I don't think Dean taking third was all that bad for him

[Wetzelbill]

It's still a strong showing from a guy who was virtually unheard of little more than a year ago. It's a solid start to a longer process. He should do pretty well in NH and on Super Tuesday. He'll be one of the last couple candidates standing at the very least. It's not like he was dealt a huge unrecoverable blow.

Two things remain steady and formidable for Dean.

1. Money. He has lots of it and that is damn important.

2. He has a loyal legion of followers. The Dean Movement won't just up and go away. He's in for the long haul.

Iowa wasn't a mind boggling, death defying, and mighty blow against Dean. The caucus and his concession speech are not the end of Dean's world, whether Russert, Matthews or all the other hacks get it or not.

More battles - Senators John and John and General Clark - loom ahead.

Damn, I love this stuff.

[joefree1]

1. And maybe he'll make it all work for him, i.e., ...

Give 'em hell Howard. Worst case scenario we get to watch the other candidates get bloody for once.

[Ripley]

2. LOL! Funny pic Joefree!

Gotta steal that.

[LuminousX]

3. Unfortunately, Dean doesn't have a firewall state

a guaranteed win on Feb 2nd. This means a sub-par showing in NH is yet another weight around his neck he has to carry and overcome.

I'm not saying he will be down and out, but suddenly it becomes a lot more difficult.

[Wetzelbill]

4. for sure, it won't be easy

[jmaier]

5. I disagree

It's a heavy blow for him. He's been in the catbird's seat for months: money, buzz, momentum, endorsements, media coverage. He spent heavily and campaigned heavily in Iowa and NH for a LONG time. He's been the next door governor to NH for 12 years. He isn't an unknown in any way at this point. He has dropped perhaps below 20% from a very recent high of 45% in NH -- that's major.

Forget grassroots and avid online supporters for just a moment. His lead in many Feb 3rd states was front-runner based not based upon a reflection by the voters as they actually had to make a call. If NH continues the damage that IA did, then he will drop sharply in those states.

He needs to retool and fast: increased advertising with more polished ads. Clark and Kerry whomp him good in quality of advertising. He needs to introduce himself constructively to the non-Deaniac democratic voter. He needs to stop parading big endorsements and parade his record in VT and his essential pragmatic character. Finally, by rhetoric, he really needs to stop lumping a wide array of democrats into the 'them' that he is running against. His supporters do NOT represent a democratic majority.

He has the money to give his campaign legs and sometime to recover but all the money in the world if poorly spent isn't going to help in the long run. I'm not a Dean backer but I would like to see him recover because he is good for the race and has a valid point of view.