what does the bat used in Dean's fundraising drives symbolize?

[pruner]

I'm a Dean supporter who's donated during the current drive & the Bush-Cheney challenge and I don't have a clue what the bat's all about.

[AP]

1. Angry mobs carry around bats.

Or maybe Dean heavily identifies with the plight of Burlington's single-A minor league baseball team. (Do they have one?)

[tjdee]

9. Now, that's funny. n/t

[wtmusic]

2. 'Beat the Crap out of Bush in '04'

:-)

[Jacobin]

3. Not sure what the official symbolism is, but I like to think of it

being carelessly inserted .....well, never mind.

Something to do with a certain humanoid with simian features and his extrusion mechanism

[gristy]

4. It symbolizes how much money they've raised so far

relative to what their target is... Oh, you mean a secondary meaning.
OK. My guess is "swinging for the fences". Or something like that.

[pruner]

6. yes... I meant as a secondary meaning

I understand that it's used to measure contributions.

my question is, why the bat as opposed to say, a thermometer.

[w4rma]

14. Webmasters have the option of putting thermometers on their site

From which folks can contribute to the Dean campaign and give the site-owner some credit for the publicity.

Note the thermometer in the top-left corner of this site:
http://dean2004.blogspot.com/2003_07_06_dean2004_archive.html

Webmaster sign up for a thermometer here:
http://www.deanforamerica.com/site/TR?pg=entry&fr_id=1090

[deutsey]

5. Didn't the first time they used it mean something like hitting a homerun

by outdoing Cheney's fundraising effort? I just remember that we doubled what Cheney raised, and did it with "little guy" contributions. Felt like a grandslam to me.

[Capn Sunshine]

7. Yes, It's a baseball analogy

although I'm sre some of the recent posters on Deans positions here are dying to read into it something more sinister.

This is to be expected when you're leading.

[ComerPerro]

8. He's Batman

don't you get it?

[FuriousMNDem]

10. The fact that Dean will strike out.

Just kidding.

[deutsey]

11. Batting a thousand so far

or, should I say, a few hundred thousand. :evilgrin:

Check out the amount on www.deanforamerica.com

[MercutioATC]

12. It's a "Hit a Homerun for Dean" thing

However, since he's also getting the previously disenfranchised to vote, a bat COULD be the totem for our beating of the current administration.

[Cha]

13. Dean is batting a Thousand in my book!

And there were 4,000 thousand Souls in Falls Church, Va, today, to hear Dean Speak! Woohoo! :-)

[Ellen Forradalom]

15. The Dean campaign has a baseball theme

"Hit a Homerun for Dean!" etc.

Personally, every time I see the bat I think of the Ramones song 'Beat on the Brat.'

Beat the Bush brat
Beat the Bush brat
Beat the Bush brat
With the big DEAN bat!