From Reuters,
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=politicsNews&storyID=4169880Dean Tones Down 'Red Meat' Rhetoric After Iowa Loss
Tue January 20, 2004 02:15 PM ET
By Patricia Wilson
MANCHESTER, N.H. (Reuters) - Presidential hopeful Howard Dean on Tuesday toned down his "red meat" rhetoric, hoping to recoup a stunning loss in Iowa with a more subdued campaign in New Hampshire in the Democratic battle to challenge President Bush in November's U.S. election.
After coming a distant third in Iowa behind U.S. Sens. John Kerry of Massachusetts and John Edwards of North Carolina, Dean seemed to be searching for the right tone as he touted his own record of balancing budgets and providing health care as governor of Vermont and criticized Bush's record as president.
"Today, I am going to give a different kind of speech," Dean told supporters in Manchester. "Those of you who came here intending to be lifted by ... a lot of red meat rhetoric are going to be a little disappointed."
Dean was thrown off balance by his poor showing in Monday's Iowa caucuses, the first contest in the state-by-state race to select a Democratic candidate, shattering an aura of inevitability he had created in previous months.
But he still cannot be counted out. He has raised more money than his opponents, has a strong organization in New Hampshire -- which holds its primary vote next Tuesday -- and his supporters are renowned for fighting back.
Iowans apparently rejected Dean's hard-edged anti-Iraq war rhetoric and his anti-establishment message in favor of two Washington insiders. Surveys showed voters were more concerned with jobs and health care than the Iraq war.
They also focused on electability and which Democrat might have the best chance of beating Bush on Nov. 2. Dean's bluntness and tendency to speak his mind have tripped him up in recent weeks, allowing opponents to paint him as gaffe-prone and not ready for the White House.
His fire can translate as anger. On Monday night, he literally shouted out his speech to supporters in Iowa, at times reaching screaming pitch as he vowed to fight on. He has said he would contest the Democratic presidential nomination until June 8, the day of the last primaries.
In Manchester on Tuesday, he barely raised his voice as he attacked Bush for going to war with Iraq, accusing him of losing 3 million jobs, failing to provide health insurance to all Americans and running up huge deficits.
Dean did not mention his rivals by name, but did say they had joined him in opposing the Iraq war, even if they had "a little trouble explaining their position."
"The campaign's changed a lot and other Democrats are standing up and speaking their piece," he said.
Dean holds a slim lead over Kerry and retired Gen. Wesley Clark in polls for the New Hampshire primary. He has led the field in national surveys of Democratic voters.
"I'm not the front-runner anymore," Dean told supporters at a predawn rally in Portsmouth on Tuesday, declaring himself the underdog.
Dean lost in Iowa despite high-powered endorsements from former Vice President Al Gore, former New Jersey Sen. Bill Bradley and Iowa's most popular politician, Sen. Tom Harkin. On Sunday, he received a strong signal of support from former President Jimmy Carter but not an official endorsement.
"You get three tickets out of Iowa," said Dean's campaign manager, Joe Trippi. "We got one of them. It's not the one I would have wanted but I'll take it." Many analysts believe only the top three in Iowa have a chance of winning the nomination.
Dean, whose use of the Internet to raise $40 million and attract new supporters helped propel him to the top of the polls late last year, said he had been a "pin cushion" for his rivals and the media because of his front-runner status.
Dean canceled tentative plans to fly home to Burlington, Vermont on Wednesday, choosing instead to remain in New Hampshire and campaign.
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