"They really tripped Dean up, he was out of his depth."

So said my very progressive, very liberal mother, about Dean's TV interviews this weekend. She had been leaning toward Dean, but now, because of what she perceives as his being "out of his depth" because he was "tripped up" several times and stumbled on certain questions and issues. She's hoping he isn't the nominee because she doesn't think he'll improve in time and, therefore, doesn't think he can win. This is greatly disappointing to me, as an enthusiastic Dean supporter. She has always been very politically aware and involved, and has astute judgment in these things.

Not having seen the cable interviews in question, I only have her side of things. For those of you who did see it, what was your honest impression? I have a hard time believing he could have been that much "out of his depth", then again, my mom is pretty smart with these things. Does she have a point, or was she not being fair in her assessment of his performance?

The transcript thread (and link) is posted to the Politics forum here. You can read what he said this weekend on CBS.

I'm not aware of other interviews this weekend. Which ones did she watch? I can try to dig up transcripts for you.

(On edit: ) Is there really a mom here? :-) Dean had one TV interview this weekend that I'm aware of, on CBS. But I'll happily try to find the transcripts for you if you let me know the programs she watched. Click here for the "Face the Nation" transcript.

definitely look it over. I think she was just referring to the Face the Nation interview, even though she kept saying "interviews." I don't know what other one this weekend that she could be talking about.

mom here! I've been working on her for weeks, trying to get her to support Dean since she likes Kerry. That's why I'm disappointed that she didn't like what she saw on Face the Nation, because now it's going to be even harder to get her to really take a good look at Dean.

n/t

It's been my major concern about Dean's electability all along. I think he is horrible in interviews and makes mistakes. I saw him this morning, and I don't think he has improved much. It worries me.

but I've never been terribly impressed with how he handles interviews, either. And I certainly agree with him on most issues.

...and I don't see that Dean has done anything in his life that required really really hard work.

He seems to have benefitted from privilege, wealth and luck.

He fucked around in and after college, and still got a job on Wall St. He didn't have enough credits in the right classes, so he paid money to take classes at Columbia to get into a second rate medical school and then carpet bagged off to VT where he was a big fish in a little pond. He was a Lt Gov and the Gov died, so he never had to run for Gov as anything but an incumb. No one has ever said that he's the best at anything he has ever done. I don't see that he has the work ethic to campaign as well as you need to campaign to win the race against the really well-financed Republican machine.

Gore had the same problem. I think there are other candidates who show that they have the work ethic to be the best at their chosen careers, and they're going to be the ones with the discipline to campaign well enough to win.

Look at that story about what the candidates do before the debates. Edwards is staring intently in the mirror breathing deeply. Concentrating. Dean was paying attention to and cracking jokes about Kerry having to wait to use the bathroom.

but......that's harsh!

I was in a hurry and I typed that out real fast. If I had had a chance to edit it, it probably would have been a lot different.

n/t

Ever watch actors prepare to perform? Sure, many of them are vain, but many do very similar things. Performance is a very heightened thing, and it takes extreme control and physical preparation to do it right. Lots of performers like to make it look easy, but that's part of the flim-flam: most successful ones work like dogs and don't want the competition to know that success could be had for them too if they'd only apply themselves.

Edwards is very relaxed, but quite controlled; he won't flip off with a string of gaffes and outbursts for which he'll have to later explain himself. These are good qualities for a statesman.

The criticism of politicians that always makes me laugh is "he/she has a big ego." You better have a big, healthy ego if you're going to be a politician.

school and going through the grueling inhuman time right afterwards known as residency more than qualifies as "really, really hard work." And being a physician more than qualifies as "really, really hard work." Dean's done more work in one year as a doctor than the Chimp has done in his whole life! Being a doctor is probably one of the most difficult things ever, requiring a horrendous amount of endless work and the physical, mental, and emotional stamina to withstand it. So I don't think you're being quite fair here.

