Years ago I had some reversals in fortune that made me wonder if I had a future at all. What my mother told me was a lesson that changed my life and one that applies to the Dean campaign.
She told me that people tended to have a short term approach to life. If things were going well they assumed that things were always going to go well and if things were going badly that life would just continue to worsen. Not true.
She told me that life was a roller coaster. Somedays you were up and somedays you were down. You dealt with the down days and worked for the up days to come - because they will come.
I've found this to be absolutely true.
The Iowa caucus brought the entire Dean campaign off its high and disappointed us all. But that only means that we need to focus on the future. We need to roll up our sleeves, just as Howard does, and pitch in with even more vigor to make things happen. We have the power.
The primary process is often said to serve as a "toughening up" for the candidate. But more accurately it is a process of toughening up his supporters.
Get tough folks. Make it happen. That's how it works.