Tuesday, January 06, 2004
Again, media misses the story on Dean
Jim VanDeHei of WaPo writes:
As usual, the Beltway Press focuses on style: Dean is moderating his tone, etc. Yawn.
The real story is that an "ordinary" citizen (the nurse) was willing to go on record and serve on Dean's behalf, and that the Dean campaign was smart enough—and trusting enough—to allow her to do so. This is a great indicator of what the Dean campaign could be about—"ordinary" citizens doing politics (gasp). Who wants to bet that the nurse joined the Dean campaign through a meetup or a house party?
The nice thing about this model (if it is a model) is that it scales. It leverages the new style of organization that the Dean campaign has created. Wars can still be won by troops on the ground, regardless of the multi-million dollar air war Bush is about to unleash on TV.
In recent days, he has been dismissive when other Democrats go after him, sending staff members -- or even a nurse from a local hospital -- to rebut the attacks so he can stay away from the bickering. In Sunday's debate, Dean was uncharacteristically calm as he brushed off criticism about his record as governor and his penchant for making controversial or contradictory statements. "As you know, I have a reputation for saying exactly what I think. And while the words may not be precise, the meaning is not hard to figure out," he said.
As usual, the Beltway Press focuses on style: Dean is moderating his tone, etc. Yawn.
The real story is that an "ordinary" citizen (the nurse) was willing to go on record and serve on Dean's behalf, and that the Dean campaign was smart enough—and trusting enough—to allow her to do so. This is a great indicator of what the Dean campaign could be about—"ordinary" citizens doing politics (gasp). Who wants to bet that the nurse joined the Dean campaign through a meetup or a house party?
The nice thing about this model (if it is a model) is that it scales. It leverages the new style of organization that the Dean campaign has created. Wars can still be won by troops on the ground, regardless of the multi-million dollar air war Bush is about to unleash on TV.
