Thursday will be a crucial day for General Clark

[RobertFrancisK]

First, people criticized him for not being a democrat. Then he declared. Then they criticized him for not being in the race yet. Well, he's in. Now it's because he has been too vague on economic issues. I agree, he has. However, let's not forget he's been in the race for 6 days. Dean, Kerry, Gephardt all waited months to unveil most of their domestic agendas. SO I'm cutting him a little slack. The guy isn't the second coming of Christ after all.
The economic debate this week will be huge for Clark. If he can hold his own and offer concrete solutions to the economic problems we are facing today, then he'll silence most of his democratic critics (except the Limbaugh-liberals who claim he tryed to start WW3 and other such absurd claims). If he too vague, then the criticism will be warranted. But I doubt he'd be stupid enought to go into that debate unprepared, for Kerry, Lieberman, Dean and Gephardt will all want to embarrass him and won't let him up easy, and he knows this.
Any way, there will always be room for criticism of his plans. I for one seem to like Kerry's plan the best so far, but I don't think Dean is waffling or doesn't know what he's talking about. But the central theme that the far right and the Limbaugh-liberals are hammering at him is that he is a hack with no ideas, just a resume. That claim needs to be shot down quickly, and hopefully Thursday will be the day it happens.
By the way, what time and on what channel is the debate?

[poskonig]

1. No it won't.

Clark will do fine. Even if he makes a few gaffes, those things aren't going to derail his campaign. Bush made gaffes all of the time, and he did very well in the 2000 election.

Clark's challenge is winning NH and Iowa. NH is in Kerry and Dean's backyard, and Iowa is an "organizational state" for candidates, i.e., one needs a lot of organizational muscle to win.

[davidinalameda]

2. Clark's challenge is to do well in NH and Iowa

He could possibly win Iowa but I doubt he has a chance to win NH.

Dean and Kerry have it locked up

The make or break for his campaign will be South Carolina and Super Tuesday.

[Pepperbelly]

11. a third for him in NH is ...

as good as a win.

[janekat]

3. he has a master's in economics and was a professor in econ

He should be able to more than hold his own....

[RobertFrancisK]

4. Believe me, I have confidence in Clark

I'm just saying, that he needs to be specific in order to shut up the Limbaugh liberals and make the far right know he's legit. I believe he has the brains to do it, but he is new to politics and needs to develope very quickly in order to survive.

[mlawson]

10. Wow. I did not know that.

I have the same credentials. Imagine, an ECONOMIST in the WH!!

I can't WAIT to hear him say, ceteris paribus.... :bounce:

[hippiechick]

12. eeeeeeeeekkkk ...ceteris paribus !!

I took intensive econ 201 this summer and I still hear the prof in my sleep !!!


:hippie:

[mlawson]

14. Oooooohhh....

Opportunity cost!! Indifference curves!!! Ratchet effect!!!! HAHAHAHAHAH!!!!!!

Seriously, I wonder if Clark is a Keynesian??? Instituionalist would be better, though.

[Donna Zen]

22. Keynesian-liquidity

He was talking about it the other day....he said we had run out.

[Julien Sorel]

24. He talks like a garden-variety pragmatic neo-Classicist,

from what I've heard so far. He wants to reduce the deficit, but I've also heard him talk about fiscal stimulation, and I'm almost certain I've also read him making comments about pushing the string, and some other things that suggest he's not into monetarism at this point. Plus his education happened well before Friedman & Co popularized monetarism, and I really don't think his education in the area is all that deep, since he participated in a multi-discipline graduate program.

All I care about is that he actually has a clue about it, and can communicate the topic to the public well enough so that they have some confidence in him. Like so many other things, it would be a vast improvement over what we have now.

[Donna Zen]

26. Is that good or bad BB?

Should someone slip him Krugman's number?

I mean, is that good or bad economic theory? Could the past few years in investment banking have impacted his original training?

[RobertFrancisK]

16. I heard him use the "guns and butter"analogy the other day

Made me think of my econ class.

[RobertFrancisK]

5. Again, what channel is the debate on?

And what time?

[RichV]

8. CNBC @ 4pm EST and MSNBC @ 9pm EST

I'm pretty sure.

[RobertFrancisK]

15. Thanks dude

Most appreciated.

[dfong63]

6. about that picture

this picture of the jutting-jawed general, apparently getting ready to climb into the clockpit of what appears to be a fighter plane, has gotten a lot of play. but i wonder what it's all about. was Clark a fighter pilot? and if he's gonna fly, then why isn't he in a flight suit and helmet?

[Pepperbelly]

13. He was probably ...

just checking out a cool airplane. I do when I get the chance and I did when I was in the military.

[Larkspur]

7. Because there are 10, the debate suits sound bites, not more detailed

information on how a candidate will handle an issue.

Clark's performance will depend upon how he and his staff prepare for it and if Clark takes too much time answering questions.

I'm predicting, on a positive note for Clark, that he will play the part of a manikin giving short sound bites that will have the media pundits swooning. On a negatvie note for Clark, he could be unprepared for the questions and take too much time answering them, which would lead to being cut off in mid paragraph and that could raise his anger level.

We'll just have to see what happens on Thursday.

[IndianaGreen]

9. I wouldn't pin all my hopes on one debate

All Clark has to do is not screw the pooch.

I hope the panel asks good questions, and we get solid answers from all the candidates.

[Starpass]

17. I hope people understand---and I doubt they will

that none of these guys have really said that much in debates on the economic issues or any other issues. Why?? Because there isn't time for it. I mean, all one can say is: I have a health care plan. The experts like my plan. Go to my website to read it. Buzzzzzzzzz..times out and another candidate can make a quick nothing statement. So, I don't want to hear some hysteria like: that guy is a joke because he couldn't tell us every precise how, what, when, where and to what extent right down to the footnotes and research data used in his plan. Or he did not tell us how he will erase the deficit in 13 seconds. None of the others have done it either and none will in these debates. That's what is so stupid about these things. Even I am getting bored because everybody just repeats the same damn lines they've used every other time I've seen them---but they can't do anything else in that short time frame. Man I've gotten to the point where I can mouth the words before they utter them. And that's why the media will declare him a loser to try to get him out of the way fast. You are only going to know what these guys real plans are by their speeches, interviews and websites.....and some of them even basically pussyfoot around even then.

[MIMStigator]

18. He'll rock. eom.

eom

[IranianDemocrat]

19. This is where being a military man helps him a lot...

I think he knows how to work well under pressure, so I am expecting an excellent performance by him outlining strong progressive views.

[janekat]

20. His people should start to "lower expectations" n/t

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

21. Most definately.

[Donna Zen]

25. possibilities:

1) The expectations are already lowered...does America know that a General might know something about economics? Therefore, even one "high-brow" term would put them on the floor. Hell, there are many people on this board that don't think he knows anything about anything beyond...what? Guns.

2) West Point Debate Team...some bio piece said he often passed up "fun" to go on the debate circuit. I guess he enjoyed being on his high school debate team.

3) No way to know what the friggin media will say.

4) No way to know what friggin dumb-ass questions he'll have to answer.

5) No way to know how he'll respond to the zingers that will come his way.

In short, anything can happen...as Clark would say "work the details; set high standards; provide good-planning; and bring out the best."

Does anyone know why we have a monkey in the WH?

[jonnyblitz]

23. I look forward to this debate.

:hi: