From my
blog.
Note: While researching for this post I went back to IMDB.com and again searched for Howard Brush Dean. The same page came up with Dean in Ninja III - but it had changed. Apparently IMDB has updated their database, but not by eliminating the Ninja III mention. The have added K Street and removed the Leno appearance. They seem pretty confident that this is the right Dean ...
So I went ahead and did it. I put together a comprehensive chronology of how my buddy Jesse and I individually and Fearitself as a blog were the first to break the Dean/Ninja III story. Before reading on, if you have no idea what I'm writing about you ought to take a minute before continuing and read the salon.com story and watch the video clip.
I didn't really care to take the credit for breaking this story until I swung over to Dean Nation today and noticed that their blogger, Aziz, was BRAGGING about scooping the story before anyone EVEN THOUGH in the comments to their "scoop" someone else gives Fearitself credit! So you think the bragging would have ended, but oh no. Similar bragging occurs elsewhere on the net - and frankly - that is pretty sad. Asking for credit when you have earned it on something like this is pitiful (I admit), but stealing it when you know otherwise? That is downright Rovian! Dean Nation please! Give the college kids their credit when it is due!
The simple chronology below SHOWS BEYOND ANY DOUBT that my first Fearitself post about Ninja III, Trix's Diary on dKos, my open thread dKos comment, and Burnt Orange Report's post ALL beat Dean Nation out.
I of course contend that even Trix, and Burnt Orange indirectly got their info from the fire that I started in the Blogosphere. I suspect, as the information below will show, that people saw my comments on BFA about Dean in a Ninja movie and that is how word started to get around. Don't get me wrong, this is good! Spreading the word was my goal after all - so no harm in Trix or Burnt Orange or anyone passing the info on. Of course just mentioning it is different than Dean Nation posting and then frequently claiming credit, when they knew the did not deserve it. In case you swing by: Aziz - where did you get your information - and why didn't you credit it?
Before the chronology an excerpt from the Gorenfeld article that talks about the Ninja buzz starting in late 2003, coincidentally when Jesse and I first started spreading the word.
Murmurs had persisted since late 2003, when someone noticed that the Internet Movie Database listing for "Howard Dean," which mentions the former Vermont governor's turn on last fall's "K Street," also credits "Howard Dean" with playing a policeman on "Ninja III."
Let me be clear here, I am sure other people had found the Dean link on IMDB before Jessie did, what I am contending is that we were the first to get it in the blogosphere (and elsewhere with my frequent mention of the Ninja III connection to other youth organizers on GenDean conference calls). Here are the facts:
- Jessie's initial comment on the ASU 4 Dean Blog (which I also run) 11/22, 3:53pm - here
- Fear Itself #1 (scroll down there are two Ninja III posts) 11/23, 2:00pm - here
- BFA comment by me (Mister T in AZ) #1 11/23, 9:09pm - here
- BFA comment by me #2, 11/23, 9:23pm - here
- Daily Kos Diary (Trix), 11/24, 02:29 GMT - here
- Burnt Orange Report, 11/24, 12:42pm - here
- Daily Kos Comment in open thread by me, 11/24 ,6:03pm - here
- <font color="red">Dean Nation Post - (also check comments)</font> 11/25 (no time) - here
- Politics and War (check out the comments for more Dean Nation bragging about scooping this) 1/4, 4:28am - here
- Atrios - 1/5, 5:11pm - here
- Padagon 1/5, 3:28pm - here
I don't know why Gorenfeld even mentioned Atrios or Padagon - they definitely were very late on all this, but that isn't the point. This is: As you can see above - Dean Nation did not break this story or even come close to doing so. Credit Trix and Burnt Orange for being the fastest on picking up on the scent - but credit the J-Man and myself for being lame enough to take such efforts to spread this around the net (okay, me for being lame enough to spread, Jessie just told me about it and bought the movie).
So as my final conclusion: The timing of all this really leads me to believe that those two BFA comments is how this got out there. I challenge any of you to find mention of this anywhere before 11/22/03 (not counting on the IMDB.com page).
And one last note - I just find this all really amusing. There is no need to worry, I don't REALLY care about Aziz taking credit at all, I'm not THAT unbalanced!