This Was Always The Plan
There's a lot of complaint over at the O-blog about Dean's insistence that we win Wisconsin.
But let's be clear. This was Roy Neel's plan all along.
At some point, a candidate who loses early must draw a line in the sand and say, "Here I stand or fail." Lieberman stood in Delaware, and failed. Clark stood in Oklahoma and succeeded. Edwards stood in South Carolina and succeeded.
Neel's plan does not depend on Edwards or Clark. He sees them as, essentially, regional candidates who can't compete with Kerry in the blue states.
Only Howard Dean can do that.
So it starts in Washington and Maine this weekend. We really need to win at least one of those, and do well in Michigan. Pull out all the stops and hope for the best.
But Neel's plan does not depend on Washington or Michigan or Maine. "We'll do well," is all he'll say. We won't put our fate on the line in a caucus. We want ground of our choosing.
Wisconsin is ground of our choosing. We're challenging Kerry there. We're doing there what Edwards did in South Carolina and Clark did in Oklahoma.
Frankly if we can't win in Wisconsin we can't win anywhere, and we should drop out.
So stop complaining, and work the plan. Roy Neel is the man Howard Dean chose, Neel is the man Dean believes in. Dean is the man we believe in, and this is the plan Dean decided upon after New Hampshire.
Work the plan.
But let's be clear. This was Roy Neel's plan all along.
At some point, a candidate who loses early must draw a line in the sand and say, "Here I stand or fail." Lieberman stood in Delaware, and failed. Clark stood in Oklahoma and succeeded. Edwards stood in South Carolina and succeeded.
Neel's plan does not depend on Edwards or Clark. He sees them as, essentially, regional candidates who can't compete with Kerry in the blue states.
Only Howard Dean can do that.
So it starts in Washington and Maine this weekend. We really need to win at least one of those, and do well in Michigan. Pull out all the stops and hope for the best.
But Neel's plan does not depend on Washington or Michigan or Maine. "We'll do well," is all he'll say. We won't put our fate on the line in a caucus. We want ground of our choosing.
Wisconsin is ground of our choosing. We're challenging Kerry there. We're doing there what Edwards did in South Carolina and Clark did in Oklahoma.
Frankly if we can't win in Wisconsin we can't win anywhere, and we should drop out.
So stop complaining, and work the plan. Roy Neel is the man Howard Dean chose, Neel is the man Dean believes in. Dean is the man we believe in, and this is the plan Dean decided upon after New Hampshire.
Work the plan.
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