Question: Is Dick Gephardt a "MISERABLE FAILURE"?

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[Recovering_Democrat]

from a Chicago Sun-Times article from January 12, 2004:

"Still blond and even boyish at 62, Gephardt has changed little in style and physical appearance. Although he joins obligatory criticism of Bush by calling him a ''miserable failure,'' he sometimes slips by referring to him as ''President Bush'' instead of calling him just ''Bush'' in the current Democratic style. The old pro-life, pro-tax cut (urging a 30 percent top marginal rate) Gephardt disappeared long ago, but he still evokes moderation and restraint."

[Recovering_Democrat]

So my question is: Is Dick Gephardt a miserable failure?

[2banana]

So my question is: Is Dick Gephardt a miserable failure?

What is that, a trick question?

[chance33_98]

No, he is liberal, therefore everyone else has failed him - he can't be responsible, that is against the rules!

[ken5050]

I'll say a few things on Gephardt's behalf..he did the right thing in standing by the President at the Rose Garden for the Iraq vote...and in 30+ years in Congress...there's been hardly a whiff of scandal, and he's been married to the same lady for all that time..and never strayed... that speaks well of him....unlike most in his caucus....for me, the defining Gephart moment was in 94, when he handed the Speaker's gavel to Newt...Dick always wanted to be Speaker..for him, in reality, being President was the second choice..

[MotleyGirl70]

I don't think so. I think he was good for the left, if there is any "good" on the left. I believe out of the remaining knuckleheads left running for the DemonRat nomination, he was probably the most experienced having spend most of his years in government.

Kerry has about as much personality as my doormat./yawn

Edwards reminds too much of a Kennedy and that's frightening in and of itself. /shudder

[MotleyGirl70]

spend=spent

[Dave S]

No, I dont think so. He was a generally a good competitor, not an evil man. He believes differently than we do but I think his heart is in the right place. He stood by Bush in the run up to the war knowing it was going to hurt his chances in the primaries. Watching the aftermath of the Iowa Caucuses on TV Monday night it was clear that few of the Republicans interviewed had anything negative to say about him. Joe Scarborough paid him tribute. Now Dean and some of the others... dont get me started.

[TommyDale]

Yes.

[duffer]

YES !!! From a St. Louis District which he represented.
He still does not get it.

[Cicero]

I've always thought that Gephardt needed a good eyebrow consultant, maybe Naomi Wolfe. It's too late to change them now, however.

[anoldafvet]

Yes, anyone remember his "Contract With American Families"?

However, he seems to know a lot of very rich people, none of which want tax cuts.

[sully777]

Gephardt once was pro-life and pro-fiscal conservatism. He is now anti-life and pro-tax/big gov't.

If one foregoes character for votes, Gephardt is a miserable failure.

Lesson should be analyzed by Democratic-Republicans (formerly known as RINOs) on this board and in WH/CH/SC that wish to embrace socialism and liberalism for votes (Hint Hint).

Sadly, I'm now "fringe and the enemy within" on a CONSERVATIVE WEBSITE for pointing this out.

[Zack Nguyen]

He's been running for President since 1986 at least, almost continuously. Surely he gave up seeing his wife and family for this. I wish him well.

[Aeronaut]

Wasn't he the one who knew someone who made over two million a year who pleaded with him to let him pay more taxes?

[MIchaelTArchangel]

That really depends on your definition of "miserable failure".

I think Dick Gephardt is miserable because the people of Iowa didn't buy into his anachronistic unionism structured along the lines of the 1950s and 1960s. I think he is also miserable because the people of Iowa seemed to give more credence to the anti-war candidate Howard Dean and the two ambivalent (with respect to war) candidates (Kerry and Edwards) who voted to authorize the war but voted against fund for the troops than they gave to his responsible position of voting for the war and to support the troops.

In short, Gephardt has not changed in the roughly three decades he has been on Capitol Hill. But the Democrats have changed from a rational lot (that included Scoop Jackson, Hubert Humphrey, Abe Ribacoff, et. al.) into a strident group of less than rational anti-war hippies (now wearing suits) such as Howard Dean (and even John Kerry). If you look around the Democrat Party today, you will see that the so-called "leaders" tend to be from the mid-1960s to the mid-1970s. If you think back to that era, you will see the core beliefs of most in that era amount to little more than (1) SMS (=Say My Skin), (2) TEBM (=Tax Everyone But Me), and (3) SDSUCIKIA (Yes, I know that looks ugly and like a swear word, and maybe it is, because it =Sit Down! Shut Up! 'Cause I Know It All!) Gee, ain't that what Howard Dean screamed at that gentleman in Iowa?

[CROSSHIGHWAYMAN]

I'd simply call his Washington office and ask a staffer.

It's a great way to get an adrenaline rush.

[lilylangtree]

Is Tricky Dicky Gephardt a miserable failure? Absolutely but considering his huge, inflated liberal RAT ego, it's taken awhile to get the message across. However, the imaginary light bulb on top of his head is starting to glow.

[dfwgator]

The guy's got more money than 99.9% of the world's population could ever dream of, hardly a failure.

[isthisnickcool]

Miserable failure? I dunno. Crybaby? Yea he's a crybaby for sure.

[colorado tanker]

Well, he probably deserves that thrown back in his face.

But I'm with those who would stand up for him. The Dim party has left him behind, along with other domestic liberals who are still patriots. Gebhardt made the tough votes to support the President on Iraq, knowing it wouldn't be popular with the Dim base. Unlike the rest of the bunch running for President, Gebhardt actually has some principles.