So, waitaminute. I hadn't actually seen the now legendary speech that Dean made after Iowa until about three minutes ago via cspan's video archive. (Hey, I'm busy, and I don't get to check in on the whore "news" that much.)
So, um, that's it? Dean's at what looks like a massive, super-hyped campaign rally, he gets hyped too, and belts out an enthusiastic "Yeah!!!". Um. So?
In the end, I'll be able to swallow it if Dean loses the nomination because he didn't meet the overinflated Iowa expectations. But, if the post-mortem after this hypothetical Dean drop-out includes a healthy dose of blame for Dean's failure on the perception of this speech, then I may just throw up my hands and go move to Canada for a decade or something.
Are we (and the American populace) so gullible to be swayed by a burst of non-offensive, non-obscene enthusiasm? And swayed negatively, for that matter? Aren't we supposed to be attracted to candidates that display passion? Or is the only tone of voice that is now acceptable one of measured calm, in polite and pleasing tones?
I mean, we don't need to go very far to see a political landscape where people are generally allowed to express emotion, both positive and negative. Britian's practice of having the P.M. go to the House of COmmons (weekly?) to make a mini-status statement and to be generally derided or applauded (depending on the speaker's affiliation) is a variety show on many different levels, and something that would probably make our democracy far more vibrant if it were institutionalized here. Do you see Brits becoming dismayed if their M.P. gets a little hot under the collar while grilling Blair? Do you see them getting worried about the electability of a member if they become a little over-jubilant after a legislative victory? Hell, no. And we always like to say that the brits are too uptight.
Whew. </end>
Anyway, this is stupid. If you're disturbed by Dean's "outburst", then I invite you to develop a better sense of humor and perspective on the ups and downs of life. I only wish I were that pumped up when things didn't go my way! :-)