Thread by @DrJasonJohnson

I was a kid when this happened but this is the first time I remember seeing the national press talking heads develop a completely ridiculous narrative about a candidate and push it until it became reality. Nobody cared about that scream except D.C. insiders

https://twitter.com/RetroNewsNow/status/1351639441325121538

Howard Dean was Bernie before Bernie. He had the most innovative primary campaign in the history of American politics at the time, his use of email and early internet strategies launched dozens of careers in marketing and politics

Similar to 16' Sanders, 04' Dean was the true believer that the GOP privately feared could win, but that Democrats were CONVINCED would be a disaster that fall.
rollcall.com/2003/10/03/gop…

In the end, Dean's anti-War, anti-Bush tax cuts stance ended up losing him the primary to Kerry who I don't think anyone truly believed in. At that time I wrote "John Kerry is the candidate that Democrats think their conservative brother in law from Ohio would vote for"

Both 04 Bush & 20 Trump were unpopular incumbents, with various national security disasters and scandals in their first term. But while I think Dean might've beaten Bush, the political polarization of today's electorate would've made a Sanders over Trump victory unlikely