Trippi out as day-to-day manager for the Dean Campaign.

[bhunt70]

On MSNBC.

I can hardly hear the tv from where I sit though, so no specific.

[sangh0]

In just a moment

we'll be hearing about how this is a Good Thing for Dean

[bushclipper]

2. Yeah

[LuminousX]

9. Why is it a bad thing?

Obviously if it is being done, the campaign believes it is a good thing to do.

[sangh0]

17. If things were going well

there would be no need for such a change. You don't "reward" success by firing the guy whi helped you achieve it.

But thanks for confirming my suspicions

[LuminousX]

24. Sooo, by your own reasoning, it is good for Dean to do this, right?

And if you haven't noticed, the Dean campaign hasn't won one of the binding primaries yet, after spending a ton of time and money in Iowa, to finish third is plain awful and then to have lost the lead like that in New Hampshire, I'm sure they think Trippi needs to step back from the day-to-day.

As soon as I know what capacity he will serve in the campaign, is when I will know the full story. But you implied that Dean supporters would say that this move would 'be good for Dean' yet you just said that obviously things weren't going good which means a change for the better needs to be made.

Some self-consistent statements would be appreciated.

[bearfartinthewoods]

45. firing staff seemed to help kerry so this is a good thing...maybe

[lyonn]

32. Going well?

Going from first to third and second isn't doing well. How did Kerry do so well? Changed some of his crew. Got his wife out there speaking for him. She even impressed me while she spoke. She is no dummy. Her ex was a republican and has some definite ties there that is cause for pause. Dean is smart, he may need a better direction as far as media is concerned.

[bearfartinthewoods]

47. so the difference in the attraction of kerry from when he was

polling single digits and now that he's crowned by the media is:
his wife
his managers
his haircut
his new face

real substance there....

[lyonn]

70. Was referring to those that run a campaign

Not haircuts, or face. Didn't Kerry have a change in the guard fairly recently. He was laggin' severely in the polls not too long ago. That was my point. The media made the wives a factor. Guess you need one out there to illustrate who you are. Matter of fact, all the candidates have some impressive wives.

[HFishbine]

13. Hmm

A staff shake up seemed to help Kerry.

[Renew Deal]

1. wow

:wow:

[trumad]

5. How quick they fall

Yesterdays hero, today's submarine!

[tishaLA]

3. Hard to believe.

Can you let us know why? Differences in strategy? Message?

[bhunt70]

8. No, sorry. I could hardly make out what they were saying...

Plus my boss was asking me a question hehe.

[cjbuchanan]

4. Wow, if that is true, that is big news

I also wonder what his new ads are going to look like.

[maddezmom]

6. wonder if this is the shake up refered to here:

http://abcnews.go.com/wire/Politics/ap20040128_1800.html

[OKNancy]

22. Off topic

but in your link I thought this was funny

"Lieberman, who finished fifth in New Hampshire, followed Clark into Oklahoma after rejecting the advice of some of his aides to drop out."

[maddezmom]

25. hehe

wish Joe would follow his own aides advice. :)

[janx]

88. Not really a shake-up. From your link:

But Dean also said he is considering revamping his staff. "I'm not asking anybody to leave," he said. "There may be some additions, but nobody is leaving, at least I hope they're not leaving."

Edit: OK, I've read about this and now see what's going on. I'll comment later in the thread.

[xultar]

7. This makes sense cuz instead of heading out on the road Dean

went back to VT today.

[cthrumatrix]

11. they were mapping "which states" Dean wants more...I think others

want to be very focused...maybe other differences

[xultar]

44. Xultar has the Psychic thing going on...

The decision to shake up the campaign was made in a series of discussions in Burlington, Vt. - on a day that his rivals were already out campaigning for votes in the seven states that hold primaries and caucuses on Feb. 3.

[jpgray]

10. Yikes. I think Dean owes Trippi quite a lot. (nt)

[Feanorcurufinwe]

12. Trippi out - who's in? Who will save the Dean campaign?

[bhunt70]

14. Someone who was with the Gore campaign...

Although I don't know if it was his campaign manager or not.

