Another kinda lame story from another top newspaper (the Washington Post) that gets high marks for trying. Finally, trying to get the Howard Dean appeal.

It opens with a focus on a newly-electrified voter named Teresa Pierce, and asks:

The question is: How? What did Dean do to enchant Pierce, and to stir up thousands of avid supporters? Despite the buzz surrounding retired Gen. Wesley Clark's late entry into the campaign, and mounting attacks from some of his other eight rivals, Dean has raised the most money and leads the polls in New Hampshire and Iowa. Conventional wisdom credits Dean's Bush-bashing and his stoking of Democratic anger. But to follow Dean on the stump is to see something more subtle at work.

I should be overjoyed that the beltway boys--and in this case girls--are finally taking the question seriously, and earnestly looking for an answer. But I'm also just disgusted and embarassed for them that it's really only now beginning to broadly happen. (Dean belatedly grabbed the big-media spotlight with the simulateneous Time/Newsweek cover stories a few months back, but they were still pretty dismissive.)

It's also embarassing to read the feebleness of their attempts. This piece focuses on "empowerment." Here's the headline, and the core explanation:

Empower Play: The Pitch That Works for Dean

While the other candidates focus on their humble roots or heroic feats, Dean inverts the telescope: He talks about the voters. He tells them they're okay. Instead of trying to get them to love him, he tells them to love themselves. A doctor by training, he injects psychology into politics.

"I liked it when he said the election wasn't about him, it was about us," said Pierce. "He's empowering me."

. . . Delivering a series of exhortations, he'll turn a garden party into political group therapy:

"Stop being ashamed."

"Stand up and say what you think."

"You ought to be proud."

"The power to change this country is in your hands."

"You have the power."

"You have the power."

Well, that is part of the appeal, but this piece works ever so hard to paint it as The Answer. Nice try goofball. I'm embarassed for her, but at least she's grasping some of it, and at least she's finally trying.

This one is a day old, too. What can I do. If you obsessively check the Howard Dean blog, you've known for 24 hours. If not, maybe it's news to you.

The highlight of Howard Dean campaign manager Joe Trippi's summary of the news at the Dean blog very early this morningf:

Our original goal for this quarter was $7.6 million -- to match what you accomplished last quarter. When we saw that we would surpass that goal we raised the bar to matching the record set by President Clinton. 10 days ago we had raised $9.7 million and we set the goal of raising $5 million dollars in just 10 days. You did that. Tonight we sit at $14.8 million -- $5.1 million over 10 days.