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By dcmediagirl on February 24, 2008 at 1:31 PM in Advertising, Clinton, Current Affairs, Democrats, Media, Presidential Candidates, Republicans

Larry has already posted about this article and discussed its salient points in detail, so I won’t belabor. One thing, however, caught my eye:

Joe Trippi, who was a senior adviser to John Edwards‘s presidential campaign, said he believed that the Clinton team had made two fundamental errors.

It doesn’t matter what Joe Trippi’s opinions are about the fundamental errors Hillary made. What matters is that Joe Trippi was quoted at all.

Let me preface what I’m about to say by making it clear that I’m fond of Joe Trippi personally. Before the Howard Dean campaign, Joe was a somewhat Eeyoreish figure in political circles, with the bedraggled air of someone who’s had sand kicked in his face by bullies. The press’s love affair with the Dean campaignand its plucky, little-engine-that-could spirit, catapulted Joe into media and netroots stardom and kept him there, even after the press turned on Dean with a vengeance.

If you look closely at his record, Joe is running neck-and-neck with Bob Schrum for the “Democratic Political Consultant Who’s Worked on the Largest Number of Losing Presidential Campaigns” award. Consider the presidential candidates he’s worked for: Ted Kennedy, Walter Mondale (COUGH COUGH), Gary Hart, Dick Gephardt, Howard Dean and John Edwards. The only one who made it to the nomination was blown out of the water in one of the biggest landslides in political history.

It never ceases to amaze me that guys like Trippi will always find some sucker politician to pay them big bucks for their “advice,” regardless of their lousy win-lose record. After all, if you’re an advertising executive and create ad campaigns that keep flopping, you’d find yourself out of a job pretty quickly. Not so with political consultants.

But what’s even more disturbing is that these are the guys the press goes to on the Democratic side when they need a quote about the presidential campaign process. If Joe Trippi is an expert on anything related to American presidential campaigns it’s how to lose (see also Beckel, Bob; Brazile, Donna; Estrich, Susan and Schrum, Bob). Why is it that the media keep going to these failures when they need a quote on the Dem side, but when quoting consultants from the other party they go with real experts who have a track record of winning?

Your comments are as always welcome.

alexei

Yeah, Trippi and his ads for Dean were terrible. The orange hats and perfect storm in Iowa were abysmal. The DesMoines scene was horrific. I know – because I was there and working hard for Dean. Blowing through all that money, too. Trippi was terrible – no way he should be quoted on anything.
http://noquarterusa.net/ SusanUnPC

Totally. And I was a Meetup leader and cong. dist. coordinator for the Dean campaign … we all loved Trippi for a while, then were completely shocked at how much of our hard-given donations he sucked up for his media and ad consultancy.

And those ads he created for Dean? They were so godawful that we couldn’t believe anyone got paid for them. They were essentially Dean stand-ups talking into the camera — and that was one thing, it was so clear from the debates, etc. — that Dean was very POOR at doing!

Then I heard about misuse of campaign funds from someone who worked in Burlington. I can’t verify it / but it kind of jived with what else I saw.

And some of his ideas, and the unnecessary blowing of tens of thousands of dollars. I can give an example, but won’t for the sake of brevity.
Simon

It never ceases to amaze me that guys like Trippi will always find some sucker politician to pay them big bucks for their “advice,” regardless of their lousy win-lose record

I think it was in Harper’s, or maybe the Atlantic, where Trippi wrote an article about Dean, post election.

He essentially blamed, WHINED at Dean, for the entire collapse of the 2004 campaign, and I remember thinking, “wow, what a piece of trash, Trippi is, a lowlife moron.” He took no responsibility, at all, like a weak frightened little bunny, always blaming someone else, even when it was his fault. A real mature guy, I feel nothing but contempt for him.

And then he goes to represent Edwards.

Broke my heart.

Doesn’t Trippi collude with Kos, on their web site?
http://www.dcmediagirl.com dcmediagirl

I couldn’t believe it when I read that Edwards had hired Trippi to work on his campaign. I knew at that moment he was doomed, which damn near killed me. And as far as Dean goes, Howard is a tough, stubborn man, but he’s a real warrior, and with proper guidance he could have been a formidable contender and not gone out like a clown. Trippi totally screwed the pooch on that campaign. When reporters start writing about gross financial and strategic mismanagement on a campaign instead of the candidate you know you’re buggered.
Simon

couldn’t believe it when I read that Edwards had hired Trippi to work on his campaign. I knew at that moment he was doomed, which damn near killed me. And as far as Dean goes, Howard is a tough, stubborn man, but he’s a real warrior, and with proper guidance he could have been a formidable contender and not gone out like a clown. Trippi totally screwed the pooch on that campaign.

Agreed, I feel the same way, especially about Dean, I admire him greatly, at least I did, I’ll have to wait and see what he thinks about Obama, a litmus test, of sorts, to me.

And reading about Pat Healy, and the need to shape a narrative around the candidates, I don’t trust ANY of the newspapers, unless they prove themselves credible, and independent. The print reporters are no better than Chris Matthews, except Chris Matthews is excoriated due to his public exposure, and the print reporters remain unaccountable.

Portraying Obama as a rising Kennedy, as opposed to a corrupt Bushie, which is what he is, is criminal, to me.

Why have they ignored Rezko’s connections to Obama? to assist the republicans, McCain?

Why?

Do they think this won’t come out?

Everybody wants to be a star, it seems…
http://noquarterusa.net/ SusanUnPC

Yes. It was astonishing that Edwards hired him. Edwards remained my strong second choice throughout until he withdrew. And I miss him in the debates. A lot.

