USA Today got it right

[yesthattom]

http://www.usatoday.com/news/politicselections/nation/president/2004-02-18-dean-usat_x.htm

I agree with most of what's in the article. Especially...

"Rogan, hired by Dean to handle money and personnel, and travel aide Kate O'Connor, who filtered Dean's contacts and information — saw their job as protecting Dean. They clashed with Dean's national political advisers, who felt thwarted in trying to improve the campaign."

[...] "He didn't grow as a candidate," says John Weaver, who was senior strategist for Republican John McCain's 2000 campaign. "Once he became the front-runner, he never understood he was in the making-friends business."

For better and ultimately for worse, Dean set his own course. He refused to get coaching to ready himself for presidential-level speeches and debates. He rarely read debate preparation books.

He ignored advice on speeches. Over aides' protests, he penciled into a foreign policy speech the line that America was not safer after the capture of Saddam Hussein. He tossed his talking points in Iowa and the result was his shouted "concession" speech.

Many advisers urged Dean to relate more personally to voters. Some urged him to talk about senior citizens and children in Vermont who have prescriptions and health care as a result of his policies. Iowa Sen. Tom Harkin, a supporter, advised him to tell stories about his medical practice, his family or people he met on the campaign trail. But Dean didn't.

In the final weekend before the caucuses, Harkin's wife, Ruth, made a breakthrough other Dean advisers had sought for months: She persuaded Dean to ask his wife to appear with him. Judy Dean flew in for two rallies the day before the caucuses and appeared on network television with her husband in New Hampshire. He seemed warmer in her presence, but his angry image already was fixed.

[...]

Dean and his team also appeared blindsided when news organizations and rivals dredged up his past support for corporate tax breaks, the North American Free Trade Agreement and changes to Medicare. "Every campaign running against them had more opposition research (on Dean) than they did," says Anita Dunn, a party strategist.

And the most frustrating part was that there were many, many people in the office (including myself, once I got here) that were saying these things but had no way of getting the message to Dean or anyone that would listen.

Comments

[lovingboth]

I've done lots of election campaigns over the years, and this one's reminded me most of the Monmouth by-election (in just one constituency, say about 60,000 electors, to replace an MP who's died/retired between general elections).

Lovely place - the border of England & Wales, lots of woods, hills and small towns. A bit like much of New England.

Lovely to work at - the computer team were at the top of the main building, rather than in some grotty basement or out of the way shed somewhere.

Lovely atmosphere amongst the team - when the chief executive of the party came up one morning and found us all playing golf on the PCs (all the work had been done the previous night and there was no more to do until the evening) he threatened to have us all thrown out of the party... only to discover he was the only one who was actually a member.

Great opportunity - all of the three parties stood a chance of winning.

But the actual campaign was completely underprepared, and we said so from the start - the main issues that decided the election were missed until it was way too late, for example.

We came third.

[celticdragonfly.livejournal.com]

Thought this might interest you:
http://www.livejournal.com/users/neonnurse/39675.html