PR wise Dean is a dead man walking

[Melodybe]

His people can't be reached, and they don't listen to ideas. Want to know why the young folks didn't come out for Dean in Iowa, he didn't spend the time to talk to the news people they respect most, The Daily Show. Dean walked right freaking past Colbert at his rally. He completely ignored someone that actually gives news to about 12 million people a night!

There is no excuse for ignoring 35 million TV watching voters. They are not like us, they are not informed and they know squat about Dean. They are not even paying attention to the race yet, except for the fact that Kerry just kicked our asses in Iowa and Dean looked like a raving luney on TV this morning.

This is Mr. Trippi's fault. Quit calling the man a genius he is a second rate ameteur! If he had the balls to actually inform Dean on his public image instead of doing nothing but talking about how great the "movement" is we would not be hurting so bad now. Dean himself has said that if they had cable TV then he would only watch CNN, where did Dean spend all of his high profile time? On the network news channels giving them nothing but ammunition to use against him. If Trippi had a pair big enough to say, "look you need to go on Dateline, Letterman and the Daily Show so we can actually reach mainstream america, it would be a good thing." Trippi is surrounding Dean with nothing but worshippers and it is killing us.

WE have to wake up too Dean people! We can not just expect Americans to come home from a hard day down at the factory and get on the computer to research someone they kind of agree with, but the TV telling them is a mad man. It is not going to happen!!!

To my fellow Dean supporters I suggest that we e-mail the campaign and get a Hollywood agent like Mike Ovitz to handle our PR work. Trippi ain't cutting it, we have to change now or fade into obsurity.

[Jack_Dawson]

1. Dean had a bad night

But it doesn't mean it's "over". But damn he is taking some on the radio today. Everyone keeps rolling his crazy man routine over and over and over.

[NashVegas]

2. Regarding the Daily Show

I don't quite understand why he hasn't made a real appearance on there yet. Seems like ALL the other Dem candidates have, and Jon has indicated he's a Howard fan. What's Trippi been waiting for?

[Melodybe]

5. Exactly!!! We are the only candidate not to show on the Daily Show

after Jon and them have done nothing but Dean a free pass for months, this is garbage. People wake up, this is too important for us to do nothing but sit around and talk about how great Dean is. We have to play by their rules some or we don't play at all. God how many more posts like this to I have to type to people.

Here is our problem: We are treating Dean like he is Queen Elizabeth, not like he an elected official. We have to have the joe bob down at the BP stationsvotes too.

I wanted to scream when I saw the rally with Judy, half of the people their were from out of state! Hardly any Iowans were there, but we still had the a big crowd, I guess that is all that matters.

We have to quit sitting around and kissing Dean's ass and start demanding that they actually try to reach out to all Americans. being on CNN and our little meetups is not going to cut it in todays fast food cheeseburger culture, end of story.

[beaconess]

7. Why didn't Dean have CMB announce on the Daily Show she was dropping out

and endorsing Dean? That would have been HUGE news and really reached an audience that probably would have been ripe for Dean?

Instead, she went on the show and played coy, only to announce her withdrawal an hour or so after the show aired.

That was really a missed opportunity.

[xultar]

3. IA is not the end all be all. Only 4 Democratic nominees that have

gone on to win the GE did so by winning IA.

Actually I think this works in Deans favor. Everyone knows that the winner of IA is a longshot. History says so.

Dean works much better when he is the underdog. This is a great time for him. This is a great time for his campaign cuz this will give focus to the goings on.

Just watch. The best is yet to come for all of the campaigns.

[DancingBear]

4. Spot on

There is a reason Trippi has never won a major election. How ANYONE could have not known how that speech would have been seen by first time "window shoppers" across America is beyond me.

I would venture to say that his political acumen, if he OK'ed that, is myopic, to be kind. Dean is now being made fun of, and that is almost impossible to come back from. Whatever tone he uses from here on will reek of perceived insincerity. Can you imagine opponents (both Dem and Repug) showing a commercial of nothing more than that speech, followed by a calm 15 second soundbite from their candidate?

I do not know where he goes from here, but he is indeed a walking PR nightmare.

[Benhurst]

8. I agree. He has created the "Willie Horton" ad for the Repubs,

and taken for himself the staring "Willie Horton" role.

He was one of my favorites until last night. I would still vote for him over Bush. But I was shocked and disappointed by his performance last night, and I fear now he may be damaged goods. If he gets the nomination, the clip of last night's speech will make more rounds than Willie in the revolving door.

