Schweitzer (while in Iowa) says: Don't trust the Dems who backed the Iraq War

[Mr. Morden]

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So as part of his proto-presidential campaigning, he says he doesn't want Dems to nominate a presidential candidate who voted for the Iraq War?  Gee, I wonder if there's anyone in particular who he had in mind when he said that?

[CatoMinor]

Amen.

[Bleach Blonde Bad Built Butch Bodies for Biden]

I'm really starting to like this guy.

[CatoMinor]

Dems who vote Hillary in the primary in 2016 will be the equivalent of GOPers who voted mittens, they are putting perceived electability over principle.

[WalterMitty]

a horrible person who is on the wrong side of history.

i say dont trust democrats who are gun nuts.

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

Dems who vote Hillary in the primary in 2016 will be the equivalent of GOPers who voted mittens, they are putting perceived electability over principle.

Unfortunately not the case; most Democrats genuinely like Shrillary.

[Deus Naturae]

Amen.

[Bleach Blonde Bad Built Butch Bodies for Biden]

Dems who vote Hillary in the primary in 2016 will be the equivalent of GOPers who voted mittens, they are putting perceived electability over principle.

Speaking of electability, it's a shame we can't see any matchups with him and the GOPers.  He'd be down in every poll right now since hardly anyone knows him, but I think his appeal would make him quite electable, especially in states where Obama underperformed.

If Hillary doesn't run (heck, even if she does), I think I got my 2016 pick.

[LeBron]

What a hypocrite. He's against the Iraq War, yet he fully endorses gun rights, is opposed to gun control, and had a political video filmed before where he pulled a Manchin and dressed up in camo, grabbed his rifle, and called himself the "common guy." This is also the man who has a positive approval from the NRA, so Schweitzer has no room to talk.

I really don't care if Hillary voted for the Iraq War because you know what, a lot of Senate Democrats made the same mistake and regret having done it. That doesn't in any way make her the traitor to the Democratic Party that Schweitzer is implying she is and it's rather Schweitzer whose betrayed us, the real liberals who see Hillary as the much more progressive candidate. If these are the main two Democrats come the primary, not only will I endorse Hillary, but I may even donate a little to her campaign. I want to make sure that the establishment does whatever it takes to make sure Schweitzer or some other phony, very pro-gun Bluedog Democrat doesn't get the nomination.

[Morning in Atlas]

What a hypocrite. He's against the Iraq War, yet he fully endorses gun rights, is opposed to gun control, and had a political video filmed before where he pulled a Manchin and dressed up in camo, grabbed his rifle, and called himself the "common guy." This is also the man who has a positive approval from the NRA, so Schweitzer has no room to talk.

I really don't care if Hillary voted for the Iraq War because you know what, a lot of Senate Democrats made the same mistake and regret having done it. That doesn't in any way make her the traitor to the Democratic Party that Schweitzer is implying she is and it's rather Schweitzer whose betrayed us, the real liberals who see Hillary as the much more progressive candidate. If these are the main two Democrats come the primary, not only will I endorse Hillary, but I may even donate a little to her campaign. I want to make sure that the establishment does whatever it takes to make sure Schweitzer or some other phony, very pro-gun Bluedog Democrat doesn't get the nomination.

He's not a Blue Dog.

What sets Schweitzer apart from, say, Mike McIntyre or Joe Manchin, is that he's much, much more economically liberal. Aside from being pro-gun and NRA-backed, he's made a career out of standing up to corporations. He's stood up to Big Pharma, advocating for single-payer healthcare and importing prescription drugs from Canada. He idolizes Paul Wellstone for fighting against the military-industrial complex and Teddy Roosevelt for breaking up trusts. He's stood up to Big Oil - during the Yellowstone River's oil spill, when ExxonMobil didn't tell him enough details, he cut them right off. He's stood up for our civil liberties when they've been under attack, and he's advocated for peace when others haven't.

As far as I'm concerned, when it comes to economics and civil liberties, he's far to Hillary's left. If you're going to throw away all of that over guns, then quite frankly, you're acting as ludicrous as the people who want to primary Pat Toomey for not being pro-gun enough (and trust me, these people exist - I have personal experience).

