Reply #23: I believe our friend Rush is the source of the "Breck girl"

[spooky3]

comment re: Edwards. I'm not sure that qualifies as a "perception" because I don't think even Rush believes much of what he says; he just has an agenda he's trying to push. But more to the point, I'm not sure how widely shared any of these "perceptions" are, among the average voters. I think most people really don't have a perception/opinion of most of the Democratic candidates. The polls, for what they are worth, show large percentages of undecided and "don't know" responses, and these don't even count the many people who refuse to participate in them. Other polls show more favorable impressions of candidates than your descriptions. So I don't dismiss the importance-of-perceptions argument. Also, perceptions can be influenced, but they usually have some basis in reality for most people.

I thought the original post (by Rage) was interesting and reflective. I actually find Dean likable but I realize that is subjective. I'll be interested to see how the average voter reacts to him (and, I hope, other candidates) when he finally begins to be seen on TV (versus the all *, all-the-time, coverage that is on there now).