from the the milwaukee journal sentinel:
dean gallops ahead in tv ad race
nothing groundbreaking here, but i had not seen a breakdown of campaign spending on tv during the primary race.
this article, coupled with stories of the
aboussie affair, and
dean's courtship of dem insiders and
elected officials highlights some interesting differences in fundraising success and political tactics.
The former Vermont governor [Dean] is the biggest spender on ads so far at an estimated $2.8 million, followed by North Carolina Sen. John Edwards at $2.2 million, Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry at $1.8 million, and Missouri Rep. Dick Gephardt at $900,000.
there's more to it - including a state by state breakdown for iowa and new hampshire (money and ads placed), and some discussion of wider electoral strategy for various campaings.
all this article really does is highlight the resource advantage of the dean campaign...and the relative futility of dean's competition.
of course, there's also some indication of how
much gephardt has to rely on organization (presumably from unions) to win this thing judging from how little he's spent on advertising. makes the
aboussie affair seem that much more a f*ck up, in my view. i mean, gep's desperate to be sure, but did his staffer really think this was a wise way to get what gep's campaign needs?
threats work best if you're in a position of stregth...gep isn't, yet his knives came out (whether he explicitely sanctioned the threat or not).
contrast that tactic with
dean:
While Dean has risen to the top of polls in Iowa, New Hampshire and other key states as the anti-Washington candidate, he is adjusting his campaign tactics to appeal to establishment Democrats who can help deliver the money, manpower and momentum he might need to wrap up the party's nomination, advisers say.
...
Dean's boldest overture came this week when he called on his 500,000-plus contributors to send money to Rep. Leonard L. Boswell (Iowa). Helping Boswell is obviously in Dean's best interest: Boswell has not endorsed a candidate yet. But long before any caucus or primary, Dean also plans to raise money for as many as 19 other Democrats, including Rep. Darlene Hooley (Ore.).
the results say a heck of a lot here.
50k in roughly two days...and more to come for more candidates. i have a feeling the party establishment will be quite appreciative...and perhaps more welcoming of the change us dean-heads have seen coming for a while.
"There's a sea change going on," said former DNC vice chair Lynn Cutler, a Dean supporter who attends the meetings with lobbyists.
At Tuesday night's book-signing party for former secretary of state Madeleine K. Albright, Cutler said she was inundated with requests from Democrats who formerly were cool to Dean but now want to help him out. A former Clinton Cabinet secretary is expected to endorse Dean this week, and one friend of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) said the former first lady sounds increasingly intrigued by Dean.
we can spar on questions of electibility, or the relevance of national polling or whatever. we can talk about how mean (crap!), or foreign policy deficient dean is (double crap!). but one thing us undeniable - dean's campaing is playing harder, and smarter than anyone else in the field.
dean's managed to call out the failed leadership/ideas of the party establishment while not alienating (deliberately or otherwise) key constituencies, or influential party leaders - competitors excluded. that's a delicate balance given the times, and i think the campaign's done a masterful job.
hence the nine (graham included) asses dean's kicking.
shux :: deanforamerica