Gephardt Regains lead in Iowa

[Flying Dog]

In all recent polls show Gephardt tied or leading Dean in Iowa

 In the most recent poll in IOWA shows gephardt tied with Dean.

    GEPHARDT 26%
    DEAN         26%


    Compare this with a poll taken in July



         DEAN   23%
   GEPHARDT 19%



         Does anybody know what regained the lead for gephardt?



      please share your comments.

       just to let ya know im a gephardt supporter

[DarthKosh]

That's not regaining the lead.  It's a tie.

[Michael Z]

I think Gephardt's close ties with the unions have served him well so far. And as opposed to other candidates (eg. Lieberman) he campaigned vigorously in Iowa, which no doubt boosted his ratings.

I also think some Democrats are getting more and more jittery about Dean as the prospective candidate. Some fractions in the party are looking for a "Stop Dean"-candidate to unite behind, maybe they are coming to the conclusion that Gephardt is that candidate.

[DarthKosh]

The whole "Stop Dean" idea is comming from Clark and Kerry.  Clintons New Democrats are the ones that are afraid of Dean.

[© tweed]

The organized labor backing has definitely helped Gephardt.  without that, he is just another flop like Lieberman, who is finished.  Gephardt is a bore, and all his labor backings have saved him---

Gephardt may be looked to to stop Dean.

[DarthKosh]

The organized labor backing has definitely helped Gephardt.  without that, he is just another flop like Lieberman, who is finished.  Gephardt is a bore, and all his labor backings have saved him---

Gephardt may be looked to to stop Dean.

They may look to him to stop dean, but he can't because Dean has the support of the liberal base.

[TomC]

Gephardt's been working his butt off to regain the lead. He's shown assertiveness, optimism, and a willingness to attack Dean from the left.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

As Harry S Truman said in 1948:
"It was Labor that won it".

[DarthKosh]

As Harry S Truman said in 1948:
"It was Labor that won it".

But in the primaries the liberal activists are king.

[Flying Dog]

But it is the labor members who vote in the primaries and caucases.

I also think if gephardt beats dean in iowa and does OK in new hampshire it will be a dean-gephardt race in the southern states. And luckly gephardt has a lot of support in the south.

[DarthKosh]

But it is the labor members who vote in the primaries and caucases.

I also think if gephardt beats dean in iowa and does OK in new hampshire it will be a dean-gephardt race in the southern states. And luckly gephardt has a lot of support in the south.

Could be but i don't think Gephardt is going to win Iowa.

[NorthernDog]

Governor Vilsack (D-IA)recently noted that polls on the Iowa caucus are unreliable.  It really comes down to highly motivated, organized  supporters.  I don't know if Gephart's voters are as fired-up as Dean's voters, so many Dean actually has an edge?

[migrendel]

Let me just remind everyone what a horrible candidate Dick Gephardt will be for the Democratic party. He is little more than the proxy for the hysterical working class, a group who opposes trade, and fails to see that third world workers are desperately poor and need jobs more than they do. To place American labor above the well-being of the world is narrow-minded and just plain wrong. Don't forget that until a few years ago, he supported criminalizing third-trimester abortions. He voted to support the inclusion of the words "under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance. He, appalling, opposes the basic freedom to marry, instead supporting some disgrace called civil unions. If anyone in Iowa is reading, vote with your head and not your heart, your sense of social justice and not your pocketbook, and pick Howard Dean over Dick Gephardt.

[agcatter]

Oh no!

*supported criminalizing late term abortion
*supports words "Under God" in Pledge
*opposes same sex marriage

God, Gephardt is indeed a right wing bigot.  He's definitely outside the mainstream.

[migrendel]

However often you may harp upon mainstream America, let me remind you of how time and time again the mainstream has been wrong. I suppose you would campaign against the abolitionists when they were a minority. I presume you would have been on the frontlines hissing the suffragists when they were opposed by general public opinion. The fact is, public opinion corrects itself over time so it is consistent with our nation's higher aspirations, not our lowest emotional responses. As for the meantime, I'd rather be right than regular.

