The headline of the Q&A session: "I'm committed to do something on my own [to continue the movement backing Dean] or join one of the movements that's out there. I don't think it should be part of the Democratic Party. "
[NOTE: I did a lousy job keeping up...]
Ed Cone asking questions:
Q: What worked?
A: DeanLink [social network]. Top contributor was 14 year old boy in Alaska. Second was a 47 year old woman. [Sorry, I listened to this instead of blogging it:]
Q: Did you steal or blow the money?
A: We did crazy things. We spent $100,000 on TV in Austin. We made $1M doing that. Now, on the get rich quick theme. The implication that I'm a thief doesn't bother me as much as the implication that I'm a really bad thief. I made about $165,000 from the Dean campaign in 2003 through my media company. Well, how do you get people to stop giving money? You make them think it's a Trippi get-rich-quick scheme. First, I didn't have the authority for budget and spending. The Gov gave it to Bob Rogan, perhaps because there was the possibility of a conflict of interest. The $7M that went to my media company was spent almost entirely on buying ads. The normal commission is 15% and we didn't take that.
Q: How well do ideas percolate up from the grass roots?
A: There were a lot of ideas that came from the grassroots. E.g., Have Dean eat a $3 turkey sandwich while Cheney was at a banquet. Also, when people complained about Dean's Lessig blog being so inane t hat it was obviously ghostwritten, Trippi blogged: "If we were ghostwriting this, don't you think it'd be better." [A great moment, I thought then: Net is Voice]
[Lost a bunch because I got on line (a real line) to ask a question, and then gave up because the line is too long.]
A: Even if you have 100,000 supporters a nd 60,000 contributors in CA, that's not enough to win the state. Eventually you have to start up broadcast politics.
Q: [Dan ?Gillmor] Let's say that the mainstream press did you guys in. What will it take for the people in this room to change that equation.
A: It's already happening. Trent Lott. I tried to get them interested in MeetUps, but they didn't care until we raised more money than anyone else. All of a sudden, the press discovers the Dean Internet thing, and the only way they can write about it is money, I'm telling you: It's the money, stupid. That's why they're saying Trippi got rich out of this: To stop the money. How do we get 2-3M Americans to understand that they each gavae $100 to the right candidate cause, it would change this country forever. Because in the end it's the special interests money versus us.
Q: [Micah Sifry] What happens to the Dean web site?
A: Something, but I don't know what. I'm committed to do something on my own or join one of the movements that's out there. I don't think it should be part of the Democratic Party.
(There's so much tongue-in-cheek, "Steve", I'm not sure what to take seriously...;-) May very possibly be warranted (and I wondered what kind of laws and FEC guidelines there are regarding a dot-com in politics, as there's never been anything like this before now). But a congressional investigation would be a political football. (So couldn't guess whether there'll ever be one, unless the Republicans want one..
..although Blogaria COULD (but likely won't) do some self-investigation.)
"I don't think it should be part of the Democratic Party."
That was my sense. The Dean Movement wasn't FOR the Democratic Party, which was incidental to the goal of starting yet-one-more-messianic-dot-com movement. Many have said "the movement is BIGGER than the Presidential candidacy", Especially when the voting results started to go south.
"Something, but I don't know what. I'm committed to do something on my own or join one of the movements that's out there."
Do we really need another movement??
Linux movement. "Open" Source movement. Dean movement.
Iirc, the last movement that produced more positive results than negative was 3 or 4 decades ago. These lately have been producing financial disasters. Been a bad run of "luck" for movements, here lately.
Probably because these messianic-type movements rarely DO pan out, over the long run. The sixties were an exception, in terms of movements actually helping things. But it doesn't surprise me that people long for those days. Seems like "Yesterday", back before the 9-11 call came in.
What happens to the Dean website? It turns to cyberdust. Not to worry because all your favorite Deaniacs will live on in Google's cache.
Or is this new icon to confusion and tomfoolery going to survive (without its cost streaming feeds of course) as an icon with 20 referral sites pointing the way to posterity, a perma link in the margin (any color is OK) of each and every blogster who's seen all this non-history made?
BTW, are any of the tuned in and amateur investigative reporters going to take Trippi at his word that he made a mere $160 K? Maybe we need a congressional investigation of the books so that, if nothing else, we can figure out how he blew 40 million bucks so quickly. Good idea or not?
Partial standing ovation for the poor chap and so recently pulled down from his "high." Wonder why the others didn't stand and applaud? Dozing perhaps? A wee bit sleepy from the party the night before? At least those standing up hopefully made enough of a racket to wake them so they could slip out for another cup of coffee.
Posted by Steve on February 10, 2004 12:50 AM | Permalink to Comment