[AntiCoup2K4]

40. Oh shit! Who's idea was that?

Nothing against Al Gore, but his campaign left a lot to be desired. This is not sounding good :(

[On the Road]

43. Well, the Gore Campaign was GREAT After Labor Day

Gore came from 18 points back to win. He started exciting people for the first time, made all the right campaign decisions, and won all the crucial swing states.

Hopefully, it's someone involved with that portion of the campaign. There's just not that much time left.

[Leilani]

59. His name is Roy Neal

[lyonn]

37. maybe Dean

Be interesting to know who will be in.

[beyurslf]

15. I don't see it on

MSNBC, CNN, or Drudge yet.

[GainesT1958]

16. "Re-assigning" Joe Trippi?!

:wtf:

Holy Mackerel! Now, THAT'S a "shake-up", if I've ever heard of one!:wow:

B-)

[Hoppin_Mad]

18. Rumor has it Will Pitt will be taking charge !

of DK's press coverage :-)

[WatchWhatISay]

28. Thats no rumor

There's a thread here somewhere

And the first film of the New Hamshire party on DK's website confirms it.

[MercutioATC]

46. Actually, Will's now Kucinich's press secretary

...might that be what you're looking for?

[WI_DEM]

19. I'll always think well of Trippi

and he will still be with the campaign in some capacity, but I think overall this is a good thing. Dean does have to shake it up some way. I don't think it is too late.

[rumguy]

20. Trippi is a media genuis, but probably not the best campaign manager

[stickdog]

23. Dean's TV ads suck.

If Trippi is responsible for them, he should be fired.

[rumguy]

26. What sucks about them?

I haven't really seen any of them.

[Southsideirish]

65. Worst ad I have ever seen!

I was campaigning for Dean in Iowa and 'saw the slick ads that Kerry and Edwards were running. Then I saw Howard's ad and I nearly fell over.
Totally 1950 type - had a rather tired and pasty faced Howard in a dull Grey suit - sitting in front of a plain white background just talking about his positions. That was it. I guess it must be dirt cheap to run this type of ad but I think it hurt him more than helped him.
For 60 or 90 seconds - you need something slick and glossy that gives you a sense of the man- who he is, what he's about and where he wants to lead the country.

[Leilani]

61. That's what CNN said

Trippi was brilliant at creating a movement, but not running a campaign.

Also, CNN reporting money troubles; Dean asked Staff to defer pay.

[Southsideirish]

72. Won't be the same without Joe Trippi .

He represented the quirkiness,ingenuity and charm of the Quixotic campaign. This is very bad. I'm not sure I want to follow Howard anymore.

[OKNancy]

21. Okay..this is speculation

and I don't know much about the workings of the campaign, but I wonder if the cashflow gossip has anything to do with the deal that Trippi cut with the campaign. Apparently he is not paid a salary, but gets a cut on the ads. Is that right? I could be remembering wrong.

[chimpymustgo]

27. Roy Neal in? He was with Gore.

Heard his name thrown out in a question to Dean today.

[RamboLiberal]

29. Drudgie has his Flashing Lights up

After successive defeats in Iowa and New Hampshire, Howard Dean is making former Al Gore operative Roy Neel his campaign's chief operating officer... Developing...

http://www.drudgereport.com/

I think Trippi should've stayed behind the scenes. IMHO he didn't help Dean when he appeared on TV. Last week he looked like he had a big chaw in his mouth when he was being interviewed and Trippi could've used a fashion consultant.

[eissa]

30. Rumor alert

This is just rumor, so who knows how accurate this is, but I heard that there are actually camps inside the Dean campaign (actually, I think most campaigns have camps, so maybe this is not that unusual). One camp consists of Dean's inner circle from his governor days (long time advisors/friends/associates), and the other the Trippi camp. Trippi's camp got their run of the campaign, since they were the ones that organized the successful grassroots efforts. But since they have not delivered the actual votes, it looks like the former camp may have staged a coup. Again, not sure of accuracy here. Whatever the outcome, I just hope Dean can clean house and re-energize the campaign again!

