Howard Dean's campaign is our "Meet John Doe" story

[Larkspur]

from Dana Blankenhorn's GreaterDemocracy op ed from July 5, 2003

Titled: What Gives?
http://www.greaterdemocracy.org/2003_07_01_gd.html

<SNIP>
<I>There was a lot of agonizing in Hollywood over the ending of Capra’s movie "Meet John Doe." It had to be changed, because it was looking dark. It was 1941, and Edward Arnold’s media mogul D.B. Norton had succeeded in defeating Gary Cooper and the John Doe clubs.

Cooper, as Doe, is ready to jump off a skyscraper on Christmas Eve, just to prove a point, that no one cares. Barbara Stanwyck, as the journalist who got him into this mess (she created the character and wrote the letter promising he would jump), reaches toward him, hugs him, begs him not to jump. Arnold and his powerful buddies arrive on the scene, but so do James Gleason (the crusty newspaper editor) and a rag-tag collection of John Doe Club members. It’s the extras, the Doe Club members, who keep Doe from jumping, not Stanwyck, and these are the people who carry him off the roof. Gleason sticks out his finger at Arnold, motions with his thumb back to the group, and barks, "The people. Try and beat that!" (Cue the credits.)

That’s the secret of the Dean Campaign. Yeah, it’s as corny as a Frank Capra movie. But the blogs, the campaign, the Meetups, they all deliver that same power, that same intimacy. They return Americans back to a sense of themselves as powerful, important, worthwhile.

And we need that. We need that now. We need that bad.

Howard Dean gave it to us. The feeling that we have the power. And we will see whether we do. </I>

Fellow Dean-ocrats, just remember the media in Capra's story created John Doe and broke his PR image, but The People, the little "John Does" rescued him in the end. Howard Dean rose to frontrunner status because his willingness to listen to us and champion our cause earned him our support. It's time fellow John and Jane Doe Dean-ocrats to keep the faith, keep hope alive in our hearts and work as hard as we can to help our candidate win.

[CMT]

1. good comparison

just like John Doe the vested interests: media, politicians, ect are going all out to try and stop him.

[cthrumatrix]

2. we aren't stopping...but the media understimated the backing and now is

rove's "pit bull" ...all smear all the time.

Every candidate makes errors and misquotes...lord knows shrub did...and we was protected like a saint.

[blm]

3. Yeah, right. Rove's "pitbull" helped Dean for most of last year.

They attacked or ignored the other candidates while focusing ONLY on horsereace and "process" stories that were proDean and featured his attacks on the other candidates and Dem party.

Why did they give him a press plane last June, yet all of the stories were process stories with none of the "reporters" bothering to examine his real record on issues he was using to attack the other candidates? Why did they hold off that closer scrutiny till they were sure he had the numbers to win the nomination?

Maybe to ridicule Democratic voters and will be blaming THEM for supporting an unexamined candidate?

[Larkspur]

4. Poppycock!

Dean earned the good press he got because
1) We the Dean Supports broke Clinton's fundraising record twice for our candidate,
2) Dean and his Campaign did things that worked or took guts to do while Kerry et all were smoozing with an ever shrinking circle of donors, and
3) Dean and his campaign continued to inspire us that we could take our country back non-violently through the political process.

Dean is a great civilian political leader. His Prez campaign is a testement to his listening skills and organizing ability.

[LuminousX]

5. They have their spin, don't expect them to change course now

It HAS to be Rove, that godlike beast. There can be no other explanation. Rove and the Media are the one and the same.

It is actually the weakest argument against Dean, but it is the only way to explain how Kerry lost frontrunner status. It couldn't have anything to do with ineffectual campaigning, which after Kerry fired some people and streamlined he suddenly is doing much better. Hmmm. Maybe the media is just building Kerry up right now.

Back in reality...