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The
Rise and Fall of Howard Dean
Have we ever seen someone like Howard Dean in modern American politics? He has caused
a dramatic shift in the political debate and landscape over the last 12 months. His
arrival, ascent and fall have been remarkable to watch. Sure, we’ve seen political
outsiders gain momentum in the past, and some have won elected office. But have any
of them moved from outsider to apparently overwhelming favorite to concession as
quickly as Mr. Dean? He was considered the frontrunner in the polls leading up to
Iowa and New Hampshire and then failed to win a single primary or caucus, other than
his home state of Vermont. Why? How?
Here are three humble submissions to the cacophony of armchair quarterbacks dissecting
his campaign’s demise:
What was the Message? We know he disagreed with the current
administration’s leadership. We know he was against the war, and that he disagreed
that Saddam’s capture was significant. And we know his campaign was fabulously
successful at raising money online and energizing many Americans. But much of what
we know about Mr. Dean and his message concerned what he was against… the war
in Iraq, Washington insiders, tax cuts, George Bush. We rarely heard him talk about
what he was for. His message was very reactionary. Dean seemed caught in the outsider’s
role, never able to put forth clear policy proposals. His initial message was strategically
savvy, but his campaign never evolved the message in a tactical way. And isn’t
it ironic that Mr. Dean billed himself as the outsider, yet kept lining up yesterday’s
Democrats and Washington insiders to endorse him? Bradley, Gore, Harkins, and Carter
were paraded out front, but didn’t these endorsements clash with his entire message?
Anger is Not Enough, and He Had Too Much: Staying with the message
for a moment… He was angry, and tapped into the frustration of some Americans.
His campaign events were often described as pseudo-revival meetings –
long on excitement and emotion – but in retrospect they were also short on detail, with seemingly
little behind the anger and emotion. We like our leaders to show they are human. But Mr. Dean seemed
too emotional, too angry, not balanced enough to lead us in a challenging and dangerous world.
Lighten up, Howie: One of the keys to being a good leader and communicator
is to demonstrate a little self-deprecation and a sense of humor. In the 1984 presidential election,
Ronald Reagan was battling suggestions that his age was an issue. He effectively took that issue off
the table in a debate with Walter Mondale by saying: “I refuse to make age an issue in this campaign,
and will not exploit the youth and inexperience of my opponent.” The room erupted in laughter
and the issue rarely came up again. He hadn’t gotten any younger, but reporters and opponents
generally stopped talking about it.
Mr. Dean failed to demonstrate such humor and self-deprecation. He made an attempt to change late
in his campaign with the appearance on Letterman, among other things, but it was too little, too late.
In the end, Mr. Dean was great for American politics. His initial message was compelling. But closer
inspection ultimately revealed the lack of appropriate depth in his thinking and a shallow message
relying too much on negativity. His passionate pronouncements clearly shaped the platforms of his democratic
competitors, brought attention to the process and inspired many younger American voters to become more
politically involved. But his many tactical errors brought his campaign to an abrupt end. It nothing
else, and for our purposes here, he has provided us with emphatically clear examples of both good and
bad communication.
 Beacon Issue -
March 2004
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