Last Stand in Cheeseville

The Dean camp sent around an email this morning proclaiming Wisconsin as a do-or-die primary and begging for a whopping $200. (What happened to the $100 revolution?) The goal is $700k by Sunday, and amazingly they’ve nearly got $300k already.

I like Dean, but I’m afraid it may be over. It doesn’t have a damn thing to do with him, and it’s got everything to do with the Dems singularly focused on getting Bush out of office. Kerry’s about as exciting as watching moss grow on a rock, but voters are playing out the hypothetical matchup between Dem-X vs. Bush and then casting their votes. Dean seems volatile, and I’m not talking about his energy or “the Dean scream,” but that for which he deserves the most credit: a grassroots surge in attention to this election. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but this scares people. Too many images of dirty hippies and tree huggers, perhaps. In a society resistant to change, Kerry is predictable and staid.

I’m hoping Dean does win a few states. He’s second in delegates, and the longer this plays out the less chance there is of whomever the nominee is peaking too early. Furthermore, he’s less of a liability as Bush seems to be doing a damn good job of imploding all by himself. The 9/11 Commission, now expected to release it’s report in late summer, could be the final nail in the coffin for Bush.

UPDATE 1pm: Here’s clearly still got some mojo, having raised $450k already. Also, the amount requested in the email apparently isn’t the same for everyone. While they asked me for $200, only $50 was requested of others. Odd — somehow they’ve profiled me. You can contribute here. It’s good for everyone (including Kerry) if Dean stays involved. He’s clearly raised the bar and awareness. Dean deserves all the credit for shaking up this election.