Howard Dean in PA...the age of "slick television commercials" is about over.

[madfloridian]

This was one of the crucial points of the antagonism with the DCCC during the last election. Sounds like he is really promoting the idea now.

Personal approach opens doors to victory

The age of slick television commercials winning campaigns in America is on the way out, Democratic National Chairman Howard Dean said Wednesday in Pittsburgh.
The key to victory today is knocking on more doors with direct appeals -- a resurgence of old-fashioned, grass-roots politics -- Dean, a former Vermont governor and unsuccessful candidate for president in 2004, told a rally of about 300 Democratic stalwarts and union organizers at Church Brew Works in Lawrenceville.

"The fact of the matter is politics is changing dramatically, and it's changing faster than most people understand," Dean said. "The era of the one-way campaign is rapidly coming to a close -- that is, you put on a 30-second ad and it's good enough to win elections.

"That's not good enough to win elections anymore. The younger generation and now all Americans are expecting more."

Democratic National Chairman Howard Dean greets an audience at a Democratic National Committee fundraiser Wednesday at Church Brew Works in Lawrenceville.
Justin Merriman/Tribune-Review

I thought about this today. The obscene amounts of money for the campaigns are going to go in great part to ads, either attacking or defending. Maybe someday the Rovian methods of attack will diminish. Maybe people will catch on.

Just think if some of the money going for such things could be used for the DNC to set exit polling. They are unveiling a program tomorrow to assess voter suppression in every county. That takes money, too. Maybe someday the hundreds of millions going to candidates could be spent like that.

[NoodleBoy]

1. w00t

[Drunken Irishman]

2. Man, I really wish Dean could be president.

I really wanted him to run in '08!

[Colobo]

3. Obama/Dean!

[Cha]

8. That's sweet but I don't

think either of them would go for that.:)

But, what do I know?

[rep the dems]

12. As much as I love Dean, strategically he wouldn't be the best choice,

We're not going to need help to win the northeast in '08 and Dean is from Vermont.

[Cha]

13. Dean is from Vermont but since

2004 he's been all over the place.

I just think Dean is best doing what he's doing now because there is no bounds.

I'm thinking Obama has his own VP in mind.

[Peace Patriot]

4. Millions and millions of dollars to the very people who have screwed us over--

the war profiteering corporate news monopolies--for campaign ads that will screw us over more, with 30 second soundbites and "family values" photos as a substitute for thought.

Our donations to our political candidates are going to the people who brought us 24/7 fascist propaganda and warmongering.

The irony boggles the mind.

We must our butts and out-fundraise the fascist money machine, and the our money goes to...the fuckers who brought us the Iraq War.

It's like Diebold scoring billions of our tax dollars for the new election theft machines, while the Diebold CEO raises money for Bush/Cheney (--a Bush/Cheney "Pioneer" right up there with Ken Lay). And like Diebold/ES&S getting teeth and claws into our vote counting system, and then fixing elections for Diebold/ES&S-friendly politicians, who keep those taxpayer dollars rolling in--for voting machine "upgrades" (when their machines routinely fail security tests), for on-going "servicing" contracts, to add printers for a "paper trail" if the voters get uppity, etc., etc.)

Both things are merry-go-rounds of corruption. I've been praying and waiting for years for a candidate who says "no ads!" and this catches on with the voters, who hunger for real representation in their government, through a word-of-mouth campaign. And now, of course, I hunger for a candidate who will say, "A paper ballot for every vote. Count all the votes in PUBLIC VIEW! It's THAT'S simple! You want to store data in fancy, new, expensive, extremely insecure and insider hackable, corporate-controlled electronics, and you can get the voters to agree to this? Fine! A paper ballot for every vote; count all the votes in PUBLIC VIEW--and you can use all the fancy machinery you can fob off on the public for everything else BUT the first public count!"

You notice how no candidates say this? It makes you wonder. Are they all either chicken (scared of Diebold/ES&S and their Bush Junta pals) or corrupt? How can the people who run for office NOT CARE that Bushite corporations are now "counting" all our votes under a veil of corporate secrecy? How can the people who run for office NOT CARE that most the money they raise goes to 5 rightwing billionaire media CEOs who hate our democracy?

I'm glad to hear Howard Dean questioning this system! And, kids, WE did it! We bloggers and the peace-hungry, justice-hungry great progressive American majority, who have had it with rigged voting machines, rigged "news," rigged political commentary and stupid campaign ads! Dean is reflecting what We, the People, have done! We are taking our country back from the Corporate Junta!

[madfloridian]

5. Good post.

:hi:

I agree that no candidate will accept this readily, not right now with the RNC wallowing in money. Funny thing, I read somewhere yesterday that the CA Repubs are in bad financial shape...but the main GOP commmittee is rolling in dough from their right wing base. Wonder if they will help CA out?

I need to find that article again.

[Cha]

9. Excellent POint!~ PeacePatriot..

Never thought of it in those obvious terms.

[wjmj]

16. Peace Patriot asks,

"Are they all either chicken...or corrupt? Ultimately, "they" would be us, We the People. So, both. Our age is one of fluid corruption. We the People standing on the banks of this massive flow are truly in shock and awe of its dynamics. We began by asking When will it end? Then we asked, How can we stop it? And now we ask, What does it all mean?

Fact is, we write the answer to this last question every time we apply reason to the appalling disgraces we daily witness. We, too, are corrupted chickens, not because we dare to be (which we do dare to be to the consternation of our foes), but because we have no place to go, no shelter from the saturation bombing of ideologues whose careers were purposefully engineered to flush us from our privileges and destroy us.

"Blah, blah, woof-woof on down the line." J. Hendrix, Woodstock, '69

[madfloridian]

6. Kick.

.

[Cha]

7. Looky those fortunate peeps

about to shake the hand of the man who's taking grass roots to the exponential! :D :hi:

[madfloridian]

10. Video of his Yearly Kos speech.....excellent. Enforcing this idea.

Speaking of voting reform.

Standing up for us.

http://www.yearlykosconvention.org/node/724

Says we have to earn the power every two years...that is ok to make polticians squirm...it is not about them.

He talks of the good things that Congress has done. 0oops not a popular thing here to speak well of the Dems.

Introduced by Sam Seder.

[madfloridian]

11. Even raising his voice a little.

Good for him.

[Mister Ed]

14. Dean is the man. And this is the party of the people.

And the people are gonna take this country back.

[tom_paine]

15. May you be correct about that, Dr. Dean

[truedelphi]

17. The State oF California saw Debra Bowen

The victor over her Republican counterpart and opponent.

The TV ads spending done by the Republicans was quite lavish - so lavish that the local Sacramento NBC station interviewed the opponent the night of the elction- treating her as though she had already won.

But the grassroots phone banking and email carried the state for Bowen.

Activism works! Dean is aware of this. he always seems to be a sensible and unswayable person -
a visionary.

[defendandprotect]

18. More Dean -- !!!!! Less DLC -- !!!! Love Dean -- !!!!

Some in the DLC have tried to do harm to Dean -- they should go!!

We should also know which of the presidential candidates are part of the right-wing DLC and which aren't?

Does anyone know?

[Time for change]

19. I sure as hell hope he's right

[tnlefty]

20. I loved the KOS speech, and seeing 2 of my favs, Sam and Howard

in the same clip! :hi:

Thanks again.