In Iowa, Howard Dean says ‘at this point I’m supporting Hillary Clinton’

[ForgoTheConsequence]

Source: The Des Moines Register

Another presidential campaign is not an immediate goal for Democrat Howard Dean, who came to Iowa today to rake Republicans as either radicals or cowards who are too afraid to stand up to the extreme right.

“At this point, I’m supporting Hillary Clinton,” Dean, a former Vermont governor and 2004 presidential candidate, told The Des Moines Register in a brief interview in Iowa today.

Asked if he’s definitively ruling out a White House bid, Dean climbed into a waiting car and said with a grin, “Ahhgh, we’re done here. Thank you.”

Read more: http://blogs.desmoinesregister.com/dmr/index.php/2013/08/21/in-iowa-howard-dean-says-at-this-point-im-supporting-hillary-clinton/article

[LaydeeBug]

1. Pass the popcorn.

Heads will explode.

[Tiredofthesame]

2. My head just exploded.

He says "at this point". Like "oh well, its the best we are going to get." Never thought of Dean as a man who "gives up". I would feel like I gave up if I supported Hillary in the primaries.

[DonCoquixote]

3. The fix is in

TPTB realize that Dean gave voice to a lot of disgruntled Progressives; now anyone who does nto support her will be further marginalized.

OH well, at least in 2017, I will get to watch Jane Hamsher get ripped by her firedogs when she defends Hillary's war stance, and other things that would inspire hate if Obama did them.

[JDPriestly]

4. She has the money. She has the name.

Her money is from folks I do not like. Her name has been soiled by NAFTA, the repeal of Glass-Steagall, her vote for the Iraq War, her work for Walmart. A person who makes such bad career choices, has so many right-wing friends and has voted for repression and killing and against the interests of the people of the United States? No thanks. No thanks.

I have to ask. When Clinton was being sued for sexual harassment, we heard that the Clintons had so little money they might have to go bankrupt paying their legal fees. Today, they seem to be almost swimming in money -- at least compared to the rest of us. How did that happen?

Was corruption involved? Were their payofffs? For what? For nothing?

Where did all their money come from?

Speeches? To labor unions? To schools? I think not.

To the 1%, to big corporations, to employer associations.

Hillary Clinton sold out. She sold out to those who have money. I do not trust her to represent me.

No, thanks.

[Beacool]

6. The Clintons made their money the old fashioned way: they earned it.

Bill is the one who made most of that money through paid speeches, investments and the advance & royalties from his and her books. When the Clintons left the WH they were in debt ($2.5M in legal bills). Their staffers were in debt too thanks to the Republican witch hunt. The total debt was around $14M. Clinton said at the time that his goal was to pay that debt and provide for Hillary and Chelsea's future.

His other goal was to establish a foundation. Thanks to that foundation over 5M people are alive today who would have died if he hadn't managed to get the pharmaceutical companies to lower the price of ARVs from $600 to $60 per person.

So pardon me if I don't give a flying fig about your insinuations.

Furthermore, IF Hillary runs, she wins the nomination. It's as simple as that. The same forces within the party who pushed for an Obama presidency are now pushing for Hillary. The leadership feels that it's time for a woman president, that the country is ready. I like Warren and think that she's becoming a fine senator, but I doubt that she's interested in running in 2016, particularly if Hillary chooses to run.

[DonCoquixote]

8. If being a woman was the only qualification

Then we should all want Thatcher. Ask the Uk Duers what sort of scar she left.

[Beacool]

11. You know better than to equate Hillary with Thatcher.

I expect better from you.

[DonCoquixote]

16. Ok Hillary is not Thatcher

but the same idea that just because she is a woman means that she will be liberal is true. Bea, let me say this with all the honesty I can muster. If she were to go ahead and actually denounce some of what she and Bill started, from the Glass Steagll fiasco, to the keystone Pipeline, I would jump for joy,especially as she is possibly the only person who could tear them down now. She has not, she will not, though if Hillary were to read this, i would BEG her to prove me wrong.

