Shakeup at Dean for America

It was perhaps inevitable after Dean's weak Iowa and NH results. A major staff shakeup in Burlington. Dean's media firm, Trippi, McMahon and Squires -- the source of Dean's crappy campaign ads -- is apparently out. And Trippi himself may or may not be gone. Either way, he's no longer campaign manager.

The sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Dean told congressional supporters in a telephone conference call that he was installing Roy Neel as campaign CEO. Dean added that campaign manager Joe Trippi would remain on the payroll, the source said.

But another source said that Trippi had decided to depart the campaign rather than accept the change.

What Trippi built with the Dean campaign was amazing. Unprecedented. But the results weren't there. And in this biz, there's no margin for error.

Kerry was able to parlay his staff shakeup into great success, but he had a lot more time to work with. Roy Neel, former Gore chief of staff, won't have the luxury of time nor the deep pockets that DFA once boasted. The campaign blew through a lot of clams in blowing IA and NH.

Every indication is that Dean insists on competing in every Feb 3 state. It ain't gonna happen. He'll have to focus on a handful, just like the others will, and hope he gets the results to buy more time.

•  Iowa Spending

  I suspect that the burn rate of funds in Iowa upset the frugal Dean as much as the result. Press reports suggest that the campaign spent $10 million in Iowa. The "go for broke" strategy to win Iowa and New Hampshire was certainly defensible, but to spend $10 million in Iowa was not. If you can't win Iowa with $5 million, your odds of winning it with $10 million are not much better. Money is an instrument to get a campaign where it wants to be (it is a necessary condition); spending more than that is vastly overrated. An extra $5 million for Dean now would certainly come in handy.

  by Ben Brackley on Wed Jan 28, 2004 at 07:49:40 PM PDT

  •  Spending, ads, etc.

    Right. The internet-fueled grassroots movement (and the decision to step back and let people do their thing in a decentralized way) was brilliant. Nothing about Trippi's resignation or Dean's non-success in IA and NH changes this. Trippi gets an A+ for the fundraising model, too. It really made a difference.

    Developing the media strategy, organizing for caucuses, and honing the candidate message -- building upon grassroots strength -- are entirely different things, though. I found it ominous that the campaign was limiting access to Dean -- if you could learn one thing thing from both Bush and McCain, it's that you butter the press up and give them access. It's beyond me why Dean chose to accept a siege mentality.

    $7 to 10 mil for Iowa alone. Wow. Given that IA is (this year) instrumental in selecting the nominee, Trippi's go-for-broke strategy there stills seems the smart move. He read the winds correctly. The execution was the problem -- the Perfect Storm, the inability to get the 1s to the caucuses -- and Dean himself got off message (it's not all Trippi's fault, of course).

    Feel free to call me on this shit. I have zero experience running campaigns and it's easy for me to sit here and call it like I see it. Anyhoo, if I get this full-time job I'm pursuing, I'm going to pony up to the Dean coffers.

    by sakitume on Wed Jan 28, 2004 at 08:48:25 PM PDT

    •  There's also

      the failure to organize, choose and properly train precinct captains.  I think that's probably as big a crime in IA as any.

      by ogre on Wed Jan 28, 2004 at 09:07:31 PM PDT

      •  You nailed it...

        .... exactly.  When I read the reporting on what actually happened at the precincts, I couldn't believe it.  You can't expect other voters to come to you just because you sit there!  

        That, and then throwing good money after bad ... ugh.  

        by ryan b on Wed Jan 28, 2004 at 09:29:20 PM PDT

        •  I love Joe but...

          I am glad that there is a change. Iowa and NH are unforgiveable, we had the best message, momentum and money.

          I also think...(I have no proof)...Dean works better with Alpha women (Judy, Kate, Karen)... perhaps because he is a Scorpio. All water like and intuitive and stuff...

          by Chicken Little on Wed Jan 28, 2004 at 10:23:36 PM PDT

          •  Chicken Little

            Do you know what Kerry is?  Just curious!

            mwjeepster

            by mwjeepster on Wed Jan 28, 2004 at 10:27:26 PM PDT

            •  Sagitarius

              by Chicken Little on Wed Jan 28, 2004 at 10:39:49 PM PDT

    •  It's not just the press

      It's also the local politicos. I think that's part of Dean's failure in Iowa. Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but the storm felt like being decended on by a plague of locusts. Here were all these out of staters doing things in Iowa. You'd think that Harkin could have opened some doors for Dean with local people, but then did Kerry and Edwards already have them wrapped up? (Oh and Gep) I don't know, but for me Dean's grassroots in Iowa felt like new lain sod. Yes it was real grass, but the roots weren't there.

      by Gary on Wed Jan 28, 2004 at 09:19:49 PM PDT

      •  Iowa?

        I thought it was more like that the Iowa Democrats were trying to think like party bosses, and failing.

        They bought the line that Dean was an upstart, instead of a budget-balancing, non-anti-gun, rural state, anti-war Democrat.

        They were figuring that Kerry wasn't easily destroyable in a general election by the GOP machine.

        At least, that's how I figure it.

        by JoshNarins on Wed Jan 28, 2004 at 09:28:08 PM PDT

        •  Funny

          The caucus I was at it was more like the Dean people were too stuck up to listen to anyone else. But I'm far from a scientific sample.

          Having finally seen a real live caucus it's getting people in the rooms with the voters twisting arms and jawboning that seems to be worth more than lots and lots of ads.

          Personally I hope the race stays active with no real clear front runner for as long as possible. People talk about how Kerry needs to kill off Edwards and Clark, but the way I see it the longer they're all in the race (assuming the races don't go overly negative) the longer Rove and Co. aren't quite sure who to start working against.

          by Gary on Wed Jan 28, 2004 at 09:57:37 PM PDT

    •  Net Forces not meshed w/ Feet on the ground

      I get the impression that Dean supporters are primarily a bunch of youngish, college educated, whipper snappers that decended on Iowa and were going to influence middleAmerica?? Sounds like Kerry co-opted the established democratic infrastructure, such as it is? If true how can a 20-30 something have the same life experience as the base of voters aand influence anything? Tell me I'm wrong!! If true, burning through $10M is a bigger crime.

      Still true believers in principle and Dean will be able to scrounge up more money.

      My fear is that America can't admit to itself that it initiated an illegal and unnecessary war; and don't want to be reminded of it ala Dean. Don't have to kill the messenger, just not vote for him.

      by kpryor on Wed Jan 28, 2004 at 09:31:17 PM PDT

      •  My Car

        To Iowa had  a married father of two teenagers who is in his 40s (that's me), a 43 married man with no kids, a 39 year old mother of two, a 37 year old marrie3d teacher and two college students.  the 100 or so folks I slept with were definetely not overwhelmingly in young folks.  I've alwasy thought this representation was unture and oue failure  to prove that was part of our undoing.  

        by Direwolf on Wed Jan 28, 2004 at 10:21:58 PM PDT

      •  This just doesn't sound right

        These tales of nose-piercings are just so transparent. There may have been some, because so many people went. But chalk up another victory for the right-wing talking heads...they made up another myth and it stuck.

        by Doug in SF on Wed Jan 28, 2004 at 10:30:37 PM PDT

      •  Stop repeating this bullshit...

