Campaign Diary home >> It's All Over But The Shouting
It's All Over But The Shouting
Date: Saturday, February 14, 2004
Location: Racine, Wisconsin
I arrive early at a Howard Dean rally in Racine.
I sit in one of the many empty seats. I notice the minimal press coverage. I almost feel sorry for Howard Dean. My, how the mighty have fallen!
Yesterday, I saw Dean speak at the University of Wisconsin. He drew a crowd of 1,000. In October, Dean drew 5,000.
I remember my first Dean rally. The crowd in Iowa poured out the door and into the lobby of the auditorium. Al Gore was there. Music blared. It felt like a rock concert.
Today's rally feels like a wake. Gone is the music. Gone are the endorsements. Gone, too, are the $40 million.
At John Kerry rallies, I meet scores of people who have begun to support him in the last month. At today's Dean rally, everyone I meet has supported Dean since at least September. The fair-weather fans have found a new favorite.
All that is left for Dean are the "bitter-enders." They sounded the trumpets last summer, and they will be the last to retreat. There is a certain honor there.
As I watch Dean speak, I consider all the theories about his collapse: bad press, his scream, the wasted money.
I believe Dean's fall, like his rise, has every thing to do with the Democrats' hatred of George W. Bush.
Democrats desperately want a candidate who will (first) stand up to Bush and (second) defeat Bush.
A year ago, only Dean fit the first of the criteria.
Then, with just enough time to spare, Kerry and John Edwards copied Dean's anti-Bush rhetoric.
With more candidates now qualifying on the first criteria, and with Dean self-destructing in Iowa, Democrats began to ask, "Which candidate has the best chance to beat Bush?"
Exit Howard Dean. Enter John Kerry.
Kerry spoke to Democrats' highest hopes, while tapping into their worst fears, when he told a hundred audiences in Iowa, "Don't just send America a message. Send America a president."
Today in Racine, Howard Dean is still shouting, but the facade of a credible campaign is crumbling. The crowd here knows that the end is near.
In a very literal sense, it's all over but the shouting.
Read previous dispatch
