Effort underway to force Howard Dean onto ballot

[Durandal7]

The Democratic National Convention might be more interesting than I thought.

A group intends to force a vote at the convention on whether or not to draft Dean onto the ticket as the VP candidate.

http://www.boston.com/news/politics/primaries/massachusetts/articles/2004/07/02/group_promises_convention_floor_fight_in_bid_to_draft_dean_as_vp/
Three-hundred delegates have to sign a petition to put such a question before the convention and organizers say they've already got 350 firm commitments from delegates to sign on and indications of support from another 150. For the effort to be viable, organizers believe they need 600 to 750 delegates and are hoping for as many as 1,000, Meurer said.

The group's homepage: Draft Dean for VP (http://www.draftdeanforvp.org/)

[sorryiwasdreami]

Whoa! This is big news! I have been a Howard Dean advocate all along and it was painful to see him drop off the presidential race a few months back.

I feared that this election would be similar to the last one (not the loss of votes in Florida scandal) in that Nader would again compromise 7-10% of the democratic/liberal vote. If that were true this year, and Nader is bound to be even more of a force, there is no way Kerry will win.

Drafting Dean to the running mate position, which I thought should have done anyway, will certainly get many more liberals to vote democrat-Kerry, instead of independent-Nader.

In an instant, I would vote Nader, Cobb, Green party, or any third party because I believe more in their grassroots ethics. However, if there was any election year to bite the bullet and vote specifically to get a president out of office, this is it.

Apparently, conservative groups who support the Bush campaign financially are also funding the Nader campaign, specifically to take liberal votes away from Kerry! Unbelievable.

[Sayhey]

It's not going anywhere. Howard Dean would be crazy to let it get anywhere. Kerry controls the votes of the great majority of delegates and it is not possible to get enough delegates to foist a Dean candidacy on Kerry. The only thing such a move would do is to embarrass Dean, Kerry and Edwards. What good would that do? If it gets anywhere near possible that some delegate will introduce his name Dean will be at the convention pulling the plug on such an effort. After all he wants to have some future in the party; this would eliminate that future.

[Chip NoVaMac]

They need to look at the bigger picture of having a "united" Democratic Party.

[themadchemist]

hurting...not helping...hurting...not helping...

when do people learn?!

[Voltron]

Isn't it the VP chosen by the one running for president. Kerry is permitted to choose whom he wants as a running mate even if it alienates his entire party.

[themadchemist]

Isn't it the VP chosen by the one running for president. Kerry is permitted to choose whom he wants as a running mate even if it alienates his entire party.

Maybe the party has to ratify it and it can be changed then...

[Thomas Veil]

Sayhey got it right. If Dean were to go along with this, it would create disunity in the party and effectively end Dean's credibility and future chances of running for the presidency.

Things seem to be going so well right now. Why screw it up with a stunt like this?

I do sympathize with those who'd like to see Dean on the ticket. But it's too late for anything like that this year.

[jelloshotsrule]

Apparently, conservative groups who support the Bush campaign financially are also funding the Nader campaign, specifically to take liberal votes away from Kerry! Unbelievable.

keep in mind that there are huge groups that support both republicans and democrats.... it's called, hedging your bets..

see various nader interviews in the media lately to address this...

[Voltron]

Sayhey got it right. If Dean were to go along with this, it would create disunity in the party and effectively end Dean's credibility and future chances of running for the presidency.

Things seem to be going so well right now. Why screw it up with a stunt like this?

I do sympathize with those who'd like to see Dean on the ticket. But it's too late for anything like that this year.
Why is Dean having a debate with Nader?

[themadchemist]

Why is Dean having a debate with Nader?

is he?

[Thomas Veil]

Or more to the point, does anybody care?

[jelloshotsrule]

Or more to the point, does anybody care?

seemed a lot of people cared actually, based on all the people lined up outside the national press club, and the cheers and laughs, etc inside during after the debate.

check it out on cspan's website.... howard dean just came off as a puppet