...I'm okay with being REALITY-based.




Monday, June 30, 2003
      ( 10:24 AM )
 
Update on the Doc

Well, the buzz is that Howard Dean has become a "player" now that he's just below his goal of raising an amazing $6.5 million by today's end of the fiscal quarter deadline. As the NY Times reports, he's now in the "top tier" of contenders for the White House by virtue of his raising $9 million so far this year. The catch is that much of his fundraising has been accomplished online. Dr. Dean is reporting on his blog today that he has just a little more to go before tonight's deadline. CNN has got the story on the internet donations as well.

It's great that he's recognizable as a candidate now and that the media is showing him to be a true contender for the candidacy. While I'm glad he has been able to raise the money he needs to get his campaign in the place it needs to be, and doubly glad that he's depended on his supporters and individuals to do that up to this point, I hope that people will begin to see that he's a contender not because of his money raising skill, but because of his message. While the press ravaged him after last week's Meet the Press (God knows why, considering the presentations Candidate Bush made in 1999 and 2000), I think they are starting to come around. I saw Mary Matlin on Meet the Press this week and she called him "left of left," which indicates that they aren't very prepared to battle with him since he's obviously not "left of left" in his policies or platform. Once people begin to hear his positions, they will be pleasantly surprised to learn that he can not only lead the party back to its progressive roots, but he can also draw in the independents and even conservatives who don't want Bush in but are afraid of "scary liberals."

That's the update on the Doc. Looks like he's off to a running start. Maybe the next few months will see the field narrow with some dropouts (let's hope one of the goodbyes is for Lieberman). That will bode will for the upcoming debates. Fewer voices, clearer message for the Dems.

UPDATE: He's passed the $6.5 million mark! As of 1:30 pm EST, he's raised $6,560,832 - with $253,604 of it online today -- contributions from regular Americans, who, in 2004, will show that they are a force to be reckoned with, even against the forces of big business and corporate control that currently powers the White House.


UPDATE 2: It's very exciting to read comments on Dr. Dean's Blog - people are really pumped up about raising up to $7 million before the deadline tonight - it's kind of cool read about a campaign being powered by donations of $10 and $25 from regular people. I hope it inspires a much broader audience as word gets out.

| -- permanent link