The Contenders: The Flamethrowers

I found it interesting how Dean was the presidential candidate that paved the groundwork for the use of the internet in political campaigns in order to raise money and garner support. It’s fascinating to think about just how recently the internet has been incorporated into politics, in which Dean’s campaign in 2004 was one of the first ones which made extensive use of the internet. Additionally, I agree with and admire Dean’s courage in speaking what he believes to be the truth rather than being afraid of doing so out of fear of offending voters. Dean wasn’t afraid to call out Bush for his hypocrisy and withholding of information from the public. For example, the fact that the Bush administration lied about Saddam Hussein harboring weapons of mass destruction, or Bush raising taxes even though he declared that there would be no new taxes. I especially was compelled by Clinton’s quote, which states that it is better to be “strong and wrong over weak and right.” In Dean’s case, this was completely true; however, it also led to his downfall due to him being seen as not presidential enough and consequently causing the media to portray him negatively, such as the “scream” incident. Certainly if even Dean wasn’t seen as being presidential and it ultimately cost him the election, then I wonder how Trump managed to pull off his campaign victory by being a completely non-presidential candidate. In many ways, the two are similar in the fact that they explicitly express their ideologies and beliefs without fear of offending certain groups of voters. Trump is obviously much more extreme about the beliefs he expresses and the way he utilizes the internet and social media, which makes me wonder how he was able to avoid the same pitfalls Dean fell into during his presidential campaign. Moving on to Buchanan, I was also fascinated by the similarities between Buchanan and Dean. Both were relatively non-conventional candidates who believed in “taking back our country” by trying to reform their respective parties, which both were successful in achieving. Dean was able to set the groundwork for future democratic campaigns as chair, especially through his utilization of the internet in securing donations and funds for Obama’s campaign. Although I disagree with many of Buchanan’s beliefs due to the way in which they marginalize certain groups in favor of benefitting white americans and resisting demographic change, their influence on the Republican Party is undeniable. Buchanan’s conservative beliefs, such as opposition to affirmative action, illegal immigration, and world trade are clearly reflected in the modern Republican party as seen with the election of President Trump. Many of his campaign mantras, such as appealing to the silent majority, representing the common man over the elite, and advocating an America First policy, are verbatim with the words Trump expressed in his campaign speeches. I wonder to what extent Trump was influenced by Buchanan’s presidential campaign in 2004 and whether or not Buchanan approves of what Trump is doing as current president of the United States.