January 29, 2004
Say It Ain't So, Joe
Joe Trippi resigns and has been replaced by Al Gore’s former go-to guy. Someone had to leave after Kerry’s rear assault. Trippi wouldn’t know me if he fell on me but I remember him from the Mondale-Ferraro campaign. I remember a guy who was a bundle of energy without any real regard for people. I can’t say what he’s like today or if he’s mellowed with age — although his hair is grey rather than black now. He’s a political machine who knew what he was doing — and should be credited for what he did for Dean. But Internet strength doesn’t mean real strength (ie votes). And now Dean has brought in Roy Neel, a consumate Washington insider. It’s another sign of a dying campaign.
But I’m not sure Dean was really ever so high as to have “fallen,” despite what the media says. Dean’s rise mirrors the Internet boom which was inhabited by many who insisted they had a product that worked. Eventually you found out that the product only existed in theory — or the costs were ludicrously high. That was the real problem with the Internet boom — too many idea guys, too few implementors. The Internet bubble didn’t burst — it just ran out of hot air. Which is exactly what I think is happening to Howard Dean. I’m sure Trippi will land on his feet somewhere — guys like that always do.
Posted by 9thwave at January 29, 2004 12:29 PMI won’t consider the campaign “dead” even if Dean drops out or loses the nomination. Why? The other campaigns have been forced to implement elements of Dean’s campaign in their own.
If Kerry gets the nomination, some of his platform are going to be things Dean prompted him to implement. The message is out there, regardless of the eventual candidate.
Posted by: ceejayoz at January 29, 2004 01:02 PMI beg to differ. Bringing in Roy Neel seems to be a sign of a more concerted effort to propel Howard Dean to the White House in November. With a little more research, it is obvious that not only is Roy Neel not your typical lobbyist (he only did it for a short time to spend time with his kids), but also he never lobbied Washington at all as an advocate for telecoms.
Calling Roy Neel a “consumate Washington insider” is a misinformed opinion. He has experience with President Clinton’s campaigns and Vice Pres. Gore’s campaign and it is expected he will give the Dean campaign what it needs to win the nomination and go forward.
Posted by: Anthony at January 29, 2004 11:21 PMDean has inadvertently provided too many 30 second zinger images and soundbites to the RNC to win against Bush. I respected his passion and his insightful thinking on the Iraq invasion. Too bad, in that regard. In my opinion, however, he lacks the ability to inspire the nation to make the committments to long term solutions for the decades they will require to be solved -environment, FEC overhaul, voting laws overhaul, and restructuring of government/corporate relationships to position our economy to survive globalization.
Posted by: David R. Remer at January 30, 2004 03:03 AMUh, who of the other guys possess the “ability to inspire the nation to make the committments?”
Posted by: pletzs at January 30, 2004 02:56 PMPletzs, none yet. Campaigns have a way of opening the door for personal political growth for candidates. They all have the potential as did Bush, who wasted it on political expediency and power retention.
Bush had the right message on the campaign trail, but failed to grow into that message and live up to his promise of being a combiner, not a divider, or whatever that phrase was.
Posted by: David R. Remer at January 31, 2004 07:05 AMHere is Deans reality, and why his ranting about the other candidates is nothing more than a smoke screen to cover the disaster he left behind in Vermont
“Dean’s record, however, shows just the opposite. Remember, when Dean took office there were no Wal-Marts in Vermont; there was no Home Depots; Burlington’s downtown was dominated by local stores not the national chains that now rule the roost; there were 36% more small farmers in existence; there were no 100,000-hen mega-farms; and sprawl wasn’t a word on the tip of everyone’s tongue.
Interestingly, Dean told the Free Press last week that he wished the rest of “the country were more like Vermont.” But it certainly seems Dean has been doing his best to make Vermont more like the rest of the country.:
Anti big business? Green? For the People?
NOT, he was and is no different than the rest, say and do anything to grab power.
What not enought evidence?
Here read it and weep from thoses he left behind his fellow Vermonters.