        I'm getting so sick of it.  It's all just media propaganda.  You think Dean raised $40 million off of people in their 20s.  You know, that's got to be the wealthiest group in America with their college loans and credit card debts hanging over their heads.  Please think for a minute before regurgitating obvious crap.  

        There have also been many reports that the volunteers at the Dean operation.  Maybe the out of staters tended to be younger simply because they had fewer obligations.  

        Finally, if the result of you older people's life experience is John Kerry, then all I can say is you've been wasting your time living.  But that's not the case, anyway.  The exit polls in NH showed the breakdown to be pretty equal across the board.  

        People voted for Kerry because of "electability".  That's it.  If you had the shift of 16% who voted for Kerry just based on electability then Dean would have won.  

        by Asak on Wed Jan 28, 2004 at 10:42:24 PM PDT

        •  Dean....

          called the 3500 people at his concession rally in Iowa "kids" about 1000 times.

          by pyrrho on Wed Jan 28, 2004 at 10:49:40 PM PDT

        •  I love this line:

          
          If the result of you older people's life experience is John Kerry, then all I can say is you've been wasting your time living.

          Here's one older folk who very much hopes the rest of the field catches up to Kerry next week. He's alright in my book--but just that, nothing more.
          

          by Ottoe on Wed Jan 28, 2004 at 11:08:57 PM PDT

        •  CA volunteers for IA were older

          There were 22+ volunteers on the train from the San Francisco area to Iowa for Dean. Most were over 40, several were over 60, and a few were under 30. Most were new to this, but they were definitely not "college kids".
          

          Dean vs. Bush: optimistic vs. pessimistic

          by DavidW in SF on Thu Jan 29, 2004 at 12:28:35 AM PDT

          •  From a 37-year-old kid...

            Relax.  Compared with Howard, most of us are kids.  Howard is old enough to be my father.  And I'm old enough now to be a grandmother!

            I call even some of my friends who are older than I am, "kids."  As in, "C'mon, kids, let's go get a beer!"

            Howard is just trying to be affections.  The Deans are his offspring.  

            I kinda like being called a kid once in a while.  Gives me a boost of youthful enthusiasm!

            by Daemmern on Thu Jan 29, 2004 at 11:27:35 AM PDT

    •  Sakitume - good luck!!!

      I pray that you get that full time job!!!!
      mwjeepster

      by mwjeepster on Wed Jan 28, 2004 at 09:53:14 PM PDT

      •  Thanks!

        I've been underemployed for far too long (2.5 years). Not even a tax cut to get me through!  Heh...  Could be worse, I know there are plenty of folks here who've been unemployed for as long, sadly.

        by sakitume on Wed Jan 28, 2004 at 10:56:39 PM PDT

  •  Iowa Spending

    Dean should focus on NM, DE, MI, WA, ME... all the blue states last time, as they're the only blue states, besides IA, in the early rounds.

    SC and AZ, as potential swing states, might be worth an effort, too.

    Simply put: let's consider what the November mission-critical states have to say about Dean's electability, not the red states who'll abandon us all in November.

    That gives Dean a shelf life of eleven days to pull up a win.

    And isn't it interesting that NONE of the massmedia is reporting the fact that Dean leads in total delegates at this time...

    by Cowboy Kahlil on Thu Jan 29, 2004 at 10:18:49 AM PDT

•  The Bismark campaign?

  Okay, that probably puts Howard Dean into the mortally wounded category.

  It may be intended to reflect back to Kerry's campaign (doing badly == out with the old, in with the new and look! up to #1) but it certainly looks like the last series of torpedos just took out the engine room.

  by orc on Wed Jan 28, 2004 at 07:52:30 PM PDT

  •  Vs. the Kerry Shakeup

    Back in November when Kerry shook up his campaign it was the moment that everyone started declaring him dead in the race, and it took him a couple months to recover.

    This might have been a necessary move, but the problem is it's going to hurt in the short term.  It makes the campaign look like they're scrambling.  It'll probably put a bad taste in people's mouth for the vote next week.  And it'll probably end up being the death knell; I don't think they'll have time to recover from this one.

    by balta1701 on Wed Jan 28, 2004 at 08:01:23 PM PDT

    •  Didn't Kerry fire Lehane and

      IIRC the way he did it was not very nice.

      by Marie on Wed Jan 28, 2004 at 08:20:18 PM PDT

      •  I believe not

        I was under the impression that Lehane quit - as if leaving a sinking ship.  Kerry fired his campaign manager, Jim Jordan.  

        by DZi on Wed Jan 28, 2004 at 08:41:49 PM PDT

        •  Good thing I said, IIRC

          but weren't LeHane and Jordan a team?

          by Marie on Wed Jan 28, 2004 at 08:49:03 PM PDT

          •  Never heard that, though...

            Could be true far as I know.  The thing is, Lehane left in Septemeber, Jordan in November.  

            by DZi on Wed Jan 28, 2004 at 08:58:12 PM PDT

      •  Kerry's firings

        IIRC the way he did it was not very nice

        Oh yes, Kerry's diploma from the Frank Hackett Finishing School definitely came in handy. From an AP report on Yahoo, since removed:

        In a conference call Sunday night, Kerry enraged much of his staff by mispronouncing the name of a top staff member at least once, and could be heard eating as he broke the news of [campaign manager Jim] Jordan's firing, which he called a "one-day story." Stung by his attitude, several aides said they were considering quitting the campaign.

        Indeed, two staff members quit as a result of Kerry's attitude.

        by sakitume on Wed Jan 28, 2004 at 08:55:15 PM PDT

        •  those will go down

          as two great career moves

          by DrFrankLives on Thu Jan 29, 2004 at 05:34:52 PM PDT

  •  Bismark? Nah....

    More like the Titanic sending SOS signals to the Carpathia at 1500 ft. down and sinking....

    by NebraskaDem on Wed Jan 28, 2004 at 08:53:31 PM PDT

    •  Perhaps I'm mistaken ...

      But the Titanic didn't take any enemy fire?  Howard Dean's campaign has been taking (and continued to up until today) quite a bit of fire.

      by orc on Wed Jan 28, 2004 at 09:31:45 PM PDT

      •  sir, the iceburg is catching up!

        fire the cannons!

        by pyrrho on Wed Jan 28, 2004 at 09:49:01 PM PDT

  •  Depends on...

    how nimble the campaigns (and candidates) are in their refitting.  Kerry took a long time to recover... and CW is that it would take not only a long time, but too much, for him to do so.  That it was fatal.

    My guess is that some of this was in the works during Iowa.  Probably preparatory....  If Trippi's Iowa scheme had panned out, he'd be the hero, and the cost would have been forgotten, mostly (no more than, hey Joe, go easy on the green...).  But it didn't.  

    We'll see how smoothly and seamlessly Dean can pull this off.  Trippi still has an interest in Dean winning.  He won't be the guy that did it, but he'll be credited with a significant assist.  We'll see.  Dean's cited (Sawyer interview) his managerial skill.  If he can graft a new manager into the machine while it's doing 90 mph headed into the straightaway... he's going to deserve a heck of a lot of credit.  And so will the new manager.

    by ogre on Wed Jan 28, 2004 at 09:16:08 PM PDT

    •  Tom Schiller

      Didn't he allude to something like this. That certain visible changes had been made?

      by emptywheel on Wed Jan 28, 2004 at 09:33:44 PM PDT

•  Finally!

