Howard Dean may have achieved political immortality, writing himself into the annals of U.S. campaign lore with his primal scream after the Iowa caucuses.
The question is, did the former Vermont governor also deal a fatal, self-inflicted blow to his White House hopes?
And will the Internet, so crucial to him in building a campaign force, bring him down with its endless parodies?
“Disraeli said there was no finality in politics, but Dean’s campaign is lying on the table right now, and the priest is coming in the door to administer the last rites,” American University political historian Allan Lichtman said.
Polls show Dean’s support slipping in New Hampshire, which next Tuesday stages its crucial primary. A month ago, his lead over the other contenders seemed insurmountable.
Dean’s emotional yell came at the end of a speech to his supporters after he placed a disappointing third in the Iowa caucuses, the first binding vote of the 2004 campaign.
For many viewers, including some who had previously supported Dean, the moment seemed to offer a glimpse into the candidate’s soul–and most did not like what they saw.
“The press played it up because they were looking for a moment when they could give America a sense of the Dean they were seeing on the campaign trail,” Democratic political analyst Michael Goldman said.
The traditional media had little to do with the way the moment reverberated around the nation.
Within 24 hours, there were several competing versions set to techno music available on the Internet. Dean was being ridiculed on late-night TV and discussed around water coolers across the nation.
Trying to cool matters, Dean on Thursday jokingly told a town hall meeting in New Hampshire his voice was still recovering from “my screeching in Iowa.”
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Dean on Letterman
Dean presented the “Late Night with David Letterman” Top 10 list on a taped appearance Thursday. The subject: “Ways, I, Howard Dean, can turn things around.”
10. Switch to decaf.
9. Unveil new slogan, “Vote for Dean and get one dollar off your next purchase at Blimpie.”
8. Marry Rachel on 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 them a taste of those pipes.
4. Start working out and speaking with an Austrian accent.
3. I can’t give specifics yet, but it involves Ted Danson.
2. Fire the staffer who suggested I do this Lousy Top 10 List instead of actually campaigning.
1. Oh, I don’t know–maybe fewer, crazy, red-faced rants.
Scream on the Web
Dean may be in third in the Iowa caucuses, but he remains “The Internet Candidate” for a very different reason this week.
– MTV.com houses a growing list of audio remixes, including one where Dean’s “Yeah!” is played over the music from Guns ‘N Roses’ “Welcome to the Jungle”: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1484529 /20040122/aphex(underscore)twin.jhtml eadlines=true
– At one point Thursday afternoon, the most e-mailed photos on Yahoo.com included a nudist on a French beach, two monkeys in a Japanese hot spring and Howard Dean yelling “Yeah!” in Iowa.
– On www.thespoof.com, the headline on the Dean story ran above a photo of the candidate raising his hand: “Howard Dean Amputates Hand To Show He’s Serious.”
– Looking for jokes on Dean? Check out: http://politicalhumor.about.com/library/bl
howarddeanjokes.htm
