I think Phyllis is exactly right-- one of the important things this campaign may well be about is getting more people registered and explaining to those new voters why Dean is the best candidate for them to support.
Right now our system of elections is too closely geared towards people with a traditional 9-to-5 schedule, which leaves out a whole segment of society. (You might think of them as the "Nickel and Dimed" demographic-- read Barbara Ehrenreich's book NOW, if you haven't already.) There are plenty of people who might be willing and able to vote by mail if enough time and effort is put into educating them about the procedures. Maybe it's time to think about setting up a voter registration drive at places like Walmart and Costco...
I agree with Phylis that this exposure helped him or rather came out unscathed for the most part. I think it really hurt Kerry by coming off petty. As a politician, Dean didn't seem smooth enough or up to the calibre of the others. But, isn't that what we like about him is that he doesn't come off as a politician.
The one moment that I think that he lost the oppurtunity to shine was the Health Care question. He was too technical and detailed. For the amount of time given, he needed to simplify his message on having a universal health that would cover all by using the existing systems more efficiently and pratically. Current systems try to compete with each other and try to do too much that you get low quality coverage with an either/or choice. Smaller dedicated defined base coverage, such as his plan, means more appropriated funds to ensure a quality coverage rather than this current dynamic ill-formed system. Notice no one questioned him on his plan?
Then he can stress being a doctor and has first hand experience from both sides of the fence as a government official and physician. He knows the realities of the system better than any of the other candidates. He takes that into account, and that's why his plan will work better than Gephardt's.
Otherwise, Dean did just fine considering he was basically being attacked for the first part of the debate with real no avenue for a rebuttal. With his history of tolerance for lack of mutual respect from journalist, I was surprised that he did not hand anyone's ass on a platter (respectfully). He's human and seems the closest to being the average citizen. That's the attraction to him. Hey, Dean made the local news with the little tiff with Kerry. Had soundbites with the opposition to the war (of course newscasters put a negative spin on it).
For those familiar with the Dean campaign, this debate showed that Dean is a serious threat. If imitation is the best form of flattery, then the other candidates really flattered him a bit.
Kucinich - grassroots and plug for his site
Gephardt - Bush lite, universal health care, differing from Replublications
Graham - electable democrat from the democratic party (came off more as arrogant than pride though)
Kerry - soul of the party and nation
The only one realy being original was Sharpton and Braun (should be VP or Sec of State!). I am sure there was others that copied but it does not come to mind at this moment. It's still early in the game and I would rather have the fixable mistakes happen now than later. Dean has improved and he will continue to improve. He has passion conviction and no fear in doing what's right.
Give em hell, Howard!
i finally got around to watching the debate on tape last night.
i felt, for all the faults of the format, that howard did really well. sure, he could be a bit more polished, but that will come with time. i don't think he has to compromise his straight-forwardness in order to become more "camera-friendly". i sure wish he'd smile more often, though. =)
as for the others, here's my reviews:
carol m-b: somebody give her a cabinet job! i loved how she spoke out in favor or our personal liberties. in fact, i feel that should be a cornerstone of the new democratic platform: the party of personal liberty.
al sharpton: great zingers! i am glad he's there, because he says what most of the other candidates won't.
edwards: my only thought is that we need people like him in the senate. sorry, but i can't bring myself to support someone for president when they've only been in government for 3 years. that's just not enough experience. plus, how can he, as a lawyer, not support repealing the (UN)PATRIOT(IC) act? so much for fighting for the little guy.
gephart: nice job cribbing dean's lines. sorry dick, but you can't beat dean by being dean-lite (do we have a new meme or what?!?!). we need people like him in the house to balance out the right-wing nutjobs.
kerry: lurch. seriously, i was not impressed. why is he the "front runner" according to conventional wisdom? i seriously do not get it. he was very unappealing (except for his closing statement). i do not believe the CW holds true - there's just no way he's the front-runner, money be damned.
kucinich: we need people like him in the senate. i think that's how he'd best serve the people. ohio is lucky to have him.
graham: as a floridian, i have a soft spot in my heart for bob. i think he'd make one helluva vice president.
lieberman: just switch parties, already!! we know you're a republican. why the hell is he running, anyway?
From GAry Hart's blog (cut/paste)...
-------
Gary Hart spoke at the Denver meet-up last night, and while his message reiterated the topic at the heading of this blog, his response to my question asking him to compare himself to candidate Howard Dean was eloquent and bears repeating (I'm paraphrasing here):
"I'll not compare and contrast myself now to any other candidate, since I've not decided yet whether to run. I will tell you that you should be making your own judgements about what abilities a candidate needs to possess the minute they walk in the door:
-He needs to understand the ENTIRE federal budget. He cannot stand for one interest area or another and leave the rest of the budget to be handled by the folks he surrounds himself with.
-He needs to understand foreign relations. In an increasingly global world, he cannot only manage the U.S. but must understand the nuances of our relations with the rest of the world. He must be a world traveler who can speak from first-hand knowledge of the current realities worldwide.
-He must understand military affairs. He must know the issues, the players, and how to lead this country's military. To leave this to the people he surrounds himself with could be leaving life and death decisions to people we did not elect."
Anna, your assessment of Kerry is right on the money! As I think I've said before, if Kerry gets the nomination, it will be the Democratic equivalent of the Republicans nominating Dole in 1996: a loyal party insider with no firm prinicples and very little charisma, who ends up a sacrificial canididate.
I didn't watch too much of the debate, but it's really about the equivalent of a May baseball game (or even spring training). It's a time to fine-tune things, check what you still have to work on, and most of all, avoid a catastrophic injury. I was more looking for who would lose than who would win (early reports: Kerry lost; he's starting to look a bit like a paper tiger).
Regarding someone's comment that Dean's health care discussion was too detail-oriented: I disagree. I think when Dr. Dean discusses the details of health care, he comes across as knowledgable and trustworthy, as opposed to someone like Gore who seems to bring up details to show how much he knows (not fair to Gore, probably, but that's the impression he gives).
But really, the main point of Phyllis's description is dead accurate: it's really the network-building that's important now. No "soundbite" from the debate will deliver any votes. Few people watched. It was an important opportunity for Trippi and crew to build out their debate/rapid response operations, and a good chance for the good Dr./Gov. to work out any kinks in his swing. But there's still a LONG way to go.
This is absolutely hilarious:
http://joseph2004.org/
Re: Kerry...it's not that he's unprincipled, but like Stephanopoulos said he just doesn't have the common touch. He's like a stuffed moosehead on the wall: dignified and nice to look at, but having no personality whatsoever. Someone like this cannot beat Bush next year, I'm sure of it.
Scott, that URL is hilarious! Oh man, someone hit the nail on the head with that parody.
Allan, I also see Gephart as the Democratic equivalent of Dole.
I really tried to be objective while watching the debates. I hope that came across in my post. I just don't see Liebermann (is it any coincidence that his name begins with "Lie"), Kerry, or Gephart exicting voters. They just don't have that spark. Howard's got it, but the format certainly didn't suit him. But when all was said and done, I think he did a really good job. But again, SMILE MORE, HOWARD!
You guys have it all right-on, just how I felt about it (esp. Lieberman being a republican! I was screaming "O just change parties at the TV.."
. Speaking of Fairy Tale lives, I was about to puke after the 3rd or 4th "life story" closing statements: Who gives a Flying Fudgeball? It was excellent that Dean just happened to have the line to counter all that: "The great unspoken political lie, which comes from stages like this, is elect me and I'll solve all your problems." :thumbsup:
I do agree he needs to smile more; that wrangled lip cut during Kerry's noise didn't look good. I also felt he should have been able to quote Lincoln without looking down (even I memorized the Gettysburg address in high school). But I guess he wanted to deliver his line perfectly since it was arguably the most important point of the debate.
Great job overall, I thought.
Mosely Braun for Secretary of State? PfB and Anna: I was thinking the exact same thing!
Also, I was briefly a Floridian myself and share your soft-spot for Graham. I can see him as VP.
leenie, as much as i abhor the death penalty, i can't simply write graham off. he's a good guy. and personally, i want to win so badly that i'd look the other way on that issue. if graham is what will level the playing field on the security issues, then i'd be happy to see him on the ticket with dean.
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