  Should've happend before January 18.  Plenty of folks knew there was a problem.

  by jps on Wed Jan 28, 2004 at 07:52:57 PM PDT

  •  "Monday morning quarterbacking"

    is soo easy.  Dean sticks with those who put him in the series, just as Dusty Baker does.  It's not all that easy to know if the pitcher has run out of steam or will get that second wind and strike out the next ten batters.

    The game is merely 0 and 2 with plenty of innings to go.

    by Marie on Wed Jan 28, 2004 at 08:23:51 PM PDT

    •  Sports metaphor

      I'd say it's eighth inning, five outs left, 0-2, weak bullpen.  Praying to the spirit of Yogi Berra.

      by C S McCrum on Wed Jan 28, 2004 at 09:32:28 PM PDT

•  New fundamentals vs. the fundamentals.

  Cross-posted on The Stinging Nettle, land of politics, football, parrots and swatted penguins.

  According to several diaries onDaily kos and the Edwards blog, Joe Trippi, the architect of the Dean online movement, has been canned.
  
  So much for the new Democratic party.
  
  You gotta ask yourself, did the campaign strategy fail Dean or did Dean fail the strategy and the grassroots team?
  
  Personally, I think the overweening arrogance of the Dean team in the weeks leading up to Iowa is what did them in. Dean was simply not prepared to be a frontrunner, and members of his team such as the wondrously named Zephyr Teachout were flying around the country talking about the new paradigm of the campaign, and how they had changed campaigning forever. Teachout was in NC appearing on the State of Things on NPR, in Chapel Hill, less than a month before Iowa, for crying out loud.
  
  I tend to agree with Ed Cone, who appeared on that show with Teachout, that these tools, brilliantly used by the Dean campaign at first, are indeed transformative. There is no doubt that millions of people were able to access the campaign and feel a part of it quickly. That had never been done before.
  
  But a funny thing happened on the way to Washington. They forgot to prep the candidate. They made the campaign the story. They forgot to organize with LOCAL people.
  
  And now, the guy who built it has been canned.
  
  Oh well, meanwhile, Chris Winn, the 20-year old phenom in charge of the Edwards blog, continues to generate money ($600,000 online last week) and involvement on a system he has basically built from scratch, adding features as he goes. The guy never sleeps, and he keeps doing his job.
  
  No, he hasn't been interviewed on NPR or PBS or MSNBC. But he's doing his job, and the tortoise keeps passing hares.
  
  UPDATE Here's the story. Dean Shakes Up Presidential Campaign (from Yahoo)
  

  by DrFrankLives on Wed Jan 28, 2004 at 07:55:20 PM PDT

  •  Dr Frank

    the interesting thing is that the Kerry and Edwards campaigns have relied on "old fashioned" fundamentals. Sometimes, the old ways are the best ways.

    by Ga6thDem on Wed Jan 28, 2004 at 08:10:03 PM PDT

    •  But the Claim to Dean Campaign Brilliance

      ...could have been made if they'd focused on managing the transition from Internet grassroots to 3D grassroots.

      Too bad, because as intriguing as the internet thing has been, it really is about a candidate and an effective organization in the 3D world.  I saw Dr. Dean's speech last night in NH and that was absolutely spectacular.  He needed to be making that speech a month or so back.  

      by cassandra m on Wed Jan 28, 2004 at 08:19:07 PM PDT

  •  Mostly true...

    But where was Dean before the Internet and Trippi?

    The mere fact that he was in a position to be dealt a "devastating loss" yesterday is a story in itself.

    by Bob Johnson on Wed Jan 28, 2004 at 08:34:33 PM PDT

    •  yep

      Too many people are missing this. Without Trippi, welcome to Kucinich country...

      by KevStar on Wed Jan 28, 2004 at 08:42:46 PM PDT

      •  random visual

        woah, i thought i heard a cricket!

        by cracklins on Wed Jan 28, 2004 at 08:46:13 PM PDT

      •  Think of Trippi as the first stage booster rocket

        I don't know if Neel can provide the needed push, but I think the situation is different now, and Trippi wasn't getting the results.

        Look, if it's Dean who's not getting the results, we'll know really soon. But a better media campaign is definitely needed.

        Must. Combat. Electability. Meme.

        by ebie on Wed Jan 28, 2004 at 10:07:39 PM PDT

      •  Without Dean, where's Trippi?

        you have the tail wagging the dog.

        Dean is the attraction, not Trippi.  The internet infrastruture was already there.  Trippi didn't invent it. If Dean wasn't the man he is, we never would have supported him, the contributions never would have appeared and Trippi would have remained obscure.

        I supported Howard Dean before I ever visited his website or logged onto DKos.  It is the Man!  Not the messenger.

        by rusrivman on Thu Jan 29, 2004 at 04:05:38 AM PDT

        •  not trying to disparage Dean

          I wonder what drew the masses to Dean instead of Kucinich, however. Maybe this shows my ignorance of the phenomenon. Dean does have a more compelling personal story, and isn't nearly the flake that Kucinich is (to say the least), not to mention that K's complete 180 on abortion is a far more dramatic flip flop than any of Dean's.

          But anyway, a great deal of credit has to go to the infrastructure that Dean built.

          by KevStar on Thu Jan 29, 2004 at 11:58:44 AM PDT

          •  and

            And its too much of a coincidence that Trippi did the '92 Jerry Brown $100 max - 800 number campaign.  The "Winter Soldiers" theme is straight out of that campaign.  

            Dean would have been able to collect less than $10 million, maybe less than $5 million or even less than that, if all he had was being the former governor of VT; thats not a "fundraising base."

            by Lois on Thu Jan 29, 2004 at 12:56:12 PM PDT

          •  Well, for one..

              Dean is electable. :) For two, Dean's got a mix of positions that tend to attract a broader array of people.

              Kuninich is pretty liberal. He's going tobe drawing from one end of the bell curve.

              Dean, on the other hand, has his war position, his fiscal history and his gun control history.

              All three of those draw from different areas of the political arena. Add in the "McCain" factor, and Howard simply has more places to tap than Dennis.

            by Morat on Thu Jan 29, 2004 at 12:58:43 PM PDT

            •  yes

              Dean is electable. :) For two, Dean's got a mix of positions that tend to attract a broader array of people.

              Resounding yes to both. I mean, I never saw the issues (hence I wasn't with Dean) but he has more issues in his bag than Kucinich.

              I never understood the McCain comparisons, though. McCain, apart from speaking the same language of conservatism as most NH conservatives (read: disgusted by the religious Right), appealed to the press because he was 1) always accessible to the press, no matter what, 2) told them stuff no other candidate would dream of telling (I love his self-deprecating way of diffusing the wingnut story about how he was "brainwashed" in Vietnam; when asked why he was running for President, he said, "When Angela Lansbury turned over the Queen of Hearts it just seemed like the right thing to do) 3) effused a sort of gruff masculinity that, sad to say, too many pindicks in the press (eg, Matthews, Russert) glom on to any chance they get. It's very junior high gym class, but that's pretty much a description of our society as a whole too...

              by KevStar on Thu Jan 29, 2004 at 02:07:29 PM PDT

              •  Well...

