Dean Scream
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The Dean Scream refers to a speech on Monday, January 19, 2004, following Howard Dean's disappointing third place loss in the Iowa caucuses despite advantages in fundraising , volunteer recruitment, and public opinion polls.[citation needed] It was also called the "I Have a Scream" speech, a tongue-in-cheek reference to Martin Luther King's famous "I Have a Dream" speech.[citation needed] Dean's fervency appeared particularly potent on television, as the recording cameras were connected to his noise-cancelling microphone and did not include the noise of the crowd, thus making it appear as if Dean's tone did not fit the demeanor of the room.[citation needed]
In the immediate aftermath of the speech, Dean lost the endorsement of Alvaro Cifuentes, the chairman of the Democratic National Committee's Hispanic caucus. Campaign manager Joe Trippi was pushed out in favor of Roy Neel. In an interview with ABC's Diane Sawyer before the New Hampshire primary, his wife called the speech "silly," and Dean concluded "Was it over the top? Sure, it was over the top. Do I do things that are a little nutty? Sure, I do things that are a little nutty." [1]
In an effort to play more to national television audiences than the crowd in the room, all of Dean's subsequent concession speeches were discussions of public policy.[citation needed] Despite this, the short video clip quickly grew in popularity and was often replayed, retarding Dean's efforts to rebound from the initial Iowa loss.[citation needed]
Many commentators would eventually see the speech as having marked the end of Dean's candidacy.[citation needed] It fueled existing claims that Dean had a short temper--despite the speech being one made out of exuberance, not rage--and had lost control of his emotions.[citation needed] Nevertheless, in the first primary after Iowa, Dean improved his showing, winning 26% in New Hampshire as opposed to 18% in Iowa, but still trailing eventual Democratic nominee John Kerry. Dean's sudden fall from front-runner status to trailing both Kerry and John Edwards would later be attributed by many to the Dean Scream speech.[citation needed] Dean continued campaigning in the next sixteen states before dropping out of the race on February 18, the day after the Wisconsin primary.
Dean also showed an ability to laugh at himself. A commercial he did for Yahoo—after his campaign for President and before his campaign for Democratic National Chairman—parodied his emphasis on each state, drawing laughs from listeners as well as users for Yahoo.[citation needed]
The Hotline determined that, in the four days subsequent to the Iowa caucuses, the clip was aired 633 times on broadcast and cable news outlets, prompting executives for CNN, Fox News, and CBS News to concede that it was overplayed. Executives for NBC News and ABC News stood by their coverage, with senior vice president of ABC News Paul Slavin claiming that "the amount of attention it was receiving necessitated more attention." [2]
