Ronald Brownstein

writes a somewhat similar piece to what Adam Nagourney wrote about what Democrats need to do to "stop Dean" and thus have a better chance of going against Bush.

link

Dean is allegedly changing the rules because he's raised so much cash. But it's early:

"Major tests await Dean, including a series of candidate debates that begin this week. And more twists and turns may be inevitable, since relatively few Democrats outside of the first states on the primary calendar are paying close attention to the contest. 'No campaign has ever put a lock on things in the summer,' said Jim Jordan, campaign manager for Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) 'This thing will be settled somewhere in the snow.'"

It might be a long, long, long winter, then.

I don't believe Dean is going to get the nomination, never have believed it, unless he taps some GOP money. He's cruisin' for a bruisin' and it's none too soon for me.

It's not that nobody has presented a detailed or attractive picture. Actually, Dean has been very vague and very unattractive, except to those blinded with anger at Bush and establishment Democrats.

The others have merely been getting their organizations going, gathering endorsements, all the traditional stuff before the official campaign season hits. Besides, nobody (and polls are showing even the vast majority of Democrats) is paying enough attention to what's going on to know who is even running against our dictator.

Dean has been hogging the spotlight for the past several months because he has the most ground to make up to be competitive with the others. But he WILL go down in flames, just like the Burning Man in the Black Rock Desert:

"Dean still has significant [I believe overwhelming] political vulnerabilities. His style, which supporters call candid and refreshing, may seem abrasive or intemperate to others. Observers will be closely watching this month's debates to see if he keeps his cool."

Actually, the McCain spin isn't the worst of Dean.

More:

"Fear that he may be too liberal to effectively contest Bush in a general election [despite the truth he was anything but a liberal as governor but instead was pandering to the activists] has limited his support among many top Democrats and labor leaders. They remain concerned not only about his unstinting opposition to the Iraq war but his record of support for gay civil unions and his call for repealing all of the Bush tax cuts."

Losing issues, losing issues, losing issues. And he pandered to certain groups in order to fill a niche.

More and most important:

"Dean also has yet to demonstrate that he can reach beyond the well-educated voters who often respond to 'reform' campaigns and attract the minority and blue-collar voters needed to win in the South and Midwest. At Dean's rally in heavily Latino San Antonio last week, for instance, virtually the entire crowd was non-Latino white."

Just as the Bryant Park speech was attended by mostly a sea of young, lily-white faces.

Brownstein wonders whether the other contenders can exploit those openings.

I say they will, and they are working on strategy right now.

The worst place for anybody to be at this point is to be the front-runner.