Three things Dean needs to do

[megaplayboy]

1. Put on a happy face--take a cue from John Edwards and project optimism and charm a little more. Take a day off from offense/defense mode and just show more people you're likable.
2. Lay out more details on your policies in the next couple days, to help the undecideds make up their minds.
3. Roll out the middle class tax relief plan ASAP--sure, it's probably pandering, but an across the board tax increase will go over like castor oil with the general electorate and middle class Dem primary and caucus voters.

I think he can win more comfortably if he does the above during the rest of the month.

[hellhathnofury]

1. Dean has a happy face if you ever see him on the trail (check CSPAN).

It's not a natural thing for him.

I assume they are doing that.

Tax plan is coming out on the 2nd I think.

[Eric J in MN]

2. my concern about Dean's tax plan isn't when he'll propose it but

My concern about Dean's tax plan isn't when he'll propose it but when he'll say he wants it to take effect.

He's implied that he won't advocate tax-relief for the middle-class until 6 years into his administration.

I think he needs a plan to raise taxes on the rich and lower them on the middle-class right away to have a chance to win.

[AP]

4. Dean's a guy with 4 million bucks, and it killed him to spend $800 on ...

... a new suit. He tells the middle class that $300 is nothing and they won't miss it when he takes it back from them.

Do you think he's going to alocate the tax burden fairly among rich and middle class EVER (never mind the 6th year of his term)?

I'm half-serious here. What is the message this guy is trying to send?

[megaplayboy]

5. His argument is that the GOP is cutting state funds, so that

...we all wind up paying more in fees and state taxes, which more than offsets whatever small cut we get from the government. Of course, it's hard to sell that, so he needs to offer some kind of modest relief for the middle class, while reversing the cuts for the top 1 percent(at least).

Actually, if any other candidate had made the missteps he's made, or had to deal with the ferocity and frequency of the attacks he's endured, they would have had to drop out already.

I just think he needs to make some adjustments.

[AP]

11. We all end up paying more so long as there's no attemtp to allocate the...

...tax burden more sensibly. Even if lowering federal spening causes increases in other taxes, there's still an option to collect those other taxes progressively.

The central issue here is not the amoutn of money is raised. The issue is allocating the tax burden -- it's, "from where do you expect to get the money.'

Dean wants the middle class to pay, just as he wants the rich to pay. He won't ask the rich to pay a little more so the middle class can pay a little less.

[PassingFair]

8. Puhleeze!

What is $300.00 to me, when I'm paying $800.00 EVERY MONTH for health insurance that doesn't even cover prescriptions?
And I believe he implied that he'd BALANCE THE BUDGET by the 6th year of his term, he'll recind the tax cuts immediately.

[AP]

12. Why can't the money to pay for health insurance come from the rich

rather than the middle class?

[AP]

3. His problem is bigger than that.

If you change dramatically it's almost an admission that you weren't the right person before. Furthermore, people will read the change as an inconsistent character.

People have to feel comfortable that they know you. That's why you have to be the right person from the start.

Dean should have know that he was being the kind of person who could get a lot of attention early, but not beat better Democrats when it came down to brass tacks.

The best thing Dean could do is drop the things that aren't working (attacks, anger), and emphasize the stuff that does (rolling up his sleeves and running around like a he's driven by something none of us understands) and he'll have to hope that dropping the bad stuff isn't perceived as a radical change in persona.

[The_Casual_Observer]

6. Dean has been branded as the "Tax Increase"

Candidate. I don't know how he will be able to get around this one, it is a recipe for disaster. He is right about so many things, but they will paint him to look just like Mondale on this one

[megaplayboy]

7. he can roll out middle class tax relief, for one

But darn it, somebody has to stop "free candy for everyone" politics at some point, dontcha think?

[The_Casual_Observer]

9. "No free candy for everyone"

That only applies to "the other fellow"

I know a guy that is a county construction inspector. Super right wing democrat hater. However, he has no trouble bragging about the big salary, retirement package and vacation benefits he and his buddies get from the government. Many of the aerospace engineers I have known over the years are the same way. They want it both ways.

[megaplayboy]

10. well, we gotta teach the kids in school they can't always get something...

...for nothing, or this pandering trend will go on until the country is completely bankrupt.

[mbali]

13. If I may add a suggestion

He should take a moratorium on telling us that he is going to talk about race and make a concerted effort to listen for a while.