Why, why, why is Dean in the Lead?

[slinkerwink]

Poll question: Why, why, why is Dean in the Lead?

Is it.......because....?

[boxster]

1. Is this a push poll????

Hehe.

}(

[slinkerwink]

2. isn't that what some people have said to explain Dean's lead?

;-)

[candy331]

6. I voted straigh shooter

but also I believe the supporters do help him greatly. Straight shooter said the theory is that Bush knew, well theory out today from Kean on 911 report.

[Bucky]

27. Like him or hate him, these are all valid reasons he might be leading

I voted for the "straight shooter" option. It takes nothing away from my candidate to admit that someone else's has legit appeal on this measure. Like most self-professed "straight-shooters" it's pretty easy not to like Dean. It's near impossible not to respect him. Of course don't all candidates claim to shoot straight? Just once I'd like a politician to come right out and say "Let my opponent be a straight shooter. I will govern like a very competent equivocater. If that's what you want."

[slinkerwink]

28. yeah, Dean has that likeability factor going on

;-)

[Bucky]

44. Thanks for the wink, Slink, but I think you missed my pink, um, my point

I don't really find Dean all that likeable. I find his "angry" act to be a weak selling point re: his presidentialness. I think it'll backfire. I respect the hell out of him, but he inspires no loyalty in me.

I find his repeated mantra about "you have the power" restated over and over to tumultuous applause from his supporters to be a little bit creepy. I get the same vibe from him on a personal level that I got from Buchanan and Perot. I see the appeal but I don't feel it. I don't think he's as politically dangerous as either of them and his politics aren't that far from mine and his recruitment of new party members is inspiring if they're transferable and his convictions are sincere as a cat outside a tuna factory.

But my respect is grounded in the voices of the people I've seen him bring into the party. Every time I hear him speak, he drops down a couple of rungs on my ladder.

[_Jumper_]

3. He has appealed to the base's anger

Ironically, Governor Dean was the type of "Republican-lite" politician Candidate Dean frequently assails.

[molly]

5. The truth shall make you free to support someone else!

p.s. that Newsweek picture is certainly NOT complimentary - he looks like the Incredible Hulk!

[slinkerwink]

11. that's why I like that newsweek picture...

[KaraokeKarlton]

12. Nah, Dean supporters know what his record is

and that's why they like him. We all know he's not a liberal and the fact he isn't but can still appeal to them while also appealing to moderates and centrists is what makes him the most electable.

[_Jumper_]

17. Dean can't appeal to moderates and centrists

We simply cannot win advocating a middle-class tax increase.

[slinkerwink]

20. it's not a tax increase.........

:eyes:

[_Jumper_]

31. It is just a"revenue enhancer"

;)

[TLM]

26. Dean is polling the best with indi voters

and moderates.


So once again... wrong-O.

[_Jumper_]

33. Name ID, saturation media coverage explain that

Why does he fare so poorly against Shrub?

[molly]

He's not a liberal? WHOA!!!

I thought he was running as an angry radical and here he is NOT EVEN a liberal? UH-OH!

[Lisa0825]

22. I like the pic!LOL

Dean has a sense of humor about himself. I think it is a very funny pic :-)

[Demobrat]

23. Maybe.

But it won't be Kerry.

[maggrwaggr]

4. wow, is that the cover they were gonna run?

before Osama got "found" in his rathole?

[boxster]

8. Hey, that's it! Dean had Saddam found to make sure that cover wouldn't run

Hehe.

[hedda_foil]

9. Yeah. terrible picture. I was glad they didn't run it.

On the other hand they dumped the stories too and I'm pissed about that because they were great!

[IronLionZion]

10. Saddam was found, not Osama

[MisterP]

18. how dare you say there's a difference!

Saddama causes everything bad from WMDs disappearing in showers of pixie dust to Our Glorious Leader's need for an MRI.
/kidding mode off
;)

[IronLionZion]

7. people love him!

I rarely see a candidate's supporters love their person the way they love Dean.

Yet others hate him so bad he had to wear a bullet-proof vest in Vermont. (civil unions)

[slinkerwink]

15. you're right----we DO admire Dean a lot....

[MODemocrat]

13. He's not afraid to say something that isn't popular

I admire his resiliency and think he is a hard worker.

[gulliver]

14. No "other?"

Because those who want an alternative are divided among eight other candidates.

[slinkerwink]

16. nope.....no "other"

[littlejoe]

19. I like him because he reminds me of me.

[YNGW]

21. Other

If there were an other, that would be my vote. I'm confident he'll get the nomination, but Dean's campaign is being driven by those who are still angry over Florida 2000, thus his lead.

Now is that enough to carry him to the White House? That's the $64,000 question.

:shrug:

[molly]

24. We are ALL angry about the FLA 2000 vote

that is no reason for us to act stupid about who we select for our candidate.

[slinkerwink]

25. it's not just Florida 2000---that's a misconception

We want jobs, healthcare, and education-----plus a restoration of international alliance with our allies.

[YNGW]

35. I don't doubt you feel that way

But it's not a misconception with me, and I'm not the only one sitting back and observing what's driving the Dean train and reaching the same conclusion. Maybe that'll change. We'll see.

[windansea]

29. yikes!!

they run that pic and his numbers will tank

he looks like a constipated mongoose!

