Dr. Howard Dean’s Iowa Caucus concession speech on MLK day 2004 has all the political pundits and late-night comedians talking, that I cannot help but write something about it.
Although you’ll never again see the speech in its entirety, you can read it off the The New York Times website, where you’ll find a transcription of the speech. After coming in third in Iowa, Dr. Dean addressed his campaigners:
DEAN: Well, you guys, you have already got the picture here. I was about to say, you know, I'm sure there are some disappointed people here. You know what? You know something? You know something? If you had told us one year ago that we were going to come in third in Iowa, we would have given anything for that. And you know something? You know something? Not only are we going to New Hampshire, Tom Harkin, we're going to South Carolina and Oklahoma and Arizona and North Dakota and New Mexico, and we're going to California and Texas and New York. And we're going to South Dakota and Oregon and Washington and Michigan. And then we're going to Washington, D.C. To take back the White House. Yeah.
(APPLAUSE)
We will not give up.
AUDIENCE: No.
Ok, so the NY Times transcription is a little sterile, but you’ve seen the video clip and know how much noise and excitement (and disappointment) there was in the hall. I saw the TV clips and wondered if Dean hadn’t been a bit too enthusiastic. But did his enthusiasm invite the constant media attention that it has received? I thought to myself, wow, he’s really fired up! Did I think he was crazy? Did I think, “hey, should this guy have his finger on the red button?” Not any more so than when I see George “Dubya” in his cowboy boots and hat trying to act like a Texan! Wait, I don’t think Bush should be president…bad example.
You know, in the old days, presidential candidates didn’t even campaign on their own behalf. It wasn’t considered “proper” for someone to make speeches for their own election. Not even George Washington went out and stumped for his presidency. Of course, everyone knew that he would be the President, but even Jefferson, Jackson and most other candidates did not campaign for presidency. That changed in 1896, when William Jennings Bryan, the “Boy Orator of the Platt” ran for president on both the Democratic and Populist ticket. He crisscrossed the country by rail, speaking and taking his message to people in large countries and the “boys at the forks in the road,” as rural areas were called.
Dean is no Bryan. But, the “I have a Scream” speech, as some are now calling it certainly has made the news, and not all good for dean. For example, on this weekend’s Chris Matthews Show, Chris, humorist Dave Matthews, political insider Joe Kline, and Campbell Brown asked each other “Is Dean Dead?”
On David Letterman’s Late Show, Dr. Dean made an appearance on the Top Ten List segment with the topic: Top Ten Ways I, Howard Dean, Can Turn Things Around:
10. "Switch to decaf"
9. "Unveil new slogan: 'Vote for Dean and get one dollar off you next purchase at Blimpie'"
8. "Marry Rachel on final episode of 'Friends'"
7. "Don't change a thing -- it's going great"
6. "Show a little more skin"
5. "Go on 'American Idol' and give 'em a taste of these pipes"
4. "Start working out and speaking with Austrian accent"
3. "I can't give specifics yet, but it involves Ted Danson"
2. "Fire the staffer who suggested we do this lousy Top Ten list instead of actually campaigning"
1. "Oh, I don't know -- maybe fewer crazy, redfaced rants"
If you support Dean and his level of energy, you can also get Howard Dean “Yarrrr!” t-shits available at CaféShops. There is also a thong, which I find quite interesting.
I’m not saying I’m for Dean, I don’t really know that much about him. I do know that Dr. Dean has been the five-time governor of Vermont, and although he is known as being somewhat cheap, he does come from a prominent New York family. He is not the “political unknown” that some in the media like to portray him.
What of the comparison between Dean and Bryan? Unfortunately for Bryan, he lost the election to William McKinley who held his campaign in the traditional way. He sat at home in what was called the Front Porch Campaign. He would entertain reporters’ questions while sitting on his porch in Canton, Ohio.
So much for political enthusiasm.
