Candidates are "Bracing" for a Clark Run

[Starpass]

C-Span WJ this a.m. reading articles regarding last night's debate and the Dem campaign scene. In one article the reporter was interviewing the head of the Dean campaign. He said that all the campaigns are gearing up and bracing for the announcement of Clark entering the race (apparently they all believe he's coming on board). He said that his entry will definitely impact all of them. Either in that article or a related one, it was pointed out that still in surveys of Dems, they want "someone else" as their choice over any of our nine. The mainstream Dems still have not yet been turned on by any of our candidates. Hopefully, Clark can bring that support and focus.....I say that because if he can't, then we have a hell of a job in front of us just making one of our candidates popular with the dudes that will vote in Nov. '04. I think that kinda gets lost on most of us as we enthusiastically support this candidate or that. We have an excellent opportunuity to dethrone Whistle Ass but we have no chance if mainstream Dems and Indpendents find our candidates booooooring.

[poskonig]

1. So all 9 candidates need Clark to "save" them?

Oh, the arrogance! :+

Keep in mind that Clark has to win someplace where it counts, i.e., New Hampshire and Iowa. Howie has a 21 point lead on Kerry, and Clark is somewhere around 2 or 3%. The situation in Iowa is somewhat similar, with Dean in the lead and Clark near the bottom. And yes, they *have* been running draft ads.

[Starpass]

2. Oh, the arrogance of not getting the point

I said that the biggest numbers for Dems these articles reported were the "someone else". None of our boys are scoring big with the vast number of Dems (maybe that's why 2/3 can't name one of them--you think??). They are looking for "someone else". Maybe that's Clark. But maybe after Clark they still say "yo, is this all the party can still dig up??". If that's the reply from mainstream Dems, then we have work to do, don't we??? Maybe Dean is your 10000% choice but we have to make someone the strong choice of the mainstream Dems and Indpendents and make him the 51% choice of Da Amurekan People; otherwise we have spent a shitload of money running in circles, correct??????

[poskonig]

4. The primaries are focused in NH and Iowa right now.

Those aren't exactly liberal states, which is a good test for national electability. Secondly, the number of people paying attention is actually better than it was in 2000. Third, we need a candidate that can raise shitloads of money, maximize turnout, and most importantly, actually desires the job. The undecides in NH, for example, are 23%, so even if Clark received ALL of that, he'd still have to chip into Dean's 38%.

I don't see much substance in your post. What's the *real* reason why you don't like our nine candidates? ;-)

[DemocratSinceBirth]

9. NH and IA

might not be "liberal" states but they are two of the most homogeneous states in the nation. There are more African Americans, Hispanics and Asians living in west L A than there are in all of NH and IA...

[dfong63]

7. i think you're mischaracterizing

give a link for one of the polls you're talking about. i haven't seen any poll that gives a head-to-head comparison of all 9 dems vs "someone else". the polls i've seen do say, in one poll, an "unnamed dem" has X% support, while a different poll says each of the 9 candidates has Y%.

if you're taking those 2 polls and saying that Y < X, that's a big "duh" for two reasons. first, a lot of dems are just plain mad at Bush, and would vote for any dem, but don't know who-all is running. thus, "unnamed dem" gains. second, the X votes are currently split among the field of dem candidates. you can't use this data to conclude that people want a different dem than any of the current 9, because when one of the 9 is chosen as the nominee, most dems will coalesce behind him/her.

and in reference to Clark in particular, when Clark is added to the 9, the polls i've seen show him running in the lower tier of the 10. if you think the polls show that dems want "someone else", that someone isn't Clark.

[chaumont58]

3. Look at the calender

Its September the year BEFORE the election. Political junkies on DU, Freeperland, Ldotters, etc, live and breath campaigns 24/7 but 95+ percent of the voters don't. So what if a large number of poll respondents can't name a Dem candidate. Does anyone expect that will be the case in September of next year? No one should bet the house on poll results taken this year. Or worry what the puke ass cable news channels are saying. The term, media whore, did not come about because of a vacuum. The beltway whores are indeed whores for the repukes. Come January, February, March of next year, talk of the nine dwarfs will go the way of the dodo bird. In '91, there was the same sort of talk. It is a right of passage for the beltway whores: denigrating Democratic candidates.

[dfong63]

8. i'm looking at the calendar,

and i see there's a little more than one year until election day - not enough time for Clark to develop a track record in electoral politics. he currently none, and there isn't enough time for him to acquire one.

i give him credit, though, he finally learned to say the word "democrat". big progress! give him another star!

[DemocratSinceBirth]

10. What Is The Impetus Of Your Animus Towards General Clark

He seems like a progressive fellow who wants to help the Democratic Party....

[robbedvoter]

5. There'll be 4 meet-ups for Clark this Monday in NYC - too many

people for the usual one. Not bad for a guy who didn't declare yet. Those who think he'd be starting from scratch are in for a big surprise.

[DoveTurnedHawk]

6. Clark Is the Man

If he enters, he will transform the race, IMO. The other candidates would be smart to "brace" for his entry.

DTH

[Doctor_J]

11. Woo hoo!

2004 is going to be the worst year of Smirk's life. Let's take our country back! Sane economic policies! Treaties with other nations! Wars fought for principal instead of for oil and cronies' profits. Global respect instead of ridicule and hatred. A leader who can speak coherently, without a teleprompter! America as one big First Amendment Zone! The GOP finally, correctly, identified as the party of lying, cowardly chickenhawks. Good-bye to Delay, Lott, Inhofe, and all of the rest of the hate-mongers.

I look forward to next year.