[Metrix]

48. That's what Campbell Brown was saying yesterday on the Hardball

primary coverage. She characterized the three factions as the Vermont people, Trippi -- "but he's really just in Washington" -- and everybody else, the grassroots, I guess.

[quinnox]

31. Trippi out?

Wow! Maybe too late, but you can't blame them for trying.

[TexasPatriot]

33. Candy just confirmed on CNN

Neal in... Trippi reassigned... they're still in their staff meeting 'discussing' it

[WatchWhatISay]

34. Last night late into Chris Matthews show

they talked cryptically about this.
There was a roundtable discussion that included Campbell Brown who hinted that she had insider information.

Said the Dean campaign was divided among three groups: the Vermont governors staff crowd, the Trippi crowd, (which Matthews said - you mean the liberal crowd? and Campbell said, no not really, the internet part of it and the grassroots campaign), and the third part which they called "the others" like they knew what they meant but I didn't. But the 3rd group included Steve McMahon, and maybe they meant the professional, party trained consultants.

There was also some reference to Dean getting upset the day before and saying something about some of the staff not shooting straigt.

Damn, I wish I would have taped that part. Anybody else see it?

[Metrix]

49. She said Dean had gone off on some staffers after Iowa, saying like

"Why did you do this to me? We had this in the bag."

[progressivebydesign]

82. spreading unfounded rumors about Dean's behavior?

Tsk, tsk. Second hand stories about Dean "going off" on his staff are just rumors. Got footage?

[Metrix]

99. That's word-for-word what she said on TV yesterday.

I saw it with my own two eyes and heard it with my own two ears.

[WatchWhatISay]

100. It's twoo! It's twoo!

I saw it too.

[DjTj]

35. Kerry did it...

...and look where it got him!

[auntpattywatty]

36. I heard Donna Brazill saying he needs to spread out his employees.

He must have taken her advise, I wonder who will be the next manager? anyone heard?

[Abigail147]

51. Is that Donna Brazille Rove' s lunch buddy?

Can't stand the way she talks. I bet Gore has had a lot of second thoughts about her.

[mobuto]

38. Trippi is brilliant - this is a shame

I work for another campaign and I have many problems with Howard Dean, but its impossible not to admire Joe Trippi. He's run an absolutely brilliant campaign, maybe the best in Presidential history, only to be undercut time and time again by his boss. That being said, its not right for him to leave now, when the chips are down. You just don't do that. When you pick a candidate, you stay with him or her, until the end. The Chris Lehane approach - to desert a losing Kerry for a more promising Clark - is not only stupid (if Kerry gets the nomination and the presidency, Lehane will never work in Democratic politics again) but morally reprehensible. This is a business with few moral rules - but stabbing your boss in the back violates one of them.

[TexasPatriot]

39. of course the real problem there is...

If Lehane cant work for dems again... whats to stop him from taking his notes on where Kerry's bodies are buried to the pubs...

[mobuto]

42. Does Kerry have bodies?

If so, Wes Clark for sure would like to know where they're burried and Clark's paying Lehane a very handsome salary.

Devulging privileged campaign information goes beyond the simply unethical -- its illegal.

[TexasPatriot]

53. i'm just making a reasoned assumption

Lehane is a weasel... everyone knows he's a weasel... and i hope there are no Kerry bodies to exhume. However, if Lehane went to work for Bush, heh, has legality ever stopped the pubs before?

[Logansquare]

55. Please a little more inside info!

I'm interested to know how Dean undercut Trippi. I presume that bringing Judy in to the campaign was probably something Trippi begged to do for months, among other things.

[mobuto]

68. Inside Info?

I wish I had inside info, but I don't. It just seems to me that Howard Dean has undercut his campaign at every chance, by scareing the electorate and alienating mainstream Democrats with his rhetoric.

