How the media is treating the Dean story

[quaoar]

Boston Globe
WASHINGTON - Howard Dean assumed the chairmanship of the Democratic National Committee Saturday with plans to fight the Republican Party on its own turf, saying he intended to spend most of his time culling voters in Republican-dominated red states as well as reaching out to evangelicals.

The Dallas Morning News
WASHINGTON — Meet the new Howard Dean — the mellow Howard Dean.
“I’m humbled, and I’m ready to go to work,” the normally outspoken ex-presidential candidate said Saturday in claiming the chairmanship of the Democratic Party.
The former physician and Vermont governor used a 20-minute acceptance speech to ease internal worries about his ability to lead a party still trying to recover from November’s election losses.

The Baltimore Sun
WASHINGTON -- A restrained Howard Dean took over as Democratic national chairman Saturday with a pledge to change his party and make it competitive again on the national level.
The one-time presidential contender focused his remarks to party leaders on economic issues, attacking the “fiscal recklessness” of President Bush’s budget and barely mentioning foreign policy and the Iraq war.

Chicago Tribune
WASHINGTON — Howard Dean, whose revolutionary bid to lead the Democratic Party fell short one year ago with the collapse of his presidential candidacy, received a second chance to rebuild the party on Saturday as he was elected chairman of the Democratic National Committee.

The Washington Post
WASHINGTON — Former Vermont governor Howard Dean claimed the chairmanship of the Democratic National Committee by acclamation Saturday and used his opening speech to attack President Bush and the Republicans for “fiscal recklessness,” saying the administration’s new budget brings “Enron-style accounting to our nation’s capital.”

Knight Ridder Newspapers
WASHINGTON — The rebels have stormed the citadel, and now they’re taking over.
Howard Dean’s ascension to the Democratic chairmanship — an event virtually unimaginable last year, when he was racking up 17 losses in 18 presidential primaries — signifies a historic power shift within the party, from the Washington establishment to the foot soldiers who are fed up with defeat.

Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — New national Democratic Chairman Howard Dean promised Saturday to rebuild the party in the most conservative regions of the country, help develop state and local organizations and let congressional Democrats set the tone on policy.

Gannett News Service
WASHINGTON — Thirteen months after his presidential campaign imploded, Howard Dean became the voice of the Democratic Party on Saturday.
The former Vermont governor was elected chairman of the Democratic National Committee in a unanimous voice vote of the 447 committee members. He becomes head of a Democratic establishment with which he was often at odds during his outsider quest for the White House in 2004.

[bahrbearian]

1. "to the foot soldiers who are fed up with defeat"

Now if the regular soldiers wake up!!

[babylonsister]

2. How ironic- one source claims "rebels

have stormed the citadel...fed up with defeat", to Dean being described as mellow and restrained. Huh?

[leyton]

3. My paper ran a picture of the Dean scream.

The guy who made the cover of Time and Newsweek in the same week - and yet the best picture the Charlotte Observer could find was the Dean Scream. Unbelievable, and I'm the last person to complain about these things.

[BrklynLiberal]

4. It is always best to be underestimated.

The Repukes are scared. The last thing they really want is to have the Dems shift left. They know this will be their death knell.

[quaoar]

5. Here's the LA Times version

Los Angeles Times

WASHINGTON -- Capping an improbable political comeback, Howard Dean was unanimously elected chairman of the Democratic National Committee on Saturday, accepting the job with a low-key speech that depicted the struggling party as the nation’s voice of fiscal responsibility and social progress.

The former Vermont governor, whose 2004 presidential bid ran aground amid questions about his judgment and temperament, acknowledged that few -- including himself -- could have predicted such a rapid return to national prominence.

[KharmaTrain]

6. Interesting Chicago Tribune Report

Colonel McCormick must be wondering WTF...

The paper endoresed Kerry and now seems to be giving Dr. Dean a pretty straight-up write-up.

I wonder if James Warren is starting to worm his way into more of the day-to-day at Tribune Tower. I sure hope so.