The decline of Dean is a story of missteps

[Freddie Stubbs]

Insiders reveal picture of a chaotic campaign and candidate who didn't listen
By Jill Lawrence
USA TODAY


Howard Dean's steep, quick fall is a dramatic lesson in what can go wrong in a presidential bid. The headstrong candidate was convinced the rules of politics did not apply to him. His disorganized campaign lacked solid information about how much money it had and did not do adequate research on his past.

Dean, who appeared headed for the Democratic presidential nomination at the beginning of the year, lost 17 straight primaries and caucuses before ending his candidacy Wednesday in Burlington, Vt.

''I am no longer actively pursuing the presidency,'' Dean told supporters. ''We will, however, continue to build a new organization . . . to change our country.''

The public witnessed some significant moments during the former Vermont governor's plunge from likely nominee to also-ran, such as his ''I have a scream'' speech Jan. 19 after placing a weak third in the Iowa caucuses. Interviews with 11 people inside or close to the campaign revealed less public details of a decline that began long before the scream. Only a few agreed to be quoted by name.

more: http://www.usatoday.com/usatonline/20040219/5939360s.htm

[liberalnurse]

1. Leaders of the Democratic party certainly made sure

he did take the mis-steps! The party leaders failed to do their required job!

[beaconess]

4. How are Democratic Party leaders responsible for Dean's missteps

Did they force him to make the mistakes he made?

You're edging dangerously close to the "What a shame OJ just happened to cut himself - otherwise the conspiracy to frame him by sprinkling his blood around the crime scene would never have worked" territory.

[liberalnurse]

6. They never even embraced him.

They were out-n-out hateful and disrespectful. Their treatment of Dean enlightens me to the fact that the insiders are self-serving and not of the party majority or the growth of the party.


OJ does not come into the equation.

[beaconess]

11. I thought Dean's campaign was about the people

So why should you care whether the party leaders embraced him?

The bottom line is that Dean's support was a mile wide and an inch deep. His supporters, while fervent, dedicated and sincere, were not able to get out the vote for him in numbers that made him a viable candidate. That is not the fault of the party leaders. That's just a reality.

It looks right now like either Kerry or Edwards will get the nomination, which means that one of them will not. Whoever fails to get the nomination will fail to do so for the same reason that Dean didn't go anywhere - because they didn't get enough votes. Plain and simple. Pointing fingers and casting blame on everyone but the candidate and his campaign doesn't change that.

[fishnfla]

7. Well, the article makes it seems like he didn't listen to anyone's advice

The thing with his wife always bothered me. Back in July Esquire magazine did a photo essay on most of the candidates, except DK I think. Full page photos of the candidates with their wives or kids, informal poses. They had a feature article on Clark in the same issue. As a Democrat, it was a keeper. There was Teresa Heinz, all the Gephardts,Al Sharpton's wife, John Edwards with his young ones, a bunch of Liebermans,Grahams too. I found it a positive portrayal of our party. Except for Dean, he refused to be photo'd with any family members. Made a stink of it, in fact. Then the photographer tried to get him to loosen up, smile. "I am smiling," he snapped.He was pictured at campaign headquarters surrounded by a chaotic-looking scene of campaign workers, as he insisted.

I knew right then and there he would not win the nomination. As the article indicates, he couldn't reflect warmth and didn't want to or try to.

[meegbear]

13. Yeah! The sneaky bastards!

Why just this past weekend, I was cooking pancakes and the phone rang. I answered it but they hung up and my pancakes burned.

I KNOW it was the leaders of the Democratic party trying to mis-step my breakfast.

[HFishbine]

2. Remind me again

You're trying to win over Dean supporters to whom?

[Freddie Stubbs]

5. Not trying to win over Dean supporters

But I do find it interesting how Dean went from being "Howard Who?" to the frontrunner and then to an also-ran. He is clearly a man with a great deal of potential. And his campaign will be remembered for the innovative way it used the Internet.

I think that we can learn a lot from what he did right, and from what he did wrong.

[vi5]

3. No sense picking over it now.....

I was only briefly a Dean supporter, until he started making the slash and burn of the democratic party a bigger priority than anything else.

But it saddened me to see him go and to see him fall as he did. But he is a man of his word who will support the democratic nominee and there is no doubt that he changed the landscape and tone of this primary season. I think he and the campaign made a lot of mi-steps and overcalculations but overall there is no denying the good that he did and will continue to do for the democratic party.

[BruinAlum]

8. That is tragic. Those were all internal problems

The lack of an accounting of cash reserves and being overestimated by 4 Million is just unheard of.

I feel sorry for those that were counting on him.

[betweenwars]

9. Yeah, but

consider the source: USA Today.

I just love the last clause in this passage for the use of the passive voice:

"Judy Dean flew in for two rallies the day before the caucuses and appeared on network television with her husband in New Hampshire. He seemed warmer in her presence, but his angry image already was fixed."

Yes, the image "was fixed," but, gee, who could've done such a thing, especially since there was little evidence of dean's temper? Uh, that'd be you, USA Today, and your cohorts.


I followed Dean with interest, but don't consider myself a strong supporter; I'm ABB all the way (I don't have a primary say until late in the game). Still, I had hope and still hold some out that having a candidate who garners money from the people rather than other interests will one day be possible.

Cheers,
Mitch

[newyawker99]

14. Hi betweenwars!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[Cuban_Liberal]

10. Partly Dr. Dean's fault, but also partly NOT.

The media assasinated Dr. Dean by playing 'The Scream' over 700 times in the week after IA, and let's not forget the infamous 'Osama Ad', either. I don't know of ANY candidate who would not have suffered as the result of two such VICIOUS assaults on their candidacy.

[Freddie Stubbs]

15. Those two thing did not have that big of an impact

His poll numbers were still strong after the Osama ad was pulled from the airwaves. And he already had fallen behind Kerry in NH and Iowabefore the scream.

[GodHelpUsAll2]

12. Well that just says it all

And since we all know the media and press is ALWAYS correct I guess we have a clear picture now. Oh wait, it's only correct when it's something WE want to be correct right? I mean heck, those Kerry stories were completely false and the papers should be sued but now these Dean articles, they are dead on fact! The human population never ceases to amaze me.