                  Dean appeals to the press for a different reason. He's fricking interesting. So's Wesley Clark, but his is a pretty simple novelty value. (Hey! Lookit! A Democratic General!).

                  Dean, on the other hand, is a fiscal-conservative who is the darling of the anti-war crowd, who raised all this money out of nowhere, and has apparently infused the entire Democratic party with a backbone.

                  Without Dean, this election would have been boring.

                by Morat on Thu Jan 29, 2004 at 03:15:54 PM PDT

                •  yep

                  Without Dean, this election would have been boring.

                  True dat. Moreover, the Dems would be headed to a fairly convincing loss. He goosed the other candidates into actually standing up to Bush, convincing them that now isn't the time to triangulate. If there was any justice int he party, he'd be headed for a cabinet or party leadership position (yes, I'm assuming he doesn't come back from the dead...if he does, more power to him...)

                  I think there's some possibility that the press will back off our nominee because they already Gored Dean. They can't be seen as Goring too many people in one cycle; it's bad for business. That's not to say we'll get a pass, but maybe the "Kerry invented the Internet" bullshit or "Edwards claims he went to Texas with the FEMA Director" hoohaw won't come to pass.

                  by KevStar on Thu Jan 29, 2004 at 03:36:52 PM PDT

    •  yeah, it's a story

      but where is the money?

      by pyrrho on Wed Jan 28, 2004 at 08:53:06 PM PDT

      •  Well, one night in Davenport...

        ... they brought in pizza for everyone.

        But it was Papa John's and that sh*t is cheap..

        by Bob Johnson on Wed Jan 28, 2004 at 08:54:29 PM PDT

      •  Oh, yeah...

        ...and don't get me started on the jerky buffet at Des Moines.  If I ever see another stick of beef jerkey again...

        by RakDaddy on Wed Jan 28, 2004 at 09:26:18 PM PDT

  •  Chris Winn, One-Man-Online-Campaign? Nope.

    Hey this guy may be awesome, I love the work he's doing, but he hardly built the Edwards online tools from scratch!  They're using GetActive, which is NotCheap.

    I do agree with your assessment of the Dean campaign as focusing too much on the medium and not the message (or the candidate).  

    BUT, I still think that's what gave him momentum.  True he needed some serious strategic adjustments after fizzling in Iowa.  But dumping Trippi is going to be a lot more demoralizing to Dean supporters out in the field than when Kerry fired some political hack I never heard of.

    by rubyji on Wed Jan 28, 2004 at 08:34:47 PM PDT

    •  Trippi

       But dumping Trippi is going to be a lot more demoralizing to Dean supporters out in the field than when Kerry fired some political hack I never heard of.

      Well, I hate to say it, but Trippi was demoralizing me before Iowa.  He also demoralized me further when, after Iowa, he came on the blog and started mouthing off about the media - which even the rank and file knew was not where it was at.  

      The blog peanut gallery doesn't seem too demoralized.  They've had a week to digest Iowa, and I think they already know there was something seriously wrong.

      What Dean needs to do is to reassure the rank and file that they can trust him with the grassroots -- and the money.  He's got something to prove.  
      

      by NYCO on Wed Jan 28, 2004 at 08:50:54 PM PDT

      •  exactly

        The people I know on the campaign aren't fazed at all by this news. It's a little sad, but digesting Iowa got us all ready for a change.

        by jd in nyc on Wed Jan 28, 2004 at 09:20:35 PM PDT

      •  He pissed me off with a dunning letter NH eve

        He sent a letter asking for money on the day before NH, with the subject line "you gotta believe"

        That is preaching to the choir, at it's very worst.

        I sent a nasty mail back to the campaign, saying, "No I don't gotta believe.  Give me a reason to send some money and maybe I will."

        by p mac on Wed Jan 28, 2004 at 09:24:02 PM PDT

        •  right on!!

          testify, brothers and sisters! BTW, I just sent money to the bat to celebrate Trippi's departure. Look, give him credit where credit is due. All the people who have been hoping for Dean's downfall have been snarking about how the campaign should have been traditional...but then it would have been stuck in Kucinich land (plagiarizing from above) and we wouldn't even be talking about it. The mistake was managing the transition, and Trippi has a long track record of fumbling that. Oh, now that we're kicking him when he's down, I always thought the description of his Skoal use in the office were disgusting... But if you read between the lines, Joe has taken quite a bit of our cash, so he's not going to be hurting for money any time soon...

          by JMS on Thu Jan 29, 2004 at 12:27:26 AM PDT

    •  Not to mention the blog...

      The mailings are done with GetActive and the blog runs SlashCode.

      by rusty on Wed Jan 28, 2004 at 10:45:06 PM PDT

  •  Your sig

    "Dean has the slogan, but it is Edwards who most eloquently and believably expresses this point of view. "

    True, but Edwards exudes phoniness (my stomach actually churns when he goes through his well-rehearsed "extemporaneous" stories,  jokes, and gestures - so fake, yuck!), while Dean is absolutely genuine.  Also, Edwards' "point of view" is the one he lifted from Dean, when HoHo was ahead.

    But, who cares, good for Edwards for lifting a message that works.  And, even though his phoniness gives me the hives, people seem to eat it up.

    As a matter of fact, he's a much more attractive candidate that Lurch.  Though you have to tip your hat to Kerry for his amazing comeback.

    And no, there's no way Dean can accomplish the same turnaround.

    by aleand on Wed Jan 28, 2004 at 08:47:33 PM PDT

    •  Edwards

      I don't like his late-contrived "Two Americas" message.  Thats absurd.  The family living on $20,000 is very different from the family living on $40,000 and the family living on $200,000 is very different from not only the $20 - 40,000 but from the $500,000 income family.  There's 50 Americas income wise.

      But Edwards is a smart guy and he could come back very strong in 2008  putting the Tsongas-Brown-Perot-Dean reformist message in front plus his own regional appeal and personal appeal.  I hope he doesn't take the Kerry VP nomination because it would probably be an albatross to him later.  Kerry is part of the Washington Dem establishment that a big chunk of voters hold in contempt as whiny "wimps."  

      by Lois on Thu Jan 29, 2004 at 01:11:48 PM PDT

  •  Zephyr

    members of his team such as the wondrously named Zephyr Teachout were flying around the country talking about the new paradigm of the campaign, and how they had changed campaigning forever. Teachout was in NC appearing on the State of Things on NPR, in Chapel Hill, less than a month before Iowa, for crying out loud.

    You're right that the fatal flaw of the Dean campaign was probably hubris.

    But back off. Zephyr is a friend of mine. She spent  two months straight on the road meeting and organizing exclusively with LOCAL people. You may think she has a funny name, but she's done more to improve this country by fostering local action than anyone else in that campaign.

    by Outlandish Josh on Wed Jan 28, 2004 at 08:55:37 PM PDT

    •  I love her name

      I called her wondrously named, not ludicrously named.

      Geez.