[Beacool]

25. Well, let's see what comes to pass.

She's not Bill, they are two separate people. Also, the 1990s are not the 2000s. The country's needs are not the same. It's not fair to assume that she will be a carbon copy of Bill. Let's first see if she's even interested in running again. Right now the media is fueling all the speculation.

[JDPriestly]

10. Hillary will just be more of Obama.

We should be demanding more. She is not the candidate for me.

She is far, far, far too beholden to the very rich and not on my side.

[HumansAndResources]

13. "The Leadership..." Is EVIL

Let's make that utterly clear - that we know this, and we won't support "The Leadership (DLC) EVER again."

No more war, even with coerced UN Votes to create a fake "will of the International Community," by threatening to cut off USAID (soft-power CIA) bribery funds or other forms of retaliation. The jig is up - we know our military is being used as enforcers for Transnationals' overseas Stolen-Vested-Interests - who keep their money offshore and don't even pay taxes.

No more Wall St Candidates and Handouts to the Transnationals - including a "forced-mandate" to for-profit Health Insurance companies - pennies-on-the-dollar handouts of OUR petroleum reserves, MIC Contracts, etc. These are the players which are destroying our futures by strip-mining our nation and sucking out the wealth to Switzerland and the Caymans. We WILL have a candidate that Really Will Re-Negotiate (or destroy) NAFTA, GATT, WTO, and not run a "Secret Trans-Pacific Partnership" deal behind our backs.

No more sellouts to Monsanto - hiring "their" lawyer to be the so-called Food Safety Czar. No "revolving door" indeed. We need a candidate who MEANS IT when they say "No Revolving Door" !!!

If we can't get those things, at least, what is the point??? To claim victory because the pres has a "D" next to their name, and loose our futures to transnational-fascism anyway??

And as far as "earned it" goes - funny - I've worked very hard, but never "earned" that kind of dough. Why can't we call making "thousands an hour" what it really is - "Winnings" - and not from a game with fair-odds to all players, either. When they make millions, you and I are paying with what is NOT in "our" wages (i.e. "Paycheck-Permission" to Exist on the planet "owned" by the rich).

Oh, and WE should be telling the pharmaceuticals What They Will Do - not "negotiating" with those who spend more on advertising than on R&D and pretend to be our saviours. Notice how "cures" are rare, but "expensive treatments" are on the rise? That system is Broken, and we need to stop giving credibility to them by taking their crumbs, letting them play post-massacre-PR, and pretending we "won" - as they continue to dictate what happens in DC to our detriment.

[Beacool]

14. I wasn't referring to the old DLC.

I'm referring to the current party leaders (Senators, Representatives, Governors, etc.). Obviously I don't mean every single one of them, but enough of them.

[PassingFair]

19. Clinton IS the old DLC. nt

[BeyondGeography]

15. Lol...c'mon, nobody makes $100 million "the old fashioned way"

Unless by old fashioned you mean an ex-President leveraging every power relationship he has and the information that comes along with it to its full economic value. Bill can self-deal with the best of them.

Btw, I hope Hillary runs and Bill takes a much lower profile than he did last time around. It shouldn't be hard because she won't have Obama or anything like him to contend with and she doesn't need his public help anyway.

[Myrina]

5. Buy Doc, she hasn't even ANNOUNCED that she's RUNNING.

C'mon man. Let the voters pick their candidates for once, instead of the party and the money telling us who we get to vote for!!

[Fearless]

7. Let's get some fresh blood in

Enough with DLC candidates.

[DFW]

9. I just spoke to him about this (like five minutes ago). Count nothing out. He isn't.

He still feels younger blood should be doing this, and in any case it is WAY too soon to get involved in any serious speculation. The FEC will scrutinize VERY closely anyone making noises about running.

We discussed everyone. Hillary, Warren, O'Malley others not on the radar yet, and even himself. No comment on the details, as right wing trolls do read this board.

By the way, Howard says the main goal at this point is holding our ground and NOT letting Kuchicrazy become governor of Virginia!!!!

