Top Dean Aide Discusses Plans to Back Kerry

[kskiska]

MILWAUKEE, Feb. 15 — The chairman of Howard Dean's presidential campaign said on Sunday that he would leave and shift his support to Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts if Dr. Dean lost the Wisconsin primary on Tuesday, an outcome he sees as all but inevitable.

"If Howard Dean does not win the Wisconsin primary, I will reach out to John Kerry unless he reaches out to me first," said the chairman, Steven Grossman, who was chairman of Mr. Kerry's 1996 Senate race. "I will make it clear that I will do anything and everything I can to help him become the next president, and I will do anything and everything I can to build bridges with the Dean organization."

The comments by Mr. Grossman, a former chairman of the Democratic National Committee who has known Mr. Kerry for 34 years, came as Dr. Dean faced growing pressure from aides and outside backers to abandon his quest. But while many leading supporters and staff members expect him to either quit the campaign altogether or radically scale it back by the end of this week, the candidate remained steadfast Sunday that he would soldier on.

"We're not dropping out after Tuesday, period," Dr. Dean said in a television interview with the Fox affiliate here Sunday. But in a debate here with the other four Democratic candidates Sunday evening, Dr. Dean skipped several opportunities to directly challenge Mr. Kerry.

more…
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/02/16/politics/campaign/16DEAN.html?hp

[aquart]

1. Never hire this man.

[otohara]

2. Fire This Man

Couldn't wait until Tuesday - what an asshole

[mouse7]

3. Dupe. n/t

[Peeance Freeance]

4. This could be coordinated with Dean himself

Dean is a pragmatist. He wants to signal he's not going to be at odds with the party, which is smart. He said tonight he will support Kerry if Kerry wins, which he's almost certain to at this point.

Dean isn't going to cause division when he knows it would tick off 80% of the party. It's possible he told his guy to do this or said it was OK.

[NewYorkerfromMass]

6. Very possible. eom

[Lexingtonian]

5. Thanks for the offer, but please keep him!

After the brief showing Grossman made as candidate for Governor here in Mass. in 2002, which was a quasi-Republican, I took it as a bad sign about the Dean campaign that they took him on board.

Steve's great at fundraising from the queasy sort of Democratic-leaning rich donors but this backstabbing, first-announced-rat-off-the-ship behavior is a bad and consistant trait of his.

[Justitia]

7. Hope he never works again

I'd be shocked to hear of any campaign ever hiring him.

Wonder how many files, disks, etc. he's been mining from the campaign over the last 6 mos???

Back-stabbing Judas. Timed perfectly for an intended coup de grace.

ABC News reported this morning that the rest of the campaign aides found his behavior "disgusting".

[freeforall]

8. Grossman, You're Fired!

This is what Dean should say to him immediately!

Turncoat.