I get to be as self-indulgent as I want without wasting anyone's time. Guilt-free solipsism -- excellent!

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Lots of Dean remixes -- I love the Internet.

My boy comes in second in NH. It's been disappointing to see the momentum fade -- all that energy, all that optimism, and it's taking a beating. A few lessons:

1. Mass media still beats Internet. We had our own little Internet bubble and it burst in Iowa.

2. Kerry's victories say loud and clear that electability is the #1 concern of Democrats. My worry is that the Democratic primaries are, at the moment, a meta-election -- it's not about identifying your favorite candidate, it's about trying to guess who everyone else will think is their favorite candidate and voting for that person. A meta-election puts *enormous* power in the hands of the media, since they are the sole barometer for gauging who everyone thinks is their favorite candidate. The irony being that if everyone really did vote for their favorite candidate....

3. 200,000 people voted in NH. It's not news to anyone, but that's bullshit....way too much influence for their size. Not good for our democracy.

4. Even if the worst happens and Dean never recovers, he has singlehandedly dragged the Democrats into the 21st century -- thousands of new voters, a new fundraising paradigm, and real energy for the first time in ages.

Anyway, it's not over for Dean by any stretch -- but this is not a Democratic electorate in the mood for taking chances. Nothing original in the above, but I am duty-bound to report my reaction to the events of the last 2 weeks after the rhapsodizing of the previous 50.

| posted by Alex at 11:14 PM