Howard Dean's Trick (It's the message, stupid)

[killbotfactory]

Pundits are starting to wake up.

It's true that the Dean campaign's Web site is well-designed and welcoming to visitors. But to credit the Internet with Howard Dean's surge makes about as much sense as much-earlier Republicans who convinced themselves that FDR was politically unbeatable because "he was so terrific on radio," just as Democrats were, later, certain that Ronald Reagan's enormous popularity was because he "was so terrific on TV."

In each case, the opposition's solution was identical. Republicans "only" had to find a candidate who was as good on radio as FDR, and Democrats had "simply" to locate the Gipper's equal on the tube.

Make no mistake about it. It is not the medium -- radio, TV or the Internet -- which enlists and converts voters to a cause. It is the message -- what the candidate stands for and communicates -- that touches and moves voters.

At a time when a large chunk of the Democratic Party membership was strongly opposed to President George W. Bush and his advocacy of a pre-emptive U.S. war against Iraq, the leadership of the Democratic Party -- especially "first-tier" presidential candidates Sens. John Kerry of Massachusetts, Joe Lieberman of Connecticut and John Edwards of North Carolina, along with Rep. Richard Gephardt of Missouri -- stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the Republican president. Howard Dean spoke to -- and for -- the millions of Democrats who were against that war.

That is message! Now, when the most recent CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll asks, "All in all, do you think the situation in Iraq was worth going to war over or not?" and a growing 42 percent of Americans answer, "No," it is understandable why, to more than a few Democrats, Dean looks to be wise, as well as brave.

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[Egnever]

1. Bout damn time!

I was starting to think they would never do thier research. It saddens me to see they still think its just his war stance but at least they are begining to get it.

[dajabr]

2. Gotta kick this!

They are starting to "get" it!

[blm]

3. Seems to me that dennis Kucinich stood with the millions who protested

the war. Dean was FOR the Biden-Lugar bill plan for military force in Iraq. He also never offered to speak in FRONT of the protestors while raking in the antiwar cash and support that should have been directed more towards Dennis Kucinich.

[killbotfactory]

4. What is wrong with Biden-Lugar?

It would have forced Bush to work through the UN or present evidence that Iraq was an imminent threat to the US before military action, a condition Dean says has never been met, and would not have authorized regime change.

Even Kucinich said he would support military action if Iraq was proven to be an imminent threat to the US.

[dajabr]

5. Switching horses?

Giving up on bashing Dean via Kerry, blm? What a pathetic strategy, and that whole Kerry Pro-War, Kucinich Anti-War thing must be giving you fits. How do you manage to keep it straight? Let me guess... Pro-War on the even days, right?

[Duder]

6. I liked the part about a...

..." covey of the puffy, pink-faced, predatory-lipped politicians who had so dominated Massachusetts politics before he had taken over." Noting their "envious faces" as the candidate spoke, Richard Donahue, a Kennedy aide observed: "You know they can't understand this. They think he has a trick. They're listening to him because they think if they learn the trick, they can be president, too."