Howard Dean, Howard Fineman in forum in Vermont....media, politics.

[madfloridian]

Dotty Lynch and others were there as well. Looks like a good group. I admire Dean's ability to keep a sense of humor about the 04 race, and he never passes the buck at all.

http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060426/NEWS02/604260307/1007

Dean reflects on his presidential race, role of media

Former Gov. Howard Dean said Tuesday his 2004 presidential campaign was derailed more by his inability to adjust to being a front-runner than with how he was treated by the media during his upstart bid for the White House.

"I was never able to successfully switch gears and be seen as someone who could be president of the United States," Dean said. "You have to do that to be president."

....."Dean, who has rarely discussed what went wrong with his once high-flying bid for the presidency, made the remarks at a University of Vermont symposium on the role of media in the making and breaking of political heroes.

..."Howard Wolfson, a past communications adviser to Sens. Hillary Clinton and Charles Schumer, both New York Democrats, said the media no longer has "gatekeepers" like former CBS anchor Walter Cronkite to set standards for what passes for news.

There is a video clip at this site, and a couple of interesting quotes from Dean.

http://www.wcax.com/Global/story.asp?s=4819097

"One of the reasons there are so few heroes is because the willingness to succeed in politics by any means necessary has become an art form," said Dean.

..."Negative campaigning has been around since the days of Thomas Jefferson, but now it has a much broader reach.

"The problem is, it works. It appeals to the worst instincts of the American people so both sides use it. There's not much high mindedness in politics because you couldn't survive. If you did, someone would hire a private investigator to see if you had an affair 25 years ago," said Dean.

Former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean (left) laughs as fellow panelists Howard
Fineman, chief political correspondent for Newsweek magazine, and Dotty
Lynch, fellow at Harvard University's JFK School of Government and former
senior political editor of CBS News, divulge the names of their personal
heroes. The panel talked before a near capacity audience at the University
of Vermont's Ira Allen Chapel in Burlington on Tuesday.
ALISON REDLICH, Free Press

[Stevepol]

1. I don't believe "negative campaigning" works. Here's why:

..."Negative campaigning has been around since the days of Thomas Jefferson, but now it has a much broader reach. The problem is, it works. It appeals to the worst instincts of the American people so both sides use it. There's not much high mindedness in politics because you couldn't survive."



Where's the evidence? And don't tell me the 04 election because Kerry won the 04 election by a wide margin. It wasn't even close. The electronic voting machines gave Bush the election, not "negative campaigning." If anything, the smear campaign of the swift boaters et al. actually hurt the Repubs.

Same thing can be said of Max Cleland when he was smeared. I feel absolutely sure that Cleland won that election handily and probably by more votes as a result of the smears.

So where's the evidence that negative campaigning works?

The reason the Dems start to believe this lie is because they have accepted a far bigger lie: namely, that we have a democracy where the vote results reported are a reflection of the way people actually voted. If they would inform themselves about the facts they would know better.

[madfloridian]

2. Negative campaigning works quite well.

There are many bruised politicians who know it.

[JNelson6563]

10. How many hate Hillary but don't really know why?

I'm not talking about those of us who know politics and have no use for her. I mean the masses who don't really follow the political world but know for sure that they hate her. Gee, I'm sure that doesn't have anything to do with a 12 year hate campaign from the GOP.

Julie

[madfloridian]

12. Exactly right.

Not only that, but I still hear people talk about Gore and the internet invention. Attacks stick. They can be overcome, but they do work.

[Cha]

3. Dean is the kind of person who

takes the lemon and makes a lemonaid stand and moves on. And he looks good, too.

I like what Howard Wolfson said.."..."Howard Wolfson, a past communications adviser to Sens. Hillary Clinton and Charles Schumer, both New York Democrats, said the media no longer has "gatekeepers" like former CBS anchor Walter Cronkite to set standards for what passes for news."

The media and this country is badly in need of a "gatekeeper"!

[Jai4WKC08]

5. Hogwash

I was just about to reply to the OP that "the media no longer has 'gatekeepers,'" is about as big a lie I've heard recently other than the ones coming from the GOP.

Don't kid yourself. The corporate media has their gatekeepers. The only difference is the standard they use. If Cronkite was gatekeeping, he was doing it based on what he thought people needed to know to be informed citizens. The media now does it based on what will increase corporate profits, by keeping Repubs in power (what corporation doesn't benefit by that?), and the public entertained and diverted from what is really going on.

[madfloridian]

6. I did not say it, Wolfson said it....you seem to be saying the same.

.."..."Howard Wolfson, a past communications adviser to Sens. Hillary Clinton and Charles Schumer, both New York Democrats, said the media no longer has "gatekeepers" like former CBS anchor Walter Cronkite to set standards for what passes for news."

They have different gatekeepers. Corporate ones. Aren't you and Wolfson saying almost the same thing?

So I think we are all agreeing.

[Jai4WKC08]

8. Maybe I'm misunderstanding...

I knew you didn't say it. I only meant that I was gonna reply directly to your OP.

But I thought Wolfson was telling a whopper, that "the media no longer has gatekeepers" (like they used to have when Cronkite was around). You seem to think he meant that their gatekeepers are not like Cronkite. I would agree with the latter. I didn't hear how it was said; perhaps that would make his meaning more clear.

But zidzi said, "The media and this country is badly in need of a "gatekeeper"! So I think he/she was interpreting the sentence the way I did. If not, well, it really doesn't matter.

I'm sick to death of media gatekeepers. No one, not even a great man like Cronkite, should have that much power. It's too easy to abuse.

[madfloridian]

9. I see what you mean.

I just took it as wishing for someone like Cronkite. Actually in my view we need regulation of the media again, like the Fairness Doctrine...something.

[Jai4WKC08]

11. Oh, I agree with you there

We need a Fairness Doctrine, and controls on consolidation. But they need to be administered by some sort of independent agency, not the media itself. And not the federal executive, unless a truly bipartisan effort. Even then, I probably wouldn't trust it. The Democratic Party establishment has as much interest in controlling the media for their own purposes as the GOP and would likely be just as inclined to abuse the power.

But I'm not holding my breadth that anything will change. If anyone speaks out for media regulation (like Clark did in his campaign) they get cut out by the gatekeepers.

[madfloridian]

13. And may I point out that Dean's appearance on Hardball....

about re-regulating started the downturn in media coverage.

[shance]

4. Dean is presidential. Dean is powerful. That is why he was stopped.

It is true to witness in the Washington dysfunctionality, and how individuals are driven by the 'end justifying the means' mantra, and will engage in whatever means necessary, even when its wrong to elevate them to positions they are not worthy of, nor have the level of maturity to handle such positions of power.

Dishonesty and corruption have become a most perverse artform indeed, where namely a white male wealthy insulated establishment doles out rules for everyone else, but none for themselves.

It's not about who's the best person for the job.

It's more about connections, money and manufactured entitlement. It seems now its about who's going to sell their soul to take the job and go to the mat for their own glory.

That seems to be my observation.

Dean clearly to me was the best man for the job, and for America.

What concerns me about our country, is I believe it was specifically BECAUSE Governor Dean was the most qualified, dedicated and overall best suited, that he was stopped by the over-wealthed establishment and power- addicted corporate interests.

[madfloridian]

7. Another comment and a pic.

An interesting comment from a GOP spokesman at the forum:

"Ron Kaufman, a longtime GOP consultant and adviser to President George H.W.
Bush, acknowledged "the genie is out of the bottle" when it comes to
personal attacks on public figures -- for both major political parties.
"Both sides went over the top in the last campaign," Kaufman said."

Well, actually, it was their side who was so much out of line.



Gov. Howard Dean shakes hands with special guests and panel members as he
walks into Ira Allen Chapel at the University of Vermont on Tuesday
afternoon. Dean was one of six panelists speaking on the topics of "The
Media and the Public Trust: The Making and Breaking of Political Heroes" at
the 2nd Annual Tribute to the late Charlie Ross.
ALISON REDLICH, Free Press