      I thought she did well on that show.  She is obviously smart.  But I'm not sure Chapel Hill was the best place to be at the time.

      by DrFrankLives on Wed Jan 28, 2004 at 09:17:53 PM PDT

      •  But you did misrepresent what she was doing

        She was acting as a point of contact to exchange information with the grass roots about what had been working and what hadn't. Then she disseminated all the info to the other groups.

        Before the snarky 'lotta good that did' from Kerry lovers, you should realize that the prime beneficiaries of this info are the larger organized Dean groups in Austin, Seattle, California, Washington, in otherwords, place that haven't had a primary yet.

        by Doug in SF on Wed Jan 28, 2004 at 10:38:18 PM PDT

      •  doube misquote!

         I called her wondrously named, not ludicrously named.

        Actually, I said you thought she had a funny name. So we both missed each other on that one.

        I suppose neither of us shoudl wait around for that call from the AP about that reporter job... ;)

        by Outlandish Josh on Wed Jan 28, 2004 at 10:48:06 PM PDT

        •  Re: doube misquote!

          "Actually, I said you thought she had a funny name. So we both missed each other on that one."

          it is a great name.

          by Petey on Wed Jan 28, 2004 at 10:56:46 PM PDT

      •  Zephyr's Roadtrip

        Dr. Frank, Zephyr was literally only in Chapel Hill for a few hours.  I think the goal of her roadtrip was to link up human-to-human without the blog as techno-mediator.  (She certainly didn't take the opportunity of being in affluent, progressive Chapel Hill to fundraise.)  This human-connecting seems like a good and important thing to do.  The question now, at the hour of Trippi's departure, is: Did it work?  

        I don't know the answer to that question.  It obviously didn't happen to the locals in Iowa.  She is an incredible cheerleader.  I didn't expect to get worked up by her talk later that night in Durham, but it was a lot of fun and created a good buzz.  I've had a Dean button on my bag ever since.

        by rubyji on Thu Jan 29, 2004 at 11:20:17 AM PDT

        •  Ruby - come back home :-)

          Ruby, have you heard John Edwards speak in person?

          There's a lot this campaign has going for it right now, including being right on schedule for what we said we were going to do.  But most important, we've got the best candidate, and if you get in a room with him, you'll see why.

          I'd love to replace that Dean  button with an Edwards button.

          by DrFrankLives on Thu Jan 29, 2004 at 11:31:06 AM PDT

          •  I don't have a Senator (pardon the drama)

            I'm glad you asked!  I haven't heard Edwards speak in person because I can't afford the $100 fundraisers.  I have no doubt that he's someone I would enjoy spending time with more than Dean.  (To be fair, I don't like any of the candidates personally.  And I'm OK with that.)  He really seems to be a nice, intelligent person.  I don't think he would suck as a President any more than the other guys.

            But my biggest beef with him is as a North Carolinian.  In recent years it has taken little short of an act of god to get a Democrat elected to the U.S. Senate from N.C.  There we were, less than four years ago, all excited about this moderate accomplishment, hopeful for our state.  It took him no time at all to turn his eyes to D.C. and forget about us.  

            And when important votes come up in the Senate, Edward isn't even tehre to vote!  And you know it's not because he's here at home taking care of business.  Plus it's hard for many of us here (the sacrificial lambs) to swallow his support of the President's war resolution.  And I'm supposed to work for him?  My tax dollars are paying him to work for me, and I'd say he's doing a piss-poor job of that.

            The Durham (NC) Herald-Sun had a great editorial cartoon recently titled "Love-'em-and-leave-'em Edwards."  That summed it up pretty well.

            by rubyji on Thu Jan 29, 2004 at 04:13:09 PM PDT

            •  Excuse me Ruby

              But I am really tired of hearing this criticism, especially from people who, ideologically and regionally, should be John Edwards' strongest supporters.  I, too, am a North Carolinian. And I know how much better off we'll be, and the left in North Carolina in particular will be, with Edwards in the White House than in the Senate.

              I'd rather have the President from my home state, thanks.

              I also believe Bowles can hold the seat.

              I have many friends in the Democratic Party who have expressed similar misgivings and feelings of some sort of betrayal. Those feelings might have made sense when it was the CW that Edwards didn't have a chance in hell.  But he believed in himself, and many of us were right there with him.

              Now that he's so close, please join us.  You don't need $100 to hear him speak.  Matter of fact, one of the little-known secrets of politics is that you can walk right into a fundraiser if you talk to the guys at the door, and explain that you can't give money, but you'd love to volunteer.  You're worth ten checks at that point.

              Come on down to SC with me this weekend and help us win this election.

              by DrFrankLives on Thu Jan 29, 2004 at 05:32:28 PM PDT

              •  With all due respect

                I'm not really all that opposed to him.  But I'm still not getting why I should support him more than someone else.  Sure I have more access to him being from North Carolina, but does that make him the best candidate?

                I know how much better off we'll be... with Edwards in the White House than in the Senate.

                I can't argue with that since we derive little benefit from him being in the Senate now.

                I also believe Bowles can hold the seat.

                First he has to win it, which he didn't do last time.  I hope he does, but how much has changed (besides not having a national celebrity as his opponent) this time?  I'm asking that honestly, I don't know the answer.

                ...you can walk right into a fundraiser if you talk to the guys at the door, and explain that you can't give money, but you'd love to volunteer.

                This wasn't the case at a fundraiser in Raleigh last year when a group of North Carolinians wanted to speak with the Senator about his pro-war position.  We even raised $200 cash on the spot for 2 of our representatives to go in, but they were turned away forcefully by the staff and the police at the event.  I'd be glad to share my photos of this event.  The brutality was surprising, even to a jaded lefty cynic like me.

                Like I said, I'm not opposed to Edwards.  I'm an Anybody-But-Bush (or Lieberman) gal.  If he can work up some more momentum, more power to him.

                by rubyji on Thu Jan 29, 2004 at 06:37:42 PM PDT

                •  I was there

                  I remember getting hit by signs, spit on and booed.

                  I also remember Senator Edwards telling us to respect the people out there who disagreed with him because they had a legitimate point of view.

                  I don't recall the people outside giving him the same courtesy.

                  :-)

                  by DrFrankLives on Thu Jan 29, 2004 at 07:35:25 PM PDT

                  •  What it looks like from the other side

                    I imagine we've crossed into the realm of no-one-else-is-possibly-interested-in-this-thread, but anyway...

                    If you were treated disrespectfully by any protesters, that was a screw up on our part and an anomaly.  Most protesters were cordoned well away from the event-goers so they were "safe" from us.  We were simply trying to express some healthy dissent on a public street near our elected representative.  Edwards' people never came up with any good reason why two of our people couldn't pay full price ($100 per) and come in.  Our people were not treated well - again I have photos of this.  We were also booed, told to "go home," etc. by your pals.  That's democratic free speech for you...

                    Anyway all that aside, I'd love to see John Edwards beat George Bush.  That would be way cool.  But I don't think I owe Edwards anything just because he made his fortune and started his political career here in my home state.

                    by rubyji on Thu Jan 29, 2004 at 08:45:25 PM PDT

      •  Zephyr

        Zephyr has some roots in Chapel Hill, being a graduate of Duke Law School. The organization she founded (dedicated to defending capital cases) is based in North carolina too, I believe. So I'm not sure her being in NC was that big a deal.