[piece sine]

13. someone at work...

just showed me the Wall Street Journal's daily blog...all about Dean's performance with video and audio links. This is serious, folks! Even if someone didn't see Dean's speech last night, they surely all about it by now. Like Ed Muskie crying in the snow, some political images take on a life of their own. I hope it's not too late for Dean, but it may be. Everything is riding on New Hampshire next tuesday. Oh, and the Journal links directly to a DU thread with unfriendly comments about Dean. I stress enough that DUers should take care in what they write because our site is visited by thoursands of lurkers a day, who love to quote our most contraversial remarks. Please take care. No really, PLEASE take care!

[beaconess]

14. You're right. Disagreement, dismay, even contempt can be seen

as a compliment. But ridicule is deadly.

[CMT]

6. it was a bad past two weeks for the campaign, but

I think if Dean gets back on message and touts his record he will survive and win NH.

[MsUnderstood]

9. Can Dean win against a sound bite nation?

I've go to agree that Dean ain't looking so good. I didn't see his speech last night, didn't hear it this morning, but I have heard ABOUT it all day long.

And I saw Dean in debate a while ago. The topic was "Ask one question of your colleagues a question." And he said "I want to ask Mr. X from the audience something. . ." The facilitator had to redirect Dean and then Dean didn't have a question for his opponents. He looked silly and he sounded silly.

I didn't watch the whole debate. I, like many Americans, flip channels during commericals. The commerical on my 1st choice show over, I flipped away from the debate, but Dean's actions stuck in my head. How many others saw this side of Dean and thought "What a maroon?" How many others let the media pull them by the nose to the voting booth to select a candidate based on visuals not ideas?

I also saw Kerry on the debate. He moved away from his podium to speak on an issue. He saw the spotlight didnt follow him and said "I was told we could move around." He handled the awkward sitauation better, IMHO, because he pointed out the flaw in the debate while Dean looked like he didn't understand the rules of the debate.

These candidates have to realize that they are in the spotlight 24/7 but only 2-3 minutes will be seen by the sound bite nation so each candidate must be at the top of his game every second he is in public. Like a pack of wolves, the media will pick apart anyone who looks week and the vultures (comedic radio shows, right wing talk hosts, etc) will dive in for the spoils.

[Westegg]

10. You make some good points, BUT...

...Mike Ovitz is no longer the powerhouse Hollywood agent you seem to think he is. And in large part, his steady decline in recent years can be traced back to an angry, almost pyschotic letter he sent to a screenwriter /client he was feuding with. Said letter got faxed all over Hollywood (this was pre-email), and did Ovitz great harm. Because he came across as so maniacal.

Same situation for Dean today.

[Melodybe]

16. You're spot on about Ovitz, I just meant recruiting a real power broker

I was going for name recognition and for some reason Ovitz is what I typed. Maybe that SNL skit with the Baldwins and Kim Bashinger at the Family fued was somewhere in my head.

However the point was Dean needs to get a real name in the Biz to help him now. Riener is a has been and Sheen is "too politically active" to gel with most Hollywood.

[rumguy]

11. Exactly - for a campaign that is supposed to be all "hip" and "cool"

they really blew it with the Daily Show...

And really, his campaign never had a sense of humor - ya gotta have a sense of humor!

[West Coast Democrat]

12. Too soon to tell

but the tone of his speech last night didn't help after his loss.

[Snivi Yllom]

15. Dead man my ass!

You will be eating those words come NH.

I just sent $100 to Dean to help him out AFTER Iowa and all this anti-Dean BS!

[Melodybe]

17. But do you get to vote in NH?

We can still turn this around, we have the money to do it, but if they don't change their PR problems we are sitting ducks.

I am not anti-Dean I have been on the phone all morning trying to convince the kool aid drinkers that this is why we are not getting across to the average American. If you think that we can win NH by staying on the track we are on now you are deluding yourself. Iowa was a giant wake up call for me and Dean is not bringing in those new votes he promised. Why b/c he is not going on TV shows that they watch. Going to Rallies telling his supporters how great we are is nice, but he is only talking to about 1000 people at best, who are already going to vote for him. Our campaign thought that it was too good to give 35 million people the time of day and that my friend and fellow Dean supporter is why we got our butts kicked in Iowa.

Dean is not god, he is a good man trying to change the country but Americans like their politicians in pretty wrapping and right not we look like last years gift.