.8-9.02 / 6.01.03 / 9.1.05 / 7.15-16,18.06 / 7.20.06 / 7.22-23.06 / Lolla 07
  • sounds like a Rudi tactic to me...

    That's a really interesting point of view that I had not thought of. They are counting on some wins in states like KY, OH, TX, and PN but I don't know if that's enough. If he catches the wind in the next 13 days it could be a lot of trouble for her.

    All of this would explain why she would want to debate once every week. She wins debates. He wins when it comes to events and fundraising.
  • That's a really interesting point of view that I had not thought of. They are counting on some wins in states like KY, OH, TX, and PN but I don't know if that's enough. If he catches the wind in the next 13 days it could be a lot of trouble for her.

    All of this would explain why she would want to debate once every week. She wins debates. He wins when it comes to events and fundraising.

    All he has to say in the debates is "It's not about being ready on day one, it's about being right on day one" and he wins... though I do think she is a better debater than him. I mean all those lonely years married to Bill... she has sharpened those skills ;)
    10.31.93 / 10.1.94 / 6.24.95 / 11.4.95 / 10.19-20.96 / 7.16.98 / 7.21.98 / 10.31.00 /8.4.01 Nader Rally/ 10.21.01 / 12.8-9.02 / 6.01.03 / 9.1.05 / 7.15-16,18.06 / 7.20.06 / 7.22-23.06 / Lolla 07
  • All he has to say in the debates is "It's not about being ready on day one, it's about being right on day one" and he wins... though I do think she is a better debater than him. I mean all those lonely years married to Bill... she has sharpened those skills ;)

    Obama needs to find a way for the Iraq War to become the number one issue in voters minds again. That will be really tough.

    The media might help him w/o even knowing it because we're getting close to another "significant" number of US casualties in Iraq. We're very close to 4,000 and it seems w/ every new thousand deaths the media moves the war to the top for a couple of days.

    I would much rather that not happen and have him force the war himself.
  • cornnifercornnifer Posts: 2,130
    Can Howard Dean really do this? It sure as hell wouldn't look good for the party. Obama wouldn't agree to it kindly i don't think, and everyone knows for damn sure hillary would scream, fight and probably file about 15 lawsuits. This situation would get ugly in a hurry.


    The people wouldn't like it much either. It may just kill any chance democrats had in the general election. Especially if Dean opted for hillary to be thw nominee.
    "When all your friends and sedatives mean well but make it worse... better find yourself a place to level out."
  • Dustin51Dustin51 Posts: 222
    Anyone know when the nominee stopped being chosen at the convention? I know when you look at the election in the 60's there were still 2-3 candidates running at the convention and people really werent a 100 percent sure who would actually be selected. Just curious if there was a specific event or time that changed this?
    Be excellent to each other
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