[IceSpear]

I don't think the Iraq War issue is going to have anywhere near as much salience as it did in 2008. Schweitzer (or any Dem's) slim opening against Hillary will be that she's too chummy with the corporations.

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

a horrible person who is on the wrong side of history.

i say dont trust democrats who are gun nuts.

Gun nuts are better than warmongers.

[Maxwell]

What a hypocrite. He's against the Iraq War, yet he fully endorses gun rights, is opposed to gun control, and had a political video filmed before where he pulled a Manchin and dressed up in camo, grabbed his rifle, and called himself the "common guy." This is also the man who has a positive approval from the NRA, so Schweitzer has no room to talk.

I'm not quite sure you know what hypocrisy is.

[LeBron]

What a hypocrite. He's against the Iraq War, yet he fully endorses gun rights, is opposed to gun control, and had a political video filmed before where he pulled a Manchin and dressed up in camo, grabbed his rifle, and called himself the "common guy." This is also the man who has a positive approval from the NRA, so Schweitzer has no room to talk.

I'm not quite sure you know what hypocrisy is.

Well, by making the clear connection of him opposing the Iraq War which killed thousands of U.S. soldiers to him supporting the rights of gun owners and hunting to which he himself does, it adds up to that. People say that the Iraq War was morally unjust and we had no thought out reason for being in there, yet what's hunting?

And yes, before you say it, I will admit I'm a complete SOB when it comes to wanting to limit gun rights and really want a pro-gun control Democrat to be the nominee even if that means getting through Schweitzer. We need a Democrat in 2016 who will stand up for Sandy Hook and all of those unfortunate families during that tragedy as well as all of these other hundreds of murders from gun violence. Schweitzer, I'm afraid, can't do that.

[Sec. of State Superique]

At least Hillary will be more prepared to the General Election. Schweitzer will bring a lot fun and knowledge for this race....

[Donerail]

Well, by making the clear connection of him opposing the Iraq War which killed thousands of U.S. soldiers to him supporting the rights of gun owners and hunting to which he himself does, it adds up to that. People say that the Iraq War was morally unjust and we had no thought out reason for being in there, yet what's hunting?

This is a deer.



These are Iraqis.

I hope that clears up the difference for you.

[Sol]

I'm not a fan of Schweitzer, but not for ideological reasons- he seems to have a history of sabotaging Democratic hopes out in Montana just for fun.

[Brewer]

What a hypocrite. He's against the Iraq War, yet he fully endorses gun rights, is opposed to gun control, and had a political video filmed before where he pulled a Manchin and dressed up in camo, grabbed his rifle, and called himself the "common guy." This is also the man who has a positive approval from the NRA, so Schweitzer has no room to talk.

I really don't care if Hillary voted for the Iraq War because you know what, a lot of Senate Democrats made the same mistake and regret having done it. That doesn't in any way make her the traitor to the Democratic Party that Schweitzer is implying she is and it's rather Schweitzer whose betrayed us, the real liberals who see Hillary as the much more progressive candidate. If these are the main two Democrats come the primary, not only will I endorse Hillary, but I may even donate a little to her campaign. I want to make sure that the establishment does whatever it takes to make sure Schweitzer or some other phony, very pro-gun Bluedog Democrat doesn't get the nomination.

He's not a Blue Dog.

What sets Schweitzer apart from, say, Mike McIntyre or Joe Manchin, is that he's much, much more economically liberal. Aside from being pro-gun and NRA-backed, he's made a career out of standing up to corporations. He's stood up to Big Pharma, advocating for single-payer healthcare and importing prescription drugs from Canada. He idolizes Paul Wellstone for fighting against the military-industrial complex and Teddy Roosevelt for breaking up trusts. He's stood up to Big Oil - during the Yellowstone River's oil spill, when ExxonMobil didn't tell him enough details, he cut them right off. He's stood up for our civil liberties when they've been under attack, and he's advocated for peace when others haven't.

