I cannot believe that Will Marshall not only coined the term "Blair Democrats" but was actually able to write it down with a straight face.
Kerry's piece in the notepad is a good example of elitism in action.
The Notepad has clearly shown it isn't going to be a standard political forum with standard political rhetoric. It's a mostly-light-hearted inside glance into campaigns. Yet there's Kerry's long face at the bottom of the notepad making his announcement of the explanation of his vision over the next 8 weeks seem like the punishment one is about to recieve from the step-dad in the Twisted Sister videos because their grades weren't good enough this term to be accepted into their alma-mater.
Comment for the writers of the Dean Notepad entries: cool it on the "annointed one" crack. It may have been useful once just to point out that Kerry should not presume that the nomination is his for the asking. But now it sounds like you are just being petty.
And I'm a Dean supporter. Imagine how it might sound to people on the fence or to Kerry supporters whose support you will need in the general election.
Chris,
Have to agree with you on point - today's Dean Notepad entry was severely lacking. The most web-savvy team in the race... and they aren't seizing this opportunity to use the medium they are head-and-shoulders above the rest of the candidates with. I would have liked them to drop the issue today and say something productive or, failing that, a little bit funny.
(PS, that "Annointed One" stuff is getting old... makes for good copy, but let's not overuse it any more than it has to be. Now, if they were referring to Dubya as the aPPointed One, that would be different.)
I second - or third, rather - the call to cool the "annointed one" bit. Not for any political reason, mind you. I just think it lacks punch.
I fourth the call to drop "anointed one". Matt Gross "Lehaned" today's Notepad entry. (Do I get credit for coining a term if that gets used again?) Time for us to move on - everyone else has! We've seen on the official blog that Matt can be irreverent without stooping to this.
I fifth it - people have gotten the point about Kerry, and it's time to move on. We need to be aggressive, but not so much so that it seems mean-spirited...
I sixth it. When Kerry is criticizing Bush and you're calling him the anointed one, it looks rather petty.
(I also like the term "Lehaned".)
Didn't Dean make a big health care speech yesterday? Talk about that. Talk about the crisis in the state and city budgets.
You're bound to draw questions in the debate only about the military remark, and accusing Dean of going negative on other candidates. I have no doubt that the governor can defend himself ably, but do you really want that to be the first view of him for a lot of people?
(Maybe the strategy is to get every candidate to ask their question to Dean? Otherwise I can't figure it out)
Yeah, I'd like to third (for the second time today) the idea that we turn "Lehane" into a verb.
Example: 'Some guy tried to embarrass me in front of my girlfriend, so I totally Lehaned him in front of everyone!'
Any takers?
Scott - I like the idea of Lehanizing - but I think we need to establish the meaning a bit better:
I propose the following:
Le-hane (le-heAn), v. -aned, -aning
1. The act of deliberating distorting an argument for malicious ends: Douglas Lehaned Lincoln's position on tariffs during their second debate. 2. To arouse or suggest false rumors: his enemies succeeded in undermining him by lehaning. adj. - Lehaner- n. Lehaningly.
Dean needs to get back on message. His campaign is talking about Kerry, and not about America's future. We didn't become Deaniacs because Dean can slam Kerry - Dean isn't going to expand his appeal through attacks on Democrats.
Yes, I second these emotions! Get rid of the "Anointed One" references - they are childish and petty. Someone might want to take over for Matthew Gross for a day or two on The Note. And, as I said in another thread, Dean needs to get back on message. Quit taking swipes at the other candidates for their tax cut votes, etc... Get back to talking about your own agenda. Dean was awesome in his conference call this past weekend - for over an hour he made very few references to his opponents and talked about his vision for America. He was great and he needs to get back to that.
Very elegant SZ.
Douglas also Lehands Lincoln’s position on abolition in the second debate. Lincoln responds: “The judge has again addressed himself to the Abolition tendencies of a speech of mine, made at Springfield in June last. I have so often tried to answer what he is always saying on that melancholy theme, that I almost turn with disgust from the discussion -- from the repetition of an answer to it. I trust that nearly all of this intelligent audience have read that speech. If you have, I may venture to leave it to you to inspect it closely, and see whether it contains any of those "bugaboos" which frighten Judge Douglas.”
another motion to can the "annointed one" comments. once was enough. we don't want to be as petty as the Kerry people.
way back in oh, say, last August, i asked my loyal Dem friends who they were leaning towards for the Presidency. they all said Kerry, i said why. "he has money, he is a war hero." when i said, i think this gov. from VT who no one has heard of would be better, they looked at me like i was crazy. Kerry's campaign obviously thinks his war record is a wet dream ace in the hole. i think it's beginning to reek of exploitation. i think McCain used his military background in a much more humbler way. Clinton ran against a WWII hero. We all know BUsh went AWOL in vietnam while Al Gore didn't. but no one gives a shit! at the end of the day, it's still about your vision and ideas, and i still don't see Kerry as having any, other than "elect me cause i shot people in vietnam and i have wifey's money to play with."
for the record, i will forever be grateful to kerry for investigating the BCCI scandal and the Contra-cocaine links, two stories no one in Washington wanted to touch.
Maybe our friend Howard Dean is justing psyching up for the big fight on Saturday.