The best campaign manager in the world can't neutralize a self-destructing candidate. And that's exactly what we saw the week of the Iowa primary.

[mouse7]

64. No, Trippi took credit for other's brilliance.

Meet-Up wasn't Trippi. Blogs weren't Trippi. Online organizing wasn't Trippi. Generation Dean wasn't Trippi. Women for Dean wasn't Trippi.

All the above were created and implimented by non-staff Dean volunteers. All Trippi did was disrespect the creators of each concept and stole the credit.

I'm glad Trippi's gone. Hope he takes Zephyr Teachout with him.

[mobuto]

90. None of those were unique to Dean

Meet-Up, blogs, and online organizing have been tried before - and also subsequently, by other candidates. And you know what? They work. But independently they're not enough. Trippi was the one with the vision to mold the campaign around them, to connect grassroots supporters viscerally with what became the Dean Movement, making them the center, rather than an appendage. Again, I don't much like Howard Dean as a candidate, but I have to respect his brilliantly-run campaign.

And the vision for orienting a campaign in such a manner could not have been offered up by a volunteer, no matter how hard-working. It was a decision that had to be made at the top - and in this case it was, by Joe Trippi.

[peaches2003]

73. Not right to leave?

Not right for Trippi to leave? This isn't voluntary. He was pushed out for God's sake. Dean had the lead and the money and look where he is now. Frankly, it's his own fault as much as anyone's.

I lurk here, but don't question my loyalties- I've been a loyal Dem since before McGovern and if I've learned one thing it is that this is the big leagues and so many of you must be young, idealistic, and think amateurs are going to be able to WIN and BEAT BUSH because they have vision and want to change America. Face the truth: DEAN is not going to do it; he's already made too many gaffes and the American public thinks he's not got the temperament for the job. He can't change that perception; the damage is done. Plus the majority of the American public is not 100% against the war. CLARK- he's an amateur politician and can't answer 2 successive questions in a row without making a major gaffe, much less answer anything about domestic policy. He's a disaster in a primary debate. In a Presidential debate as bad as Bush is he's kill Clark. Kucinich- give me a break. He can barely get 2% of the Democratic voters to vote for him in a primary after all these months and you think he's going to get the nomination in a brokered convention and then beat Bush. Give me a break. Lieberman- he's another Bush, so the voters will vote for Bush instead of this whiner.

I'm not crazy about Kerry or Edwards. I think Edwards would be much better as VPres though he would be my 2nd choice for the top as having a chance to beat Bush. Of course Kerry has problems! But for God's sake- wake up. This election isn't going to be won with idealism or by being naive. There is only one thing worth fighting for and that is to BEAT BUSH. There is no one else in this list with a chance except Kerry and maybe Edwards.
Yes, the American public are idiots. But you'll need a political pro to beat him.

[mobuto]

86. Unless your name is Joe Trippi

I'm not sure why you'd think I'd question your loyalties. You think John Kerry is the most electable candidate, while I think General Clark is. Don't listen to soundbites - go hear Clark's stump speech. And tell me he doesn't have a charismatic intensity far beyond that of any other Democrat - including Dean and Edwards. Clark will savage Bush in a debate, that much is clear.

I'm not sure whether Trippi was pushed or he fell, but regardless its not a good sign for the Dean campaign. Trippi has run what everyone acknowledges is one the greatest grassroots campaigns in history. So who is Dean going to replace Trippi with? What kind of alternative strategy can he advance between now and March 3? Either Dean fired Trippi, which shows he's desperate and looking for a fall-guy, or Trippi quit, which shows he's undependable.

Yes, the American public are idiots. But you'll need a political pro to beat him.

They're not necessarily idiots, but they are apathetic. Even in South Carolina, most Democrats are only beginning to focus on the election. But one thing that does matter to many voters in many parts of the country is whether a candidate is "one of us." In the South especially, voters just don't go for candidates they cannot identify with. Everyone can identify with Wes Clark. Pretty much everyone can identify with John Edwards. Scant view feel they have much in common with Kerry, Dean or Lieberman.