As far as I'm concerned, when it comes to economics and civil liberties, he's far to Hillary's left. If you're going to throw away all of that over guns, then quite frankly, you're acting as ludicrous as the people who want to primary Pat Toomey for not being pro-gun enough (and trust me, these people exist - I have personal experience).

I'm not denying he's economically liberal, but I think I speak for a lot of members on the forum when I say we need to continue on with the progress we're making in the Presidency just like back in 2008. We got an African American President and it's only right we have a female President to who connects with voters a lot better and already has the name recognition advantage.

The thing about my endorsements though is that I won't support a candidate unless they're both economically or socially liberal (take Todd Portune for instance). Hillary not only supports some measures of gun control which is good enough for me, but she's received substantial social and economically liberal ratings from her time in the Senate. What's angering me here is that Schweitzer is arguing this attack on Hillary and other congressional Democrats at the time that voted for the Iraq War. However, if he were to take time to look at the facts, he would know that later on down the road, Hillary opposed a bill through 2007 that would have increased the number of troops in Iraq and supported a bill that required their withdrawal.

So it's not just because of the gun issue or his conservative view on the death penalty, but really just Schweitzer's ability to appeal to me as a voter is only average. I respect his left-wing views, but the Democratic primary is going to be packed and he's really going to need to step up his game if I'm going to vote for him over say, Joe Biden, Amy Klobuchar, or Elizabeth Warren.

Gah, I despise this argument. If someone is qualified for the Presidency, and they stand for the principles I hold and what I believe in, then why should it matter what gender or ethinicty they are? I think we are wayyyyy too concerned with breaking cultural barriers and not concerned enough with what's right for the country. BTW, last time I checked, we didn't invade Iraq so that at the end of the day we could eat Iraqis. That's what hunting is. I would much rather have a gun-totin' liberal than a warmongering liberal.

[windjammer]

I'm not a fan of Schweitzer, but not for ideological reasons and he seems to have a history of sabotaging Democratic hopes out in Montana just for fun.

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

Remember, the last time that the left seized control of the Democratic Party from its more pro-business wing, represented by a New Yorker with previous "stints" in the white house (couldn't resist), it was built on a coalition that was heavily reliant on the votes of the South and West, including a lot of Segregationists, and led by a Westerner. Not that their opponents were any better of course...

Without that, you would not have had Wilson and without Wilson it is hard to see how you get FDR.

[windjammer]

Well, by making the clear connection of him opposing the Iraq War which killed thousands of U.S. soldiers to him supporting the rights of gun owners and hunting to which he himself does, it adds up to that. People say that the Iraq War was morally unjust and we had no thought out reason for being in there, yet what's hunting?

This is a deer.



These are Iraqis.

I hope that clears up the difference for you.

These are Iraqis who suffer from a bad war (bad war= not all war)


link

And this is Gabby Giffords, a victim from a lack of gun control.

I hope that clears up  a resemblance for you, hypocritical libertarian.

[Mr. Morden]

More on Schweitzer's comments in Iowa:

http://thegazette.com/2013/12/19/former-montana-gov-visits-iowa-coy-about-2016-presidential-campaign/

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Somehow, I don't see Clinton including Schweitzer on her VP short list….

[Reluctant Republican]

I don't really see  a way forward for Schweitzer. He's being pretty critical of Obama and Obamacare. While many disappointed progressives likely agree with him, I think it's tough to see a Democrat getting the nomination who seems to disagree with much of what Obama has done. It would be like the Republicans nominating Ron Paul or someone critical of US foreign policy in 2008.

Whatever his popularity with the general public, Obama will still remain popular with Democrats in 2016(barring some Nixonian scandal)I don't think someone who has a history of being critical of his presidency, even from the left, can make it through the primary.

[Mordecai]

Ugh what awful hackery in this thread. Schweitzer's not black or a woman and he loves guns so that obviously overrides Iraq War opposition and environmentalism. That scumbag, I bet he got his rocks off to Sandy Hook as well.

[Kevin]

Seems like Schweitzer is trying to position himself to appeal to both the Post-Clinton Left that backed Obama and what remains of the traditional elements of the Democratic Party(i.e. white unionized blue collar workers in the Midwest, Appalachia, and the Northeast.