ABC Proves Dean Can Win

[Scott Lee]

ABC clearly disagrees with CBS on the likelihood of a Dean win in the General Election. Here are some reasons that ABC feels Dean CAN win.

______________________________________________________


ABC's The Note Has 18 Things To Say About Howard Dean

It looks increasingly like the two main things between Howard Dean and the Democratic nomination are…his mouth and his temper. Given that a bunch of Democratic candidates have been excoriated for wimpishness (Carter, Dukakis, Mondale, Gore but importantly not Clinton), maybe this is the risk one has to take to have a winner. ABCNEWS.com : The Note, the purveyors and shapers of conventional wisdom, have 18 interesting observations about Dr. Dean. I was especially struck by numbers 8, 9, 14 & 18:

1. Dean will raise more money in the year before the election than anyone else seeking the Democratic nomination, and that historically in the modern era is (with one exception) the iron-clad predictor of who wins in both parties.

2. Beyond money, this year Dean has dominated in message and media, two other fabu things to have.

3. None of the other candidates can overtake Dean in the fourth quarter — they can theoretically do damage to him (although, outside damage with the Chattering Class, we doubt that too), but they can’t cripple him. There just aren’t enough people paying attention yet.

4. What doesn’t kill Howard Dean only makes him stronger.


5. Fair or unfair, the media has not held Dean to the same standards as the other major candidates. Wes Clark’s entry into the race sucked up a lot of publicity and took the spotlight off of Dean at the one moment when critical mass was being reached.


much more good stuff here

http://www.discourse.net/archives/2003/11/abcs_the_note_has_18_things_to_say_about_howard_dean.html

_____________________________________


So there it is from ABC. Dean can win. You didn't hear it here first, but you'll hear it here frequently!

[jjmalonejr]

1. Dean can win.

However, the excerpt from this ABC opinion column concedes that the media has not held Dean to the same standards as the other major candidates.

That is starting to change, and the media is beginning to look critically at Dean instead of simply covering the success of his campaign, but the shift in coverage may not in time to stop Dean's momentum in the primaries.

Don't kid yourself, though. Karl Rove, master manipulator of the media, will see to it that Dean gets the media scrutiny he is due, and given how vulnerable Dean is to this scrutiny, it won't be pretty.

You may be right that Dean can win the nomination. Frankly, I'm worried that he can't beat Bush.

[UrbScotty]

8. Dean isn't that vulnerable.

Sure, everybody in politics is, too a certain extent, vulnerable to media scrutiny. However...

4. What doesn’t kill Howard Dean only makes him stronger.

He is no more vulnerable than Bush or Clark or Kerry.

[jjmalonejr]

11. I disagree...

...but of course we are both entiteld to our opinions.

[Bread and Circus]

12. Dean can win, it's just not likely...

[bearfartinthewoods]

18. and the comparison of one persons opinion as compared to

polls taken of hundreds of people who were asked, straight out, "who would you vote for" are supposed to be considered equally?

i guess things are bogged down in the dean e-memo department eh?

[CWebster]

14. What is the damn point !

Why don't you just bend over? Why don't you slither across the floor and kiss the hem of the chimp's robe? It is a disgrace, this echo chamber of rightwing talking points drumming around our strongest candidate and best fighter--he can't win, he is unelectible. Imagine the big game, and the coach telling the team that the quarterback hasn't got a chance. Jesus Christ, why don't you just lay down and let the other team run with the ball? Sort of like the game plan all along.

Thomas Paine understood to keep the focus on King George, that way channeling all the complaints, all the disatisfaction, all the grievances on one target. Bush is the target in this election. Let him represent ALL the failures.

[cprise]

2. Howard Dean doesn’t have cable TV.

WHOA!

Howard Dean doesn’t have cable TV.

Howard Dean doesn’t have cable TV.

Howard Dean doesn’t have cable TV!

That kinda made my day.

[w4rma]

6. Maybe that partially explains why he seems to make more sense than the

other candidates:

He hasn't been listening to the massive amounts of propaganda on cable/satellite TV.

[windansea]

3. I liked this one best

It looks increasingly like the two main things between Howard Dean and the Democratic nomination are…his mouth and his temper.

[Scott Lee]

4. ...also his two strengths. I liked that too.

[Jai4WKC08]

5. Hold the bus!

The reasons you give all pretty much pertain to Dean's winning the nomination, not the GE.

And if reason #1 is in fact the main reason, then the argument totally supports that Dean will lose to Bush. Cuz ain't no way he can raise the kind of money Bush will.

[ibegurpard]

7. Clark doesn't stand a CHANCE of raising as much money as Bush

Since he limited himself to matching funds. I doubt Dean will raise as much either but when it comes to fundraising he's got the best record to date of any of the nominees.

[ozone_man]

10. He can and he will.

His donations may be 1/10 the size, but there will 10 times as many donations. The Dean grass roots powered campaign is funded by people like myself who have never donated to a campaign before.

[auntpattywatty]

20. George Soros is the Democratic "Ace" in the hole - financially that is

[MoonRiver]

9. ABC = All About Clark

:D

[beyurslf]

16. How does ABC=All About Clark? :) n/t

[killbotfactory]

13. Dean can, and will, win.

[mmonk]

15. He could win

but ABC proves nothing. If they "prove" things, then everyone should go to them for advice.

[beyurslf]

17. Good Post.

Things look good over in the Dean Camp.

[bearfartinthewoods]

19. whoever wrote this is confusing whimpishness with undisciplined

It looks increasingly like the two main things between Howard Dean and the Democratic nomination are…his mouth and his temper. Given that a bunch of Democratic candidates have been excoriated for wimpishness (Carter, Dukakis, Mondale, Gore but importantly not Clinton), maybe this is the risk one has to take to have a winner.

the opposite of a wimp is NOT someone who has no control of his temper or his mouth.

the wimp factor was not about the candidates's personae. their personalities were warped/presented as a reflection of their lack of a strong national defense position.

[eileen_d]

21. The article you post specifically states it is about the nomination

not the GE. However, I am one of those wacky Clark supporters who think Dean *can* win the GE, although of course it will be an uphill battle every step of the way, and I would personally prefer to see someone other than Dean as POTUS. So your argument is most likely not with me.

[JNelson6563]

22. Interesting article

Thanks for posting.

Julie

[John_H]

23. "...The media has not held Dean to the same standards as the other..."

First, ABC seems to be talking about Dean winning the nomination. CBS was talking about him beating Chimp. Big difference.

Now let's look at ABC unwittingly providing clear evidence of Dean's unelectability:

"The media has not held Dean to the same standards as the othermajort candidates."

Ain't that the truth. Tweety. Timmy. CiCi. Candy. They've all been leading the Dean is inevitable charge. Wait....hold on a cotton pickin' minute! Aren't these the same people we've been railing on for years? Haven't we all been in agreement that these folks are, at best, Bush sympathizers and, at worst, Bush operatives? Hmmmmmmmm....wonder why dean is getting special treatment.

Could it be because they already have a storyline in mind--"Liberal" vs. conservative. War vs. Anti- war. Fearless Leader vs. Untested Governor, and so on? Could it be they want their cheerleading of Bush validated by public mandate? Could it be that they're going to turn on Dean a jiffy after he wins the nomination (if Dems do not come to their senses first)?

This article sure proves Dean can win the nomination. And gives us an important clue about what's in store for America if he does.