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Katie & Matt Trash Dean, Elevate Kerry, as Dean Gives "Subliminable" Hint about Withdrawal
The Today Show

Posted on 01/20/2004 5:02:22 AM PST by governsleastgovernsbest

Edited on 01/20/2004 5:07:54 AM PST by Admin Moderator. [history]

It wasn't only Iowa Dems who voted. The liberal media have too. And to judge by the performance of Katie Couric and Matt Lauer on this morning's Today Show, Dean is dirt and Kerry's the man.

"A pretty impressive showing," said Katie with a smile regarding Kerry's victory at the top of the show.

"The man whose campaign was all but left for dead has won Iowa after a stunning turnaround."

"Howard Dean goes home with a third-place finish."

Katie greeted Kerry with the warm smile she reserves for Dem faves. "How do you pull this off?", she asked, her voice chirpily rising and almost breaking.

Surprisingly, though, Katie did ask some tougher questions. She mentioned that some are crediting his "deep pockets" for the win, and quoted someone from the Washington Post to the effect that it's not healthy for a candidate to be able to bankroll his own campaign.

Kerry pointed out he was outspent "by an opponent" (Dean).

Katie: "Will you continue to hammer Edwards on his lack of experience and are you concerned Clark will co-opt Iraq issue?"

Kerry: "I have run a positive campaign, but there are important differences among the candidates. We need a candidate with significant foreign policy and domestic experience."

Katie: "The landscape is littered with candidates who won in Iowa and didn't go on to win the nomination. How much are you making out of your victory?"

Kery: "I'm not making anything out of it. I'm here in NH, I'm the underdog here."

The funny dynamic was that Katie wanted to talk horse race, and every time Kerry got to open his mouth, out would spill his canned spiel. The look on Katie's face made it obvious she was somewhat exasperated by his canned comments. Kerry was being very disciplined and playing it safe. This was annoying, but for a guy who wants to portray himself as presidential and safe, it might actually help him.

The on to a brief interview with Edwards by Matt Lauer. "Prior to election night, your aides were quietly circulating the notion that 'third was first', so what does second do for you?"

Naturally, Edwards thought it was "a huge boost."

Can you remain positive attitude now that you have become a front runner and will come under attacks? "My positive approach is not a strategy, it is who I am. [A little vanity creeping in?] That doesn't mean I won't respond if someone attacks me."

Lauer: Kerry has commented on your lack of experience, the "still in diapers when I was getting back from Nam" comment.

Edwards: "The truth is I've worked very hard on issues of national security, and am on intelligence committee, worked on legislation to make country safer (of course he won't mention the Patriot Act by name!), have traveled to foreign countries and met with leaders and with intelligence community at home."

There was some refreshing frankness: "To be honest, the vote in Iowa was a surprise. I have no way of knowing what will happen in NH." He also said that he was not a good enough of a politician, during the week of the NH primary, not to admit that he was rooting for the Carolina Panthers against New England in the Super Bowl. "There my team!"

Then it was on to an interview by Katie of Dean: "What happened?" Dean: "I was the front runner and I took a lot of flak. It was tough but I got a ticket out of Iowa and now I hope to do well in NH."

Katie: "The more positive candidates did well. Do you wish you had been less pugnacious in your ads?"

Dean: "They weren't that tough. Kerry's mailings were in fact much tougher. He wouldn't be known as being so positive if people knew what was in those mailings."

Katie: "After the results came in, you gave a fired up speech. Some people thought you would implode. Some say you looked like the [borderline psycho character from the movie Network shouting "we're mad as hell and we're not going to take it anymore]. At the same time Kerry remained senatorial in his demeanor. Did you get out of control and over the top?"

Dean: "There were 3500 young people who turned up and they deserved a little fun - we're going to have fun in this campaign."

Next came what I consider the highlight of the entire segment, what I'd describe as a political Freudian slip in which Dean envisioned defeat and withdawal.

Katie asked: "In a lot of people's minds, the issue is electability. Many Iowans seemed to say that when they voted for Kerry and Edwards."

In response, the cocky pre-Iowa Dean would surely have boasted that he was going to win the race. Instead, Dean spoke quietly of being the only person in the race "who's ever balanced a budget or delivered health care."

He then added "that's the kind of campaign I'm going to run for as long as I'm in it, and then, realizing the implications of what he had just said, hastily added, "and I expect to be in this campaign for a long time."

A "long time"? Not "to the end," or "until I win"? Some of the strut has gone out of the bantam rooster.

Next came a Lauer interview with Tim Russert. Can everyone agree that Russert never has an original thought or a bold prediction? He is useful only as a barometer of the most conventional of conventional wisdom.

Lauer was also clearly transfixed by Dean's screaming, over-the-top performance in his post-results speech.

Lauer: "Did Dean's speech show why some voters are uncomfortable with him?" Russert agreed (you'll notice that Russert will almost always agree with whatever question is being pitched to him. His favorite response is an enthusiastic "absolutely!")

Said Russert: "Dean seems too angry, too liberal. What character and temperament does he want to show?"

Russert spoke of the moment where Dean told a critic at a rally to sit down and shut up as a turning point that got very wide play.

Russert concluded with yet another trite piece of conventional wisdom: "this is going to be a three- or four-way race for some time to come."


TOPICS: News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; US: Iowa; US: Massachusetts; US: New Hampshire; US: Vermont
KEYWORDS: 2004; dean; demprimaryrace; edwards; gephardt; iowa; iowacaucuses; kerry; todayshow
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To: governsleastgovernsbest
Here's the question though...

Is it true that Bush and his people wanted Dean to get the nomination?

Is Kerry a more formidible opponent, or not?

(And yes, if Dean just commited political suicide, I will miss him! He was entertaining.)
41 posted on 01/20/2004 5:43:51 AM PST by Pan_Yans Wife (He who has never hoped can never despair.)
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To: All
Did John Kerry take Katie's panties home with him....sounds like it.
42 posted on 01/20/2004 5:44:17 AM PST by Belisaurius ("Fat, drunk and stupid is no way to go through life, Ted" - Joseph Kennedy 1958)
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To: governsleastgovernsbest
". . . Katie wanted to talk horse race."

Go ahead, Katie. We see only a horse face.

43 posted on 01/20/2004 5:44:23 AM PST by Fester Chugabrew
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To: governsleastgovernsbest
Kerry this morning referred to the ression as the "Bush Recession". If his intent was not to decieve, does this nation want a president that does not even know when the recession started?
44 posted on 01/20/2004 5:45:54 AM PST by HankReardon
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To: Explorer89
today show ping
45 posted on 01/20/2004 5:47:12 AM PST by MrConfettiMan ("Hey, a rule is a rule, and let's face it, without rules there's chaos.")
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To: governsleastgovernsbest
Considering that Kerry is the Toons' stalking horse, I'm not surprised the Toon toadies on Today were in full tush-kissing mode this morning.
46 posted on 01/20/2004 5:49:34 AM PST by mewzilla
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To: Pan_Yans Wife; Dave
No doubt the Bush people, and most Republicans hoping for a landslide, wanted to run against Dean.

But looking back on it, it was just too much to hope for. Even former Dem landslide losers like McGovern and Mondale were level-headed military veterans who, while wrong on the issues, didn't pose a clear and imminent danger to the republic.

It was just unrealistic for us to think, in our wildest dreams, that the Dems ultimately were going to nominate such a wild-eyed, unqualified nasty little piece of business like Dean.

So we shouldn't feel bad today. It was just never in the cards. Let's rejoice instead in the good sense of the American people, even the Dems, and take some schadenfreude out of the defeat of this thoroughly unpleasant man.
47 posted on 01/20/2004 5:52:41 AM PST by governsleastgovernsbest
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To: Common Tator
"Did you ever notice that just like the girls all get prettier at closing time, the polls all get real accurate at voting time."

Yeah, and all that jazz about "organization"---really mattered didn't it?

48 posted on 01/20/2004 5:53:13 AM PST by ontos-on
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To: mewzilla
Isn't the conventional wisdom that Clark, whose campaign is filled with former Clinton staffers, is the Clinton stalking horse?
49 posted on 01/20/2004 5:53:37 AM PST by governsleastgovernsbest
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To: ontos-on
all that jazz about "organization"---really mattered didn't it?

Bad day for the union thugs.

50 posted on 01/20/2004 5:54:15 AM PST by governsleastgovernsbest
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To: governsleastgovernsbest
and take some schadenfreude out of the defeat of this thoroughly unpleasant man.

You're correct... common sense prevails. On with the gloating!

51 posted on 01/20/2004 5:54:37 AM PST by Pan_Yans Wife (He who has never hoped can never despair.)
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To: Fester Chugabrew
Go ahead, Katie. We see only a horse face.

Hey, you win the line of the day. Sehr gut!

52 posted on 01/20/2004 5:55:53 AM PST by ontos-on
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To: Pan_Yans Wife
He who has never hoped can never despair

OK, you've convinced me. I'm going to give up hope!

53 posted on 01/20/2004 5:56:08 AM PST by governsleastgovernsbest
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To: governsleastgovernsbest
Clark's an obvious sock puppet :) I think the Toons have their hooks into Kerry, too. Just not obviously. I mean look who the guy's got working for him. I think the Toons have hedged their bets. And it's not like Ashley's got a serious chance.
54 posted on 01/20/2004 5:56:42 AM PST by mewzilla
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To: Pan_Yans Wife
Is it true that Bush and his people wanted Dean to get the nomination?

Yes...he would prove to be no competition, the man is mentally unstable, as we witnessed last night, his own party kicked him to the curb.

Is Kerry a more formidible opponent, or not?

I have a funny feeling that Edwards is going to be the one, not Kerry.

55 posted on 01/20/2004 5:58:28 AM PST by ravingnutter
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To: mewzilla
I haven't been able to figure out the Clintons' strategy. Why do they need a stalking horse? Do they really care who wins the nomination, so long as he loses the general election and leaves the path open for Hillary in 2008?
56 posted on 01/20/2004 5:58:34 AM PST by governsleastgovernsbest
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To: governsleastgovernsbest
No!

Don't be that way... Dean just lost, Gore is completely silenced, Kerry is too rich and preppy to win, and GWBush still has national security as his trump card!

Roll out the barrels... la, la, la, la, la, la, la. etc.
57 posted on 01/20/2004 6:00:56 AM PST by Pan_Yans Wife (He who has never hoped can never despair.)
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To: ravingnutter
There is an irony here that if things go TOO well in the war on terrorism for President Bush and the country, it could actually hurt him against Edwards.

People won't vote for Edwards so long as they feel that national security is the #1 issue. But if things seem to be going well, and the terrorist threat fading, they might be tempted to go for a feel-good candidate like Edwards. As someone said, he's like Clinton, but without the women.
58 posted on 01/20/2004 6:01:13 AM PST by governsleastgovernsbest
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To: Pan_Yans Wife
OK, you've convinced me again. I WILL have hope. But if this turns into despair later, you'll be hearing from me! ;-)
59 posted on 01/20/2004 6:02:46 AM PST by governsleastgovernsbest
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To: governsleastgovernsbest
I heard Russert on Imus this morning, and I actually think he had one of the most intelligent takes on the whole thing. A couple of key points:

1. The Iowa caucus was "big" in that it effectively ended the campaign of one candidate (Gephardt) and that it showed a serious lack of appeal in the Midwest for an "angry" candidate (Dean).

2. Despite Kerry's strong performance, he has an uphill climb over the next few months because he'll have a hard time winning any primaries in the South.

3. Lieberman is going to be the next Democrat to drop out of the race.

60 posted on 01/20/2004 6:03:48 AM PST by Alberta's Child (Alberta -- the TRUE North strong and free.)
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