Howard Dean's Accomplishments

[ian]

I know that this isn't exactly the appropriate place to ask this question, but I didn't know where else to turn.  I am writing an article about Howard Dean's accomplishments, and I have many, but I feel like I'm missing much.
1.  Appealed to youth
2.  Liberalized VT to an even greater extent
3.  Energized the Democratic party
4.  Weblogs
Is there anything that I'm missing?  I have a dreadful feeling that I am, and I know you politics buffs can help me.  Thanks.

[Nation]

Revolutionzed campaign finance through his Internet donations, etc

[Akno21]

Made it popular during the primaries to attack the war and Bush's handling of it.

[Ben.]

 

1.  Appealed to youth

How so? Youth didn't come out in great numbers in the Primaries nor was there an explosion in younger voter turnout in the general.

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Not so, by VT standards he was a conservative/libertarian Governor, he suddenly converted to being a hard core liberal when he thought it might win him the Democratic nomination (some might call that opportunism, But I’m sure he was just being a straight shooting champion of the liberal left).

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Fair point although he did this by forcing the other candidates to fight harder for the nomination IMHO.

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Good Point

Most importantly he revolutionised fundraising, through his use of the internet and both partys have now cottoned on to that. 

[zachman]

His organization showed that carpetbagger campaigners have an adverse effect.

This has not been mentioned but he got the ball rolling for 527s and the more old-school money spenders (i.e. the DNC and the John Kerry campaign).

[Ben.]

Howard Dean proved how usefull a tool the World Wide Web can be in any campaign. His grassroots effort was simply amazing, IMO. One good way he did this was to solicit small donations ($5,$10) once every couple of weeks then $100 at a time as the other campaigns did.

How come you've got a picture of Bandit in you sign?

[ian]

 

1.  Appealed to youth

How so? Youth didn't come out in great numbers in the Primaries nor was there an explosion in younger voter turnout in the general.

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Not so, by VT standards he was a conservative/libertarian Governor, he suddenly converted to being a hard core liberal when he thought it might win him the Democratic nomination (some might call that opportunism, But I’m sure he was just being a straight shooting champion of the liberal left).

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Fair point although he did this by forcing the other candidates to fight harder for the nomination IMHO.

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Good Point

Most importantly he revolutionised fundraising, through his use of the internet and both partys have now cottoned on to that. 

In Iowa, youth turnout rose from 9 to 17%, so I accredit Dean for that, even though he didn't win that group.  NH's youth vote rose one percentile, and Dean won there.
And, as you might know, the span between Gore and Bush was 10% in the last election; this election, the span between Kerry and Bush was 20%, which I believe Dean was the reason for.  Nothing else makes sense.

[qwerty]

How come you've got a picture of Bandit in you sign?

Because it's funny.

[Silent Hunter]

This:

"Not only are we going to New Hampshire ... 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, Yeeeeeaaaaaargh!"

[FerrisBueller86]

Howard Dean (though his group Democracy For America) helped elect:
1.  the new Democratic governor of Montana
2.  a new Democratic legislator in Idaho's state house
3.  a new Democratic judge in Alabama

DFA also helped fund Tom DeLay's opponent, forcing the ethically-challenged Republican leader to actually campaign for the first time in a long time.

[MaC]

John Kerry changed his position on the war, but his latter and staying message was that he was for keeping troops in Iraq and continuing the war (with UN troops on the side).  Wasn't Deans veiw to pull out?  I didn't like him in January, but looking back, I'd rather have him as prez than Kerry.  "Almost" enough to vote for Dean.

[Schmitz in 1972]

This:

"Not only are we going to New Hampshire ... 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, Yeeeeeaaaaaargh!"

Agree, Howard Dean's greatest accomplishment was adding this little gem to Democratic nomination lore. "Yeeeeeaaaaaargh!" Might be the most famous utterance in the Democratic primaries since "Where's the beef?"

[J. J.]

In the positive sense, Dean pioneered the tactic of web-based fundraising and of weblogs.  These will be around for a while.


In the negative sense, Dean pulled the Democrates and Kerry too far to the left on the war.  It was this pulling that led Kerry to vote against the $87 billion.

Kerry could have made an argument that the Iraq war was, "War badly made."  It violated the "Powell Doctrine" in the aftermath.  To do this, he would have had to consistently supported the troops there and called for increases in troop strength.   When faced with Dean, as anti-war, he decided he had to appear anti-war too.

Basically, his flip-flops were him trying to get out of his antiwar stance that Dean forced on him.  That doomed his campaign.

[Platypus]

Hmmn, you know about the Powell doctrine...

maybe you're a military politics strategist?

[Umengus]

Howard Dean proved how usefull a tool the World Wide Web can be in any campaign. His grassroots effort was simply amazing, IMO. One good way he did this was to solicit small donations ($5,$10) once every couple of weeks then $100 at a time as the other campaigns did.

I agree. (Big) Fundraising by web is the revolution.

[European]

he managent to make something that was thought to be a walkover into a really fight. it goes to show that people can make a difference.

I've never understood what all that crap about that screech. I don't make sence, what i thought was more important was bush's inability to string a sentance together.