[Flying Dog]

I think you dean supporters are making a bad decision.  Dean is to liberal for the key independent voters and southern dems.  Gephardt however is a moderate democrat and appeals to independents over bush and the southern democrats.  If dean becomes the democratic ticket he will only win the northeast. he will lose the south,west,and midwest.  But if gephardt is the dem nominie he will win the northeast most of the midwest some southern states like bill clinton did. It is clear dean is not the ticket but gephardt is.    VOTE GEPHARDT!!!!!

[Swing low, sweet chariot. Comin' for to carry me home.]

Gep *may* win Missouri, but no other Southern states, even with another Southerner for his VP.

Bush wouldn't have to spend a dime in the rest of the South and he could go after NM, WI, PA, MN, MA...etc.

Switching to an anti-free trade candidate is too radical a move for Americans to chance.

Gep would also leave the door wide open for Nader.

[migrendel]

The issue at this election is not whether Democrats can retake the White House, but whether we will have our integrity intact in the aftermath. If we choose someone like Gephardt we may retake the White House, but we will need to rely upon voters who may or may not own guns and Confederate battle flags. Do we truly wish to concillate and be beholden to these individuals whenever one of our candidates stands for election? I must certainly say not. I must certainly say we should stand  for the enduring values of liberty, equality, and compassion, rather than the failed dilutions and flawed compromises of Clinton, Clark and those who wish to drag our party to the Right. These primaries will decide if compromise is the case, and if it is may God grant eternal rest to the soul of the party.

[Ryan]

The issue at this election is not whether Democrats can retake the White House, but whether we will have our integrity intact in the aftermath. If we choose someone like Gephardt we may retake the White House, but we will need to rely upon voters who may or may not own guns and Confederate battle flags. Do we truly wish to concillate and be beholden to these individuals whenever one of our candidates stands for election? I must certainly say not. I must certainly say we should stand  for the enduring values of liberty, equality, and compassion, rather than the failed dilutions and flawed compromises of Clinton, Clark and those who wish to drag our party to the Right. These primaries will decide if compromise is the case, and if it is may God grant eternal rest to the soul of the party.

HEAR HEAR !!!!!! I Totally agree. I just wish that all democrats would think like Migrendel! May his tribe increase ;D;D;D;D;D;D;D;D;D;D:)

[Flying Dog]

personnally, I could not stand another 4 year of bush. Plus it is not the democratic party I am worried about, it is america and its people. and our troops in iraq.

[migrendel]

Might I remind Jtfdem and all those who think alike that a weak Democratic party means a weak America because we will have weak leadership and/or opposition. The health of the Democratic party is essential, and no one should forget that.

[Flying Dog]

yes and gephardt can restore that health to the democratic party and leadership to the white house.

[migrendel]

Albeit weak leadership built upon compromises.

[NorthernDog]

If we choose someone like Gephardt we may retake the White House, but we will need to rely upon voters who may or may not own guns and Confederate battle flags. Do we truly wish to concillate and be beholden to these individuals whenever one of our candidates stands for election?

I don't see how the Democrats can win a Presidential election by saying they don't want support from certain groups of people.  In the Midwest, South, and Rocky Mountain states, lots of people own guns and a lot of these people are lifelong Democrats.  

[Swing low, sweet chariot. Comin' for to carry me home.]

Gephardt demostrated on Hardball why he couldn't win in the general election:

Matthews:  "Should employees be *FORCED* to join a union in order to work in a union shop."

Gephardt: "What you're asking is whether I'm against the right to work.  Yes, I am against the right to work."

BINGO!  That's why Gephardt *may* win Missouri, but not one single other Southern state.  Bush wouldn't have to spend a dime in the South.  Bush would be totally on the offensive.