And Dean may have come from privilege and wealth, but at least he, unlike the Boy King Impostor who has taken over the White House, understands that most Americans aren't that lucky and that they deserve the same chances that he was born with. This is especially true regarding access to health care and education. And he doesn't look down on those who aren't as fortunate as him, either, or think it's their fault.

I'm comparing him to a Democrat who can beat Bush. That Democrat has to have an incredible work ethic.

to beat bush and Dean has been the one who started taking directly to bush early and he just keeps going!

your fears are groundless.

Med school is tough even to get accepted to, and it takes a lot of hard work and discipline to finish. As someone who was born into privelege, Dean could have coasted in the brokerage industry; that he did not, and that he chose a fairly demanding and competitive field to get into, speaks well of him IMO. He has also worked hard at being a politician. He's had a ton of things go right fot him, all the way back to the silver spoon that he was born with, but he's also worked tremendously hard, and achieved a lot in his own right. He wouldn't have been in the position to take advantage of much of his (admittedly outrageous) good fortune without some hard work and at least a dollop of talent.

He lives just like any other middle to upper middle class family in Vermont. His kids always went to the public school. He went to his kids' games and sat side by side with the other parents. He drives an old beat up vehicle (an '89 I believe) and his phone number was always listed in the phone book. He's the closest to a "normal guy" out of all the candidates because of how he's chosen to live. Although he came from a family with a lot of money, he doesn't live or act like it.

hasn't bothered to find out the real story or doesn't want to know.

of it to the next generation and half to their surviving spouses.

When did Dean's father die?

Ironically, that's the same amount my daughter's father left him through an insurance policy. I might add that her father's family is NOT wealthy.

Which was probably a pretty decent income for for skiing in Colorado.

I'm just curious about how much money he got when his father died a couple years ago. I'm also interested in what his mom's worth, 'cause I'm sure he's counting on getting a chunk of that change too.

as good as Dean's college who didn't know what they were going to do, and didn't really have the grades and didn't have the science credits to get into med school, so they took the program Dean took, and got into a second tier med school, like Dean did.

Look, even Frist got into Harvard Med. I'm not saying that Dean took the easy way out, but he didn't exactly take the hardest route, and I've never even heard it claimed that he's the best at anything he's ever done. I don't know if that's gonna cut it. To beat a mediocre Republican, the Democrat has to have a pullitzer prize (JFK), be a Rhodes Scholar (WJC), rise to the top of your game from incredibly humble roots (LBJ)..

But I admit, my post was a little harsh. Sorry about that.

I'm not impressed with his going to "Harvard".

And I believe he was paying for it by himself. That certainly would explain why he chose that school.

in his paycheck.

Why do you allege that Albert Einstein's School of Medicine is "2nd rate"?

"On his 74th birthday, March 15, 1953, Professor Albert Einstein formally agreed to permit his name to be used for the first medical school to be built in New York City since 1897..."

that?

Because, frankly, how many Americans really pay a lot of attention to a candidate's substance? Look at Shrub and how horrible that manglemout was in interviews during the campaign, and yet that seemed to make him even more popular, while Gore, who was very good in interviews, never got any credit for that.

Listen to your momma.

... I've all but given up on Dean, I'll support which ever candidate that gets there but I'm really Clark leaning now.

on the basis of one speech?

No wonder you got Bush!

???

I've listened to many interviews--at least 10 and maybe 20. I like much about Dean, but I think he makes major mistakes in the interviews and appears bombastic. I'm hoping he improves rapidly.

But he did do much better.

It is too early to give up on Dean. I have always been a Kerry person, and I like Edwards and Clark, but I also do like Dean

no wonder you are so concerned with the inner workings of another country.

It's about time.

but I'm pretty biased.

I also understand that the "debate" formats and most interviews aren't really his best venues.

I also understand that what it takes to win a campaign involves skills that aren't totally all that germane to governing.