Remember: Kerry et. al. did hand W a blank check on Iraq. Then they've all complained about how Bush used the blank check they gave him. Still complaining about how the "reconstruction" seems to be a jobs works problem for GOP cronies. But their votes helped set it up.
What could the Kerry-initated, but Dean-gleefuly-accepted, contretemps lead up to? My bet is the Governor questions Kerry during his turn, and that he attempts to "elbow" Kerry on national security. Example:
"Senator Kerry, can you explain to the American people why, last October when you voted the President a blank check on Iraq, you considered Iraq a greater threat to our national security than North Korea?"
Or insert any other priority (homeland security infrastructure, securing the job in Afghanistan, seeking peace between Israel and the PLA) that was bumped out of the way during this period.
Everyone's said it, but I'll say it too:
No more Annointed One
Enough about Kerry
Talk about Bush
Talk about policies
Dean is very persuasive when he's speaking about his policies, because he seems so comfortable with them. The campaign needs to get back on that path, and give the public a picture of Dean as a mature thoughtful statesman, not an aggressive bully.
I took the comments as light-hearted ribbing. How can you take "To what depths will they stoop to realize their nefarious plot?" seriously? I think it was all tongue-in-cheek stuff to hype up the debate... but I'm biased.
Whoa! A meme is born...
Howard Fineman of Newsweek has posted his examination of the primaries at MSNBC.com. And what word does he use to describe Kerry?
"Kerry was anointed by the media/political insiders, but is only narrowly ahead in make-or-break New Hampshire."
Maybe the 'anointed' thing plays better than we all thought. My advice - keep using it, but only sparingly.
Whoa, guys. I didn't read the Notepad today, and I got a completely different read on the day (full disclosure: I didn't read the official blog, either). I was amazed at the level to which Howard Dean has risen. The biggest example is when Dr. Dean hit the Senators for voting for the $350 million tax cut, and they felt the need to respond (their response--well, we didn't support it at the level the President wanted--was very lame and completely played into Howard Dean's hands, btw). Dean seemed to get press on the health care debate as the press has moved on from "Gephardt released a BOLD plan" to a more generalized discussion of health care (and no one, and I do mean no one, talks health care like Dr./Gov. Dean). Sure the press is still running with the Kerry/Dean/Clinton thing, but that's the way it works; press stories play out for a week. From here it's debate, debate, debate. I was sort of hoping this would happen (Kerry elevates Dean's stature while making himself look panicked), and it looks like it's happening.
Oh, one quick suggestion to the campaign: get the Governor in front of kids as often as possible later in the campaign (when the media are covering his events). In all the years I saw him here in VT, he was always at his best with kids: relaxed, clear, non-condescending (as so many are with kids). And, after all, he's the candidate that thinks about the future . . .
I am going to 12th or 20th the annointed one silliness.
I have to say, I have been pretty discusted with The Notepad in general. I read it and I wonder whether this is adults or children arguing. Name calling? Next time, why not stick your tounge out 
~
Let's face it, I am no Kerry fan, but petty sarcasm isn't going to win anyone over or even energize the base. Hit him with the truth and let it stand at that.
Finally, you don't want this to be the way this campaign goes... at the end of the day, you are not going to win an insult war with bush if it comes to that. This guy was a spoiled, drunken little frat boy, if anyone can roll out the insulting pet names, I have no doubt it is he!
did yall notice that most of what kerry's talking about now is dean's agenda (and calling it his, heh)?
I'll twentieth it (or whatever) re: the Notepad comment. Someone needs to point out that a) sarcasm ain't satire and b) satire is funny, sarcasm ain't. The campaign REALLY needs to get someone with a light touch to write the Notepad. They even lay out the idea - breezy, fun (actually Lieberman's writer is dead on.) Granted, no one but us political junkies are following this, but I for one am dismayed that Dean's campaign seems to be coming across as more about trashing Kerry than real issues. Yeah, yeah, Lehane was completely out of line. But a spirited defense, followed by a dismissive retort was all that was needed. The problem with the Dean Campaign Powers That Be is that they are ignoring three things:
1) By prolonging the attack they seem juvenile, rather than "Presidential"
2) A lot of people that LOVE Gov. Dean, actually might LIKE Sen. Kerry
3) Winning the primary is the first hurdle. But the Big Prize is defeating Bush. And alienating Kerry supporters (who are probably as fervent as we are for Dean) ain't 'zactly the way to build party unity.
I guess I may be naive regarding the rough and tumble of primary politics. But by the same token (and I speak as one who swore never to use the phrase "by the same token") I also know that as a Dem, and a Dean supporter, I really hope that the campaign will "chill."
Eileen
Eileen Nailed It.!!
Satire IS funny,if done well and that ain't easy. Satire is funny because it rings with truth in an unexpected way that every can see and say, "why didn't I think of that?"
We all can do sarcasim. That wells up from our mean evil twin. Next time guys, try for satire and leave them laughing.
What we have here is the Dean campaign turning a negative into a positive. The focus of the cattle call is now on the performance of two (Kerry and Dean). The Dean camp is banking on another attention-grabbing performance like the DNC Winter Meeting, so that all the Sunday morning headlines read "Dean Wins Round One."
Dean wants the others to start a war, because he feels his army is stronger...and he's right.