Clark: Greatness slipping through our fingers?

[AnnitaR]

If the Dem party is blind enough to let this man slip through our fingers I have lost faith in my party!

This man would make the most amazing President of our time! How anyone could listen to this man today on Wolf Blitzer and not believe that fact is beyond my ability to understand.

Our party is in danger. We have allowed the media to control this primary from the beginning. They have controlled the discussion and probably even the outcome. We are letting them do it.

We are letting them tell the American people that Kerry is the only hope of beating Bush, when that is far from the truth! Kerry is a good man and I think he's been a fine Senator. However, to say that he is the best possible nominee we could have put up to face Bush is simply false! He is more than likely one of the worst candidates for us to put up against Bush.

All the while we have a man of true greatness being marginalized and ignored. Wes Clark is that man. Anyone who watched todays interview with Wolf could see just a glimpse of the greatness in this man.

I sit here almost in tears having to imagine that my party doesn't want a man like Wes Clark as our next President. They are willing to settle for less. I don't just want a NEW President I want an EXTRAORDINARY President. Which is why the only person I can support is Wesley K. Clark!

[arewethereyet]

1. you gotta do what you gotta do

but the rest of us do as well.

We all see something special in the candidate of our choice. Hope you can accept that.

[jpgpenn]

2. I'm starting to look at it this way...

If the Sheep want a Washington Insider they are on their way to getting their Washington Insider.

[Gloria]

3. I agree with your sentiments wholeheartedly.....

Wes Clark final comments in his speech last night at the JJ dinner make if very clear about why he is running. And he has said it before, but last night it was so poignant to hear him say it right to the party regulars' faces...

He is running because he feels the country is in danger. At a tipping point. It's not just about the current state of the economy or the war. It's about the power structure of the US and how those interests are snatching away the American dream from most families. It is about the demise of the middle class, the backbone of the country. It is about the slide into a very dark place.

He is the only candidate that has gone there.

Many of us have known about this shift and we have been screaming as our party has enabled it to accelerate. Wes Clark is the person who came along and has actually given words to our thoughts on a national level. That is why we are with him....because he makes us feel that we are not alone.

Sadly, his voice has been silenced via the mass media or he has been asked the same questions over and over. He has learned to flip them. But in the face of the push for a quick candidate, he has been largely marginalized.

When he goes on TV and reiterates that he has a lot of support, he is tipping his hat to us, his grassroots supporters who are still fighting, not only for him, but for our own convictions. He embodies those convictions. Notice that on Wolf, he didn't pander to Kerry. He stuck to his guns while saying he's a nice guy, he didn't indicate any strong presence in the fall. In answer to Wolf's "will help the party by supporting Kerry" question, Wes said that his way of doing "his best to help the party is by running for President."

And he means it and we know he's right.

[Muddleoftheroad]

12. Oh come on

Clark is running for exactly the same reason every Republican and Democrat is running, so they can be president. Most want to do good things when they get there -- not just Clark.

[Gloria]

30. Oh come on....his motivations are totally different.....

Sure he wants to be President (duh) but he's got a totally different view of the dangers our country is in....

[Crewleader]

4. I couldn't agree with you more AnnitaR

Wes Clark is truly our hope and we must fight to keep him!
I feel as you do, it angers me how these primaries has been done by the DNC and the Media.
Let the people vote with their heart as well as their head for who they want to vote for not for what the DNC and Media push as the front runner.

Given the opportunity for Americans to vote for the General in November he will bring Moderate Republicans, Independents and Democrats together in choosing their vote for him over Bush in a real success in numbers like none other.
We, Americans seek his leadership and his knowledge for our President to have hope for all and especially our children's future!

Love you General! :-)

[Tom Rinaldo]

5. I'll make a deal with you

After I finish making this post, I will go to www.clark04.com and click on eBlocks, and start making more calls to Tennessee and Virginia for Clark. How about you do the same after you read my post?

Because Clark has been so underplayed by the media since one week before Iowa, a strong showing by Clark on Tuesday would be a very fresh story for the media. Edwards as "the surging number two" has gotten stale. If Edwards manages to squeak through on Tuesday he will be reaffirmed as the Kerry alternative, but there will be no new news value in that. The race will be seen as being on auto pilot, with Edwards being able to do marginally better in the South but Kerry running strong nationwide and well on his way to the nomination.

