Until this last week, I’ve been a classic, pragmatic on-the-fencer. There were weeks when I was inching toward Clark. Days when Edwards had me won over. But I was never a big Dean booster. I had a lot of respect for him, but there was something about his style that I couldn’t see working as President.
Now one of two things has happened. Either (1) I’ve developed a classic case of Democractic root-for-the-guy-who’s-gonna-lose-itis. Or (2) Christian’s got a point (see below). And this elaborate Jedi mind trick has worked. Because the more I watch Dean this week, especially in long-form interviews like the one C-Span’s been airing, with Peter Jennings, the more I hear extended dub-remixes of the whoop, the more Dean gets an opportunity to confront people’s concerns about him, to show a little more humility and humanity, well the more I like him.
update: a diary up on Kos pointed me toward this interesting video — the Dean Iowa speech, as seen from the crowd. All that crowd noise puts a bit of a different spin on things.
Breaking news: Cecil Vortex’s heart endorses Howard Dean for President
by
Tags:
Comments
2 responses to “Breaking news: Cecil Vortex’s heart endorses Howard Dean for President”
I know Winer isn’t always our favorite personality — but when you read his account of the context of the Iowa speech AND watch this video from the crowd, you can be certain the media was out for blood. Makes me more certain this guy is the one; they’ve got nothing on him except an excess of enthusiasm at a pep rally?
Rayne, the rules of fairplay require me to chastise you. I agree that Dave Winer has been contributing a lot to the web’s unique (compared with TV’s) framing filter abilities, with his first-hand blog reporting and his Channel Dean leadership by example.
No, I have to ask you to keep gratuitous asides (ad hominems) out of your comments whenever possible. I’m afraid Dave already has the mistaken idea that I enjoy opposing him when instead – like anyone – I have a mixture of agreements and disagreements with Dave’s very public, very influential philosophy of how to help people use the web. I’m not anymore interested in focusing on the areas of disagreement or social awkwardness between us online than he probably is, so if you leave that kind of stuff out of the comments, it at least doesn’t make things worse.
Nobody likes having salt rubbed in their wounds, least of all someone who already feels like you’re out to get ’em. It’s like that They Might Be Giants song, Your Own Worst Enemy: “So precious and few are the moments that you and your own worst enemy share.”
So, let’s keep it all above the waist, shall we? Marquis of Queensberry and all that rot. What, ho? Pip pip.