        And after all, she can blog from anywhere...

        by KevStar on Thu Jan 29, 2004 at 02:28:44 PM PDT

    •  Is Z still with DFA...

      gosh I hope so...her blog got me hooked

      by HowlnAround on Thu Jan 29, 2004 at 05:20:31 AM PDT

  •  Trippi built it?

    Techies built it.

    I've worked with some of them.

    The war was pushed by the media.  It has an interest in not insulting itself by showing how shoddy its pre-war research really was.

    Dean's campaign was the only one that threatened this interpretation, and hence was the only one that needed an internet.

    Kerry did well because Fox and the Wall St. Journal started, right around Christmas time, when Kerry was 4th or 5th nationwide, and not even #1 in his home state, to run pro-Kerry material.

    by JoshNarins on Wed Jan 28, 2004 at 09:51:23 PM PDT

    •  Long, slow Fellatio

      I would trace it to the meeting Alterman wrote about in New York City.  We all like to influence a campaign, especially the journalists.

      After that meeting, he got a lot more positive press.

      by barr on Wed Jan 28, 2004 at 11:32:44 PM PDT

•  Joe Trippi: R.I.P.

  He's out, officially. Holy shit...

  by Volvo Liberal on Wed Jan 28, 2004 at 07:55:39 PM PDT

•  Too little Too late

  This shakeup won't do anything but further damage Dean by reinforcing the notion that he's been tanking. No one heard about Kerry's shakeup, but this will get major play by the media.

  by MattBellamy on Wed Jan 28, 2004 at 07:56:20 PM PDT

  •  Kerry Shakeup

    No one heard about Kerry's shakeup

    They are hearing about it now.  I have seen three news reports cite Kerry's shakeup when speaking of Dean's.

    by Stevo on Wed Jan 28, 2004 at 09:01:55 PM PDT

    •  And heck...

      If it worked out for Kerry...

      by ogre on Wed Jan 28, 2004 at 09:24:10 PM PDT

  •  Nope

    The timing's as good as it could be--given the need to do this in mid-flight.

    Before NH, it would have been Dean cans Trippi, campaign already in disarray corkscrewing into the ground....

    But Dean pulled a solid 2nd in NH.  He didn't reprise a Scream.  Iowa's mostly history already.

    Dropping Trippi while Dean's on an upbeat takes the bite out of the story.  

    And for the cast majority of Dean's supporters, Trippi's an icon, but Dean is the man.  I don't think this will resonate long.  It hurt Kerry more because there was less competition for news bandwidth, and because it fed the image of disarray... and Kerry's a traditional package Democrat, meaning that most people don't really know what he's about.

    by ogre on Wed Jan 28, 2004 at 09:23:45 PM PDT

  •  Tomorrow

    Well, Dean is desperate.  

    And Trippi brought the headlines on himself.  He could and should have accepted the check and lick envelopes for a few more weeks, but he wanted to do the "Take this Job and Shove It"routine.

    This is the only time to do it.  After this, it dominates the news when the message needs to come out.

    The Campaign needs to be smooth and flowing tomorrow morning.  No glitches and no hesitation.  Just like NH.  Clockwork.

    I also think Trippi was feeding out negative quotes trying to make himself look good.  There have been some wierd "senior staff" comments in the papers.

    by barr on Wed Jan 28, 2004 at 11:37:19 PM PDT

•  wow..

  .. that's all I really have to say about that.

  by dc on Wed Jan 28, 2004 at 07:57:05 PM PDT

•  Schadenfreude

  Those Germans have a word for everything.

  by Drew on Wed Jan 28, 2004 at 07:58:15 PM PDT

  •  Now Drew

    you wouldn't be being snarky, would you?

    by Ga6thDem on Wed Jan 28, 2004 at 08:11:03 PM PDT

  •  A malicious satisfaction in misfortunes of others

    schadenfreude SHAHD-n-froy-duh, noun:
    

    by Fred in Vermont on Thu Jan 29, 2004 at 05:57:17 AM PDT

•  Is Press Anti-Dean and Pro-JFK?

  Kos,

  FYI....All about JFK --

  http://slate.msn.com/id/2094126/

  See Lizza's 2000 essay.

  I am not sure why Howard Dean people are not following up on this. If Trippi is not doing his job, then it is good that he is leaving.

  How come the press does not cite Dean's exceptional speech in NH?

  Ron Neel: Your Time Now is Dean's Time. Get Victories. Period.

  AKB
  

  by US Citizen on Wed Jan 28, 2004 at 07:58:43 PM PDT

•  Out of money

  The WSJ reported this morning that the Dean campaign is down to its last $5 million.  Trippi swung for the fences in January but struck out.

  What will become the new sig for the guy in these threads threads whose sig is "Joe Trippi is a Jedi?"  Perhaps "Joe Trippi is a Jerk!"

  by Politus on Wed Jan 28, 2004 at 07:58:48 PM PDT

  •  Dean contributors

    Dean's campaign made a huge deal out of fundraising, and the large number of small contributors they were able to get.

    Now those contributors are learning how well their money was spent: terribly!

    If I had given a big chunk of my change to the Dean campaign, as many of his supporters bragged about doing here, I'd be pissed as all get out.

    Is Dean going to be able to keep the money flowing?  He's going to need it...

    by Alex R on Wed Jan 28, 2004 at 08:11:15 PM PDT

    •  I was thinking

      the same thing. If I had given to the Dean campaign and they had used my money this unwisely, I would be hopping mad.

      by Ga6thDem on Wed Jan 28, 2004 at 08:13:19 PM PDT

      •  Well,

          At least they can say they fired the guy responsible.

          shrug.

        by Morat on Wed Jan 28, 2004 at 08:17:17 PM PDT

        •  True, but...

          ... Trippi's also the guy who did more than anyone else to get that money raised in the first place.

          by Alex R on Wed Jan 28, 2004 at 08:24:42 PM PDT

          •  exactly

            is trippi not entirely responsible for the skyrocketing that this campaign has achieved.  i really think its sad to see him go.  but then again, if he really did squander $10m in iowa...

            by conntexdem on Wed Jan 28, 2004 at 08:37:28 PM PDT

            •  Re: Exactly

              "but then again, if he really did squander $10m in iowa..."

              he's acutally squandered about $40 million so far.

              by Petey on Wed Jan 28, 2004 at 08:39:13 PM PDT

              •  Um

                Why would someone be pissed?  What did they expect the campaign to do with the money ... save it for a rainy day?  The supporters gave Dean the money so that he could spend it on campaigning.

                by Aaron Gillies on Wed Jan 28, 2004 at 09:23:00 PM PDT

                •  pissed.

                  I gave him money so he could use it against Bush in AZ and FL, not against Gephardt in IA.

                  I guess as a first time donor, I got a little ahead of myself.

                  by John on Thu Jan 29, 2004 at 05:27:47 AM PDT

        •  They fired Dean?

          No?  Where does the buck stop, then?