[tedoll78]

30. I have a few extra reasons..

Perhaps it's the tough-guy image he's cultivated. The rolled-up sleeves, the grizzly voice, the plainspoken eloquence - he has the image down pretty good.

Perhaps it's the fact that he's campaigned since 2001. Even if much of that campaigning was behind the scenes, he got to voters and key support structures before any of the other candidates did. That has to count for something.

A large part of it has to account for the fact that he spoke out against Bush when Bush was near the height of his popularity. That's pretty friggin' brave. He gave voice to those who saw-through the post-9/11 rah-rahs for the pResident coming from the "leaders" of our party. I know I was frustrated seeing Daschle and Gephardt kissing Bush ass; Dean actually had the guts to say it loudly and eloquently in public.. and he wouldn't back-down.

Then (and this is one of my favorite theories on the Rise of Dr Dean), there are those Democrats who, after seeing loss after loss since 1998, want to try a different route to victory. Instead of bleeding to the left and struggling with the center, why not focus on raising voter participation? We know that the GOP turns-out its core; we know that the Dems do not to such an extent. If we turn-out our core, we win much more often. With just a bit of GOTV and voter education investment, we win. With a fresh face and a bit of campaign innovation, we can bring new people to the voting booths.

Go to a MeetUp and ask this question of the audience:
"How many of you are new to political participation?"

Anywhere from half to 2/3 will raise their hands. That's phenominal.

The check with the FEC and ask:
"How many of Dean's contributors are first-time political contributors?"
You'll get an astonishing number there also.

And while you're asking the FEC numbers, ask them:
"How many of Dean's contributors are under 30?"
Again, a very interesting number. If young people actually vote en masse next year, we win. It's that simple. Look at Canada - that's what happens when young people vote regularly.

If an extra 4 to 5 million show-up to the polls next November, and if those millions go directly into the 'D' column all the way down the ticket, he'll win easily AND have nice coattails. I'm betting that this is the hope of many of Dean's supporters. It might be a crapshoot, but so too is every other nominee. Dean's turnout scenario looks like it might actually happen. The new participants, the young gravitating to his campaign, the new donors, reports of sharp participation rises at Democratic events (with many new folks attending in the name of Dean).. there's a pattern developing before our eyes.

Something to watch: If Iowa comes and turnout there is sky-high, and if that turnout can be linked to a convincing Dean victory, the pattern is no longer a theory.. it's for real.

[slinkerwink]

37. that's why I hope the turnout in Iowa will be very high among Dean folks

[cryofan]

32. reasons why Dean is leading

1. He is a very skilled speaker and really quite an actor. By that I mean that he is able to call up emotions that he does not feel, in particular, anger. His ability to represent believably the rage felt by activists brings money and volunteers from the activists.

2. His Vermont governance shows him to be a conservative. Dean has a moneyed, aristocratic background. That makes him a person who can be trusted by those who have a lot of money to give and they have done, especially since he has that acting and speaking ability to sway audiences.

3. The media likes to write up about him beacuse they know he has a chance to win. Of course, they selected him as the winner a long time ago, in part because they realize he is a status quo candidate (based on his VT governance), and why should they want to publicize a candidate who may change the status quo?

[DrFunkenstein]

34. Because The Illuminati Set Him Up As A Straw Man

n/t

[LittleDannySlowhorse]

41. I thought it was the Freemasons

or the Stonecutters.

[Scott Lee]

42. no, no man...it was the Elders of Zion!

*ramp up spooky music*

[Bucky]

46. No, they're all just puppets of the Jedi knights

*cues heavy breathing off-screen*

[ComerPerro]

36. You left out "exposure"

And, don't get me wrong, I love Dean. But I think a lot of his success has been due to his exposure on the internet, and then due to his initial fundraising, his coverage by the news media, which has added to his contributions on his website.

A good deal of this, however, is due to the initial money he was able to raise when most of America still had no idea who he was. So, I am in no way trying to discredit him. I think his campaign has done a hell of a job getting his name out there. And Dean really knows how to energize his support base, mainly by being the "angry candidate". Hell, that's why I like him.

But, I have to concede that I don't think he would retain such popularity if it weren't for the fact that he has been getting a lot of attention lately.

Of course, one could argue a similar case about Clark. He got a lot of attention from the "Draft Clark" movement, and then his eventual announcement of his candicy. I think that is what brought a lot of Clark supporters on board.
But that is another thread, and I have no interst in a flamewar with anyone about a topic as inane as this.

[neuvocat]

38. Dean has been campaigning a long time

and has appealed to a larger base, away from the "centrists" of the DLC/DNC who have made the mistake of listening to Bush's "My way or the highway" rhetoric. He's got a lot of momentum for the time being.

[slinkerwink]

39. and the primaries are 33 days away.....

:bites lower lip:


it's going to be interesting ;-)

[many a good man]

40. He's got MOJO

Don't piss off his base. They got mojo, too, and whoever wins is gonna need them!

[Terwilliger]

43. You might have added another choice...

Dean is in the lead because the core of the party is really tired of the party establishment, and he seems to be the outsider.

[retyred]

45. I'd say it's in the water

but ther's more to it than that!


retyred in fla
“good night paul, wherever you are”
So I read this book