Timidly went around looking at some of the mainstream media, and went over to Slate. There was a first hand look at what's going on on the ground in NH and it was the usual, "I'm tired of this already" nonsense. However, a point was made that I think Deaniacs need to keep in mind.
To non Deaniacs, Deaniacs come off as scary cultists. Maybe we are scary cultists, maybe we're not, but a number of people on the outside see us that way. And the supporters who are the most visible (able to fly off to perfect storms and whatnot) tend to be the scariest of the lot--intense, young, eyes misty for dear leader. I'm very non threatening myself, which is probably why I just sit at home. Now, I'm sure you can point to individuals in Iowa who were not of the scary young person demographic, but answer truthfully if you were in Iowa--was your overall impression of intense young outsiders?
The speech to supporters, while certainly understandable, just underscored the culty scariness for some people.
So in all the navel gazing about the doctor and his staff, can I also add maybe this is not the time to be sending lots of "scary" people to where they might do more harm than good. The clapping, the bonding, and all that, can appear loony to those who haven't drunk the kool-aid, and while we could get by with it while we were in the lead (person thinks "I'm ambivalent--these people scare me, but their candidate is the popular one--maybe it's not so bad") it's just another strike against us when the veneer of the frontrunner is gone. We become a victim of our success. Anyway, the race at this point is no longer about so much about us as it is about the doctor. Having the most volunteers doesn't guarantee anything if they aren't deployed smartly (as we discovered). There are probably more ways to deconstruct this, but it was sort of disturbing to read and yet rang true to me.
I wish we could send a brigade of moms and dads, vets, minorities, and senior citizens (all well trained as political operatives) into NH. In the meantime, though, if you're going to NH, please don't scare anyone...