However if Clark does well on Tuesday, that means he will have stolen Edward's thunder which WILL make news, because so many had written Clark off as dead weeks ago. With Dean being seen as continuing to fade, and with Clark scoring higher than Edwards already in the Wisconsin polls, the attention will shift to a Kerry vs. Clark match up and Clark will FINALLY get the serious attention that the media has tried to deprive him of.

It will become a whole new ball game with a fresh story line, the only potentially fresh story line that can threaten Kerry other than a Dean upside shocker in Wisconsin. Hey, if Kerry can quote Bush with his "Bring it on!" quote, I can quote Edwards about the possibility of turning this whole race around by getting Clark over the top in Tennessee and Virginia. Remember this, as we head off to make our phone calls, "We can do this, you and I."

[HoosierClarkie]

7. I have realized that we can only beat them if we are above them.

We have no time to talk about the obvious anymore. :( It is time to act feverishly!

[funky_bug]

6. So little time, so much faith... or is it the other way around?

I sat here almost in tears this morning. My husband, the Wes Freak was trying to convince me why Kerry was not a bad thing. I finally broke down and said, "This is a world divided by the very thing that Kerry voted for. We are in an economic crisis, and we are alienated from the rest of the world. Why the HELL can't this party see that we don't need a 'politician with experience' to take over this country? We need someone with economic know-how, and a record of peace negotiations to fix the wrongs that Kerry voted for! Saying I'm all for Clark, but building up Kerry in case his nod is inevitable is something I am NOT prepared to do. I will NOT be persuaded to jump the bandwagon and go all rah-rah on Kerry just because he looks like Lincoln and the media has annointed him. I will not water-down my passion for Clark in order to be a nice, supportive Democrat."

Maybe I'm reacting like a stubborn child, but I supported Wes because I believed he was the one who could do the job... NOT because he was the one to beat bush... I think any of them could... but what they do once they're in office is an entirely different matter. I have no faith in a candidate that put the majority of the votes HE BOTHERED TO TAKE THE TIME TO CAST in favor of Bush. I have no faith in a candidate that says he opposes gay marriage and gets the majority of his donations from BIG MONEY. I have no faith in a candidate like Kerry, and even if he gets the nod, I never will. I pray I'm wrong, but I don't see Kerry's presidency bringing about any of the beliefs this democrat believes in.

[BootinUp]

9. Heh, nice cartoon

Kerry will be one of the weakest Presidents of the last 100 years. I don't see him as being able to ignite enough support for any major changes fromt he status quo. He is a vote for the status quo as far as I can tell.

[phunktify]

19. On what basis do you judge him?

He's winning primaries. That's the first test. He was written off and it s a tribute to his skill as a politician that he has come back. He truly is "Comeback Kerry". It's sad when Dems make the same mistake the Repukes are clearly making and underestimate the supreme strenght of our new standard bearer.

[BootinUp]

26. Just my opinion of course

so don't take it personal.

But I think he has filled the Dean vacuum that resulted from his implosion. Since then the media has had Kerry on the front page every single day.

People that watched the candidates closely were notfor Kerry in high numbers. His fundraising was dead in the 4th Qtr. And he did have his fair share of coverage news in the 3rd and 4th Qtr.

And my personal opinion of Kerry is he is not an inspiring speaker, nor innovative. His speeches seem to borrow heavily on things introduced by other candidates previously. He speaks in monotone drumbeat way that does not/will not connect with average folks IMHO.

So the election will be horribly close, split along party lines, we will lose more seats in the House and Senate as a result of Kerry's weakness in the Red states. And he will be a very weak President.

[funky_bug]

28. His "skill as a politician"

is not my concern. His record as a politician IS.

[NV1962]

10. Just, uh, peeking in to point at that pic you have

It's terrific! So true... Nipple-gate is a perfect example of what's profoundly rotten in this kingdom.

