To: TopCat who wrote (533343 ) 2/1/2004 1:38:35 PM From: Ann Corrigan Respond to of 769667 LOL....swing voter not a "swinger". Dean Guest on Meet the Press Sunday, 01-Feb-2004 8:52AM Story from AP ----------------------------------------------------------- WASHINGTON (AP) -- Democratic presidential hopeful Howard Dean lamented his losses in Iowa and New Hampshire, acknowledging Sunday, "We took a gamble and it didn't pay off." Once the front-runner in the race for the party's presidential nomination, Dean told NBC's "Meet the Press" he regretted burning through most of the $41 million his campaign raised last year. "We spent a lot of money in Iowa and New Hampshire trying to win," Dean said. "We took an enormous gamble and it didn't work." The former Vermont governor laid out his campaign strategy, looking past the next round of primaries and caucuses in seven states on Tuesday, with eye toward the Feb. 7 caucuses in Michigan and Washington state and the Wisconsin primary 10 days later. "We probably won't win someplace by Feb. 3, with the possible exception of New Mexico," he said. But Dean vowed to press on, maintaining that "this race is about delegates." He was quick to point out that while rival John Kerry won the first two contests, Dean actually has more delegates at this point than Kerry. Dean has 114 delegates to the Democratic convention, to Kerry's 103, of the 2,162 delegates needed to win the nomination, according to an Associated Press tally. A total of 269 delegates are up for grabs in the seven states with contests on Tuesday. Democratic delegates are awarded proportionately based on the popular vote cast within individual congressional districts as well as a state as a whole. Dean insisted that he won't play the spoiler if he doesn't have enough delegates to win. "I'm not going to do anything that's going to harm the Democratic Party. If we get blown out again and again and again ... if somebody else gets more delegates and they clinch it, of course, I'm not going to go all the way to the convention just to prove a point," Dean said. During his one-hour appearance on the show, Dean continued his criticism of Sen. Kerry as a Washington insider with deep ties to special interests, charging that the Massachusetts lawmaker has raised more money from lobbyists over the past 15 years than any other senator. "That is exactly what's wrong with American politics and that's why 50 percent of the people in this country don't vote," Dean said. Kerry has defended himself, saying he has never taken money from groups, but from individuals who were also lobbyists. Dean insisted on the program that he stands by his criticism and won't apologize.