Holy moly. The Dean-A-Maniac got fired up Monday night.
From the Drudge Report:
"Stinging from his third place finish in Iowa, which robbed him of his frontrunner status, Governor Howard Dean tonight gave a red faced concession speech in which he vowed to go all over the country fighting to defeat George Bush. He named the states in which he said his campaign would fight, and as he rolled out the names of the states his face became red, his gestures sharp and angry. For a few moments, it appeared Dean had slipped into an unnatural state."
Check out the pictures of Dean during his concession speech.
The Reuters write-up for one of the pics:
"U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Howard Dean defiantly concedes defeat in the 2004 Iowa Caucuses to rival candidate U.S. Senator John Kerry in West Des Moines, Iowa January 19, 2004. Dean's high-flying campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination suffered a body blow in the Iowa caucuses Monday, but the former Vermont governor vowed to fight on, declaring, 'We will not give up.' "
He's either shooting up or busting a move:
"The all-singing, all-dancing crap of the world." Maybe Dean can be a contestant on the next American Idol.
posted by jr at 01:12 A.M. EST on Tue Jan 20, 2004 #
"DNC Chairman Terry McAuliffe asked on CNN if the direction of the Democratic Party will determine the direction of the party. McAuliffe said: "Clearly, whoever the nominee of the Democratic Party will -- and I am -- no one in America wants a nominee more than I do. We're in the best shape we've ever been in. Millions in the bank, new headquarters, new voter files. I need a nominee, no question about it. But that nominee will then have one message. He will become the messenger, and it's his message that won the primaries."
Kerry is McAuliffe's man.
posted by jr at 12:56 P.M. EST on Tue Jan 20, 2004 #
Young voters trending toward Bush?
Morton Kondracke in fresh ROLL CALL:
"Here's a harrowing pair of facts for Democrats: In 60 years, no Democrat has ever won the presidency without carrying the youth vote. And right now President Bush's approval rating among 18- to 29-year-olds is 62 percent, higher than his nationwide rating. Top Republican strategists admit that the youth vote is fluid, but right now the trends are all in their direction, which they hope is a harbinger not only for 2004, but also a possible longer-term party realignment."
posted by jr at 12:59 P.M. EST on Tue Jan 20, 2004 #
Dean tones it down the day after Iowa.
"But after arriving [in New Hampshire] Tuesday, a more subdued and measured Dean told an older crowd than usual that he would give ''a different kind of speech.''
''Those of you who came here intending to be lifted to your feet by a lot of red-meat rhetoric will be a little disappointed,'' he said."
Attempting to attract the young vote with pro wrestling antics didn't work for Dean in Iowa.
"The sudden switch from defiance to decorum illustrated the task at hand for Dean following his third-place finish in Iowa. He must keep his largely young, anti-war volunteers fired up while appearing presidential to the broader electorate."
"A top Dean campaign official acknowledged that Dean ''may have got carried away'' Monday night. But he said there is no calculated strategy to tone down the candidate."
"Another high-level campaign adviser, however, said the raucous exhortation was a mistake that resulted from Dean's exhaustion and from not realizing that his message to 800 supporters in a ballroom was being seen by millions on TV."
How is it possible for Dean to not know his antics would be seen by millions in today's media-crazed world?
"Aides said the campaign will now play down its signature anti-war and outsider message and offer ''a more rounded'' stump speech." Sounds like Dean is going to be more Edwards-like.
"On Dean's chartered campaign plane early Tuesday morning, there was a sense of relief to be moving on. As the plane's wheels lifted off from the runway in Des Moines, someone yelled, ''We're out of Iowa!'' Others applauded. Later, despite a midnight dinner of shrimp and lobster and free CDs from Joan Jett, who was on the plane, the mood was subdued as staffers dissected what went wrong."
Interesting. Dining on shrimp and lobster while so many are out of work and cannot get health care.
"Dean revisited his plans to balance the federal budget and reverse Bush's tax cuts to pay for health care, education and job creation."
Some of Dean's problems in Iowa:
"Iowans interviewed said Dean was ''a loose cannon'' who too often had to take back statements. At a Concord rally, Dean was reminded of one of them, his controversial statement that he wanted to appeal to ''guys with Confederate flags in their pickup trucks.'' When Dean asked that a man in the audience holding a Confederate flag be removed, several burly security men forcibly dragged the man out. During a later disturbance involving a heckler, the candidate led his audience in a rendition of The Star-Spangled Banner.
* The tape. A 4-year-old tape of a Canadian TV show in which Dean said the Iowa caucuses were controlled by ''extremists'' was ''devastating,'' Dean's pollster Paul Maslin said."
Dean yelling at a 66-year-old man had to hurt Howard too.
Here's what an Aussie paper said about Dean's wild speech.
