Dean lost. I felt it coming for about a week now but it still hurts. Especially the margin with which Dean lost... I already has consoled myself with a second place aout 4 to 5 points behind Kerry but never in my most defeatist dreams I ilagined athirdplace 20 points behind the winner...
So now I'd have to ask myself the question... WHY did he lose...
An important factor to Dean's dimise has been the hostility of the media... the jumped on Dean for weeks while giving the other candidates a pass... Their gaffes and contradictions were ignored, Dean's were looked upon under a magnifying glass. I wonder wether they will be holding Kerry to the same standard the next couple of weeks? Probably not. Dean bashing seems to be a favorite media sport.
Dean and Gephard turned on eachother and destroyed themselves. Handily aided by the fact that a sanctimonous Kerry while claiming to be opposed to "negativity" was running a very dirty campaign. Isn't it coincidental that Kerry's rise in the polls started when he began to push poll? I believe he has been succesfully push polling for ten days... something entirely in line with his character (remember how he broke the agreement with Weld not to go negative or spend more than agreed to in 1996)
What's next? New Hampshire. Personally I don't think Dean will win there anymore... Kerry already was on the rebound in NH for a couple of days before the IA caucuses and with this huge success he'll carry his momentum into NH and probably surge past Dean now (only 8 points separate them now).
Now, If Dean loses NH, he'll be in the ropes... With two losses under his belt I foresee great difficulties for making a comeback... and therefore must conclude that Dean is doomed. But I'll stand by my man till the last charge...
And with this I also conclude that America is doomed. Kerry will never defeat the Bush machine. He has too many vulnerabilities which the media has ignored up to now. Rove would just love to smear Dukakis lt.gov. After all, Kerry is a real Massachussets Liberal and will be painted as such...
Also Kerry lost my vote... his negativity and smear have turned me away from him. I WILL NEVER VOTE FOR JOHN KERRY. I dispise the man... Untill now I disliked him but now I totally dispise him. I could vote for Edwards and even Clark but never for the two sanctimonous senatorial pricks Lieberman or Kerry.