[spacefreak]

Looks like Dean's 2nd-place finish has freaked him out a bit.

While the staff shakeup could have been (possibly) expected, I was shocked to read that "several lawmakers" are telling stuff to Dean, and that "he said he understood". I thought he marched to his own beat, and I surely would think he "understood" the fact that to win the nomination, one has to actually win some primaries.

I'm also a little shocked that he chose a former lobbyist (and Gore staffer) to run his campaign - Roy Neel. I wonder if it's going to be tough for Dean to attack special interest lobbyists when one is running his campaign.

Hoperfully for Dean, the two-week deferment of salaries to campaign staff will be the only one. Too many of those and employees of any organization begin to get disgruntled.

Here are the quotes from the article to which I am referring:

Howard Dean shook up his presidential campaign on Wednesday after absorbing back-to-back defeats, replacing his campaign manager with a longtime associate of former Vice President Al Gore to try and stabilize his faltering candidacy.

In a further sign of distress, the one-time front-runner implemented cost-cutting measures as he looked ahead to a series of costly primaries and caucuses, asking staff to defer their paychecks for two weeks.<snip>

In a conference call with members of Congress who have endorsed him, he was told bluntly that finishing second wasn't good enough — that he had to show he could win a primary. "He said he understood," said one lawmaker who was involved in the call. <sni>

Neel, Gore's former senatorial chief of staff, served as chief executive of the U.S. Telecom Association in Washington before working on Gore's 2000 presidential campaign.

[thunderous_funker]

Sounds like the Dean team is getting more media savvy. Its about time.



And I can't help laughing everytime they use words like "faltering" or "distress". How long ago was it "Howard Who?"

Now the guy with the most money, the best organization, and the most endorsements who is only 6 delegates behind the frontrunner (a man who has been a Senator for 20 years) is suddenly "all washed up".

Dean might not win it, but he will push Kerry to the absolute brink. Not bad for a guy who was nobody 6 months ago and has suffered the most hostile press of any presidential candidate in my lifetime.

[spacefreak]

Originally posted by thunderous_funker:
Sounds like the Dean team is getting more media savvy. Its about time.



And I can't help laughing everytime they use words like "faltering" or "distress". How long ago was it "Howard Who?"

Now the guy with the most money, the best organization, and the most endorsements who is only 6 delegates behind the frontrunner (a man who has been a Senator for 20 years) is suddenly "all washed up".

Dean might not win it, but he will push Kerry to the absolute brink. Not bad for a guy who was nobody 6 months ago and has suffered the most hostile press of any presidential candidate in my lifetime.

Yeah, Dean's not washed up by any means. There's still a long ways to go. I think the thing that is most disturbing for the Dean camp is the amount of votes by which he lost both primaries.

These "super delegates" that are not decided by voters, but rather party insiders is a bit awkward, however.

As for media savviness, I think the Dean camp has always been quite savvy. Top-notch commercials and their fabled internet campaigns point to this.

I suspect that you are instead referring to their realization that any and all miscues will be magnified a great deal by the reporting media. While this has always been the case, I don't think you can blame the media for it. I mean, if there were no miscues, none would be reported. In these instances, I Dean should accept the responsibility for his mistakes and move on (like he's done with his post-Iowa howl).

"The most hostile press coverage of any presidential candidate" in your lifetime? Come on, t_funk, don't play the victim game with this. Dean's campaign hasn't even been the most scrutinized in recent memory. If you and Dean think this has been the most hostile, you're both going to crap your pants if he gets the nomination.

[thunderous_funker]

You may think I'm overstating it, but I don't think I'm far off.

Dean was treated like Kucinich and Sharpton even after it was abundantly clear to anyone paying attention that he was successfully putting together one of the largest grassroots campaigns I've ever seen, and quite possibly the largest grassroots presidential campaign of all time.

Even when he was 30 points ahead in polls and projected to collect $40 million in contributions, the media was still playing "Howard Who?". Every pundit who dared talk up Dean was asked "No, really. Who should we look out for?" by the mainstream press.

He plateaus in Iowa (not tanks) and suddenly its all over. He whoops it up and its shown on TV 600 times in a week. Meanwhile, the president can actually tell a reporter that we invaded Iraq because "he wouldn't let inspectors in" like Hans Blix was a figment of our imaginations.

So maybe I'm a bit touchy cuz I like Dean, even before Dean was cool, but consider this POV from someone on the ground. I'm really not imagining this.

[roger_ramjet]

Originally posted by thunderous_funker:
You may think I'm overstating it, but I don't think I'm far off.

... I'm really not imagining this.

Yeah you are. Not long ago Kerry was the one getting bad press about how his campaign had "imploded", etc. Winning changed all that. Dean's campaign is faltering because he's lost twice now and both times it wasn't even close. It's that simple. Coming from nowhere to being a contender is all well and good but he really does have to win something to be credible. Problem is: in the upcoming states will be harder for him to gain ground. Dean needed Iowa and New Hampshire. Where does he break into the winning column? South Carolina? Missouri?

Dean got media scrutiny because he was the frontrunner. Now it's Kerry's turn. That's the way it works. Whining about it doesn't get you the gold ring.

[Evan_11]

Howard Dean put himself in the spot light by his sheer personality. Nothing more, nothing less. Its not that difficult of a task when you look at the rest of the dead beat nominees. The more people saw of Dean however the less they liked him. Unfortunately his 15 minutes are just about up. To bad because it would of been a fun match up. Kerry vs. Bush just smells of the he said, she said type of debating.

[Lerkfish]

Originally posted by roger_ramjet:
Dean got media scrutiny because he was the frontrunner. Now it's Kerry's turn. That's the way it works. Whining about it doesn't get you the gold ring.

hm. so....when republicans on this board whine about Bush getting media scrutiny because he's the front runner...no gold ring for them, either?

[spacefreak]

Originally posted by roger_ramjet:
Dean got media scrutiny because he was the frontrunner. Now it's Kerry's turn. That's the way it works.

And like clockwork, here come some reports of Kerry's alleged Botox treatments.

Not only is it Botox, but it's classic bad Botox," said Dr. Michael Kane, a surgeon in private practice.

"His forehead is just way too smooth. It looks weird. It's a bizarre appearance that he's got not a wrinkle. That doesn't happen to 60-year-olds."

Before:


After: