Joe Trippi is a jerk....(In case you didn't know)

[Debi]

Internet political wiz predicts finance reform


Joe Trippi, Howard Dean's former campaign manager, addresses a crowd at the Fels Institute of Government.

By jason ziven
February 7, 2005

<snip>

Trippi, who resigned from his post prior to the primary, blamed Dean's lack of campaigning experience and the unwillingness of the brightest minds in the party to sign onto the campaign for the Vermont governor's failure to capture the Democratic presidential nomination.

"Dean had really never run for anything before in his life," Trippi explained. "The first contested race of his life was for president, and he was making rookie mistakes."

Secondly, "nobody with a brain would work for us," he said.

Trippi reaffirmed the widespread belief that Dean will serve as chairman of the Democratic National Committee but added that he expects the former governor to leave the DNC before 2008 to run for president a second time.

<snip>


http://www.dailypennsylvanian.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2005/02/07/42070d538db11

[BuyingThyme]

1. How does this information paint Trippi as a "jerk?"

[Debi]

10. well.

to be specific...

Dean had run for Governor w/out Joe Trippi's help...and more than once.

AND, I'm sure that all the people that worked with the Governor at Dean for America (now Democracy for America) think they have brains.

Joe Trippi did not invent Howard Dean - he may have done a good job marketing him (but you do have to have a product to market).

Trippi refused to come to Iowa to help a campaign in trouble in January of 2004 (Unlike Michael Whooley who had no trouble coming to Iowa for three weeks to aid the Kerry campaign).

Is that enough to paint him as a jerk?

[Still_Loves_John]

63. It implies something less than glowingly positive about Dean

Therefore, it makes half of DU apopleptic.

[dsc]

65. It has one proven lie in it

Dean did indeed run a closely contested race in 2000. He won by 3/10 of one percent.

[dsc]

67. It should also be noted

that for a boss which is what Trippi was to say "no one with a brain would work for us" that would qualify as being a jerk.

[Cha]

72. Precisely and he sounds like

he's had sour grapes ever since Dean had to let him go as manager of his campaign.

[Debi]

81. Dean didn't let him go..

He quit.

If he could'nt be top dog in charge of the whole damn thing then he wanted nothing of it...(Of course the National TV job was just waiting for him back home...I'm sure that had nothing to do with it)

[Cha]

107. I know..I just meant..Dean let him go

as "top dog"..he was willing to keep him in another capacity but as has been noted..trippi took his toys and went home.

I should have been more clear on "the letting go" part:)

[TexasSissy]

104. I agree. He's just giving an opinion as to why Dean didn't win the nom.

(Although Gore, a big name in the Dem. Party, as well as the Iowa Senator....whatshisname.....did sign on.) I agree that Dean made some rookie mistakes. Nothing to be ashamed of. He WAS a rookie on the national political scene. He called some of the voters he wanted to win over people who drive pickup trucks with Confederate flags. A mistake. A mistake that a more seasoned politician wouldn't have made.

I hate it when supporters start viewing their candidates as not being capable of making mistakes. Now, who does THAT remind you of?

[autorank]

2. "Nobody with a brain would work for us"...does he mean Dem consultants

The same DEM consultants who lose every election they touch, who charge fees the Republican's don't have to pay, who are so chicken-shit that they do Republican-lite makeovers. This guy is a loser.

I hereby nominate Joe Trippi for the Pat Cadell Loser Award!

Anyone willing to second the nomination.

[sendero]

18. Seconded...

.... the last bottle of bad wine I had contained fewer sour grapes.

[DemDogs]

22. "nobody with a brain would work for us,"

Is he referring to himself?

[John_H]

56. Someone ought to go take a picture of trippi's horse farm so

all the poor college kids preparing to send 25 bucks to the DNC now that Dean is in can see where their consultant-hiring money is going.

[Debi]

80. Why?

Trippi is out and McMahon is in.

The firm Trippi was with during the campaing dumped Trippi and Dean stayed with them.

Then Trippi went on a National tour to bash Dean.

And Dean went on to run DFA...not make millions as a talking head for MSNBC.

[John_H]

87. Different consultants same "horse farms"

The point is that Democrats are hostage to consultants who sap a huge share of donations.

But the rethugs do the same thing, right? Sure, but not nearly as pervasively and usually keep someone really, really good out of the private sector. They spend their money hiring experienced professionals as staff. Dems have a consultant for everything, getting half the results at twice the pay, while staffing their press and political operations with clever theirteen-year-olds.

[Debi]

92. Actually the Administration has stopped paying

consultants

and just started paying columnists!

;)

[moggie12]

61. thirded

That the inbred, clubby bunch of Dem political consultants "wouldn't work" for Dean is yet one more reason to like Dean.

[autorank]

77. Oh, all this anti consultant response. It's great. Interesting that

Trippi puts himself in with a guy for whom only losers would work. haha. Screw Trippi and all of them. We've been losing under their "advice"...time for a new approach and new talent.

Lets get the Montana Dems in for a confab or the Colorado Dems or the people who turned NH.

[cestpaspossible]

3. Trippi never lets the facts get in the way of his bloviating.

"Dean had really never run for anything before in his life," Trippi explained. "The first contested race of his life was for president"


Too bad for you, Joe, that isn't true.

[RandomKoolzip]

4. That's what jumped out at me, too:

Wasn't he ELECTED governor?

[Ninga]

6. The INTERNET has been Trippi's claim to fame.

But those of us out here in DU land, will not forget the "great minds" such as Bob Schrum who are the DLC's brain trust and pretend to care about progressive values.

These are the people who wouldn't sign on to the Dean campaign??? What kind of a loss was that??

Trippi has sealed his own fate by burning bridges....

[jpgray]

8. In Vermont.

Most large cities are bigger than VT, and I don't believe any of those gubernatorial races were too closely contested.

[cestpaspossible]

13. So if Trippi had said something different, he would have been truthful.

If he said Dean had never been in such a tough race before, his statement would have been consistent with the facts.

But what Trippi actually did say is not consistent with the facts.


Which is not a new development.

[RandomKoolzip]

16. Doesn't mean he wasn't contested at all, though.

Vermont isn't some leftist paradise. Both Vermont and New Hampshire have their fair share of freeper-types and rural "values" voters.

The fact is that Trippi misspoke.

[jpgray]

30. Trippi sucks at articulating his ideas

He often lapses into weird hyperbole and mischaracterizations--but the thrust of his statement is accurate: Dean did not have much experience in major contested races. The only time he had a serious challenge was in 2000, and he still won 50 to 39, if I remember. And compared to a large state-wide election and especially a national race, VT is a fishbowl.

[cestpaspossible]

45. Yeah, he can't be bothered to stick to the truth.

Poetic license should be reserved for poets.

[scribble]

86. We need both Trippi and Dean

I have heard that Dean and Trippi had a very personal falling-out. This is probably the basis for Trippi's remarks over the last six weeks.

Dean is going to be good for the Democratic Party, but he has limitations as well. He is no political savior and we should keep that in mind. He has a temper, he is willful, he can be officious and impatient, he carries grudges, and he doesn't understand the internet as well as most of us think he does. He is also smart enough to have a sense for his own failings and often can surprise us by partially overcoming them right when it is most important. Let's hope he continues to surprise us.

Trippi is a good techie -- but he's more than that. He is one of the few "techies" I have met who actually can see what a piece of technology can mean to Society. He is what I call a "design guy," and that is very rare in Technical Professions. Trippi always runs a little disorganized and I can see how that might have gotten under Dean's skin.

We need both these guys. For the Party's sake, I hope Trippi's hunches about Dean are wrong -- but they are still worthy of consideration.

sc

[ultraist]

88. Why is Trippi publicly trashing our DNC Chair?

That is damaging to our party. It looks to me that Trippi is engaging in Inside the Beltline Old School Washington politicking.

He needs to shut the fuck up and start trashing the Repukes.

[Debi]

93. The falling out

was from Trippi not willing to be anything but #1 in the campaign.

Dean wanted Trippi to stay and continue to work with the tech part of the campaign.

But Trippi took his ball and went home........If he couldn't be top dog then he wasn't willing to play at all.

and now he's stabbing Dean in the back. (and the Dem. Party when he bashes them on MSNBC)

[Debi]

23. Oh, so since the Governor didn't run a BIG race in a BIG city

then the Presidential election is his first race.

So, I guess the balanced budget in Vermont and the Civil Unions law in Vermont are also no big deal because they were in a small state.


Tell me....where did Bill Clinton live before he ran for President?

[jpgray]

31. Not his first race, but his first large-scale, hotly contested race (nt)

[Debi]

43. So, how large of a race do you have to run before running for President

is not the 'first big race'?

Does this rule out all the people who've run for state office in states smaller than CA/FLA/NY/TX?

If a person runs for office they've run for office. Don't discredit the work the Governor has done in the past just because he's from a smaller state.

[saracat]

35. There really isn't a comparison between the two.

politics in Arkansas is a lot more combative than Vermont and Clinton had held other elective office. He was also Attorney General and had been elected Governor twelve times!( I think?)

[NYCGirl]

36. There sure is. I can't say anything about how "combative" the

politics in each place are, but Howard Dean also was elected Lieutenant Governor, and Bill Clinton served five terms as governor, the same number as Howard Dean.

Dean also served in the Vermont House of Representatives.

[saracat]

40. I had forgotten the House of Rep. ! Thanks!

I still think Clinton was the more established campaigner. I think He also had an aborted Presidential run and a Congressional run? And a failed DNc Convention Speech! His whole life had actually been spent training for politics and Dean 's had not but anyway, I liked thm both. I am nor crazy about Clinton anymore since he has been busy kissing Bush's tush.

[dsc]

60. Clinton did not run in 88

and Dean ran Carter's campaign in Vermont.

[saracat]

46. And Clinton also ran Carter's sucessful Presidential Campaign in Arknsas,

as well as McGovern's failed bid. He was a lot more savvy than Dean.

[NYCGirl]

48. Is this turning into a pissing contest? NT

[saracat]

54. Not at all. I just was facinated by all I had forgotten about Clinton!

And I am not trashing anyone. I like Dean, but Clinton was a more polished campaigner. Big Deal.It says a lot for Dean that did did what he did without a lifetime of preparation.

[Debi]

44. I think we're being awfully picky

about whether a person has run for office.

If they've put together a campaign committee
made phone calls
knocked on doors
given speeches
gone to coffees
(eaten rubber chicken at fundraisers)

THEY'VE RUN FOR OFFICE

[dsc]

58. He won his last race by 3 tenths of one percent

He needed 50 percent and got 50.3 percent.

[Eloriel]

66. His last race was a humdinger

He signed the Civil Unions bill when he was 35% in the polls, just several months out from the election. And STILL pulled it off.

When he was in Atlanta a couple of weeks ago, he happened to mention that what he did during that campaign was to go to all those places where he knew people were upset with him. He went to meet with them, let them yell and cuss him out, and get it all out of their system, and THEN, he said, they'd get around to those issues that are really bothering them, the same issues that are concerns to all of us: jobs, healthcare, yadayada.

It had to have been a really powerful and effective learning experence for Dean (who had to wear bullet-proof vests during this time period).

[Cha]

74. He sounds freakin'

FEARLESS!

[SheilaT]

5. I sat next to Trippi

at a barbecue thing at a progressive get-together back last summer. What was interesting was the way he ignored anything I said and generally treated me as if I were invisible, because I'm (in his world) a complete nobody.

Not that I let things like that slow me down in any way.

[Debi]

25. That was exactly how he acted at Iowa's JJ dinner

He stood at the end of a hall and ignored people until they came to him. Like he was too important to be there and hated every minute of it.

[otohara]

64. I Sat Next to Dean

at a luncheon w/ about 30 people and he was so friendly, so talkative and treated me like a somebody.

It's just sad to see Trippi go down like this.

[LittleClarkie]

100. I wonder from that behavior if this is his way of trying to stay relevant

Still trying to grab bits of spotlight?

Or does he still have other irons in the fire, job wise? Who does he work for at the moment?

[jpgray]

7. No, I think here he's right on the money

For example, Dean's Iowa speech was a huge rookie mistake. He gave the media something to justify their nonsensical "angry liberal" script with. I've heard all the excuses--the crowd noise was filtered, people were excited, he was cheering up his supporters, etc--but none of that takes away from the fact that it was simply a bad decision. Your first major televised speech should not include you yelling like a pro wrestler.

Now I have to qualify this to hopefully forestall the inevitable knee-jerk responses, and that is a hassle I hate dealing with. Here goes anyway:

Yes, Kerry did a pretty crap job avoiding similar media pitfalls. Yes, Dean was a good candidate and is a fine Democrat. And yes, it is possible to support a politician while at the same time recognizing his/her mistakes.

[NYCGirl]

9. Interesting you say that about the "scream", since

it was Trippi who advised him to make that speech.

[jpgray]

17. Evidence?

Trippi has always defended Dean on this point, but I haven't read anything that says Trippi orchestrated or planned the delivery. The speech itself in isolation was fine. The delivery was the mistake.

[JaneQPublic]

19. I read that, too.

... that Trippi hd advised Dean to go out on stage after losing Iowa and fire up the foot soldiers.

Can't remember where I read it... It was months and months ago.

[NYCGirl]

20. Link:

http://archive.salon.com/news/feature/2004/02/02/dean_interview/index1.html

Did Trippi tell you to basically let it rip before you walked out onto the stage in Iowa for the so-called I Have a Scream speech?

Sure, but I'm not going to blame Joe Trippi. One thing about this campaign stuff and Joe Trippi and all that: I do not blame him for one thing that went wrong in the campaign. The reason is, actually what drove Joe crazy, is I want to know everything, and I want everything explained to me, and I sign off on all the final decisions. I have not one piece of ill will about spending too much money. I OK'd every major strategic decision and you can put the blame at my feet for anything going wrong.

[jpgray]

29. Thanks

Bad decision by both Trippi and Dean in that case.

[jswordy]

33. Note though that Dean takes full responsibility, regardless...

...of whether Trippi pushed him to do it or not. That is the hallmark of a true leader.

Contrast that, please, with Joe The Asshole going around trashing Dean almost virtually from the MOMENT he quit the campaign (oh yes, he DID quit; he was offered a high-level position to stay on and declined it, took his wife and left, though Dean really did want him to stay and tried to convince him to do so).

I mean, I heard Trippi literally SOBBING AND WAILING into a car phone on cable TV news as he drove home from Dean campaign headquarters after he quit. Geez. HOW UTTERLY UNPROFESSIONAL.

But the fact remains, the boy took his ball -- and his wife, who worked with the campaign -- and went home.

Good riddance!

Joe Trippi stumbled upon a powerful way to funnel money into a campaign through the Internet. That's it. He was a one-trick pony.

Now, about this whole thing with Trippi advising Dean to do the Scream speech. It was in the newspapers, all over the place, back then. Anyone who was following the Dean campaign had no trouble getting that info, and if you talk to Dean followers, they pretty much all know about it.

It is only the people who never followed the campaign who now try to tell we who did that it never happened. That's revisionist.

[MADem]

97. EXCELLENT POINT

It is a trinity, accountability, responsibility and authority.

And it IS the hallmark of a true leader.

I heard that phone call live. Trippi has some medical condition (diabetes, thyroid???). At the time I put it down to that.

But the point about Trippi that I want to make is just this: he has three choices--he can either lead, follow, or just get the hell out of the way. Pooping in the punch is just not helpful. It's a sure way to paint yourself as a whining, obstructionist crank.

[JetCityLiberal]

68. Even though you cannot see it NYCGirl

I am giving you a standing ovation right now for this post. Thank you for posting that link.

I have some mixed feelings about Howard Dean being chair, I really wanted him to run in '08. Dems win either way.

Again, this post made my day. Excellent.

Thanks,
JetCityLiberal

[NYCGirl]

79. You're very welcome. Glad the link made you happy.

To see that Dr. Dean is willing to fully shoulder the responsibility makes me also realize that he has broad shoulders indeed.

[KittyWampus]

27. Interesting That Most Dean Supporters Will Never Admit His SPEECH

even absent that scream was beyond the pale... absolutely out of place, outlandish and totally unacceptable.

You do NOT give a rally speech to your supporters in lieu of a Concession Speech when you are in a Primary Campaign running for a National Office... and many, many Americans will be seeing you for the first time.

This isn't so hard to grasp.

Why so many Dean supporters refuse to just admit his speech SHOULD have been addressing the National Audience in a dignified, upbeat way is beyond me.

Blame his campaign staffers for not having a basic speech prewritten.
Dean was clearly exhausted.

[jswordy]

34. What universe do you live in?

Dean HIMSELF admits it in his book, "You Have the Power." Just about every single Dean supporter, back then and now, that I talk to knew and knows that speech was totally inapproporiate to his political future.

And that is all said minus any nod to the sound-dampening mic and Faux News' boosting of the clip to 700 plays in a week.

You know, if you are going to hurl charges, you ought to at least be well-read so they are not based purely on conjecture and your own emotions.

[Debi]

37. At least he didn't go windsurfing...or call a Secret Service agent

a son of a bitch.

His wife didn't tell a reporter to 'shove it'

He didn't vote for something before he voted against it.

Maybe you didn't like the speech or how it was delivered, maybe you don't believe the media hunted down and killed the Dean campaign. But that speech should not be ALL that Howard Dean is.

And (again) Joe Trippi is as responsible for that speech as Dean is.

Dean just shows he has more class by trying to move on.

[Voltaire]

69. Bullshit

Absolute, unadulterated bullshit. He didn't owe anyone a nice speech. He did what he set out to do in that room. I was six feet away from him when he did. If the rest of the world wants to twist it into a federal fucking case then screw them. I am so tired of hearing about how terrible he was for making that speech in the manner he did and how naive Dean supporters are supposed to be for supporting him. Enough already. It was a rally the troops speech for some damned tired troops. THE SPEECH WASN'T FOR YOU!!!!

The rest of the country and the news media need to grow up about the damned speech.

[Cha]

75. Thanks for this Voltaire..it's really

good to hear from someone who was actually there.

I'm tired of hearing of the whining,too, from people who weren't even there.

And it was definetly.."a fucking federal case"! :D

[Debi]

82. Voltaire - you rock

I was in a top floor party room with the other Black Hawk County Dean Supporters - some of us eeked out a delegate or two for the county convention - some got aced. Some even refused to continue participation if they couldn't be Dean delegates.

We were all pretty down and out.

And then we watched the speech.

DAMN....only if we could be in Des Moines to be with THE MAN.

That was OUR speech!!!

:yourock:

[Voltaire]

85. It was a great night

I was with a bunch of friends from Indianapolis that last weekend before the Caucuses. When it was over and we were going back, one of them said "You know, when I came to the ValAir I wanted to cry and when I came out I wanted to go back out and kick some ass."

That kind of fire would have gotten Kerry over the hump too, had he been smart enough to take advantage of it.

Guess what folks....this party has got to fundamentally change or this country ain't going to be worth living in. We're almost there now. For good or ill, the circumstances have seen fit to put Howard Dean at the wheel. Instead of whining about overblown and overplayed scream speeches, how about doing what you can to help the guy. He's trying to do his best for EVERYONE. Even the Bush voters who can't seem to differentiate between their asses and their elbows.

There are choices. You can pitch in and help or you can keep carping about how much you hate Dean, which will sooner than later wind you up in the Pit with the rest of us. If he doesn't get the job done then there will be plenty of time for fresh new hollering and recriminations....till then. ..

Let's go kick Bush's ass.

[OneTwentyoNine]

96. Hell,look at our country since Bush took over.Someone NEEDS to SCREAM..

Who is shocked about just how FUCKING blown out of proportion that speech and that *gasp* scream was by the media? Dean was on a big time roll and they had to take him down somehow,someway.

I'd take 100 oh his "scream" speeches over one of Bush and that putup/bullshit speech on that aircraft carrier.

[madfloridian]

11. Trippi is accusing Dean of something. Did you read it?

Oh, and BTW just what did we stand for during the campaign? Huh? Being careful, keeping our mouths shut on things that mattered?

Did you read it. Trippi is accusing him of using the chair for his own benefit.

[jpgray]

15. Accusing him of what?

Planning to run for president in '08? That wouldn't surprise me.

[Capn Sunshine]

24. If you knew how much Howard Dean HATES running for president

you'd rethink the "planning" part. We all WANT him to run, but believe me, if an acceptable populist Dem with the right message is in the mix, Howard Dean won't run--- he will bust his ass for him. Look what he did for Kerry.

[jpgray]

28. Yes--Dean isn't a Biden-type, totally in this for himself

But it wouldn't surprise me if he ran again. Liking something and feeling you should do it are often two different things.

[Cha]

76. Your analysis of this little scenario

sounds dead on to me.

Wasn't Trippi in charge of all those awful ads that Dean was in when running in the primaries?

[Debi]

26. I think Trippi is

A) trying to take the wind out of Dean's sails - getting us not to trust him as Chair since he's just going to leave in 2006 to run for President in 2008;

and

B) trying to get his name in the news cuz, if you've looked around, it ain't been there much!!

[NewYorkerfromMass]

38. Dean said DNC chair ruled out a presidential run

where'd you see that alternate game plan?

[Debi]

42. check the article

Trippi says the Governor is going to run in 2008 - no reason given - I guess he's psychic on top of being the greatest man on earth

[Orangepeel]

78. Dean's campaign was pretty much over by the Iowa "scream"

That's what Dean has said and I think he was right. He was giving that speech after coming in third in a race that he put everything into and had been expected to win a week before.

That doesn't mean Dean didn't make rookie mistakes, but that's not a very good example.

[Logansquare]

83. No it was a rookie consultant misake

Trippi told Dean, before the speech, "Freedom's just another word for nothing left to lose," and didn't get his ass up there to check the equipment and make sure the right mic was in use for crowd noise. Trippi's crybabying is all about his next job. He's campaigning right now to convince other pols that "it wasn't his fault," don't you see.

[Sean Reynolds]

90. But even established politicians have their mistakes!

It's not just a rookie mistake. It's happened to every established politician. The mistake is if the media decides to run with the story.

In this case they did.

In 1992 the established George Bush GLANCED at a watch during a televised debate. THAT was a mistake. Rookie? Hell no! He had served as head of the CIA, Vice President and even President for one term.

Hardly anything rookie about it.

In 2000 Gore was caught sighing and looking awkward throughout the debates. Was he a rookie? No. He was a senator and Vice President.

In 2004 Bush had his 'mistakes', it's just the media really never pounded them home (like the lies about how he never said bin Laden wasn't a priority, or the facial expressions that made him look like someone was pulling his teeth).

The fact is, EVERY candidate, whether they're new to national politics or not, will have a mistake here and there. Dean ran a pretty impressive campaign for 90% of the primaries. It was that final 10% that killed him. That 10% was perpetrated by the belief Dean was unelectable.

Do some research and you'll see that if the New Hampshire primary was held a week later Dean probably would have had a better shot. When Kerry won the Iowa Caucus, polls in Hew Hampshire rocketed in his favor. However after a small down time, Dean began climbing up once again . It was just too late.

I'm sorry, but I wouldn't call Dean's scream speech a "rookie mistake".

[Debi]

94. Bush...mic problems?

you mean Adam Nagourney isn't a 'Major League Asshole' after all? :evilgrin:

[Sean Reynolds]

101. I forgot about that one!

[Debi]

108. Proof that even those being protected by the press

can make mistakes!

[DFLforever]

12. I guess 5 runs for governor, the last one in a bullet-proof vest

don't count in Trippi's world.

edit: I like Joe but I have to say Dean's done a lot better without Trippi than he did with him.

[Debi]

21. Funny you should say that

as Trippi's old partners are now working for Howard Dean....and Dean won with their help...how did the guy Trippi backed for DNC Chair do?

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

14. Political operatives, land developers, child molestors, drug dealers,

used car salesmen, CEO's, etc, all of a type. Usually found at the bottom of pools of stagnant water.

[jswordy]

32. He's a bitter, washed up political hack...

...who delights in using whatever small stage he can to bash Dean publicly -- a practice, I might add, that is never done by folks in behind the scenes politics who wish to have, or think they have, a future.

Trippi can't see past his big nose:

1.) He won't acknowledge it was he who allowed Dean's camp to be taken over by the far left, purely because they were willing to donate the money on the Net. Money, I might add, that was fueling commissions going into Trippi's pocket.

2.) He won't even acknowledge it was he who told Dean to go out and "rally the troops" post-Iowa, resulting in The Scream rather than a moderate concession speech Dean had previously planned.

3.) And he will NEVER acknowledge his worst sins: that at base level, it was his own insistence that he run the whole campaign show hands-on, and his amateurish and paranoid adamancy that every detail be run through him first, that suffocated the campaign's message and led to the subsequent co-option and redefinition of that message by the opposition candidates.

Joe Trippi is finished politically. All he can do now is carp at those who are still in the arena. I wish people would see that, and remove even the small soapbox they provide for him. But I take great comfort in knowing he will fade out into oblivion soon.

[cestpaspossible]

47. Amazing that he still has defenders.

[car54whereareyou]

71. Trippi will join the ranks of the Susan Estriches etal

as"Democratic pundits" on tv. You would have thought that all the money he ripped off from Dean's campaign would have lasted longer.

[Logansquare]

84. Hell hath no fury like a democratic consultant scorned n/t

[Generator]

39. Free speech yadda yadda yadda

but my main reaction to this is, Why can't Trippi shut the fuck up? Why can't he keep it to himself?

This is a war. Dean gets that. We know thy enemy. And the future of Joe Trippi isn't on the radar of the problems in this world. Either help the cause or get out of the way. He's not about making the Dem party better, he's concerned with his ego and being the big insider hack on campus.

Oh I know why he can't keep it to himself,because he thinks it's all about HIM. Really there are more important things in the world. When we get some united front that realizes that maybe we will win again.

[EFerrari]

41. Joe Trippi seems to have trouble relating to other people

He seems to have massive trouble attending to others and also in speaking clearly.

Why anyone would hire him to run a campaign is something I just don't understand.

And, I'm not saying this out of any kind of malice. My own partner has very similar troubles and needs 24/7 handling. And he's been percieved as a "jerk" too, by people who don't know him. He often blurts out remarks that are innapropriate to the situation, and doesn't really grasp little interactions like proxemics or other social gestures very well, as many somewhat autistic people do.

He would sit next to you at a barbeque and never talk to you because the place where those gestures come from is simply blank in his brain. And if you got upset with him about it, he'd be really surprised : )

Trippi reminds me a lot of my hubby. Smart in the head, 'way not smart with people.

[w13rd0]

102. but I'm not married!

i'm confused

[w4rma]

49. Trippi has officially jumped the shark. (nt)

[Debi]

50. Yes, he has Joementum!!!

;)

[Edgewater_Joe]

51. Anyone Ever Ask What Trippi Did With Dean's $45M?

Man, that money sure burned away fast - and he was in control of the media buys for Dean. It was never explained.

Things that make ya go "HMMMM...."

[Debi]

52. True...

How much was spent on ad buys and what % did Trippi's firm get off those buys?

Especially the national buys that Trippi made (b/c Dean was running a national campaign - not just IA/NH/SC under Trippi's advice).

[shance]

53. Tell us Joe, what have you ever run for and/or achieved on your own?

without needing a candidate to prop you up, especially a candidate like Governor Dean.

Tell us Joe, where would you be today, who would be listening to you today, if you had not worked for Howard Dean?

It's a shame that people who are afraid to take the necessary risks to be real leaders, have the audacity to be angry, bitter and resentful towards those who DO have what it takes to be a leader.

Instead of trying to learn from those that could actually teach them valuable lessons and give them invaluable experience, they try and sabatoge the good that's being done. However,their agenda is pretty transparent to those who look.

[Debi]

55. Maybe he and Dick Morris should set up shop together

n/t

[dsc]

57. I seem to remember a very tough race in 2000

He won it by 0.3 percent.

