A sober note to my fellow Clarkies

[Bucky]

The General will win every single poll on DU. That's not a big accomplishment. I love DU. I love Clark. I'll always vote for him on this site, even if the poll is "What's your favorite ice cream flavor?" or "Who's the hottest Charlie's Angel?" But it won't make a whipple's worth of difference if we don't get out and push the hell out of his candidacy starting in 2007.

Polls are fun on DU, but the ones in the real world show our guy is way way down in public opinion--the ones that show real world support. He's got that same "crazy and got fired" rumor campaign strapped around his neck. The second he pops up, that will be popped right on top of him.

This is just a reminder. Get off of DU every so often and find a way to make a difference in the world. Hmmm, I guess this message doesn't just apply to Clarkies, after all.

</platitudes>

[usregimechange]

1. VOTER REGISTRATION.

[usregimechange]

2. strike that Liberal voter registration

[mikehiggins]

3. 2006, not 2007

Next year we have to take our best shot at regaining control of one of the Houses of Congress. Everything has to be aimed at that, and that includes Clark's supporters. Money, time, feet-on-the-ground efforts have to go after every single GOP and DINO seat in the nation. It doesn't matter if you think we can win or not. There are thousands of well paid consultants to tell you that this seat can't be touched, or that seat would cost too much.

That time is past.

Every seat has to be contested to the death. We HAVE to show the country we are willing to fight, and that we have something to fight for, if we are to have a chance at all of getting the White House back in 2008.

There are a lot of people who don't realise how close our republic is to falling. There are a lot of people who don't even care. A lot of them are professional politicians who think that they'll be okay, no matter what happens.

Well, we won't be okay. This decade may well end with China coming to the fore as the major world power, and all our laws and rights will be subject to the NAFTA/CAFTA/WTO usurption that our right-wing buddies used to scream about. Now they are silent but we cannot be.

If Clark wants to be President--and I want him to be--he has to come out swinging, and soon. 2007 will be far too late.

[karynnj]

4. In some way, it's the same for every Democratic candidate

I'm sure the Republicans developed smears for all of them. The sad thing is that to raise to the level of being considered as President, each candidate had to convince a decent size group of activist that they were capable of being President - no small accomplishment. As a Kerry supporter, I would say that I did not at any time perceive Clark as crazy. As to the fired story, well there are always two sides and in this case Clinton (the person who fired him) was clearly supporting him - a sign that his firing may have been because it was expedient and resolved a political problem for Clinton.

I agree with you, that all of us need to help in the real world. This would be easier if DU was more informative rather than divisive. Although I currently favor another candidate, I have enjoyed reading some of the posts where Clark supporters explained what they liked in him. (Some of the best were posted in a very polite and well received way on a thread a few weeks ago on the johnkerry group.)

As we are still about 2 1/2 years away from even the very beginning of the 2008 campaign, it would be nice if rather than playing the Republican game of trying to win by destroying the reputations of the other candidates, we used this time to actually get good information on the potential candidates. (In addition to the more pressing 2006 issues.) If we don't, there is a danger of hurt feelings on the part of the ardent supporters of losing candidates making it harder to accept the nominee. The likelihood of this is when you see others repeating the RW lies about your favorite.

I can sympathize with your frustration that Clark has been smeared and has to overcome nasty characterizations that are unwarranted given his history. Kerry has similar problems with similarly baseless attacks - (SBVT, although he has held unusually consistent believes over about 35 years in public life - he was labeled a flip flopper, although he worked very diligently in public service for almost all his adult years - he, not Bush was portrayed as having done nothing.) Edwards would have been tarred with the more emotional appeals he made in law suits. Hillary (perception of scandals - even though never proven - cattle futures, Rose law firm, Chinese and Indonesian funds ..., etc).

Hopefully people will begin to see a pattern, especially if they see that both Gore and Kerry were who they said they were - not who the Republicans defined them as. If this happens, they may be less likely to believe the next hate campaign. There has to be a tipping point.

[Texas_Kat]

5. Actually Clark folks have been instrumental and

long-term workers in Hackett's campaign.

Many of us are already working in 2006 campaigns. General Clark is intent on seeing Democrats win in 06 and has asked us to help him,

What are you doing to help General Clark help candidates in 2006?

[HootieMcBoob]

6. You're right

That's why his work on Faux News is so smart.

I'm constantly talking him up to my Republican family who are growing more and more disillusioned with Bush these days. We have 4 family members who have been in the Iraq fighting - two who have been there, including one who's on his second tour right now and two who are going in September. It's getting old fast for them.

[Renew Deal]

7. Clark is the most organized of all the candidates at this point.

His and Deans people are still the most active. Kerry has the mailing list, but I don't think he has the loyalty.

[FrenchieCat]

8. Come on Bucky....

You have no idea of what we are doing....do you?

[Donna Zen]

9. Sunday...

I will not be online because I will be giving out "Get Starch" WesPAC buttons at a Democratic fundraiser. I've also put together a slide presentation of our "grassroots" meeting, The National Clark Community Meetup, and a examples from the materials given out during the workshops. That comes with an invitation to join us next summer.

Last week Clarkies delivered fans to Walter Reed Hospital because the sick were sweltering in rooms where the air conditioning was not enough. That delivery was made in honor of General Clark.

Did I mention that General Clark will be speaking in Maine on Sunday. I'm beside myself.

[snowbear]

10. Good for you Donna!

I got to meet him this past summer :) ...I pretty much pounced on him as he walked off the stage and gave him such a huge hug (( :hug: )).. he didn't know what hit him!!

(Thankfully his sweet wife (who was there) is very used to him getting HUGGED! ;) )

[Donna Zen]

11. Gert was there!

Gert is great! (pssst...the General loves when you say that.)

Yeah, my favorite part of this last event: I watching the line of handshakers filing past. Then I noticed that there were all these people without name tags and buttons in the line. It seems the wedding party next door took the opportunity to crash the event. I'm surprised they didn't have him signing pieces of cake.

Ohhhh... did I say that Gert had the most fabulous shoes on? She did. She'll be with him next Sunday. Lobster. Everyone comes to Maine in the summer.

[DanCa]

12. some of us do not have easy access to transportation

However I am more than willing to help the general in whatever way a disabled person can.

[Donna Zen]

13. DanCa

We've got just the job for you! Honestly.

Stay in touch.

PM me, so I will have you in my file. Okay. Really. We need you.

[DanCa]

14. Done let me know how i can help

We need a general to wage a ground war on these lying treasonus unpatriotic unreligious hypocrites.