The "issue" of Dean's Iowa caucus remarks is silly

[bluestateguy]

In 1988 Al Gore skipped the Iowa caucus calling it an "insignificant" contest "in the small state of Iowa". In 2000 he won 63% of the vote in the caucus.

This campaign needs to be about policy issues and not quotes from obscure TV shows that nobody watches. It's very similar to the Al Gore "stories" about him inventing the Internet, the Love Story thing and his sighing in the debates: just a bunch of bored political reporters looking for something to write about.

And Dean was essentially correct when he said that special interests dominate the caucuses. Grassroots organizing is all fine and good, but campaigns require money, and that comes from powerful interests.

[bigtree]

1. Iowans will decide that

Although, I think his tone was arrogant. Now voters can measure his tempermant then, against his tempermant now as he sweetens himself for the vote. He didn't seem to hold back much in those interviews. You can see flashes of that arrogance when he responds to critisism. Lots to defend for the Democratic faithful if he gets the nod. Less to critizize Bush with.

[jeffcal005]

3. not silly...

It isn't the fact that his comments would hurt his polls in Iowa, it's the very fact that he had the arrogance to say it at all! This election will come down to who people LIKE better -- issues only matter so much. If the person is a cocky and angry person, middle America will pick up on that rather fast.

Dean is losing his hold on alot of things right now...

[TLM]

2. desperation..... all these attack are what I said was going to happen

after the 4th qtr fundraising.

[Adjoran]

4. Dean was right the first time

Iowa's system was designed to bring cash into the state parties, without throwing the process open to the average voter, who cannot devote four hours on a Monday night to, as Dean said (paraphrased), "listen to a bunch of people giving their solutions to world problems" before the vote is taken.

The parties need to agree on a rotating primary schedule. Leave NH as 'first in the nation,' since they started the whole primary system for practical purposes, but make all other states rotate their dates so they are early one time, late the next, in the middle the next, etc. That way no state is permanently "out of the loop" of influencing the nomination, and we stop the trend in recent years of states moving their dates up to gain more clout.

[bigtree]

6. Then why are his supporters trolling for their votes?

Dean himself said Iowa should remain first in the nation. All he can do is completely repudiate his diss of Iowa's voters. Special interests, indeed! What Iowa voter spends their time attending the caucuses to raise money? They are there to nominate the next president of the U.S. It would be better for Iowans if they chose someone who respects them.

[kerry-is-my-prez]

5. Dean is basically right - but it wasn't a very smart thing to say when

you're a politician. It came back to bite him in the ass....

[NewYorkerfromMass]

7. Then his ass is full of self inflicted bites

nevermind the buckshot.

[Lobo_13]

8. I have yet

to hear anyone that is actually from Iowa complain about this.

[bigtree]

9. Check the news

Lots of negative reaction.

[damnraddem]

10. But Dean is funding grassroots organizing with money from ...

the grassroots. Moreover, true grassroots organizing is less money-intensive than most politics -- e.g., media spin. Dean leads in New Hampshire and Iowa in part because of grassroots letter writing to those states from across the country. In fact, Gore may have endorsed Dean in part because of massive letter writing to Gore, and other Democratic politicians, from the Dean grassroots nationwide. Now, we've started writing letters to New Mexico, as well. And each letter is different, composed by a different individual to a different individual -- not some mass-mailing of set pieces. When I write, I say what a damn-well want, not what I'm told to say -- and I can't stand to write the same stuff in each letter. The effects of such letter writing by thousands of Dean supporters have shown up in Dean's poll numbers.

[Walt Starr]

11. I just have to weigh in on this phony baloney flap

Here's the quote the media whores are running with:

"I can't stand there and listen to everyone else's opinion for eight hours about how to fix the world,"

Okay, now let's look at the full statement that this is being pulled out of:

“Here's what happens: Say I'm a guy who's got to work for a living, and I've got kids and so forth. On a Saturday, is it easy for me to go cast a ballot and spend 15 minutes doing it, or do I have to sit in a caucus for eight hours? … I can’t stand there and listen to everyone else’s opinion for eight hours about how to fix the world.”


Kinda different, huh?

Be careful. If your candidate was the front runner, the media whores would be playing the same sort of games with what your candidate is on the record saying.