          Me, I'm not sure Trippi misspent anything.  Dean may simply have needed $40 million to win third in Iowa and second in New Hampshire.  Leads me to wonder how much he would need to win second and third.

          by Drew on Wed Jan 28, 2004 at 09:52:57 PM PDT

          •  he would need to win

            second and first, I mean.

            by Drew on Wed Jan 28, 2004 at 09:57:41 PM PDT

      •  Why do you think I was so pissed

        Alot has been made of my vocal anger towards the Dean campaign:  http://www.nytimes.com/auth/login?URI=http://www.nytimes.com/2004/01/21/politics/campaigns/21DEAN.ht ml&OQ=pagewantedQ3D2

        This is the exact reason!  For a week I've been trying to tell the other Deaniacs to wake up.

        We invested in something, I to the tune of $275, some even more.  And it was all wasted on total garbage.

        IMO, they don't just need to change the manager, they need to change the candidate!

        by Steven R on Wed Jan 28, 2004 at 09:13:01 PM PDT

        •  your 15 minutes of fame

          has been over for a long, long time, man. Let it go. So you got quoted in the NYT. Big deal. How much attention do you need?

          I assume that when you were a part of the campaign, you believed in the message Dean was presenting. Now the money you gave was wasted on "garbage"?? Doesn't sound too principled to me. If you can't at least acknowledge that Dean has brought new life to this party, you're being intellectually dishonest. So don't give me this "I wasted my money" crap--at a minimum you were part of something that HAS changed the Democratic party for the better.  Now, go support your candidate of the week until you decide you don't like his tie and switch for the 4658th time.

          by mld530 on Wed Jan 28, 2004 at 10:48:01 PM PDT

          •  its about changing the party stupid

            
            If you can't at least acknowledge that Dean has brought new life to this party, you're being intellectually dishonest. So don't give me this "I wasted my money" crap--at a minimum you were part of something that HAS changed the Democratic party for the better.

            
            

            You have got that right.  This was --  and is --  about changing the Democratic party and it ain't over yet. 

            
            

            Just because we tried to sweep the table and failed is no reason to go home. And just because we need more money is no reason to assume we can't get it. Even if a number of people give up because they were expecting more, there a vast number of people out there who still feel very invested in the Dean movement and are far from tapped out.    We need to just keep soldering on until the convention, winning as many delegates as we can with as much money as we can raise. That is the only thing that will change the party. 

            
            

            Perhaps a change at the top in the use of media and the way Dean is prepared to meet the media will help turn things around is some states.  Who can know?  But there many local organizations out there that are champing at the bit for a chance to do their thing and whatever goes on in Burlington they are going to ride to sound of the gunfire.   And remember when Clinton got a 26% second pace in NH that made him the Comeback Kid.

            
            

            If we can come to the convention with a really significant block of delegates we can force some changes even if the majority decides in the end to go with a "safe" and "electable" candidate.

            
            

            And it is not impossible that at some point a bit of the shine will start to ware off of old Treebeard as more Democrats get a chance to think clearly for a few moments about how Rove and the Republicans are going to attack him.  They are going to play the Senate like a violin day  in and day out so that they can run against Senate Obstructionists and their Ultra Liberal, Elitist,  New England Brahman, Millionaire leader, a man who conspired with people like Jane Fonda to undermine Our Troops in Viet Nam. They are already hard at work at freerepublic.com collecting all the Kerry photographs of the period and I am sure that the House and Senate leadership has plans on the shelf to ensure
            bitter headline grabbing deadlock in the Senate so that they can blame all our problems on the Obstructionist Kerry Forces in the Senate. With Dean they will at least need to write new scripts and sell then.

            
            

            If anyone thinks that since Dean did not wrap up the nomination right out of the box the movement to change the leadership of the party is over they never understood what was going on in the first place.   We all got sucked into a bit of hubris when the media convinced us that Dean was about to run the table, but I think most of us can remember why we started down this road and find what we need to keep going all the way to Boston.  I am old enough to remember the days when you did not know who would be the candidate until the convention.  Perhaps it could happen again.

            by Fred in Vermont on Thu Jan 29, 2004 at 07:01:28 AM PDT

        •  I wouldn't be particularly proud of

          trashing Howard Dean in the New York Times.  Get your ego back in check man.

          by rusrivman on Thu Jan 29, 2004 at 04:17:34 AM PDT

      •  I'm not hopping mad

        I've given quite a lot to the Dean campaign, and while I'm disappointed with the results in Iowa and NH in light of the cash they spent, I'm not mad.  Come on, campaigns do stupid things, and it's caveat emptor, baby.  I've never given money to a campaign in my life (and I told the DNC that tonight when they called), and I'm very happy I donated to Dean.

        I still hold out hope that he can win, and even if he can't, he DID alter the course of this race and show us a different way to campaign.  Those who blaze the trails don't always win, but we're always better for their efforts.  I see my donations as money well-spent.

        by NTodd on Wed Jan 28, 2004 at 10:39:51 PM PDT

    •  no way

      All of the campaigns have made mistakes.  Dean's came at the worst time.  But he still rebounded and when that wasn't enough he made the necessary moves.  As a small contributor I'm glad that he is willing to make this decision.

      by seamus on Wed Jan 28, 2004 at 08:43:27 PM PDT

  •  Joe Trippi is a Jedi

    What will become the new sig for the guy in these threads threads whose sig is "Joe Trippi is a Jedi?"

    Joe Trippi is a Jedi.  But then again, so was Darth Vader.

    by al Qidder on Wed Jan 28, 2004 at 08:31:47 PM PDT

    •  wow

      lol man!

      I donno, though.  Dean has 5 mil in the bank.  FIVE MILLION.

      That isn't the 30 million he had a few months back, but on the other hand he still has his net roots, he still has huuueuuueege name recognition.  And compare that to self-financing Kerry, or running on empty Edwards.

      I think Dean has gone from a sure thing to a 20% chance, but I wouldn't count him out, especially if he grabs Geppy's home state.

      by Dan Somoeoneorother on Wed Jan 28, 2004 at 08:51:21 PM PDT

    •  Leonard Cohen rules.

      Great Cohen quote in that sign above. Here's another one, a propos of Trippi leaving:

      Everybody knows that the dice are loaded
      Everybody rolls with their fingers crossed

      Everybody knows that the war is over
      Everybody knows the good guys lost

      Everybody knows the fight was fixed
      The poor stay poor, the rich get rich

      That's how it goes
      Everybody knows

      Everybody knows that the boat is leaking
      Everybody knows that the captain lied

      Everybody got this broken feeling
      Like their father or their dog just died

      ...