I may be right or I may be wrong, but please don't think I'm questioning your loyalty to the Democratic Party or anything like that. We all share the common goal of getting George Bush off the public dole come next January.

[LandOLincoln]

102. Okay, Mobuto, I'm going to jump in here...

and respond to this statement:

"You think John Kerry is the most electable candidate, while I think General Clark is. Don't listen to soundbites - go hear Clark's stump speech. And tell me he doesn't have a charismatic intensity far beyond that of any other Democrat - including Dean and Edwards. Clark will savage Bush in a debate, that much is clear."

Gene Lyons said in an interview with Buzzflash back in October:

"I want to be careful how I say this, but he has an almost feline presence -- and by that I don't mean "catty," as in bitchy. I mean like a big cat. I once encountered a mountain lion in the Point Reyes National Seashore in California, on a rainy day in winter, when I was all by myself. We stood stock still staring at each other for a few seconds. And there was this moment of "Gee, that's a cougar, this is really cool." And then an instant later, came the feeling of "My God, that's a lion!" There's nothing between me and him, no fence. Clark has a little bit of that kind of presence. You sense a tremendous personal authority about him held in and contained by self-discipline. Not somebody to fuck with, is another way of putting it."

http://www.buzzflash.com/interviews/03/10/int03221.html

Lyons is absolutely right. I thought this was pure hyperbole when I first read it, because I haven't seen this quality just watching Clark on C-Span, etc. He's Jimmy Stewart on TV.

Folks, he ain't Jimmy Stewart up close and personal. (Stop snickering--we shook hands after the Albuquerque rally this afternoon and I said Hasta Lunes since he'll be back in Burque on Monday.)

The charisma is definitely there, and the feline thing Lyons talks about. The man has a very powerful presence.

His speechifyin seemed much more relaxed yet more powerful as well. I'm wondering if there's always that disconnect between seeing him on television and seeing him in person, or if he really was different today?

Anyone?

[Clark Can WIN]

105. I know EXACTLY what you are talking about Clark is

VERY intense and VERY electrifying in person. I've never met anyone like him in my life. His presence is very difficult to describe. He makes you want to try harder, makes you want to be a better person, makes you want to charge out onto the streets and grab everyone and tell them about this candidate.

I'm glad that our campaign shakeouts happened VERY EARLY and are now totally forgotten. This Dean shakeup at the 11th hour looks desperate and chaotic.

[chimpymustgo]

89. Thank you peaches. Very good, clear-eyed analysis.

And welcome to posting at DU.

:hi:

[maddezmom]

41. Trippi resigned

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20040128/D80C3DS00.html

of course this article is written by Nedra Pickler, who I swaer is on drudge the sludge's payroll.

[maddezmom]

50. and an update version

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20040128/D80C3LE00.html

[andym]

71. What's going on with the money?

From http://apnews.myway.com/article/20040128/D80C3LE00.html
"In a sign of Dean's money woes, he staff was asked Wednesday to defer their salaries for two weeks."

What?! This is nearly impossible. Dean has at least $5 million on hand.
Are there that many staff members?

[Logansquare]

75. They apparently spent 10 mill. in Iowa

Which is insane.

[Jerseycoa]

56. Dean to Trippi: Thanks, Joe

I think this can be a wake-up call to Dean supporters. It's not about a "movement"; it's about a political campaign for president. Dean knows it. Now his supporters have to swallow a bitter pill to stick with him. It will only hurt a little while, but if he is the president they want, they will take the pain.

[maddezmom]

60. Looks like Trippi didn't want to work for free n/t

[progressivebydesign]

83. Trippi got plenty!

His firm happens to be the one that produced all of Dean's spots.. and was paid for that, above his salary. He's not hurting financially from being associated with Dean. Trippi wanted Dean to go in a different direction, Dean disagreed. In the end, it was all about Dean.. not Trippi. Trippi was to visible. A good campaign manager is invisible.

