The Democratic candidate is doing much better than 4 years ago. To what do we attribute this?

[undeterred]

[stray cat]

1. The economy has alot of people scared and hurting and young people are getting involved

I like Obama but there is alot going on to hopefully make this different than 2000 and 2004 - at least I sure hope so...

[Warpy]

2. As charismatic as Obama is and as lousy as the GOP are

what did it is 4 years of Dr. Dean and the 50 State Strategy.

Really.

[undeterred]

3. I give also him credit for seeing more candidates run against

Republican Congressmen and Senators, some who have run unopposed in the past. It is great for the State Party to get out there and get behind a candidate, even if it is an uphill battle.

[morillon]

7. Oh, I totally agree.

I have come to really appreciate Dr. Dean's genius in the last four years. We owe him a LOT.

I think there are other factors at work, too. The online liberal community is HUGE these days, and we're very organized. Major props to communities like DU and Kos. I also think TPM, HuffingtonPost, and other sites are doing a lot toward keeping us informed and helping critical stories go viral so they make it into the mainstream media.

I mean, just look at the quick debunking of the so-called plumbers at the Obama rally. Back in 2000, it took days, maybe longer, for people to figure out who was who in the Brooks Brothers Riot pics, but these fake plumbers were identified in hours, IIRC.

Other major factors would include Keith, Rachel, Jon, Stephen, everyone on Air America, and more that I'm probably forgetting at the moment. These people have become a huge deal since 2004.

[Stinky The Clown]

9. What Warpy said!

Fifty State Strategy.

Who would have thought we'd be up in North Carolina???? Virginia might have been foreseen ... but NC? Now money going into Georgia??? Would anyone have bet money on Georgia?

Go Howie!!!!

[livelongandprosper]

4. I wish I could say he is doing better. But 50% of the American voters are

still morons. Like Samuel "Social Security is a joke" Wurzelbacher. Dishonest racist ignoramus who don't give a freaking flying fuck about the truth they create their own reality which makes them comfortable.

I never bought the "Gore was a bad candidate" or "Kerry didn't fight back" crap. Both did what they could do in a country where half of the voters are proud to be ignorant.

[sutz12]

5. Had to go with "great, great, and 8"

But I think Dean's 50 state strategy had something to do with it, too.

[Hissyspit]

6. A great candidate, lessons learned, truth outing, Rethugs being Rethugs, and Howard Dean.

All of the above.

[fla nocount]

8. Not going to vote, questions are too narrow, no mention of Dean. n/t

[undeterred]

10. Check in to the Howard Dean appreciation thread then.

[fla nocount]

12. Been there, done that, made a hefty statement. n/t

[mentalsolstice]

11. He's calm, cool, and stays on message.

I'll admit that I was a Hillary supporter. However, I'm extremely impressed with the way Obama has kept his campaign on track. He's unshakable. He doesn't blink...

[Individualist]

13. Swift debunking of reich wing lies about him

[wvbygod]

14. It's the economy

you forgot the real reason

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

15. George W. Boob and his unbelievable incompetence.

Change occurs when government makes a real hash of things. The boob and his boobish cohorts have been a "real leader" in making FUBAR a reality in everything he has laid his minuscule brain to. From Iraq to New Orleans to Wall Street.

Even the benighted American people have been able to see past the flagpins and fear to realize that they elected a bunch of monumentally stupid and corrupt imbeciles to run the country.

All Obama, or any Democrat, has to do at this stage is run as "not a Republican".