Saturday, January 31, 2004
That zany Howard Dean! What could he possibly do next? Well, the New York Times reports New Dean Campaign Strategy Leap-Frogs Over 13 States.
That's right, his next big primary is in Wisconsin after an impressive spate of 3rd place finishes. I quote:
The Dean campaign has this remarkable ability to recast itself with utter solemnity: "We're going to do (A)!! Actually, we're going to do (B)!! No, I told you, we're really set on (C)!!" Still, this strikes me as the desperation phase. Both Kerry and Edwards, and maybe even Lieberman and Clark will be picking up states on the next round. Maybe one of the latter will drop out, but Edwards is likely to stay a contender unless he loses in South Carolina. A strong showing in Michigan, even a second place showing, would give him momentum in Wisconsin, whereas most voters will see Dean as dead in the water if he's still sporting a goose egg by that date.
This kind of insistent, back-of-the-envelope style of campaign strategizing points to a surfeit of ego and a deficit of plain common sense - apparently a real problem out in Deanland.
That's right, his next big primary is in Wisconsin after an impressive spate of 3rd place finishes. I quote:
- Our goal for the next two and a half weeks is simple: become the last-standing alternative to John Kerry after the Wisconsin primary on Feb. 17," said Roy Neel, the new chief executive of the Dean campaign. "We may not win any Feb. 3 state, but even third-place finishes will allow us to move forward, continue to amass delegates in Virginia and Tennessee on Feb. 10, and then strongly challenge Kerry in Wisconsin.
The Dean campaign has this remarkable ability to recast itself with utter solemnity: "We're going to do (A)!! Actually, we're going to do (B)!! No, I told you, we're really set on (C)!!" Still, this strikes me as the desperation phase. Both Kerry and Edwards, and maybe even Lieberman and Clark will be picking up states on the next round. Maybe one of the latter will drop out, but Edwards is likely to stay a contender unless he loses in South Carolina. A strong showing in Michigan, even a second place showing, would give him momentum in Wisconsin, whereas most voters will see Dean as dead in the water if he's still sporting a goose egg by that date.
This kind of insistent, back-of-the-envelope style of campaign strategizing points to a surfeit of ego and a deficit of plain common sense - apparently a real problem out in Deanland.
