Campaign Contrast

Matt Bailey posts below a Times article with the headline, "Tension Between Dean and Kerry Helps Recast Race for Democrats". Reader Katherine notes in comments that it isn't the snappiest headline, and she's right. But the message of the headline is dead on. The article plainly illustrates the difference between Dean and Kerry, and their respective campaigns.

Kerry Campaign Manager Jim Jordan is at it again, doing his faux-incredulous thing in the newspaper. We already knew he was willing to discredit himself with the old misrepresent-and-spin routine. This time he's "surprised" at how personal the Dean campaign's attacks on John Kerry and the other candidates have been. Here's the quote, which appears two weeks to the day after Kerry campaign spokesman Chris Lehane questioned Dean's fitness to serve:

"There's no secret that we think Mr. Dean's rhetoric has been hot and a little bit personal — with a number of Democratic candidates, not just Senator Kerry. I think he has questioned their character in a way that is surprisingly personal, surprisingly early."

Needless to say, he didn't provide examples or address Lehane's comments.

The contrast between Jordan's contrived surprise and Dean Campaign Manager Joe Trippi's affability is striking:

"I think they are more tightly wound than we are," said [Trippi]. He stopped and started to laugh as he considered his own words.

That contrast carries over to the candidates. Take this quote from Dean and just try to imagine John Kerry uttering these words:

"I was surprised when I looked at the debate at how grumpy I looked. I think I was just more stressed than I realized."

If any further Dean/Kerry spats play out as this one has, it's fine with me. I think we all hope that Kerry's jackals can control themselves, and that there won't be any. But don't be surprised if tomorrow you read about Jim Jordan's "surprise" at some aspect of Dean's health care plan which he finds "extraordinary" and which "has never been endorsed by a serious candidate for president" and therefore "raises serious questions about his capacity to serve".