      And everybody knows that it's now or never
      Everybody knows that it's me or you

      And everybody knows that you live forever
      Ah when you've done a line or two

      Everybody knows the deal is rotten
      Old Black Joe's still pickin' cotton

      For your ribbons and bows
      And everybody knows

      And everybody knows that the Plague is coming
      Everybody knows that it's moving fast

      Everybody knows that the naked man and woman
      Are just a shining artifact of the past

      Everybody knows the scene is dead
      But there's gonna be a meter on your bed

      That will disclose
      What everybody knows

      And everybody knows that you're in trouble
      Everybody knows what you've been through

      From the bloody cross on top of Calvary
      To the beach of Malibu

      Everybody knows it's coming apart
      Take one last look at this Sacred Heart

      Before it blows
      And everybody knows
      

      by Hudson on Wed Jan 28, 2004 at 08:54:30 PM PDT

    •  Trippi is a Jedi

      Obi Wan Kenobi

      by praktike on Wed Jan 28, 2004 at 09:01:27 PM PDT

  •  Trippi

    I seem to recall that Trippi wasn't paid as campaign manager, just for a cut of the media.  It now seems he was a bargain for the former, but messed up the latter.  The arrangement gave him an incentive to put out lots of media, too.  As I understand, this was bad media in Iowa.  Don't know about NH.  But now the money's gone, it seems.  As a donor, this seems a little too much like the old politics for me.  He should have stayed on message (health, education, jobs)and stayed positive.

    by Mimikatz on Wed Jan 28, 2004 at 09:42:10 PM PDT

    •  Re: Trippi

      "I seem to recall that Trippi wasn't paid as campaign manager, just for a cut of the media."

      the big money is in the media.

      by Petey on Wed Jan 28, 2004 at 09:45:32 PM PDT

  •  Incredibly stupid!

    Where did all the money go???!!!

    $10 million on Iowa?!  No more than $5 million should have been spent there.  If you can't win it with $5 million, you can't win it with $100 million.  Even if every ad shown on every station was yours, that's still not going to matter.  At some point you hit the saturation point where you've either reached the people or they've tuned you out!

    by Asak on Wed Jan 28, 2004 at 10:58:25 PM PDT

    •  Also...

      They wasted money on those stupid hats and shirts.  I bet that was a pretty penny.

      They were spending money like there was no tomorrow.  I bet Trippi was on the way out since that Iowa debacle.  It just wouldn't look good to can him before New Hampshire.  

      by Asak on Wed Jan 28, 2004 at 10:59:36 PM PDT

      •  hats?

        let's say they bought 5,000 hats. Could they have cost more than $10 each? That's just $50,000.

        If DFA actually spent $10 million on Iowa, it had almost nothing to do with hats, shirts, granola bars, etc. It must have been ads, and, maybe, salaries.

        by jd in nyc on Wed Jan 28, 2004 at 11:48:13 PM PDT

•  The Gamble

  Repost from one of the diary threads as I continue to try to keep my posts in the main page stories...

  The strategy was win AI and NH get momentum to coast thru the difficult terrain on 2/3 and then wrap it up in MI and WA officially clinching on 3/2.  It was Trippi's strategy.  It was a good one.  It almost worked.  It cost a lot of money.  Now the money is mostly gone.  New strategy is to survive 2/3 and get to MI, WA, ME, and WI.  Dean won't win but those are the cards was he dealt.  He went all in and got beat.  I gave way more than my share.  I'm not happy with how it turned it out.  I blame no one in particular.  Somehow Dean got off message.  Had he made the speech he gave last night over and over from Thanksgiving through the night of IA I think things would be far different today.  Trippi bears some responsibillity but so does Dean so does the blog and Dean supporters like me.  And so does the media and so does some of the other candidates.  It's called politics.

  by Direwolf on Wed Jan 28, 2004 at 08:00:14 PM PDT

  •  Gamble?

     Two weeks ago this strategy seemed low risk really.  The media, pundits, kossians all smelt blood in the water and this strategy was the quick kill.  Everyone had questions about "electability" and this strategy was perfect to give an air of inevitability.  I can fault Trippi for some things, this strategy isn't one of them.  With wins in IA and NH, the money would have flowed like a burst water main.
     See you Joe, thanks for the memories!

    by Stevo on Wed Jan 28, 2004 at 09:12:22 PM PDT

    •  Perhaps...

      ...this would have been low risk if they didn't pass by the "electability" thing.

      *Frankly, I have no use for electability as it is being bandied about now -- this seems to be all about Q rating vs a direction of government that might make some sense.

      by cassandra m on Wed Jan 28, 2004 at 09:27:53 PM PDT

•  Wow

  from the article:

  In a sign of Dean's money woes, his staff was asked Wednesday to defer their salaries for two weeks.

  Those have gotta be some big money woes. I can't believe he spent 10mil in Iowa. That's ridiculous.

  Face it: barring a Kerry kollapse, Dean doesn't have time to turn it around for 2/3. Maybe he should focus on winning Arizona and N. Dakota or something like that. If he can hang in, he may have a shot later in February and on Super Tuesday.

  by thirdparty on Wed Jan 28, 2004 at 08:00:20 PM PDT

  •  can't be

    I'm having trouble believing this.  They had $40 million dollars!!

    FORTY MILLION.  It's gone?  All of it?

    I guess I gave around $1,000.  Man I am so fucked up about this.....if it's true....

    by paradox on Wed Jan 28, 2004 at 08:40:13 PM PDT

    •  Are you thinking of leaving

      Just wondering?  

      This has to be pretty terrible news for Deanies.

      Who would you support otherwise?

      by Steven R on Wed Jan 28, 2004 at 09:14:51 PM PDT

      •  leave where?

        Go work for that weenie warmonger Kerry?  I don't think so.

        The dem nominee gets my vote.  Right now that's all I'll committ to.

        Jesus H. Christ.  $35 million dollars, gone!!  Just gone!!!

        That was Little People money.  It was not to be treated lightly or simply thrown away.

        Man I am creased.  Damn!

        by paradox on Wed Jan 28, 2004 at 09:51:17 PM PDT

        •  Hold On, Hold On

          Paradox:

          Seemingly more than half of the $35 million (if you take the WSJ as bible on that figure - I don't) has gone to other states, and if Kerry doesn't knock out Edwards in SC that is going to look like VERY wise spending.

          It ain't over till its over, remember?

          by Fast Pete on Thu Jan 29, 2004 at 12:02:37 AM PDT

    •  Dude

      What did you think they were doing with the cash?  Saving it for a rainy day?

      by Aaron Gillies on Wed Jan 28, 2004 at 09:24:02 PM PDT

      •  budgeting it

        for the whole primary season?!

        fiscally conservative.

        I bet Dean is pissed.

        by pyrrho on Wed Jan 28, 2004 at 09:26:40 PM PDT

    •  This makes me angry

      I cannot believe this.  Dean blew $35M already.  Let me repeat that:  $35 million dollars

      Back when Dean was debating opting out he gave the argument that he wanted to free himself from the caps so that he'd have enough money to go up against George Bush in the critical March-August time period.  This argument is a viable one - although I still am disappointed in the lack of commitment to the ideal of campaign finance reform (one which Dean himself promoted for many years).  

      But, it turns out Dean simply wanted to be able to outspend his opponents in the primary.  He wanted to be able to buy the nomination if need be and, from the reports of spending $10M in Iowa, it looks like he tried.  

      In short, that disgusts me.  It flies in the face of democratic ideals and in absolutely everything the Dean campaign says it stands for.  

      Anyone who has read my comments before knows that I didn't think Dean was the right candidate for president, but I've always had respect for his sticking to principles.  So much for that.  

      by Scott Pauls on Wed Jan 28, 2004 at 09:40:56 PM PDT

      •  Well,

        Dean never did promise to hold down spending in any state.

        by Doug in SF on Wed Jan 28, 2004 at 10:44:26 PM PDT

      •  WAIT A MINUTE