Dean Clarifies Remark by Insulting Working Class Whites

[Bruzilla]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A64780-2003Nov4?language=printer

In response to requests that he apologize for his comment about wanting to appeal to folks who have Confederate flags on their trucks, Dean refused to apologize and told his rivals the Democrats will never recapture the White House until they find a way to appeal to working-class white voters in the South. "I make no apologies for reaching out to poor whites," he said.

What a slam against poor whites in the South. This makes them out to be a bunch of racists Klansmen... not a good way to win their votes.

 

[Nosenheimer]

But at least he means what he says ... gotta agree with that ... even if I don't agree with the statement he made.

Please don't flame me

 

[Bruzilla]

I'm with you on that. I say kudos to Dean for sticking to his guns. My only beef is that if he were to say such a prejudiced statement about Blacks he would be hung by his nads.

 

[Nosenheimer]

Originally posted by Bruzilla
he would be hung by his nads.

Now there's something to look forward to

 

[Toxick]

Originally posted by Bruzilla
I'm with you on that. I say kudos to Dean for sticking to his guns. My only beef is that if he were to say such a prejudiced statement about Blacks he would be hung by his nads.

Shadows of James Watt..





"I have a black, a woman, two Jews and a cripple."

"What? What did I say?"

 

[SamSpade]

There's pretty much not a chance in hell I'd vote for Dean but -

I at least admire his defending his remarks and sticking by them amidst the barrage of flak he's taking for it. I mean, I don't think he's ever going to win over conservative Democrats because he hasn't a clue what they are like. But he is at least smart enough to know he can't win an election by sticking only with the die-hard left. He has to appeal to more than his base. And he has the balls to basically tell them to shut the hell up. I despise political correctness, and his detractors are masters at exploiting it.

Similarly I admire Lieberman. When confronted, he doesn't apologize and doesn't weasel out, like Clark and Kerry do almost daily. I don't want a president with no spine. I don't intend to vote for Lieberman, but I do respect anyone who has the courage to stick to their convictions when everyone else is attacking them.

 

[tlatchaw]

Originally posted by SamSpade

Similarly I admire Lieberman. When confronted, he doesn't apologize and doesn't weasel out, like Clark and Kerry do almost daily. I don't want a president with no spine. I don't intend to vote for Lieberman, but I do respect anyone who has the courage to stick to their convictions when everyone else is attacking them.

Wasn't Leiberman the formerly conservative Dem that flipped on abortion because it wasn't in line with Al Gore? I'm not so sure he sticks with his convictions.

 

[Bruzilla]

Yeah, and he flipped on the Clinton impeachment and he quickly dropped his campaign to clean up Hollywood and the recording industry once he needed their help.

I think that Dean seems to be a pretty straight shooter, even though I disagree with most of the things he says. I was looking at his stand on gun control and was surprised to see that he's a full supporter of the Brady Bill but also wants to mandate insta-check programs nationwide. Those two positions run in opposition, so it would be nice to know which direction he's really leaning in.

 

[Kain99]

Originally posted by SamSpade
Similarly I admire Lieberman.

 

[Tonio]

What if Dean had said he wanted to appeal to the guys with NASCAR stickers on their trucks instead?

 

[Larry Gude]

Or even better...

...what if Dean said...

"I intend to be President of every American citizen, regardless of age, party, race, gender, preferences or bias. I intend to do what I think best for all of us as a nation and not for any particular group. If you voted for George W. Bush I want you to consider voting for me based on my intentions and my record. We may not ALL always agree but I will always tell you what I think and the truth about my intentions."

 

[Tonio]

Larry, politicians of ALL persuasions say that only in Frank Capra movies.

 

[Larry Gude]

Yeah..

...but it would so fit Dean and what I think he was trying to say.

The rest of these yo yo's are running around, the front runners anyway, talking to the particular audience, not the nation.

Dean is, or was, saying he wanted to be the President of the United States of America, not President of the Universal GW BUSH Haters.

 

[vraiblonde]

Originally posted by Larry Gude
...what if Dean said...

Don't give them any ideas, please.

I think what Dean meant to say is:

I want to be President, dammit! And if that means I have to suck up to you Southern rednecks with a racist symbol on your pickup and 3 dawgs chained up in your unkempt yard and a refrigerator on your broken down porch, then BY GOD I'll do it!

And I agree with Kain on you folks who "admire" Lieberman:

 

[Toxick]

Re: Or even better...

Originally posted by Larry Gude
...what if Dean said...

"I intend to be President of every American citizen, regardless of age, party, race, gender, preferences or bias. I intend to do what I think best for all of us as a nation and not for any particular group. If you voted for George W. Bush I want you to consider voting for me based on my intentions and my record. We may not ALL always agree but I will always tell you what I think and the truth about my intentions."

I wish a politician would say that. If Dean said that, and if I believed him, he'd get my vote.



Unfortunately, as much as I'd love to hear it, from anyone (D), (R) or (I), I don't think that person would win. There's not enough sex appeal and bling-bling involved to attract the mainstream voter.

 

[Bruzilla]

As an adopted son of the South I find the whole argument pretty silly. I guess Northern elitests need to spend more time down South to see what the whole Confederate flag thing is all about. It has nothing to do with slavery, or wanting to oppress black people. It has to do with Southern pride and wanting to be seen as different from the rest of the country (which they are.) I've seen many blacks with Confederate flags on their hats, cars, etc. If they don't have a problem with it...

 

[vraiblonde]

Originally posted by Bruzilla
Northern elitests

Ignorant unsophisticated people have this idea of the South as this teeming mass of hillbillies marrying their sisters or something. Never mind that CNN is headquartered in Atlanta.

So it's not Southerners that are the rednecks - it's the elitists that are a bunch of retarded inbreds.

 

[Larry Gude]

There's another angle...

...to all of this that is ignored.

It is not impossible that a guy with a Rebel flag in his pick up already votes Democratic.

Are there no union jobs or civil or government jobs or other groups where people tend Dem in the South?

If not for his ham fisted 'apologys' I would have thought Dean did it on purpose because he knew how much over reacting his opponents would do.

I mean, John Edwards basically said "A Southern man don't need him around anyhow..."

 

[Tonio]

What do you think of this? I'm glad the reporter explained the Southern disenchantment with Democrats was not just about race, although that was a huge factor. I think general fear of big government was about 40% of it.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/politicselections/nation/2003-11-06-dems-south_x.htm

However clumsy he may have appeared, Dean was addressing a real problem that confronts Democrats in the South: the loss to Republicans of white male moderate and conservative voters. It's a problem for Democrats nationally as well, since Democratic presidential nominees in modern times haven't won election without carrying at least part of the South.

The growing domination of Republicans in the South traces to the 1960s, fueled by a variety of causes, including race.

The rise of civil rights and voting rights for blacks, public school integration and conservative alarm over the growth of government in Lyndon Johnson's Great Society all contributed to white Southern discontent with Democrats and helped the growth of a vital Republican Party.

The trend accelerated in 1968 and 1972 with Richard Nixon's victories. Nixon successfully used what became known as his "Southern Strategy" — an appeal to Southern whites by saying he opposed segregation but favored only voluntary integration of the schools. He also stressed "law and order" in the wake of racial unrest.

 

[Otter]

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