[dvaravati]

59. I hope Dean gets revenge

TRippi blew it not Howard.

[NYCGirl]

62. He ain't a revenge type of guy. The best thing to do is just ignore Trippi

NT

[zulchzulu]

70. Trippi is from Philly. Like the Eagles, he knew how to blow it...bad...

The most obnoxious thing about Trippi is that he thinks the Internet was created in 2004...wow...blogs....you mean Perl scripts I was doing in fucking 1995?

Asshole.

[SCRUBDASHRUB]

73. Trippi's been hanging out at MSGOP too long.

[Voltaire]

89. No gratuitous Eagles cracks here please.

Not nice.

[BlueManDude]

91. Trippi is headed down the same road as Pat Caddell.

[Debi]

95. This is embarrassing

but who is Pat Caddell?

(Will this be considered a rooking mistake? I've never run for political office, so I guess I am a rookie) :)

[BlueManDude]

98. Caddell was an advisor to President Carter

In the last 20 years he's seemed to be working as sort of a corporate PR advisor/guru out in Cali. He appears fairly frequently on Hardball or on Fox to talk politics. He's always introduced as a "Democratic Strategist" but as far as I can tell he doesn't actually advise any Democrats and he spends his on air time doing nothing but trashing Democrats and praising AWOL. Think of him as the Zell Miller of "Democratic Strategists".

One of the things you will notice about Democratic campaign people is that after a while it becomes more about them (Caddell, Carville, Brazile, Trippi) then the cause, while with the GOP it's all about advancing the RW agenda - always.

[mdmc]

99. apt reflection of DFA, imo

[Debi]

103. What do you mean?

[mdmc]

110. I'm sorry... After the DLC Dems joined the Dean campaign

it went to shit...
It seemed like the good doctor was in over his head.

I think that Dean will make a great chair.

[madfloridian]

105. You should clarify that. It sounds insulting.

You should clarify that.

[mdmc]

109. I didn't mean it to be insulting

Dean seemed in too deep... When the scream hit, I sensed that he was almost relieved that he might not end up in the white house. Then it took several days just for the campaign to react to the press coverage.

When I saw Dean speak at the NYS Regional Caucus, his front men attempted to get all the Dean supporters to stand and shout when Dean made a "Dean lite" reference to Kerry (kinda like Bush lite). I thought to myself, "Dean is Kucinich lite, and all electable DLC dems are sort of Bush lite... Poor choice of words..."

I felt that Dean wasn't ready (maybe was just running for veep). I think that he will kick ass as DNC Chair.

[NYCGirl]

111. So you're not talking about "Democracy for America", which is

very successful, but "Dean for America," which is no more?

[mdmc]

112. yeah, I ws talking about the campaign!

sorry for the misunderstanding...

[madfloridian]

106. Dean's recent statement about Joe Trippi....very gracious.

Also note his request to see the documents proving what she is saying. Good idea.

http://www.blogforamerica.com/archives/005792.html

Woodruff: It's been reported that some conservative Democrats have let it be known that they're ready to leave the Party if you're elected Chair. Have you heard this?

Dean: No, I haven't heard that. That sounds like Washington gossip to me. But I'd be happy to take a look at those reports if you'd let me see them.

Woodruff: Well let me quote somebody you do know well and that is your former campaign manager Joe Trippi. As I'm sure you know, he's weighed in for someone else, Simon Rosenberg of the New Democratic Network.

But Joe Trippi says of you, Howard Dean, he says: "We are muting one of the most progressive voices in the party, when (what) we ought to be doing is taking somebody who knows how to make the apparatus work, which Howard was not really that interested in?"

Dean: Well, you know, I'm not going to go after Joe Trippi. I've been very good about that. Our campaign didn't work. There were plenty of reasons why it didn't work, and to get into all that stuff doesn't make any sense.

This is not about Joe Trippi. The election is about the future of Democrats and the future of democracy. I know how to make grassroots work. I've brought hundreds of thousands of people into this party, many of whom were not Democrats. We need those people in order to win....."END SNIP