The (Howard) Dean Scream

[blueerica]

Originally Posted by €uroMeinke

Ever since Nixon's sweaty upperlip may have lost him the election to Kennedy, Candidates have had to be more media savvy. They must be aware of how they look in a crowd, how they look on TV, and how they might sound on radio - all of these images impact their potential electability. Right or wrong it's the political reality.

Dean could have recovered from the scream, but at the time it happend his campaign was already running out of steam and it became a symbol of that fact. The media siezed on that, as they should - capturing the alegoric images to tell the tale in 30 seconds or less.

Reagen and Clinton were experts on managing their image, both took some embarrassing hits in their tenure but managed to ride them out and see their approval ratings soar. Dean just failed at having a proper comeback.

Exactly true!

If one looks at the evolution of presidential campaigns, it's been a downward spiral almost since the start. Once the US got out of the habit of choosing their own candidates (as opposed to the current method of candidates choosing themselves, and then gaining support)... Well... There ya go!

The Nixon-Kennedy debates was the elevator up to the next level, and anyone who is seriously considering being a contender for anything above freshman class president has to keep an eye on their backside. It pays to have the best staff and to keep the cool.