I also understand that policies are more important than interviews, as are character and what the candidate offers in terms of experience and depth, honesty and integrity.

I also understand that Dean offers our best chance to take back the country -- not just defeat Bush, but actually take back the country from the monied special interests. Not only is he raising unbelievable amounts of money (approaching $15 million this quarter) FROM THE PEOPLE -- not corporations or big fat cats, but he is also running the first Open Source, Interative Presidential Campaign in history -- as much a movement of people who are getting reinvolved with the political process for the first time in years or even their entire lifetimes as a campaign.

I also understand that because of his character and integrity, his willingness to remain authentically who he is, with all his warts, his refusal to allow his handlers to "polish" him, his ability to remind us of Give 'em Hell Harry Truman, that he's drawing people from ALL parts of the political spectrum, from Greens on thru Dems, Independents, Libertarians and Republicans. "It's not about left or right, it's about what's right."

No other candidate comes close to offering what Dean offers, no other candidate wants to or could if they even DID want to. He's one of a kind, and what he offers is a ticket back to the democracy we lost years, maybe decades ago.

For that reason he terrifies The Powers That Be (TPTB), who are out to supplant him because they'll lose power and influence if he wins (which is why they got Clark to run after all of their other golden boys couldn't gain any traction against this incredible grassroots movement which is the Dean campaign).

So I guess I don't get overly upset or concerned by a perceived lack of polish or a few stumbles on TV.

Eloriel

Dean since, as I said above in response to another post, she likes Kerry and I think Dean is much better than Kerry. I've been working on her for weeks about Dean, that's why I was disappointed that she wasn't impressed with what she saw today. I'm hoping she'll give him another shot, since he really shouldn't be judged by just one interview.

those of us who HATE acronyms and so therefore don't always try to figure out what they mean)!

:-)'s

shows his passion for what he's saying. I like the fact that he doesn't mince words.

I thought he did great on Face the Nation (Bob Schieffer) this morning and walked away with my support of him strengthened.

perception of the exact same thing!!

Evidently there were about 20,000 People who signed up for Dean today ...so I don't know if they saw him on ftn or what ..but that's a pretty good number for one day!

Dean is Dean...the rest seem to be unsure shape-shifters.

for Russert's interview this morning. Rice is on now, but Dean is on right after, right?

:-)

Not this week. "Face the Nation," though.

By the way, among the 10 nominees, who's the better interviewee? Sharpton's not bad, since he's a professional orator. Braun is usually pretty good. But I'm hard pressed to name a Democrat who surpasses Dean in that category. They all have flaws, and Lord knows the current White House occupant is hopeless.

I actually think was fairly good at interviews on the campaign trail. I know he got softballs, but he handled them well if you didn't probe and look beyond the catch phrases.

My order of best at interviews are Edwards, Sharpton, Clark, Gephardt, Kerry, and then the rest. That is not favorite candidate order, by the way.

You mean "Mary, Help!" Clark?

Uh huh, that makes sense...

And my husband said he wanted to have his babies :D

Scheiffer asked unreasonable amounts of follow ups- typical Dem treatment and Dean answered- determined, firm, confident.

Dean's babies, too, what I wouldn't give to be his wife for just one day and night, lol!

Seriously, he looked great today- comfortable and relaxed. He was taped from a cafe, there were normal people around, not a crowd.

Usually, when I watch him on the tube, or know he's coming on, I chew my nails because I am so invested on a personal, emotional level- I want this "newness", this bottom up kind of politics to work- I think the status quo needs some noisy bucking. I think the world needs to see it from us and I think it will make us, and them, safer....but I digress. And seperating the power from the money is IRRESISTABLE to me.

or a bad answer, to the level of missing stuff Dean said like...

