Milwaukee JS: Dean keeping early energy with stop in Milwaukee

[huckleberry]

Great article about Dr. Dean!!

http://www.jsonline.com/news/state/aug03/164519.asp


Democrat Howard Dean, presidential long shot turned hot shot, embarked on a coast-to-coast swing Saturday meant to capitalize on his eye-catching success this summer raising money and boosting his profile.

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Dean's stop in Milwaukee was his second since June, one more than any other candidate. Wisconsin's Feb. 17 presidential primary lacks the prominence of next January's showdowns in Iowa and New Hampshire. But Dean's efforts in this state reflect both his early, Internet-fueled inroads and his transition from niche candidate to potential front-runner for the party's nomination.

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In an interview aboard his flight to Milwaukee, Dean said his campaign in the Midwest would focus intently on the loss of manufacturing jobs, what he called the "hollowing out of America."

"In the Midwest, that is the issue," he said. "I've just been stunned by it."

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Dean predicted that the Democratic message would resonate in the Midwest next year because of both the loss of jobs and discontent over the war in Iraq, which has been an issue central to Dean's insurgent candidacy.

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Dean said Saturday he did not think he needed to "moderate" his tone or message to succeed. He said if anything he planned to step up his criticism of the Bush administration on defense issues, from North Korea's weapons program to Saudi Arabia's support for Islamic fundamentalists and the fact "that we're not in control of our own destiny in Iraq anymore."

"This administration is completely driven by ideology; facts don't matter," he said in the interview. "So it's not surprising their performance is atrocious both abroad and at home."