[tishaLA]

52. I think it's a ballsy move

and it might pay off.

I'm a Clark supporter, and I think Wes has to look around him, too. There are too many stupid mistakes going down right now--the timing of the speech last night was a perfect example--but he's not a politician like Dean is, so he might not know it needs to be fixed.

Anyhow, I wish Dean the best. He and his supporters have brought so much to this campaign.

[Leilani]

66. What bothers me is they keep changing Clark's message

They're not using veterans

They have him talking about growing up poor (Edwards)

He has his own story & they're not using it.

[Metrix]

54. Does this mean Dean tones down the rhetoric on lobbyists?

If he's hiring USTA's Neel.

[Gringo]

57. Yahoo has reported it too - he really is in 'meltdown' now.

As a former Dean supporter, I'm puzzled, but I guess it's best that Dean's poor judgment became evident. Joe Trippi was as much of a reason for Dean's meteoric rise as Dean himself was, if not moreso. Look for more and more supporters to defect from this sinking ship.

It's a shame, because I saw a lot of potential in Dean, but he has greatly overestimated the appeal of his "outsider" schtick - at just the point when it would have been appropriate for him to tone it down a bit and act a bit more presidential. Dean is toast. It's just a matter of time.

[mouse7]

67. Trippi not responsible for Dean's rise. Dean supporters were..

As I said earlier in the thread, Trippi stole the credit for other people's good ideas.

[progressivebydesign]

85. Trippi was too visible..

His job was to make Dean look good.. make sure things ran smoothly.. and that hasn't happened. If Dean spent 10 mil in Iowa, and Trippi's company produced all the ads.. sounds like Trippi did okay. That was Dean's first mistake. Never, ever.. use your campaign manager's company to do your ads.. they're too close to the campaign.

[Logansquare]

92. I was not aware of that Trippi's company did the ads

That's seems very inappropriate.

[lyonn]

78. Dean's poor judgment?

Dean has been out there for at least a year, more like two yrs., stating the issues. That is where Dean's campaign is coming from. His mis-steps could have been handled better. Could never figure out why he didn't explain his comment "we are not safer now that Saddam was captured" for example. Simple, Saddam was not responsible for 9-11 and the attacks from Al Queda. Iraq has them in the country now. What did people expect when a country is taken over and there is no leadership?

[WilliamPitt]

58. Kerry's campaign did this a little while back

and the outcome of the decision has been demonstrably good. The timing for this could be better, but it may well prove to be a very healthy play for Dean's campaign.

[Cassandra]

80. Thank you

and congrats on your new job!

62. Well, just as long

as Trippi doesn't start working for Kerry's campaign.:evilgrin:

[lyonn]

63. one has a msg. and then there are the messengers

Dean is the one with the msg. Now if the campaign organizers are not working together with the one with the msg., maybe need a reoriganization. Hope that is all this is about. Happens all the time in campaigns, it's the name of the game. Gore may have waited too long.

[mouse7]

69. Trippi spent $10 MIL in Iowa.

Any idiot can spend $10 MIL in Iowa and get 17%... Look at Steve Forbes.

Trippi is a no-talent hack that steals good ideas from talented people. Nothing more.

[Logansquare]

77. I have to agree with you--that's just wasting money

I wonder how much those fucking orange hats cost?

[rumguy]

79. I always thought those orange hats were stupid

[progressivebydesign]

84. As a Dean supporter...

I thought the swarming of Iowa was a bit menacing, actually. It further reinforced the idea that Dean is entirely supported by young liberals. Not that this is bad.. I'm a young liberal type.. but it made it look a bit unprofessional, and there were lots of organizational foulups, i.e. repeated phone calls, letters, etc. I hope Dean finds what he's looking for in his new manager. I hope she's invisible, as it should be.

[janx]

97. It's a different phase of the campaign. Trippi's a genius

at cultivating grass roots, but we've moved on to a different phase of the campaign.

I agree with you about Iowa.

