As I gather from this post by Al Barger, a lot of people have the impression that the negative reaction to Howard Dean's oratory rampage the night of the Iowa caucuses is due to the anger he displayed. This is not at all how I see it.
It wasn't anger or belligerence that was/is the issue, it was the unhinged nature of of his voice as it rose to a preternatural grunt. People are disconcerted, even frightened by that kind of lack of personal control. That's the issue and I think it's totally legitimate: a president must ALWAYS have some space reserved for the meta-picture. Dean's abyssal, animalistic intonations are just not acceptable in public life - he crossed a line. A president must be reliable not certifiable.
From this report I am not sure if Dean does or does not know why people reacted the way they did:
- After a supporter praised him for his speech after finishing third in Iowa - a scream-laced performance that damaged Dean politically - the former Vermont governor playfully said to the audience: "May I say we are going to win South Carolina. We are going to win New Hampshire. We will win Ohio. We will win Arizona. And then, we'll go on to win Massachusetts. And after we are done doing that, we will win New York."
When the cheering subsided, Dean said, " I couldn't resist. That does look more presidential, doesn't it?" [AP]
Okay, so he knows he wasn't "presidential," but does he know he wasn't because of the hole in his psyche that his rant revealed, or does he just think he was a little loud?
Article comments
1 - Jim Carruthers
Schweet jumped up jeebus, do you peeple not play shinney? What Dean did was rally the team. Go Habs Go!
What is wrong with a manager with passion? It's all about good governance.
Of course, the track record in the States is anything but that. You get what you deserve.
2 - duane
Dean showed up on Letterman the other night to read the Top 10 List -- something about how to reinvigorate his campaign. Clearly an attempt at damage control.
I think he was shocked by his numbers in Iowa, got a little disoriented, started trying to rally the troops, and crossed over the line of proper decorum. I'm sure that he was kicking himself the next morning.
Personally, I don't think politicians should show up on TV shows, especially when they show up to take part in making fun of themselves. Such pandering just makes things worse, I think.
3 - Eric Olsen
That quickly after whatever it is they are making fun of themselves about, anyway.
4 - Natalie Davis
"Hole in his psyche"? The man was laughing; he was having fun and pumping up his dejected young Iowa volunteers. I am not a Dean supporter, but that speech is the thing I like best about his campaign and a major reason why I like a lot better than before. Of course, the only Dem I support is Dennis Kucinich, so obviously, I eschew politics as usual.
5 - wmr
I believe the phrase you're searching for is 'sotto voce'.
6 - Eric Olsen
No, the phrase was fine, just the "t" was missing - I didn't have access to a dictionary at the time.
7 - Eric Olsen
Here's the thing: in an absolute sense, sure, the speech/rant was no big deal, nothing out of real world norms for coaches, gym teachers, drill instructors, motivational speakers, and many others; BUT, every endeavor has parameters - often unspoken - within which all the participants are expected to remain. That's part of the test - if you stray outside these parameters then you are understood to not understand the parameters, or to either not care about, or to be incapable of remaining within them.
Dean strayed from the parameters of what is expected of those running for president and disconcerted people in the process - it's that simple.
And Nat, Kucinich has had far more impact in the race than I would have ever imagined. I give him credit for that.