Obligatory Intro
People make fun of Bush for saying stupid crap. Guess what? He ain't the only one. This page is dedicated to chronicling some of the stupid crap that comes out of Presidential candidate Howard Dean's gob.
I know that "Deaner" has been used to refer supporters of Dean. Can't blame a guy for trying to co-opt a word, though.
And of course, if you come across Deaners of your own, please click the link at the bottom of the page and send them my way.
And now...
The Deaners:
"I still want to be the candidate for guys with Confederate flags in their pickup trucks. We can't beat George Bush unless we appeal to a broad cross-section of Democrats."
--from interview published in Des Moines Register, Nov. 1st, 2003
Source: http://desmoinesregister.com/news/stories/c4789004/22649906.html
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"We've gotten rid of him [Saddam Hussein], and I suppose that's a good thing..."
--from remarks at the Children's Defense Fund Presidential Candidates Forum on Children, April 9th, 2003
Source: http://www.childrensdefense.org/conference_2003/forum_transcript.pdf
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"Also, we have less-fewer levers much the key, I believe, to Iran is pressure through the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union is supplying much of the equipment that Iran, I believe, most likely is using to set itself along the path of developing nuclear weapons. We need to use that leverage with the Soviet Union and it may require us to buying the equipment the Soviet Union was ultimately going to sell to Iran to prevent Iran from them developing nuclear weapons."
--from interview with Chris Matthews on Hardball, Dec. 1st, 2003
Source: http://www.msnbc.com/news/1000254.asp
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"...there is a war going on in the Middle East, and members of Hamas are soldiers in that war..."
--from interview with Wolf Blitzer on CNN, Sept. 10th, 2003
Source: http://www.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0309/10/wbr.00.html
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MR. RUSSERT: Well, in 1995, when you were advocating that position, you were asked how would you balance the budget if we had a constitutional amendment...
DR. DEAN: Yeah.
MR. RUSSERT: ...calling for that, and this is what Howard Dean said. "The way to balance the budget, [Gov. Howard] Dean said, is for Congress to cut Social Security, move the retirement age to 70, cut defense, Medicare and veterans pensions, while the states cut almost everything else. 'It would be tough but we could do it,' he said."
DR. DEAN: Well, we fortunately don't have to do that now.
MR. RUSSERT: We have a billion deficit.
DR. DEAN: But you don't have to cut Social Security to do that.
MR. RUSSERT: But why did you have to do it back then?
DR. DEAN: Well, because that was the middle of--I mean, I don't recall saying that, but I'm sure I did, if you have it on your show, because I know your researchers are very good.
MR. RUSSERT: Well, Miles Benson is a very good reporter for the Newhouse News.
DR. DEAN: Yes, he is. No, no, no. I'm sure I did. I'm not denying I said that. I have...
MR. RUSSERT: But you would no longer cut Social Security?
DR. DEAN: But you don't--no. I'm not ever going to cut Social Security benefits.
MR. RUSSERT: Would you raise retirement age to 70?
DR. DEAN: No. No.
--from interview with Tim Russert on Meet the Press, June 22nd, 2003
Source: http://www.demog.berkeley.edu/~gabriel/dean2004blog/Dean_MTP_June_22_2003.htm
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Regarding apologies for comments to other Democratic candidates:
MR. RUSSERT: Well, you apologized to Bob Graham.
DR. DEAN: No, I didn't.
MR. RUSSERT: You called the AP and recanted the statement.
DR. DEAN: I called the AP and said, "I'm sorry I said that."
MR. RUSSERT: Well, that's an apology.
DR. DEAN: No, it's not.
MR. RUSSERT: "I'm sorry I said it" is not an apology?
DR. DEAN: I didn't actually say I'm sorry.
--from interview with Tim Russert on Meet the Press, June 22nd, 2003
Source: http://www.demog.berkeley.edu/~gabriel/dean2004blog/Dean_MTP_June_22_2003.htm
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MR. RUSSERT: Talking about politics and saying what you believe in, you said in July of last year that Al Gore should have taken the gun issue off the table. It cost him three states and he lost the presidency. Why would you be afraid to take--stand up for any issue? Why take issues off the table if you really want to...
DR. DEAN: Because I don't think it should be on the table.
MR. RUSSERT: Why not?
DR. DEAN: We have no gun control in Vermont.
MR. RUSSERT: Well, you're for the Brady Bill...
DR. DEAN: Yep.
MR. RUSSERT: ...which means there's a waiting period before you buy a gun. You're against...
DR. DEAN: Well, I'm for--it's backgrounds.
MR. RUSSERT: Well, OK.
DR. DEAN: The Brady Bill's InstaCheck. It's not a waiting period.
MR. RUSSERT: But you...
DR. DEAN: Well, there's a small waiting period, that's true.
--from interview with Tim Russert on Meet the Press, June 22nd, 2003
Source: http://www.demog.berkeley.edu/~gabriel/dean2004blog/Dean_MTP_June_22_2003.htm
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EDWARDS: You have changed your mind on a number of key issues. Don't you risk coming off as indecisive?
DEAN: What key issues have I changed my mind on?
EDWARDS: Well the death penalty for one.
DEAN: Well that's one. Got any others?
--from interview with Bob Edwards on NPR, July 2nd, 2003
Source: http://www.npr.org/programs/specials/democrats2004/transcripts/dean_trans.html
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ADVOCATE: No one is saying churches should be forced to hold marriage ceremonies. The argument is that the state should recognize gay people’s marriages, wherever they take place.
DEAN: Well, when same-sex marriages take place in Vermont, legally it’s called a civil union, because the definition of marriage is between a man and a woman.
ADVOCATE: You’ve created a circular argument. Why should separate but equal be acceptable?
DEAN: There are people in the gay community who think that’s second-class citizenship. I don’t agree, because in fact there is every right in a civil union there is in a marriage. It is true that it’s a separate institution, but it is still equal.
--from interview with The Advocate magazine, April 1st, 2003
Source: http://www.advocate.com/html/stories/886/886_dean.asp
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