Why the Dean campaign gets it
Some alleged Democrats recently ran nasty attack ads against Howard Dean, with visuals of bin Laden, implying Dean was weak on national security.
The Dean campaign replied, using their official blog, that these ads were stomach-turning. Many bloggers picked up the story and ran with it, adding their own comments. And now, in a very nice touch, the Dean blog is listing the blogs that linked to their original story.
This isn’t just an example of a campaign that understands the Net, this is also a brilliant demonstration of how to build press momentum for your story, but more importantly, of how to build community, of letting people know they are appreciated, of encouraging them to participate even more.
(Ok, they didn’t link back to the PolZeros post on this, as it criticized Dean for his Iraq stance – and I would have been startled if they had linked to it!)
Dick Morris on politics and blogs
And still, apparently sophisticated people say “what’s a blog?” and give Dick Morris the same blank stare they give you and me at the mention of this mysterious Internet transformation. I wanted to hear what he tells the innocents and the doubters. “Well,” Morris said, “how do you think Bill Clinton survived impeachment but for blogs and MoveOn and all of that? Where did the anti-globalization movement gets its strength from? Certainly not the mainstream media! Where did the right wing get its strength from? And the anti-Clinton stuff? Where is the Dean candidacy from?
And though some pols will triple their TV buys to make up the difference, “it’s the last gasp of a dying system.” The pull, Morris says, is the fact that one quarter of the country is on a computer during prime time; 70 percent of Americans have regular Internet access. “It’s an entirely new age in American politics.”
PS Dean doesn’t bend in his opposition to war in Iraq
Howard Dean on Monday stood by his criticism of the war with Iraq, hailing the capture of Saddam Hussein but saying that his seizure had failed to make America safer and that the invasion of the former dictator’s country was launched “in the wrong way at the wrong time.”
He’s still the only major Democratic candidate voicing serious opposition to the war. In a different dimension, Al Sharpton or Dennis Kucinich could have a chance at President, but not in this universe at the present time. So, Dean, the front runner, is still the antiwar candidate, although his plan on what to do in Iraq (stay there and run the place through proxies) doesn’t seem like an answer to me. However, he would be way more moderate than Bush (hey, who wouldn’t be?), has a serious chance of winning, and thus deserves support.