"THE morning after acting like a man requiring urgent medical attention, Howard Dean yesterday diagnosed his post-caucus fit in Iowa as a case of needing to have "a little fun in this business". "
"But gobsmacked commentators compared Dr Dean's performance - which included emitting a long scream that most newspapers translated as "Yaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" - to a scene from The Exorcist."
"And while Dr Dean might have found his primal scream therapeutic, Democrats were left wondering whether he was stable enough to take on George W. Bush in November."
"After rattling off the states in which he was prepared to fight, Dr Dean let out the scream that stunned. British newspaper The Times said it sounded like "a child imitating a Tyrannosaurus Rex". "
The Four Stooges: Dean, Clark, Sharpton, and Kucinich. Without them, the Democrat nomination process would be a 100% snoozer. Earlier this month, Kucinich displayed a pie chart during a radio-only debate. That's awesome. I hope the Frivolous Foursome can hang in there for a while. They provide good comedy.
posted by jr at 03:11 P.M. EST on Wed Jan 21, 2004 #
"Limited following of Ohio’s Kucinich is extremely loyal." Kucinich could win in Cuba.
posted by jr at 01:09 A.M. EST on Sun Jan 25, 2004 #
"Dean Alleges Dirty Attacks in Iowa"
"Howard Dean said Saturday he was surprised by the ``under the table'' campaigning he faced during the Iowa caucus and said the state needs to prevent such negative attacks if it wants to keep the nation's leadoff presidential vote."
"Asked Saturday for specifics about the negative attacks, Dean pointed to a book distributed by North Carolina Sen. John Edwards' campaign that instructed supporters how to attack other candidates during the caucuses. For example, it told campaign captains in Iowa to describe Dean as an ``elitist from Park Avenue in New York City.'' "
"Edwards, who has credited his strong second-place showing in Iowa to campaigning on a positive message, said he did not know about the book until this week."
More of the same. National politics is a filthy, ruthless exercise. The players involved are only concerned about getting elected or re-elected and obtaining as much power as possible through any means available. And along the way, if there's time and desire, the political thugs may even do something that helps the rest of us.
posted by jr at 03:36 A.M. EST on Sun Jan 25, 2004 #
Edwards supported attacking Iraq. From Command-Post.org:
"At the time, Edwards - who sits on the Senate Intelligence Committee and thus has his own access to our intelligence on Iraq - gave full-throated support for what has become the most controversial justification for the war: that Saddam Hussein’s regime had weapons of mass destruction. Of course, this puts Edwards seriously at odds with a substantial and vocal faction of his party."
John Edwards speaks on the Senate floor on September 12, 2002.
"As a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, I firmly believe that the issue of Iraq is not about politics. It's about national security. We know that for at least 20 years, Saddam Hussein has obsessively sought weapons of mass destruction through every means available. We know that he has chemical and biological weapons today. He has used them in the past, and he is doing everything he can to build more. Each day he inches closer to his longtime goal of nuclear capability -- a capability that could be less than a year away.
I believe that Saddam Hussein's Iraqi regime represents a clear threat to the United States, to our allies, to our interests around the world, and to the values of freedom and democracy we hold dear."
On the Senate floor on October 10, 2002, Edwards said:
"Mr. President, the prospect of using force to protect our security is the most difficult decision a nation must ever make. We all agree that this is not an easy decision. It carries many risks. If force proves necessary, it will also carry costs, certainly in resources, and perhaps in lives. After careful consideration, I believe that the risks of inaction are far greater than the risks of action."
"Saddam Hussein's regime represents a grave threat to America and our allies, including our vital ally, Israel."
"Iraq has continued to seek nuclear weapons and develop its arsenal in defiance of the collective will of the international community, as expressed through the United Nations Security Council. It is violating the terms of the 1991 cease-fire that ended the Gulf War and as many as 16 Security Council resolutions, including 11 resolutions concerning Iraq's efforts to develop weapons of mass destruction. By ignoring these resolutions, Saddam Hussein is undermining the credibility of the United Nations, openly violating international law, and making a mockery of the very idea of collective action that is so important to the United States and its allies."
"Others argue that if even our allies support us, we should not support this resolution because confronting Iraq now would undermine the long-term fight against terrorist groups like Al Qaeda. Yet, I believe that this is not an either-or choice. Our national security requires us to do both, and we can."
"Mr. President, the decision we must make now is one a nation never seeks. Yet when confronted with a danger as great as Saddam Hussein, it is a decision we must make. America's security requires nothing less."
posted by jr at 04:03 A.M. EST on Sun Jan 25, 2004 #
"Though it’s not clear who they’ll vote for, most 18 to 29-year-olds say for now, they’re behind both the president and the war in Iraq. A majority of young voters (54 percent) say they approve of the way Bush is handling his job as president, virtually identical to the president’s approval rating among registered voters overall. The poll also suggests that on social issues like abortion and gay marriage, 18-29 year-olds are eager to move beyond the partisan battles of the past."
posted by jr at 05:52 P.M. EST on Tue Jan 27, 2004 #
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