"I think at the very least Secretary Rumsfeld and Deputy Secretary Wolfowitz should resign and I had thought for sometime that George Tenet should be let go as well. And there may be others because this is not over yet. We have been misled. That's why I had such strong disagreements with Senator Kerry, Representative Gephardt and Senator Edwards and Lieberman and now General Clark who also advocated last October that we go into Iraq, despite his opposition to it now. We have to do better in this country. I'm very willing as Commander in Chief to send our people anywhere we have to do it to defend America, but I am not willing to send them abroad in harm's way without telling the truth to the American people why it is we send them there."


Has anybody else called for rummy and wolfie to resign besides maybe kucinich?

Dean gives answers that are 90% gold and people seem to focus on the other 10% to attack him.

Yet Dean's numbers still keep going up.

but I don't know if he also called for Wolfowitz to resign also.

Eloriel

:toast:

yet. Haven't seen him on anything lately.

numbers and fundraising took an immediate Bounce after mtv...so evidently not everybody thought like you.

The sign ups appears to be about 20K today
and the bat is filling up fast.

Time after time people claim the Dean run has
peaked or is over but he keeps bringing the
fight to Bush and growing the roots to win
next fall.

Go Dean!!!

Dean bashers on DU...when People all around Our Country are clamoring to his message. And they aren't worrying ...he's not perfect... but here's a guy that is telling it like it is.

Whoo freakin' Hoo! :-)

TV is still the way to reach the most people efficiently. Many more people still have TVs than Internet.

We need to find out if our guy has a Teflon coating NOW, before we throw him into the ring with Rove & co.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=421974

And I'm lazy, so here's my comment quoted. And I like Dean and want him to do well, so I am impervious to your flame, zidzi. :)

Sincere and free advice:

The Dean pugnacity can be beneficial for his campaign, but only when used in moderation and the right context. I think he needs to be more careful and controlled with it.

Schieffer was tough with his grilling of Dean. I was not comfortable or impressed with the way Dean handled this, and I think it can be a problem for him in successfully getting his message across to the general audience. And he needs to succeed at getting his message across because his personality and fiesty jabbbing at aWol will only get him so far.

I know all the candidates are busier than I can imagine with their campaigns. But Dean really needs to devote some time to actually practicing his response to hostile questioning, with expert coaching and feedback. Just like a doctor needs over time to study, train and learn new procedures and techniques.

From my armchair, he seems to have a Mike Tyson button that reporters and debaters have no trouble punching, and rarely is that response effective, especially on tv. He needs to work on more of a judo, or akido response. Go to the tapes, study Clinton, Madeline Albright, Colin Powell, Bill Richardson, even Trent Lott etc. He must learn to handle the attacks more smoothly and productively. Then when the rare, appropriate occasion presents itself, firing off the big guns is much more effective. This is not self-betrayal or changing who you are. It's growing to meet the challenges, changing the theory based on new facts.

I want Dean to do as well as he can, and he obviously has been doing pretty good already. But there is a long road ahead. aWol looks weak and vulnerable now, but next fall he conceivably could be stronger (?), and we need to send our best, at their best, against him. Dean needs to practice this hard now so he can fight at his best if he gets the nod.

Now, all the above is directed at style, not so much content. I must say I was extremely pissed and surprised at the content of his attacks on Clark, and really think they were beneath Dean, or at least my impression of Dean so far. Clark is my top choice now, based on my perception of his chances to topple aWol, and his positions and vision for the future. Dean is way ahead as my second choice now, and I would hate to see him decline in that position due to poor interview technique or uncalled for cheapshots at any dem competitors.

I just watched Powell with Judy Woodruff. He handled her perfectly, and refused to bash Clark despite repeated egging on. Too bad he employs his skills in service to the dark side. Our guys need to hone such skills and use them in the fight for the good.

:)

If he can deal with these shortcomings, improve on his skills, and temper his steel, he has a shot at the nod, especially as the lustre begins to wear off Clark, as it will inevitably in another month or so. But it's entirely up to him. Does he have the leadership ability to evaluate his situation correctly and take appropriate action? Stay tuned.