|
I've resisted posting about candidates, assuming my Clark avatar alone would cause trouble. (I know some think Clark is in the race at the behest of dark forces acting on behalf of the same people who control Bush; I know that some think Dean is tainted with racism. I've heard these views, and respect them.)
I am for Clark because I think his candidacy represents "a man and a moment" -- but what I want to say is that these two guys are the candidates we need, and it has little to do with policy. They know who they are, and they are fearless. They act proactively. They say what they think. They are not intimidated by the press, or the other side. Contrast them to McAuliffe, Daschle, and way too many other Dems I could name. Other candidates speak out, but these two have, by their personas, I think, connected with the largest number of potential voters, and created the most interest and excitement -- and are likeliest to do the same in a general election.
I'm prompted today by the appearance on LBN of Clark's four-prong plan to end the Iraq war, and bring the troops home; his New Hampshire public radio interview that appears today in the GD forum; even his thirty-second Rock the Vote spot, which shows his campaign (like Dean's) is not tone-deaf to a new generation. And Dean's truck-and-Confederate-flag statement, its aftermath, his thinking about it. The statement, I think, was misguided, but the idea behind it is not. He's running now with the unlikely combination of both the Confederate flag and Vermont civil unions as controversial baggage, but he's still running, hitting all four morning shows -- and urging Southerners not to vote on race, guns, God and gays, and against their economic interests. Being bold carries risk. Clark is expressing views that could come back to haunt him in a general election, but he's expressing them anyway, because they are his views (I know some disagree). And he's going where others have feared to tread: 9/11, and the stolen election.
I favor Clark/Dean, but Dean/Clark is okay by me. We need this kind of candidate, as they used to say, "from the Courthouse to the White House." Like many, I was down yesterday, and am still short on hope today -- but these two guys out there are giving me a little something to hope for.
I'm working actively, with a local group, for one of them, and if the other is the nominee, I'll be working for him, too.
|