while specific names escape me at the moment the jellyfish goes to anyone who critizied Governer Dean for getting a medical deferment
Brennan Howell | Email | Homepage | 12.04.03 - 4:15 pm | #

Dick Gephardt for Spineless Jellyfish. For letting his campaign's national vice chairwoman, Joyce Aboussie, threaten to lobby against collective bargaining rights in Missouri if members of the unions campaigned there for Dean.
davidkrew | Email | Homepage | 12.04.03 - 4:31 pm | #

so many jellyfish, so little time...

i'd nominate wes clark for bashing dean for his deferrment. i second joyce aboussie. and for kicks, let's also nominate bush for caving to the special interests by signing the so-called "healthy forests" initiative, oh and for claiming in a fundraiser this week that he rid iraq of WMDs.
anna | Email | Homepage | 12.04.03 - 4:39 pm | #

ditto for joyce.

backbone to the Union heads for calling her and Gep out.
pfb | Email | Homepage | 12.04.03 - 4:50 pm | #

Jelly to all of the dems in the Sanate who didn't support the fillibuster on the medicare bill.
Nathan in MN | Email | Homepage | 12.04.03 - 4:57 pm | #

oh, and jellyfish to both kerry and edwards who *both missed the medicare vote*
anna | Email | Homepage | 12.04.03 - 6:44 pm | #

When Scott started this, he suggested that the nominees should exclude Dean and the other dem candidates, and Bush, of course. Rather, we should be highlighting those not directly involved in the race.

VT Gov Jim Douglas for backbone, for defending Dean's sealing of his records.
Alex Bauer | Email | Homepage | 12.04.03 - 6:51 pm | #

Man everbody is right there are so many jelly fish and only one award. Being a union member though I would have to give the jelly fish award not to Joyce Aboussie but to Dick Gephardt for not jumping on that with both feet. If he was half the "union man" he says he is he would have defended the unions whether they supported him or not, but he gave a wishy washy response and showed everyone that he is just another politician, not a man of principle.

My backbone award goes to the Dean campaign(whoever made the decision) for backing Leonard Boswell in Iowa. That took a lot of courage because it took money from the Dean Campaign and gave it to another campaign. I have never seen that happen before. I have seen politicians come to speak and support other candidates but never give them money. It also shows that the campaign is standing nose to nose with Bush and Rove and not backing down. Oh I want those pickles so much!
Jim Ross | Email | Homepage | 12.04.03 - 7:04 pm | #

Jellyfish award

It is hard not to vote for Bush. The turkey that posed with a fake turkey.

But ok, Diane Feinstein still has me sputtering because she voted for the Medicare fiasco.

Or aarp who ran a full page ad futher wasting senior's money to tell them how wonderful that peice of garbage they backed was.

Or how about Chris Mathews for picking on Howard the next day over his deferment instead of praising him for hitting the real issues this campaign should be about. Not abortion, guns, god and gays but education, healthcare, security, job first.

For the Backbone award, how about Molly Ivans for backing Dean. But maybe not because who else was she going to pick?

Ok, I have to consider the Backbone further.
Arlyn | Email | Homepage | 12.04.03 - 7:21 pm | #

Backbone: William Grieder

Jellyfish: Joyce Aboussie
JobyTodd | Email | Homepage | 12.04.03 - 9:08 pm | #

okay. I see where we are going--but should we focus on Aboussie or Gephardt for the blackmail? Let's talk about it.

And as tempting as it is, I think Scott was right to keep the focus away from our heros at DFA for Backbone.

HE
Heath Eiden | Email | Homepage | 12.04.03 - 9:29 pm | #

I have to go with the Alex Bauer on this one. It's great when we can give a Republican a backbone award, and Jim Douglas stood up directly against RNC chairman Ed Gillespie on the papers chase.

The jellyfish, again, has to go to the Democrats in Congress, who keep getting rolled and keep letting themselves get rolled.
Dana Blankenhorn | Email | Homepage | 12.04.03 - 10:08 pm | #

Joyce Aboussie - no question. We have to avoid presidential candidates (of all parties), but their aides are fair game for the jellyroll. No one is more deserving of it than her and her blackmail tactics.

Backbone: How about David Palmer? He walked out of a debate at a politically unopportune time to deal with a national emergency. What a presidential move that was. (Oh, and I'm talking about "24", for those who don't know who Palmer is.)
Seriously though, Gov. Jim Douglas sounds like a good choice. He bucked his party chairman to preserve the integrity of Vermont's archives. Go Jim!
Dan B-P of WI | Email | Homepage | 12.04.03 - 10:30 pm | #

Why Dan? Why do we have to lay off actual candidates? Dick Gephardt has been consistently attacking Dean with age old policy comments and distortions of his record. Dean worked for Dick's re-election in the past. His attacks on Dean, to me, are the worst kind of road kill antics in American politics. He's taken the turn on the road that makes people shaky about coming out to vote for ANYBODY.

They aren't afraid of going to the polls, they're afraid of a disagreement with their neighbors. He
Heath Eiden | Email | Homepage | 12.05.03 - 12:03 am | #

I will continue nominating Paul Krugman until he is recognized.

His OpEd piece from today is another incisive argument against the charade of this Presidency. He has been a persistent source of clear thinking.

Is there any doubt he is acting as a nationally recognized voice for our campaign??
Cris | Email | Homepage | 12.05.03 - 3:06 pm | #

Backbone-Sens. McCain and Hagel for their condemming of the GOP measures that will bankrupt future generations.

Or perhaps Gov. Arnold, for admitting that if the bond idea doesn't pass with the voters, that he has no backup plan for fixing the CA budget.

Jellyfish-Sen. Diane Feinstein, whose office I'd call and complain to if the lines weren't already jammed with my fellow CA Democrats.
East Bay Rockstar | Email | Homepage | 12.05.03 - 3:38 pm | #