He also has that the-buck-stops-here mentality that’s required to sit in the Oval Office. Obama is too much of a get-along, give-it-up type for that critical seat.
Simon

Edwards remained my strong second choice throughout until he withdrew.

I think among progressives, he was first choice, even on Kos, he always polled first.

But Clinton really came along for me, the more I learn about her, the more I like her.

Very smart, very very competent.
John

Why doesn’t anyone ever ask me for MY take on the campaign? I’ve run as many successful Presidential Campaigns as Joe Trippi has!
alexei

Of course I really wanted Gore (knew he wouldn’t though). I never liked Obama – always felt that Unity Pony and hope stuff was crap. Remember, Dean said we need real Democrats not Republican lites. And Hillary is a real Democrat and fighter (as is Dean)so it was easy for me to go with her.

Agree with Simon about Dean now – love his 50 state strategy, but, this nomination process has been the pits and I cannot abide disenfranchising voters. Don’t see how fences can be mended in Fl and MI, except if Hillary wins; otherwise, President McCain. God, what a mess – I never thought that I would want a national primary, but if this is the choices we face with undemocratic caucuses, open primaries with Repubs gaming our system and a totally whacked delegate selection system (see Texas), then, I can see one being more equitable.
alexei

LOL! Yeah, me too!
TeakWoodKite

MY reaction to your thoughtfully expressed cognitive discord is centered around the anwser to this question.
But what’s even more disturbing is that these are the guys the press goes to on the Democratic side when they need a quote about the presidential campaign process

Your point, in making a distinction between the personal side and professional record, is not to be found in the swamp of MSM punditry and there for lost on the viewing public. What does it say when Pat Buchanan (of all people) is one of the few talking heads with a clear view of Democratic party politics of late.

As to why Edwards would make such a choice, it may be based access to fiefdoms and who is available. Has anyone asked Edwards? Also why has he gone “lights out” of late?

Your insights are informative thanks DCMediaGirl.
myiq2xu

When the media isn’t getting the opinions of the professional losers they are talking to so-called “liberals” who hate every left-of-center politician that is still alive.
fribbles

God, Trippi. Still have a bad taste in my mouth how he took Dean’s $50 million that people made through yardsales and bakesales and blew it on horrible ads made by a DC crony of his. And the PeoplePowered canvassing of Iowa just made the Iowans hate anyone in an orange cap. When Edwards hired him, I knew that was the end of Edwards.

Ugh. Why anyone asks his opinion on anything but how to lose a campaign is nuts.
Mike Howell

Howard Dean was one of the few candidates who could think on his feet and speak in convincing soundbites. And he was a fighter.

The media screwed him over a holler.

But they couldn’t get enough of a former cheerleader, who gave them cute little nicknames and let them on his frat bus. How pathetic.

The 4th Estate sold out.

It’s been painful to listen to anyone on either side since.
Simon

But they couldn’t get enough of a former cheerleader, who gave them cute little nicknames and let them on his frat bus. How pathetic.

Does they want to be queen for a day?

I was thinking about the media’s tendency to put a personal need for approval over good journalism, and I wondered if it all comes down to a pretense of power, the journalist pretending he is, or can be, a part of the President’s inner political circle, a force of influence.

Boy, I remember Judith Miller, and the creepy note from Scooter Libby, “aspens being connected at the root,” apparently morons also being connected at the root, too.
RalphB

Pat Buchanan may be a right wing zealot, but he is a professional without a dog in this fight. That’s why his analysis is the one sane spot in the fever swamp of punditry.
http://deleted readerOfTeaLeaves

‘morons connected at the root‘… too funny
Too true 8(

The high-school clique tone of US press is just wearying. I gave Chris Matthews every benefit of the doubt; told myself that he’s in the biz, and often people on the inside of a corporate problem really best understand how to solve it, yadda, yadda… But no longer.
I’m so tired of listening to people interupt one another, or cover politics as basically your junior high popularity contest that I’ve just had to tune most of it out. It’s just crazy-making.

Fascinating to hear the ‘inside scoop’ on Joe Trippi. This post explains some things, but it makes me sick to think that really outstanding, tough-minded talent like Howard Dean doesn’t come along very often. Which underscores the cost of what Trippi’s poor judgement cost the country.
TeakWoodKite

I believe you are correct and that would mean journalism is dead by definition, when it come to pointing out that it is a personal arraingment not a professional one.

Who let the dogs out? Thats what I wan to know.
Fred C. Dobbs

Trippi always reminded me of the Toby Ziegler” character on West Wing. For all I know (and suspect) Sorkin used him for a model/template.

As for the Press kissing Shrubbie’s ass to get on the bus where the Jack Daniels flowed free, consider this: MOST of these people never got to sit at the Cool Kids’ Table back at Commie Martyrs High School. The guys who did went on to succeed in business, the professions or became their bosses. Never got to screw a Cheerleader, wear a letter on their sweater, go to, “State,” – anything…sports, music, debate.

They just think that the trappings (cheap booze, the Press plane, occasional Groupies) are their due, because, “It’s OUR TURN NOW!”
http://www.despair.com/consistency.html Smilin’ Jim

Mothers of America weep, yoiu’ve raised a nation of dumbies.

A journalist is told to write a story by his editor. The editorial slant is proscribed. The journalist finds sources, no matter how contrived, to fulfill that assignment. Period. Full Stop.
allimom99

Good Old Commie Martyrs’ High – that really sends me back. Thanks for starting my day w/a smile, Fres (any relation to JR “Bob” Dobbs?)