The Incredible Disappearing Howard Dean

[JCMach1]

What has happened to Howard Dean? I can remember McAuliffe doing much more MSM.



Is Dean being blackballed by the MSM?

Or, has he been effectively muzzled by the Democratic leadership?

[shadowknows69]

1. A little from column A

A little from column B. I suspect it's more the media. I don't see Howard bowing to much internal party pressure. That's why he's the one for the job.

[neoblues]

2. Well, Clearly the media is ignoring him...

except when they think it's to their advantage. As to the Democratic Leadership... which ones? I suspect though that there may indeed be pressure from some quarters to keep him quiet--though I'd suggest any who fit that description don't deserve to be called leaders and are doing the Democratic Party a disservice.

[JCMach1]

3. I agree-- we would more than likely be talking about the

DLC of the party... but also some established-types who still see Dean as an outsider...

[Syrinx]

4. I think he's working mostly behind the scenes

And thats a good thing.

He was my favorite candidate last time around. That's who I would have voted for, if the nomination hadn't already been decided by the time I got to vote.

However, I can see that his mouth sometimes works about a millisecond faster than his brain.

So it's a good thing that he's doing the "backstage" work that is very much needed.

That being said, I think he's going to be on Hardball today.

[Lexingtonian]

5. Other people are doing the heavy lifting in PR

and Dean is mostly off reviving little Red State Democratic party apparatuses that will make September and October a lot harder on Republican incumbents and challengers. The dough seems to be coming in on its own accord as Big Biz realizes it better atone in some measure for the past couple of years of bad behavior and funding Republicans. I think Dean actually likes it this way, not having to deal with Tim Russert every other weekend.

Kerry and Murtha and (indirectly) Michael Moore are doing the Iraq angle for the Party. Nancy Pelosi is doing the Culture of Corruption. Harry Reid is jamming up Bill Frist on the GOP social and economic crap agenda, with the likes of Leahy and Wyden and Finegold and Cantwell and Clinton and Biden adding some fire where it's needed. Other stuff is done without a public face and PR effort.

[LiberalPartisan]

6. He will be on Chris Mathews - Hardball Friday....n/t

[xxqqqzme]

7. He will be in Sacramento Saturday night

delivering the keynote address @ the convention. He will be behind 'the orange curtain' on May 9 for an event. Last weekend he was in New Orleans chairing the spring DNC meeting; commenting on the lack of assistance Katrina victims had received from raisin brain; worked w/ Habitat for Humanity while he was there.

He called me last week 2 see if I was going 2 the convention....what do you want from him? He has raised more money than ANY other chair in an midterm election year; he speaks out; criticizes raisin brain; regularly turns up on Sunday morning w/ the talking hair-dos....WTF do you want from him and no he isn't mcauliffe - thank god!

[Stevepol]

10. If he calls you again, xxqqqzme, try to get him to see that the voting

machines are or shd be a number one priority issue that he shd mention at every stop. It will build more energy and money for the party than any other issue.

[bowens43]

8. He's all over the place.

[JCMach1]

9. Just comparing him to McAuliffe

I still think that the Dem. leadership has had something to do with his being muzzled somewhat.

[sandnsea]

11. Only during the primaries

That's because that's the DNC job, getting a presidential candidate elected. But in off years, we didn't see McAuliffe all that much. No more than we're seeing Dean. I think we hear something about him once a week or two, seems like to me.

[mandyky]

12. He's been on a lot this month

Last weekend CSpan ran some of the DNC Spring Meeting they held in New Orleans.

You must be watching the wrong channels :)

[rucky]

13. Check Your Inbox. n/t

[greekspeak]

14. Here is what I remember. Terry McAullife...all over the place

running his mouth blah blah blah blah. On this news channel, and that, playing logical strawman with a pulse. I see Dean out there hitting the streets with real people, making speeches, geting the base ON THE GROUND fired up. I certainly do not agree with everything Dean has done. But at least he is not on the camera blithering all the time. I do wish he had more time to slap around a few of his party members and tell them to get on the issues: spin more of the Puke straw into Dem gold.