[Beacool]

12. He's right about Cuccinelli.

I fear for VA if he becomes governor. His candidate for Lt. Governor is just as bad.

[Va Lefty]

27. Worse, if that's possible

and sadly it is

[DFW]

29. Agreed. The LG candidate is a combination of Pat Robertson and Alan Keyes.

Li'l Nut Case and Big Nut Case.

[joshcryer]

17. I love Dean. I would've said the same thing.

Hillary has it but we need younger blood and we need someone progressive.

Though I disagree that it's "way too soon to get involved in any serious speculation." In fact, it seems you and Dr. Dean do too since you discussed Hillary, Warren, O'Malley, and others not on the radar yet (I want to know about them!). We need to start early because here we have even Dean saying "I'm supporting Hillary" because we all know the writing is on the wall so barring health issues we need to have someone to challenge her.

“Ahhgh, we’re done here. Thank you.”

Love this man.

[DFW]

18. "We're done here."

When we all met for lunch 3 years ago, Helen Thomas said of Howard that she loved his directness, and gave him her highest compliment: "He's not like a politician." His directness was his downfall before, and he knows his shortcomings as well as anyone. Ask him about his 2004 campaign, and he'll be the first to tell you, "We didn't know what the hell we were doing." After his extremely successful DNC chairmanship, he sure knows now.

Here's a scenario (Howard listened, but didn't say he agreed or disagreed with it as a possibility): what if Hillary is letting nature take its course, and she is perfectly content to be a lightning rod for Republican bile as the "presumptive nominee" right up until 2016. The when it's serious primary time, she delays and finally announces she's not running, but will work her ass off for the ticket.

The Republicans will have wasted another few hundred million (plus a lot of time and effort) trying to bring her down, because they couldn't be sure she wasn't running. I hope she delays her decision (publicly, anyway) as long as she can, though not as long as she did in 2007-2008 when she really was running.

Howard is not interested in running, as he still firmly believes younger people need to be doing this, but if it looks like there is no one to fill the hole Hillary will leave if she says she's not running, it's not impossible he could be talked into it. There are a few "keep your eye on" people not yet in the headlines, but they would do well to stay that way for now. Rubio, Cruz and Paul will all be tired old news by 2016, and they still have two and a half years more of sticking their feet in their respective mouths--something all three of them seem to do compulsively.

[PassingFair]

20. If he puts himself out there for us....

I will promise to help take care if him in his old age...I feel like I already owe him for giving voice to real democratic ideals and basic common sense and decency.

[DFW]

21. I think he made more of an impact on history than history will ever give him credit for.

Without him, I think there would have been no Barack Obama. There would certainly not been a halting of Republican control of Congress in 2006, and possibly even the White House in 2008. Howard was the one who made it "alright" again to say you were a progressive, and not have to make explanations all the time. It is because of him that "liberal" is not a universally suspect word, and "conservative" is not necessarily a badge of courage or honor.

The "Democratic wing of the Democratic Party" will be a phrase that will live with us for a long time to come, and just reminding everyone that speaking out without fear to do so is not the sole realm of right wing fanatics.

[joshcryer]

28. Dean's use of social media was the basis for Obama's entire campaign.

I agree, with complete certainty, that were it not for Dean Obama would've had to deal with the hurdles that Dean dealt with early on and likely no President (what people don't remember is that once upon a time there was a site called Friendster and LiveJournal which Dean leveraged; it was the first social media based Presidential campaign).

[Kingofalldems]

22. Kick and Rec for Democrats

[Brigid]

23. There is one thing most people here are forgetting here:

2014. We have a mid-term election coming up first. We need to be concentrating on that right now.

[Fringe]

24. I voted for Howard Dean

And I DO want Hillary to run, but at this point I don't know who I will support in the primary. Also, Hillary has my vote if she is the nominee.

[RC]

26. Why is any one even discussing this already?

We have a Mid-term elections coming up that we have to get through first. Discussing Hillary is nothing more than more shiny at the moment.