Observers point to several key moves. In one, Dean aides blocked a likely major endorsement of rival Dick Gephardt by convincing the Service Employees International Union that it should wait until the end of the month to act–at which point Dean can impress them with a massive lead in fund-raising. In another, Dean last week locked up the endorsement of the majority of the city council in Washington, D.C., where a nonbinding but early primary takes place in January. Dean was also the first Democratic presidential contender to campaign with beleaguered California Gov. Gray Davis–a move that could pay huge dividends if Davis pulls a surprise and survives the recall vote next month.
Perhaps the Dean campaign’s biggest nondigital coup came late last week, when HBO premiered its new Washington-based show, “K Street,” at the ultimate insider’s watering hole, the Palm Restaurant. Central to the plot of the pilot: a debate-prep session for Dean. And wouldn’t you know, the real-life Dean, in a real-life debate, used a line the show’s writers had proposed for him. Nothing more Beltway than that.
