NPR coverage of Dean this morning:

[AP]

Let's break this down.

NPR had clips of Dean calling for security and singing the national anthem. Why?

Well, I remember months ago, Edwards had anti-war protestors removed from his waiting room at his office (because they totally filled it) and then invited back the leader of the group into his office to sit with him and talk about the issues. The first part of this story was played up, and you never hear anyone refer to the second part. Why? Because it casts a Dem as being an anti-free speech authoritarian.

Dean calling "security! security!" rather than trying to engage with the guy did not sound good to the average NPR listener. Remember when Clinton engaged the heckler in Australia in 2001? Even "This American Life" ran a story last weekend about Bush I engaging a heckler. Dean calling for security was not cool.

Singing the nat'l anthem in his scratchy voice off key, I bet, will be perceived as odd.

Later they introduced the SOTU coverage with (roughly) this, "the democrats had the spotlight all day, and last night was the president's chance..."

I think that explains a great deal about the compare & contrast that NPR is engaged in.

[mistertrickster]

1. Still, it doesn't show Dean to be "angry," which is their usual tack.

eom

[cprise]

2. NPR: Non-Public Radio

That corporate/political charity's whole reason for existence is to present news as a novelty so ignorant people can feel informed and hip.

And they completely suck on international news, which is why most NPR affiliates need to run BBC World too.

[aquanut]

4. NPR sux

Bill O'Rielly told me so.

:-)

[AP]

9. And BBC's Africa coverage is sinful.

I'd worry about the souls of producers and reporters who work the Africa desk at BBC.

[cprise]

17. Thanks for reminding me they have one

...worth mentioning.

Unlike some networks.

[AP]

18. Africa would be better off if they didn't.

[RogueTrooper]

3. The meeting was invaded

by freepers waving confederate flags.

[Maddy McCall]

7. Confederate flags?

Was not that the kind of voter Dean said he planned to reach out to?

The point here is that Dean has failed to use forethought on how his mistakes will entrap him in the future.

He knows his every waking moment is on display--but he fails to think further than the moment.

[robsul82]

5. Well, Dean DID engage that freeper idiot...

...and got torn apart for that, so. The campaign of Howard Dean epitomizes the concept of damned if you do, damned if you don't.

Later.

RJS

[AP]

16. Calling for security is not 'engaging.' Did you hear This American Life?

Even Bush I could do this better than Dean. Ask this man:


What I Should've Said. People return to the scene of the crime where they should have spoken clearly, plainly, forcefully ... to review what the hell went wrong, and in a few cases, to fix it. Jonathan Goldstein tries to stop time. Charles Monroe tries to figure out how to teach a lesson to the President of the United States.

Pictured: Charles Monroe-Kane as a young, idealistic rabble-rouser who thought he could change the President of the United States' mind with one little question.
http://www.thislife.org/

[Maddy McCall]

6. Have you seen the video of the event?

It was indeed odd and only more fodder for speculation about his mental health.

I am not trying to antagonize anyone, but he does appear to be cracking.

[AP]

10. That's exactly what someone neutral-ish said to me this morning.

Did you hear Dean on NPR? He's falling apart.

[Comadreja]

14. Just his voice

Like the other candidates, Dean has a bad case of voice fatigue. I hope he paces himself from here on in.

[HFishbine]

8. Oh, the irony

Dean actually praised NPR at that event.

[AP]

11. Apparently he can't buy good coverage with compliments.

Build him up to take him down is what they've done with him since the beginning.

After Iowa, they know they can't ride that horse any more, so they're trying to take him down in a way that does as much damage to the Democrats as possible.

[Name removed]

13. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

12. But I thought you said NPR was pushing Dean.

My how quickly things change.

[AP]

15. This is EXACTLY what I said would happen.

I always says they were building him up to bring him down. Plan A was to build him up to win the nomination, and to tear him down during the General Election.

Psst. Iowa just proved that Plan A isn't going to happen. On to Plan B: tear him down so that they can tar the entire field of candidates in the process.

Evidence: In addition to today's coverage (contrasting him, and therefore the field with Bush in a really unhelpful way), all last week NPR puffed up Dean and ignored Kerry and especially Edwards. I guarantee you NPR knew what the polls were saying.

As soon as it's obvious that Dean's no longer viable, the tenor of the coverage has changed dramatically.

In fact, I'd say that when NPR turns on Dean, you know that his campaign is in serious trouble.

[pacifictiger]

19. It was my perception

that security was called because dean supporters and the hecklers were starting to get into a shoving match - he started the song as a distraction for everyone.

[AP]

20. cite?

[hellhathnofury]

21. These threads are getting old.

Write a letter to NPR but don't post these little rants every other day.