[zulchzulu]

74. Trippi needs to talk to Reiner about the screenplay

Sheen could play the hot-headed Dean.

[nancyharris]

76. A bit strange

That he would hire a Washington insider lobbyist like Neel.

Recent Neel quote”
“I believe strongly that total deregulation of telecommunications should be the goal of policy makers, especially at the FCC.”

[progressivebydesign]

81. Probably a good thing.. it was too much about Trippi

I'm sure he's a fine guy. But.. I began to resent his constant presence.. since when is the manager as visible as the candidate?

When I read today that Trippi's firm was the recipient of all that ad production money for Dean, I was not happy. The ads weren't that good.. and it was too cozy for my taste.

Dean wanted to go a different direction, Trippi disagreed... Dean is running, not Trippi. I'm glad that Trippi will continue to support Dean.

[Myra]

87. Shake things up Gov. We need you in the race, along with the other

anti-war candidates.

We have to balance out the "Democrats" who voted like Republicans
on IWR.

[janx]

91. Why do people assume Trippi is gone? He's not gone.

As the campaign grows, reorganization is inevitable. Just because Trippi might not run the day-to-day matters anymore, that doesn't mean something terrible happened.

Good grief, how some people can jump to conclusions!

Trippi may be sick and tired of doing the day-to-day, anyway. Dean's statement in the ABC link above says that no one is leaving. It's probably just a pragmatic reorganization.

[maddezmom]

93. you need to read this one, too. I think Trippi is gone.

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20040128/D80C4F1G0.html

[janx]

95. I read the Dean blog, and it is true that he's gone, but your link

sounds a little gossipy.

He stated on the blog that he will continue to fight for Dean. Trippi will always be a legend.

I suspect these are normal growing pains for a successful campaign.

[maddezmom]

96. sorry for the link

it indeed isn't the best relfection of the situation.

[janx]

101. That's OK. You DID warn me...

;-)

[genius]

94. Maybe Dean will start running an honest campaign.

That would be a refreshing change.

[Zech Marquis]

98. uh oh, the wheels are falling off

Trippi was the main guy behind the organzing and fundraising..not good news at all.

[Clark Can WIN]

103. My first thought was

I may actually learn to like Dean a little more with Trippi gone.

[KaraokeKarlton]

104. If Dean is replacing Trippi it's got to be about wasting money

If Trippi really spent 10 million in Iowa on ads that hurt Dean, then Dean has every right to be disgusted. Dean is extremely frugal and he does NOT like to waste money. It was Trippi's responsibility to make sure Dean supporters were prepared for the Iowa caucuses and knew how to do things. He failed and it's cost Dean bigtime. Dean surrounds himself with people he can depend on and if they let him down this big it doesn't sit well with him. This will be the same thing should he get elected. If any of his cabinet is being wasteful and not doing their job, he'll replace them with someone who will get the job done. I'm sure he likes Trippi, but he also wants to win and fix the mess Bush has made. If he replaced Trippi as his campaign manager it's because Trippi isn't doing what he needs to do. That doesn't mean Trippi is a bad guy, only that he messed up and the campaign can't afford mess ups. :shrug:

[Samantha]

106. I heard about Kerry shaking up his campaign but didn't hear who he hired

until last week. He hired Michael Whouley. That's what made the difference in Iowa and New Hampshire. Dean has to get someone equivalent. Problem is, there is only one. Michael Whouley is a one of a kind. My jaw dropped when I saw this. He's the guy that, when Gore was on his way to make his concession speech in Florida (the first time) called the caravan to try to pull Gore back. He was still sitting in the "furnace room" watching the last returns come in. The guy in phenomenal.

Dean needs someone who can compete with Whouley (although I don't know who that could be) fast, and I do mean fast. I think it's great Gore is helping him plan some strategy, because Gore has to have the inside track on these things. After all, he did win the popular vote in 2000 and the so-trumpeted Karl Rove paid one million dollars for a study as to how Gore did it. Maybe Gore will tell Dean (for free) ....