Fun new political game

A fun new game for supporters of one of the nine Democratic candidates. Criticize your own candidate, and then say at least
one nice thing about each of the others.

Kucinich--definitely da man, but I have a couple of beefs.
-- It's fine to oppose NAFTA,WTO and the prison industrial complex, but that doesn't go anywhere near far enough. He is harking back to a world where there were enough industrial jobs for everyone, and essentially wants to make the US more like Europe. Fine as far as it goes, but he really needs to read Jeremy Rifkin's The End of Work, and get some kind of vision which recognizes that a world where there are fewer and fewer people making more and more stuff is not sustainable at all. Dramatic reduction of work time and sharing out the work that remains is absolutely necessary if there is to be
any chance at reducing the overall throughput of energy and raw materials and dealing with environmental breakdown.

-- A Department of Peace is all well and good, but it is far more important to have a positive vision of what a non-imperial military would look like. He should mention the appalling threat that Russian WMD still pose, not because they currently wish us any harm, but because their command and control systems have deteriorated so badly. We had a very scary nuclear war mishap in 1995, and thousands of tons of chemical weapons are guarded with bicycle locks and watchmen who don't get paid very often. Getting rid of the militarization of space will make it possible to help Russia control this stuff. Also, a Back to Basics policy emphasizing people instead of useless porkbarrel weapons systems--soldiers in the field should NOT be depending on their families to buy Kevlar vests and flashlight batteries.

Dean--is running a volunteer-based campaign calling his supporters to citizenship, and listens to them. Will not take crap from Republicans.

Kerry--kicked ass as a leader of Vietnam Veterans Against the War. Also has a significant volunteer base.

Clark--can seriously lay into the Bush military record of desertion without having it come off as sour grapes. Makes the Bush fake macho posturing obviously fake.

Mosely-Braun--raises feminist issues effectively and advocates Single Payer as well.

Sharpton--the best public speaker of the lot--very funny also.

Edwards--reasonably good speaker who can appeal to the South.

Gephardt--longstanding advocate of labor issues.

Lieberman--not Bush (sorry, that was the best I could do).

Graham--has been very eager to drop a dime on Bush for his Saudi business connections, failure to investigate which led directly to 9-11. Now that he has dropped out, hopefully he'll continue to do this as a Senator.

These comments are based on the debates on CNN last night:

Howard Dean-
In the debate last night, could have come off more assertive in explaining his positions. Should focus on really explaining his vision of the people taking back America-don't think this is emphasized enough. Still not sure how he will tackle the Big Business/lobbying stranglehold on Washington. Needs to really make his positions on this clear.

And now, in order from right to left:

Joe Lieberman-
Was unapologetic for his support of the Iraqi war. Although I disagree with his position, I feel it shows that he is sincere in his convictions, and not changing positions just to gain votes.

Dennis Kucinich-
The heart of the Democratic party, who walks his talk. The fact that he voted AGAINST the war and will vote AGAINST the $87B because he wants to bring our troops home now shows his sincerity.

John Kerry-
Very good with handling the veteran's affairs issue.

Richard Gephardt-
The best one-liner of the debate: "Remember the report cards you got in grade school...Bush got an F for 'plays well with others'. Also stressed the successes of the Clinton Administration.

John Edwards-
Emphasized the importance of connecting to working and middle class people, and stressing his links (via family) to unions, and his support of unions

Rev. Al Sharpton-
To the point on many issues, and gracious to Edwards when he said that he was an inspiration to poor people.

Gen. Wesley Clark-
Talked about the need for planning, and sounded like he was formulating plans to get out of Iraq without leaving it a mess.

Carol Mosley-Braun-
Brought up the fact that men had made a mess of things, and maybe it was time for a woman in the White House.

Dean: I agree with about every one of his positions. However, every time I see him, he looks.... stiff. I don't know what it is, but he looks like he is uncomfortable until he starts speaking. Once he gets to talk, he looks more relaxed.

And now the others:

Lieberman: Well, he appears to truly believe what he says and doesn't sway with public polls.

Kucinich: Definetly the most progressive of the group. He, like Lieberman, hols steadfast in convictions regardless of polls.

Kerry: Brings the specter of a Vietnam Vet to the race.

Gephardt: Huge backer of Labor and their causes. WOuld solidify the Union vote for Dems.

Edwards: He does the best job of anyone I have seen explaining what Bush's tax shifts have done, shifting the tax burden from wealth to work and from Federal Tax to state or local tax.

Sharpton: Just says it like it is. Reminds everyone that they are there to beat Bush and not beat up each other. And always gets the best lines in.

Clark: Incomparable military history that directly combats Bush's claims on national secruity.

Braun: Excellent speaker with good ideas. Explains some complex issues (healthcare/foreign policy) with ease and skill.

I saw the first two responses. It seems like the tough part is the first step. Criticising your own candidate.

"could make his positions more clear" -- come on, that is hardly criticism. That would be like me criticising Kerry by saying "sometimes talks over the heads of his audience" -- just too softball.

I call do-over. (I admit it, I grew up playing stickball).

