Kerry's officially in: This thing is not over yet

[CMT]

John F. Kerry made it official today and did a good job of it, in my opinion. While a Dean supporter and excited that he has come from almost out of nowhere this year to front-runner status I still feel the nomination is up for grabs.

Dean has a 21-point lead in the latest Zogby poll of NH Democratic voters. Anyone who thinks he will maintain this kind of lead over the next five months is fooling themselves. It is bound to tighten and I think Kerry will be right in the thick of it. Same in Iowa where Dean moved up to a statistical tie with long time front runner Dick Gephardt.

Lots of things will happen this month--John Edwards will make his candidacy official and the wild card Gen. Wesley Clark will in all liklihood jump into the race. Whose campaign will he affect the most?
Kerry who made a proud show of his military background in today's announcement or Dean, who like Clark, opposed the Iraqi War.

This will be a time of testing for Dean's campaign. Now the leader in several polls (Iowa by 2-5 points depending on the poll), NH (by up to 21-points) and even states like Maryland he has had momentum and he will be a target and the test will be how he responds to this challenge. My guess is that he will do just fine, and will surprise the political world again by out-raising his oppponents this quarter and even beating Clinton's record of 1995--but he will be challenged no doubt about it.

So welcome in John Kerry (officially) and may the best man win--someone we all will unite behind to beat the real enemy--George W. Bush.

[phillybri]

1. Well said....

Terrific take....

:thumbsup:

[Name removed]

2. Deleted message

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[NewYorkerfromMass]

3. Dean is peaking way too early

he's already spent his best press and will be stale in 4 months. Mercurial candidacies have a way of doing that.
When JFK makes the covers of Time and Newsweek after NH it'll be all over.

[CMT]

4. not necessarily

I think Dean, like Kerry is in for the long haul.

[stickdog]

6. Peaking too early? Do you have any idea what is driving

Dean's campaign?

Peaking too early. Sheesh.

Everybody's a pundit.

[caledesi]

7. Dean peaking too early? No way.

The Dean campaign is being driven by people like me (and there are a lot of them). When he needs money, just raise the "bat" and he gets what he wants.

Because it's people like me out there going to meetups, houseparties etc...he will not die out. We haven't even begun to fight for this candidate.

Dean Meetup tomorrow here in Tampa and oh, they had to open 2 venues because we have grown so big and fast!

[Beetwasher]

5. The campaigns are all just getting started

I have only one hope, that all the Dem candidates will unite in running campaigns in which they focus on why they will make great Presidents and why Bush is such an awful president. They should all refrain from bashing each other, sell their good points and relentlessly bash the chimp. I can hope can't I?