Howard Dean tries, and fails, to stay above the fray.

[Feanorcurufinwe]

Howard Dean tried, he really did. With the press huddled in the assistant principal's office at Manchester's Central High School, he's responding to charges from John Kerry that he's a "flimflam artist" who will say and do anything—"pander" to the NRA, stand with Newt Gingrich, flip-flop on NAFTA, Social Security, and the Confederate flag—to get elected. Dean's trying to play the front-runner, to not let his temper or his mouth get the better of him.

<snip>

This is probably smart politics on Dean's part, but it's awfully disappointing. Just a little more than an hour earlier, he had turned to Jodi Wilgoren of the New York Times and said, "We're going to have a press avail later and blast Kerry." Dean's New Hampshire state director, Karen Hicks, looked surprised. Make sure we have the local press, too, Dean tells her.

What's he going to say? No one but Dean appears to know. Dorie Clark, the New Hampshire communications director, has no idea what I'm talking about when I ask her. Matthew Gardner, the campaign's New Hampshire press secretary, responds with a similar reaction when I tell him Dean said he was going to "blast Kerry." "He did?" Gardner says. "You're getting good insight into our speechwriting process." Later, when Wilgoren asks Gardner about it, he says, "We don't know if it's gonna happen yet."

But at 9:45 a.m., the assembled reporters are shuttled into the assistant principal's office. The press waits in the front section, around the administrative assistant's desk, while Dean and his team huddle in the next room. As the door closes, I see Dean seated at a chair in the center of the room, with his aides standing around him. I feel like Kay at the end of The Godfather, except the door that shut in her face didn't have a Garfield poster on it. Actually, Dean is closer to Sonny, and I think his aides are urging him not to go to war.

<snip>

But when Dean comes out from behind the Garfield door, he's mouthing these second-rate platitudes. "I'm not going to attack Sen. Kerry in this press conference"
http://slate.msn.com/id/2091014/

[whirlygigspin]

1. how refreshing

thank you for a wonderful article on doors.

[Feanorcurufinwe]

3. We want the world and we want it... Now!

What have they done to the earth?
What have they done to our fair sister?
Ravaged and plundered and ripped her and bit her
Stuck her with knives in the side of the dawn
And tied her with fences and dragged her down

I hear a very gentle sound
With your ear down to the ground
We want the world and we want it...
We want the world and we want it...
Now
Now?
Now!

http://www.lyricsdomain.com/lyrics/8584/

[quinnox]

2. Dean and second-rate

Those words go together.

Dean - ultimate panderer.

[LuminousX]

4. This tactic isn't working, time for Plan B

Whether you think Dean is a panderer or not, the fact of the matter is he is garnering an increasing amount of support. If you want to stop him, you'll have to try something different than calling him a liar and panderer - that tactic isn't working. You must do something better.

[Feanorcurufinwe]

5. It's not a 'tactic' - it's the truth.

Perhaps the 'tactic' of showing what a phony and liar Bush is, isn't working. Does that mean we should stop?

[LuminousX]

8. No, but we have more time with Bush

But please, continue down this path. I don't mind if Dean gets the nomination.

[Feanorcurufinwe]

10. Reverse psychology?

lol

[LuminousX]

14. Nope, I'm pretty transparent

When I watch sports, I don't cheer on a specific team, I cheer on the game. I want to see a good game which requires both sides to play to their full potential.

Dean's numbers have gone up even with all the negative attacks against him (legitimate or not). Which means he needs to be 'attacked' in a different way. People tune out one politician calling another politician a panderer. Politician, in people's minds, is the same as a panderer. Ditto with liar.

I still think the most effective attack against Dean, if I were campaigning against him, is to paint him as a person who tries to do the right thing, but lacks the development of policies and plans that only a seasoned Senator/Congressman/War General could have. Essentially juvenelize him. Don't insult his intelligence, just bring attention that maybe his flip-flops, waffles, and struggles with the 'truth' are signs of his struggle trying to find himself. We don't need a President who still doesn't know what he thinks on all these different issues.

[Feanorcurufinwe]

19. I agree with your title line.

[Name removed]

24. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[RevolutionStartsNow]

6. Great article, thanks

The reporter seemed genuinely disappointed that Dean didn't tear into Kerry. But that's the media for you.

[Kahuna]

12. No. I think what the reporter is saying is...

Dean MISLED them into assembling by saying he was going to "blast" Kerry. When they got their Dean gave them pablum instead of the fiery rhetoric they were expecting.

[RevolutionStartsNow]

25. So?

Is this an attempt to insinuate that Dean is a liar? Sounds like he was pissed, was going to mouth off about Kerry (who is mad and mouthing off about Dean all the time these days) and was talked out of it. Life goes on. The reporter did not sound particularly outraged. :shrug:

[deutsey]

7. I'd be pissed off too if people were misrepresenting things I've said

Each of those items listed in the first paragraph are not as black and white (no pun on the Confederate thing) as people like Kerry make them out to be. I think when these things are placed within their proper context, it makes the accusers and the media look like idiots. I'll still vote for Kerry if he gets the nomination, but I tell you, the more I hear from him lately, the more I feel like I'll be holding my nose if I push that electronic voting machine button for him that probably won't register my vote anyway. :evilgrin:

[killbotfactory]

9. Kerry will now bash Dean for flip-flopping on the press conference.

And then cry himself to sleep thinking about his floundering campaign.

[Feanorcurufinwe]

11. Dean's flip-flopped on enough real issues

that it would be tough to attack him on all of them...

[killbotfactory]

13. Yeah, Dean's done such a dramatic about face since the early 90's

It's no wonder Dean is imploding.

[LuminousX]

It has been so effective up to today, I'm sure Kerry is very happy

[RevolutionStartsNow]

15. Attack him, don't attack him

Attacking him gets press for Dean rather than Kerry. And fires up Dean's base.

Not attacking him isn't much of a strategy either.

Recent polling, both nationally and in the early primary states, seems to back this up.

[Scott Lee]

23. Kerry reminds me of Shooter McGavin on "Happy Gilmore"

"Listen you little upstart. This is SHOOTER'S tour. Shooter has paid his dues and now it's SHOOTER'S turn to wear that jacket!" - Shooter McGavin, to Happy Gilmore (Adam Sandler)

Life imitates Hollywood.

[quinnox]

16. You might be Howard Dean if...

you are a phoney who pretends to be a liberal.

You might be Howard Dean if you missed your calling as a CULT leader.

You might be Howard Dean if the music theme of your campaign should be the score from the movie "Titanic".

[LuminousX]

18. Woo-Hoo, A Cult Reference... Oh Yeah!

[Scott Lee]

22. You might be a Dean Hater if...

You scream about "flip flops" as if it's not a great liberal trait to change your mind due to new information

You see Howard Dean's face in your dreams, in your mashed potatoes, EVERYWHERE!

You hate Dean so bad that you'd rather see another 4 years of Bush

You wear ignorance as a badge of honor

You are boycotting Vermont maple syrup products

You see no reason to change democratic party strategies, as they have worked so very well over the last few years.

[Scott Lee]

17. "Dean's trying to play the front-runner..."

Um, folks....he *IS* the front runner.

And that drives the Dean Haterz absolutely nuts. I love this stuff!

[LuminousX]

20. If he wasn't the front runner, would they even care about him?

[Feanorcurufinwe]

21. No.