Critcism for Kucinich- Is not clear enough on some issues that I suspect are keeping his support numbers lower than they should be. Cutting the Pentagon budget is one, he hasn't reassured service-members they and their families won't be feeling the brunt of that cut. He has never issued a statement about that flag-burning amendment which seems to be a major concern for some people, and I think if he wants their votes, he ought to respond to that concern.

Dean-mobilized a heck of an effective campaign over a very short time. Has reacted admirably to a number of pretty vicious attacks from competitors.

Gephart-comes out strongly in support of workers, and I think does well in a debate format at getting his ideas across to the people. Does a fantastic job of combating right-wing spin on the Clinton administration's successes.

Lieberman- shows a lot of character recently, with the ABB pledge as well as several other recent debate performances. He deserves props for defending his position on the war even if we don't agree with him, he clearly believes it was right.

Kerry-awsome sense of humor in that guy. He has some of the best zingers next to Sharpton I've ever heard! His service record and protesting of Viet Nam are a great slam dunk against Bush and he seems to know how to put that to good use.

Edwards- has a similar connection to the poor, working poor and middle class that Kucinich does. He's just a down home honest guy who thinks he has some good plans for the country. Also a boyish charm that comes across in debates a lot, spontaneous laughter and joking, etc., and a real classy attitude about not attacking the others.

Clark-Military experience and knowledge of combat strategy is a definite plus against Bush, and he's begun putting that to good use as well. Has a well-grounded understanding of how the enlisted soldiers feel right now, and what worries them, as well as a decently Liberal position in his 100 Year Vision statement.

Carol Moseley Braun- Appeals well to the gentlehearted and female populace with her sweet nature, and seems to know when to get a little sharper lately. I believe she's genuine and honestly has decent policies in her platform that ought to be heard more than they are.

Sharpton- his sharp wit seems to be his greatest strength and he obviously knows how to focus it! He has great platform policies, and by golly he doesn't let ANYONE "slip one by"! He's always ready with a comeback to anything which suggests he's great at thinking on his feet, a valid asset to any National Leader.

I know we're the most issue oriented and thoughtful on average.

John Kerry - Absolutely the man, but I do wish he'd have appologized for the fax thing directly.

Howard Dean - His vehement opposition to Iraq from the starting line is impressive.

Wes Clark - I think he can use his military experiance to really crush Bush if they ever go head to head.

Dennis Kucinich - His vehemence in the defense of his beliefs is really very impressive.

Al Sharpton - There is nothing I loved more than seeing Al yell at Woodruff at that debate, thank you Al!

Richard Gephardt - I like his support of Labor.

John Edwards - I really like his average-joe appeal. He really knows how to get down there and mingle with the people and really fit in.

Carol Mosely-Braun - Very strong in defense of Women's Rights, gotta love that.

Lieberman - Thinks the Economy isn't good?

Peepers

Braun. Sometimes she fumbles at debates, like she knows she's not supposed to just sit there and let everybody talk past her, but when she asserts herself, it can be awkward, like really embarrassing. Partly it has to do with deviating from her notes and trying to speak extemporaneously, but not really striking a chord. She needs to be onmessage and condifent in a variety of forums, and she needs work on some basic speaking skills.

Clark. Well, I think he defeneded himself in Phoenix with aplomb and skill. On a few topics like defense spending he seems capable of cutting through the b.s. and exposing the core issues in a way that favors Democrats and his candidacy in particular.

Dean. Paints his own house. Seriously, I love that. Also the way his campaign stuck up for that grafitti artist, KEO. This is a populist campaign with a truly competitive spirit. Gotta admire that.

Edwards. He not only understands the law, but how the law is used against the people's interests, and how it can be used to correct injustices. He's actually very sharp.

Gephardt. He's like the Mutual of Omaha candidate--and I mean that in a good way. You really know what you're getting with Gephardt, and it ain't half bad.

Kerry. He has a good record on civil rights and environmental issues, and on foreign policy he has a realistic grasp of the problem we face and what we can do to address them.

Kucinich. Has the best array of policy positions, presenting workable solutions to genuine problems. I just love reading his website. Dean is often credited with having the most successful web campaign, however, I think Kucinich has made great use of the web. If you were to ignore the discrepency in fundraising, ignore the polling numbers, and only look online, you might think that Kucinich was a front runner. Even if he isn't able to capitalize on his netroots politically, he has contributed a lot, in terms of raising the bar for internet campaigns, but more importantly he has enriched the debates we're all having. He enables us to talk smarter, and that's a great thing.

Lieberman. He does try to be civil I think. He said he would endorese any of the eight other candidates, and if you can take him at his word, as I do, then it really is unfair to call him a DINO. Most of disagree with his views, but he does seem genuinely interested in beating Dubya for all the right reasons.

Sharpton. The best speaker bar none, as most of us know. One dimension of his oratory many people don't pick up on is that he speaks with heart. He is totally unafraid to show genuine feelings. Also, he doesn't pounce on every opportunity to speak as a means scoring tactical points. For that reason, I'd say charges that he is an opportunist are unfair. He represents the voice of the Party, and although he does engage in factional disputes, his overall message has been encompassing and broadly representative of the Democrats' traditional constituencies.