Tonight is the ten-year anniversary of the "Dean Scream."

[WilliamPitt]

Via Howard Dean email from DFA...and the email title, of course, is "YEEEEAAARRRRRGGGHHHH!!!"

===

It's hard to believe it was ten years ago tonight. On this day a decade ago -- January 19, 2004 -- I gave one of the most famous speeches in the history of American politics. Or perhaps "infamous" would be more accurate.

I'm guessing you might remember the climactic moment of that night, as I enthusiastically rallied my presidential campaign supporters in the aftermath of a disappointing finish in the Iowa Caucus:

Not only are we going to New Hampshire, Tom Harkin, we're going to South Carolina and Oklahoma and Arizona and North Dakota and New Mexico! And we're going to California and Texas and New York! And we're going to South Dakota and Oregon and Washington and Michigan, and then we're going to Washington, D.C., to take back the White House!

YEEEAAARRRRRGGGHHHH!!!

While the "Dean Scream" became fodder for late night comedians, including a hilarious version by Dave Chappelle I still laugh about, I also feel very proud of the state-by-state preamble to my unforgettable rallying cry. Because, when I said we were heading to New Hampshire and South Carolina and Oklahoma... and to Washington, DC to take back the White House... it turns out I wasn't kidding.

In a funny way, that moment was the launch of the 50 State Strategy -- a leave-no-community-behind framework for change that transformed the Democratic Party in the years to come, fueling my campaign to become DNC Chair in 2005 and the fight to take back Congress in 2006 and the presidency in 2008.

===

...the rest is a fundraising ask, so I'm leaving it off.

But Jesus.

Ten years.

[Nay]

1. God in heaven, has it been that long? And it has been nothing but straight

downhill since then.

I'm glad I'm old.

[XemaSab]

2. I was there!

[Lisa0825]

3. Me too! Only about 10 feet from the stage!

But man, was that a depressing bus ride back to Texas after working so hard...

[joshcryer]

22. Damn you! Being too loud!

[tblue]

27. I was nearby working for another campaign.

A few people in our office were making a big deal about The Scream, playing it over and over and laughing at him. And I told them to cut the crap. There was no reason to hate on Gov. Dean. I supported my guy but was ready to move to the Dean camp after NH if my guy dropped out. I love Howard Dean!

[PowerToThePeople]

4. I was still recovering from the

I was still recovering from the 99 crash and aftermath, while trying to deal with living in a country which had illegally invaded another country, tortured, and was run by war criminals. Dean was my hope. Air America was my only MSM. It was a dark time. After 04 failure I found DU.

edit - I guess Air America came later in the year...

[CTyankee]

7. I had the same experience with the aftermath of 04. I remember how it all sank in when January 05

dawned. Depressing as hell. Stephanie Miller, Air America and DU were the only sources of consolation. Steph and the mooks made me howl with laughter, Al Franken was a godsend, DU provided community. They all helped hold me together emotionally after Kerry's "loss."

[Rex]

5. Yes, remember how many made fun of Dean and wished him ill will?

I know Foxnews was scared to death of Dean becoming POTUS! They and CNN did everything possible to make him out to be a loony.

[Kaleva]

6. It is that speech that got me into politcal forums

Till then, I voted when ever there was an election but I wasn't much into discussing politics with others and that particular night I was on a Yahoo message board just doing regular chit chat with others when people started posting about Dean's speech. I had the tv on and the channel was covering the Iowa results.

That night, I was much interested in Howard Dean and I looked up info about him (I didn't know squat about Dean till then) and found his forum which I joined. When the Dean dropped out of the race and his forum shut down sometime later, I went over to the Kerry forum where most Deaniacs had already migrated to and it was there that I first heard about DU.

When the general election was over, I went into a political hibernation until very early 2008 when the horse race between Hillary and Obama got my attention. The Kerry forum was long gone but i remembered DU so I came here and joined.

It's probably safe to say that had it not been for that speech that night 10 years, I probably would not be here at DU today.

[hunter]

8. I was already disconnected from the mass media echo chamber at that point.

The story made no sense at all when it was written down so I figured (rightly so) it was another manifestation of wretched mass media "sound bite" journalism.

[Peregrine Took]

9. One of the highlights of my life.

What fun that was.

[Stryder]

10. The power of selective editing.

1:14

[progressoid]

13. ^^^this^^^

[geek tragedy]

11. The media at its worst. The only consolation is that

this episode didn't really play a role in the primary. Dean went all-in in Iowa and that was that.

[whathehell]

12. Dirty Tricks -- That scream was recorded MINUS the crowd noise -- That's why he sounded as he did.

The media only mentioned that fact AFTER they ran it 24/7 for a week. -- That's why he lost.

[polichick]

17. True - and it was both parties that took him down...

Soon as he spoke about too much corporate power, he was toast.

[whathehell]

19. Yes, and I believe they were getting ready to do the same

with John Edwards before he brought himself down.

[polichick]

20. I wouldn't doubt it.

[whathehell]

24. Do you remember how, after Edwards came in 2nd in the Iowa caucuses, he was strategically ignored?

I saw all three in a post-primary live, televised debate and, after, when the candidates

do the usual thing of interacting with the audience while the filming continues, the cameras

stayed exclusively on BHO and Hillary, ignoring Edwards COMPLETELY.

The obviousness was kind of shocking -- I'd never seen such transparently biased manipulation

on live television before.

[polichick]

25. I do recall it, now that you mention it. Such a rigged game.

[whathehell]

28. The fact that the media

seem more and more a product of the Corporatocracy is very scary, IMO.

[polichick]

34. It really is scary - part of the plan set into motion with...

the early think tanks. Brilliant but evil.

[pansypoo53219]

14. gnewz meeeedia coupe d'etat. the gerbils won.

[LAGC]

15. Could you imagine how different things would be right now had he somehow won in 2004?

Those last 4 years of Shrub really fucked this country over hard.

Instead of the last 4 years spent undoing the problems created by the previous administration, we'd be well on our way to prosperity by now.

So much opportunity wasted, thanks to the corporate MSM.

[bvar22]

16. 100% manufactured by the Corporate Media.

How EASY it is for them to Take Down ANYONE who looks like they may become a threat to their Money Machine.

They were ALL on message that night, leading naive Americans to believe that cheering loudly
to rally his troops is behavior that disqualifies him from becoming a President.

I wish we had recordings of some of Teddy Roosevelt's rallies.
I don't KNOW for sure, but I'll bet THAT guy BELLOWED like a BULL.

Dean's campaign was assassinated by the entrenched Leadership of this country.

[polichick]

18. Dean's crowds were so loud we couldn't hear him even...

when he screamed - that's how much people wanted change.

And look who was chosen to speak at that convention?

[joshcryer]

21. OMG :(

[LostOne4Ever]

23. A decade later

And I still don't see what ANYONE saw wrong about it

[raging moderate]

26. Maybe it's not too late.

If some people can have their "rebel yell," maybe the "Dean scream" could be revived. Let the Green Mountain Boys rise again!

[Jenoch]

29. I still do not understand why this speech derailed

his campaign.

[MadrasT]

30. I don't understand this either. n/t

[Douglas Carpenter]

33. his unabashed opposition to the invasion of Iraq and his use of populist language - even

though his overall positions and record was very much that of a centrist - put him at such odds with the mainstream media and what the established order considered respectable opinion - the knives had been out for some time - looking for something - anything. Given that respectable opinion maintained at the time that a Dean nomination would mean a landslide loss for the Democrats - the Democratic party establishment who already resented his opposition to the invasion of Iraq and his use of populist language were more than happy to play along with an image that would reinforce their view that Dean was something of a nut. Who else would oppose the invasion of Iraq and would unapologetically use the language of traditional grassroots Democratic Party populism except some kook? At least so thought the mainstream media and the Democratic Party establishment at the time.

[davidpdx]

31. Yeahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

Well the guy has a sense of humor being able to look back on it and laugh.

[AngryAmish]

32. The "I Have a Scream" speech.

[JNelson6563]

35. Remember how you looked forward to his downfall? I do.