And the Establishment Media gave it to Dean as a parting shot and a parting gift when he left the race in 2004.
On the front it said "Establishment Media"...
And on the back:
"We Have the Power, Dean Press Corps 2004."
Rose Siding here today reminded me of when this happened. We need to keep in mind that though we have made progress with the internet media...THEY still have the power for now.
Hubby and I have had that uh oh feeling watching the media lately. We know what happened in 2004, and we fear it could happen again.
From February 2004, when Howard Dean left the race.
In The Northwest: Media critic Howard Dean bows out with humorAn edgy moment of own-expense laughter is the best that reporters and an about-to-drop-out presidential hopeful can hope for, as a campaign enters what everyone knows is its final hours.
Hence, candidate -- and media critic -- Howard Dean reacted with humor Tuesday in Milwaukee as journalists presented him with a long-sleeve white T-shirt. It carried the motto "Establishment Media" in front, and a slogan swiped from Dean in the back: "We Have the Power, Dean Press Corps 2004."
On the Newshour not long after that, Matea Gold told of his response when they handed him the shirt:
You know actually, Gwen, when we gave him that t-shirt yesterday he said the establishment media trumps the Internet but not for long.
I have a lot of concern about the way the media will handle this primary. It appears at times that the Clinton campaign is becoming buddy buddy with the right wing media moguls. Maybe she did it to survive, but an endorsement from Richard Mellon Scaife and a huge fundraiser with Rupert Murdoch give the appearance of too much coziness. Murdoch's Fox News has zeroed in on Barack Obama far more than Hillary Clinton.
There is no doubt her campaign is
targeting Howard Dean as well as Obama. I just did a search tonight on "florida, delegates"...and the move is on. There are petitions and polling sites, there are rallies throughout the state, there are buses rolling to DC at the end of April. There are lawsuits as well, more of them.
The pressure is on for those delegates. This is a time when a party made rules, enforced rules, and a candidate agreed fully to abide by them. Now the candidate is breaking them. This is not whether Dean is in control...but whether the establishment is no longer in control. If she gets the delegates, we will know.
In an interview with Vermont's WCAX, Howard Dean reiterated his stance that he wants the delegates seated but not counted unless the nominee is chosen. There is a video as well, part 1 of the interview is at the bottom.
Democratic DivideDean once thought there was a 2% chance of a convention fight, now he says its more like 30%. If voters declare a tie, he says it's hard for party officials to pick a winner.
.."Dean is taking a hands-off approach with Florida and Michigan. Both states violated party rules when they voted early. Dean says at this point he doesn't want to seat them at the convention and have that change who wins the nomination. He's hoping a nominee emerges because a convention fight in August puts Democrats at a disadvantage-- then they'll only have a few months to campaign against Republican John McCain.
An interview is out that he did with the Financial Times UK. He said there was nothing in the rules that kept superdelegates from overturning the choice of the voters, but he doubted that would happen. He has been scrupulous about stating what is in the rules. Others are free to say the SDs should vote for the one who is ahead, but he does not have that luxury.
One thing stood out in that interview today. He made his view clear on anyone asking anyone to get out of the race.
Financial Times interviewSome commentators have speculated that if the race remains deadlocked after June 3 then a senior figure such as Al Gore, the former vice-president, or Nancy Pelosi, the speaker of the House of Representatives, could prevail on one of the candidates to withdraw - with most people focusing on Mrs Clinton.
But Mr Dean, who some have criticised for allegedly mismanaging the
drawn-out primary calendar, dismissed that scenario as “total bullshit”.
He said the last such figure who had the authority to do that was John Bailey, a Connecticut Democrat who was chairman of the DNC from 1960 to 1968.
“That person has been a figment of the punditocracy’s imagination for 50 years or more,” he said. “It is great drama to think of such a thing and Washington loves drama. But the truth is that as a former candidate I can promise you only you know when it is time to leave.”
I want the race to end before the media's meddling destroys our primary. I hope that when the time is right, the proper thing will be done.
Have the activists reached the point where we have gained enough power? Would they be able to give another t-shirt to another candidate as they exit the race?