Dean's Fifty-State Strategy

[Cheswick2.0]

By John Nichols, The Nation
January 16, 2004

"Despite two month of often brutal battering from his foes in the contest for the Democratic presidential nomination – or perhaps because of it – Howard Dean remains well positioned to finish at or near the front of the pack in the first-in-the-nation Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primary. Strong finishes in those high-profile contests, which Dean identified more than two years ago as critical to what was then an "impossible dream" candidacy, ought to provide tangible evidence that the former Vermont governor's Internet-driven, decentralized and seemingly seat-of-the-pants campaign is, in fact, the real thing.


Even before anyone votes in Iowa and New Hampshire, however, Dean has already won the Jan Schakowsky primary. And that may be even more important to his nomination prospects. Schakowsky, an aggressive progressive who is one of the few grassroots organizers currently serving in Congress, does not live anywhere near Iowa or New Hampshire..."

A long article with lots of interesting views......

A SNIP...."Much has been made of Dean's use of the Internet, but traditional politics may give him the edge. He has worked the phones, sat down for face-to-face meetings and restructured his schedule to win key endorsements. In August, while the other campaigns were virtually encamped in Iowa, New Hampshire and another early-primary state, South Carolina, Dean was jetting across the country on a "Sleepless Summer" tour that took him to delegate-rich states like Wisconsin, Washington, Oregon, Illinois and New York. The combination of the Internet and grassroots politics – you can now type in your ZIP code on the campaign's website and get directions to the nearest Dean house meeting – creates a potent mix that opens the process to Democrats who are usually left on the sidelines. That, in turn, impresses Democratic officials. "From the start, the Dean campaign has been saying every state matters, and I've seen how that energizes the party base in places that aren't usually organized this early in the process," explained Minnesota State Senator Scott Dibble after signing on as one of five Dean co-chairs in that state. "While everyone else is talking about Iowa and New Hampshire, Dean is saying, 'Look, I want to get things started in your state because your state is going to matter in the fight for the nomination and when it comes to beating Bush.'"


http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=17578

[indigo32]

1. This is true

the nomination and eventually the Whitehouse are squarely in the Dean campaigns sight. This is about MORE than this state or that state.

[threemilemind]

2. Well, in the first 2 states of the 50 he's sinking

[brainshrub]

3. A caucus is not a poll.

I don't think Dean is slipping that much, but we will see.

Best of luck to the Kerry campaign tho'.

Welcome to DU.

[janx]

6. Welcome to DU.

The caucuses are very hard to predict. We won't know until Monday night how any of the candidates will fare.

[Cheswick2.0]

7. get back to me tuesday morning

thanks for kicking my thread

[threemilemind]

8. I will, when Dean loses Monday night

[Cheswick2.0]

10. we'll see

thanks for kicking my thread

[quaker bill]

12. How about if he wins?

I recall a couple of Kerry will get Harkin's endorsement threads...

[newyawker99]

18. Hi threemilemind!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[threemilemind]

21. Hey

[Liberal in Ohio]

4. Dean has a stronger presence in Ohio than Kucinich

and he is from here!!

Go Dean!!!!

[janx]

5. Welcome to DU!

:hi:

[newyawker99]

19. Hi Liberal in Ohio!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[Kukla]

9. You know, I'm getting more impressed with Dean after today

I had been very leary of Dean because of his stance on teh war, but after reading some information given to me on another thread, I am convinced now that I was lied to about the war so I'm finding those candidates who did not believe the story given by the Bush administration more interesting.

Thank you for this information. I'm afraid my brain is going to explode after all of the new things I've found out today.

[Melodybe]

11. Thanks for posting this article it is a very interesting read.

Dean is by far the strongest here in MS. We are the only campaign at the University and he is very popular with former republicans.

Glad to pique your interest Kukla, Dean is my candidate, but all of our candidates are great. The squabbling around here can get to me sometimes, but we all have good intentions at heart. We all want our country to be like it used to be. I am voting for Dean b/c I think that he can make it better than it was.

There is a good article with Howard and his wife Judy in People magazine, 17 things you didn't know about Dean is hilarious. The man is a tightwad to the nth power.

[quaker bill]

13. Welcome Kukla

The more you read about what Dean stands for, as opposed to what others report about him, the more impressed you will become.

[cthrumatrix]

14. If people focus on the content of his message --- he has what it takes

to bring down Bush---he's been out front fighting and not afraid to call bush out...he'll call bush a liar based on facts and documents

[threemilemind]

15. That won't play well

He needs to do extremely well amoung women to offset Bush's huge lead with men. Women don't like the kind of campaigns where people are insulting each other. Calling Bush a liar over and over again will not cut it.

[cthrumatrix]

20. last time I looked women don't want people to lie to them

truth will get bush out of office ... we are snowed by the media and somebody who is not afraid to share the truth like he has from day one

[threemilemind]

22. Anger, combativeness, confrontation

None of those will win the women's vote. Trying to take the high moral ground and feeling morally superior to your opponent won't work either.

[Lobo_13]

24. and the pickering appointment

ain't gonna play too well with women either.

[threemilemind]

26. Inside baseball

[Exgeneral]

23. we were lied to about the war?

I hear that a lot. Has anyone made an actual case on this? You know "Here is lie "A", Lie B" etc. Like Joe Liberman I'm more concerned about getting the terrorists , hitting them hard while we know where they are.

I hope the general toughens up HIS stance too.

[jsw_81]

16. Thanks

Great article!

[David Zephyr]

17. Kick!

:thumbsup:

[NewYorkerfromMass]

25. Truth here:

"But it's also true that many who want to beat Bush sincerely doubt that Dean, a hotheaded candidate who is hardly consistent in his positions and who has a penchant for highly controversial statements and actions, is up to the task."

I say Dean had the early bandwagon- a lot have only been on a short while. It will be easy for them to get off of it for a man like Kerry.

[Polemonium]

27. He's energized Democrats Abroad too

The energy from Dean supporters has led Ex-pats to begin to form new country committee's. When Democrats Abroad holds it's caucus in early Feb. the turn out is going to be unmatched and this is due to grassroots energy of Deaniacs throughout the world. Australia will be participating for the first time ever, and there have always been ex-pat dems here but now we're fired up. So not only is it happening throughout the 50 states, but it is happening throughout the world.

[RetroLounge]

28. Kick

:kick: