Hunting The Muse

You know, on New Hampshire night, no one on the news was discussing delegates. But I kept telling people: Look at the delegates, it's going to be about the delegates. I even posted two versions of the delegate count (which you can't get to because my host is down). Lo and behold, along comes the new campaign head, posting to the official Dean weblog, out in the open for all to see, that they strategy is a delegate-based strategy that's never been tried before.

Good for me.

The name of the game in politics is image and perception. This new strategy does not do anything to combat Dr. Dean's current image and perception of a candidate "in trouble!" The campaign is praying there will be enough resources to "fight" Kerry in the later "Super Tuesday" primaries. I understand the "why" of this strategy, but I don't understand what Roy is thinking. By all but acknowledging defeat on Feb. 3rd, Dean is commiting political suicide! If I did not know better, I think this is a conspiracy by the DLC to derail Dean before the National Convention!

Yeah... What Dean clearly needs is a context shift - something wild that will take the attention off of him being "beleaguered". I think Dean needs to make another one of those gaffes that seems bizarre at first and then makes incredible sense three days later.

Attacking John Kerry and the other Democratic hopefuls Howard is losing lots of supporters like me. The primaries are one of the few times Democrats have the attention of the media and can counter the Bush disinformation campaigns. Dean should be using this opportunity to hammer home the specifics of Bush's tax cuts, Medicare bill, environmental record, attitude toward labor and education and how he could do better.

I strongly agree with Dennis Phillips. I have been a dedicated supporter of Dean for over a year. I was drawn to his campaign because of the positive message for change and have worked very hard for him traveling to Iowa at my own expense (and I have been unemployed for the past year). But as Dr. Dean has progressed from defending himself against the attacks by the other candidates to now attacking the other candidates I have become increasingly more uncomfortable. I believe he needs to get back to the message that brought so many of us back into the party - the message that we DO have the power. Forget the attacks by the other candidates. Don't even respond. My late father used to tell me that "a man convinced against his will is of the same opinion still". Dr. Dean will not convert those who have already decided to support someone else. Trying just lessens the real message. He should use "laser" vision to stay on target, which is that we, the people, have the power to take back our government. It was ours in the first place.