The Nose: Iowa's Caucus; The 'Real' Kardashians & Things We Like in 2012

EMAIL FROM RICHARD:

I wasn't able to call in during Friday's show when you and your guests were discussing Howard Dean's famous "scream" on Iowa caucus night in 2004. I am disappointed that professional reporters and political commentators have yet to report the event factually. What America saw was what the networks showed them. On TV screens it appeared as if Dean were screeching hysterically. This is only because the TV feed was providing the microphone sound only. There was in the room a film crew recording the event for a documentary. They were situated farther back. What they filmed is a more accurate depiction of the event than the filtered TV and radio feed could provide. The room was incredibly noisy. Dean's supporters were yelling and cheering. In the documentarian's film you can hardly hear Dean. He was shouting to be heard at all over the din. But when the din is eliminated, it appears that he is just crazy. The true situation in that room that night can be seen on the DVD "Staffers," a documentary focusing on individual staff members for the various Democratic contenders. I urge you to view it and correct the incorrect impression Americans have of Dean that night.

This is not the first time, of course, that professionals have not bothered to research an election story adequately. In 1976, the electoral vote count between Ford and Carter kept changing during the evening, often dividing them by only one vote. Despite CBS, at least, being notified earlier that day, no national news agency ever bothered to report then--or when the Electoral College eventually met--that there was an unconstitutional elector for Ford on the ballot in Dean's home state of Vermont, the sitting Republican senator Robert Stafford. At that time Vermonters voted individually and by name for the three presidential/vice-presidential electors of their choice. A person could, therefore, split his/her vote between parties. The three electors with the highest totals were members of the Electoral College, their party affiliation notwithstanding. Although attempts were made to remove Stafford's name before the election, the Democratic secretary of the state did not change the ballot,. Stafford, who was also running for reelection, won handily, was certified, and allowed to vacate his seat so that the other two Republicans could choose a replacement. All against Vermont law and procedures. But never reported as such, because by Wednesday morning, the vacillating electoral votes of Ohio, Hawaii, and Oregon had settled in Carter's favor by more than one vote. If it had been a one-vote victory, the Vermont story would have been headlined nationally, not just in local papers. The unconstitutionality of the incident (sitting Senators are specifically prohibited from serving as electors, something Stafford said he didn't know) and the disregard of Vermont law by both Republicans and Democrats is not widely known today. Carter legally should have received one more electoral vote than he "officially" did.

The same is true of Dean's "scream." He did not win the caucus and soon was a non-candidate. But the myth of the "scream" continues. Please view the DVD and report to your listeners.

You have a great show.