[citizen snips]

8. In one ear and out the other ear.

Clark is an honorable man who was a great general. He would be a good presidential candidate. But like most elections or primaries some candidate is a victim of the media. Unfortunately it was Clark.

[Nashyra]

15. I keep saying that the Democratic powers that be in DC

Don't want Clark, or Dean for that matter. It had nothing to do with Dean not being able to beat Bush. The status quo in Washington are threatened by Clark or Dean, they represent real change in leadership and real change in Washington, the establishment can't stand the thought of that hence they have given the media permission to trounce these 2 candidates. Clark is still the best Dem to come along in our lifetime, Dean was not so bad either. Let's get together and support which ever is left standing. These two candidates truly represent grassroots and the establishment knows that. "Clark and Dean would turn DC upside down and empty the pockets of the status quo politicians, all that special interest money no longer in their pockets, maybe they would have to start working for a living."

[phunktify]

21. What are you talking about?

Clark was practically appointed by "DC" insiders not to mention Bill and Hillary. Now it looks like all the DC insiders were wrong. Most sided with Dean and Clark and now Kerry is the man. I think those DC insiders and special interests ought to be scared because Kerry is going to turn them upside down and he knows what he is doing. He can be president from day one. Dean and Clark don't even know how to excite dems to vote for them let a lone run a divided country.

[bowens43]

11. You feel strongly about your candidate and that's good.

But not all of us see him as you do. I have seen Clark and listened to Clark and he strikes me as mediocre at best. Clark's problem isn't the media. The media isn't responsible for Clark's failure to connect. Clark is responsible for Clark's failure to connect. I disagree strongly that selecting any of the other candidates would be settling for less. Most Democrats disagree with you. The media isn't casting the votes that have put Kerry in the lead. The Democratic base is casting those votes.

[HoosierClarkie]

18. "Mediocre at best"

I think you are refering to our Presidents grade point average, not General Clark. I am so glad that you actually listened to General Clark and didn't connect with him. I would've had to be asking myself some questions as a supporter if you did. ;-)

[The Traveler]

13. This still isn't over

But it does look grim.

I think a lot of people are so focused on beating the Shrub they have forgotten the magnitude of the mess the President Elect will face. We will need to forge a national consensus afterwards. We will need to forge a set of wise plans and the political will to set them in motion. The voters are asking "Who is most likely to beat Bush?" and for whatever reason right now believe that is Kerry. They are not asking "Who can lead us out of this crap?"

There is little in Kerry's record to suggest to me he has the wherewithal to do that. There is less in Edwards'. The good Doctor has demonstrated significant management skill during his tenure as Governor of Vermont. Clark spent 34 years developing and exercising those skills in the US Army. Both men have a vision of how to repair the damage ... a vision Kerry has borrowed heavily.

This is in brief my rationale for continuing to support Clark.

That being said ... if Kerry wins the nomination the question for me will be "What is the next right thing?" From what I can see at this time, I think that will be, for me, to vote for John Kerry.

And after that? Well, it is my perception that Clark and Dean for all their differences do both stand for a different approach to politics than Kerry and the DNC, an approach more akin to what the framers of the Constitution had in mind. Are any of us really ready to let go of that? There will be more to do ...

[indie_voter]

14. Clark and Dean

are the two candidates who would really make a difference.

I am sick at the way Clark has been treated by the media.

If it weren't so crucial to oust Bush, I would wish Dean/Clark would run as independents.

[phunktify]

16. I just wish Clark didn't sound so scripted.

He seems canned and over rehearsed. I don'
t see any passion for policy or politics. It's sad.

[The Traveler]

20. I think you have seen

only what they wanted you to see. Kerry has had more than his share of lame, passionless performances, also. Clark is a political rookie, no doubt. But they have been at him with long knives for quite some time ... Kerry and Edwards would appear equally canned if they were so systematically confronted with that kind of crap.

And, I assure you, Kerry will be so confronted. Hopefully he will be better at managing his message than Clark proved to be. His years playing the spin game should help. But ... that doesn't mean he has a better message.

[Tom Rinaldo]

25. Watch this for passion.

If you go to www.us4clark.com they keep a media library of Clark speeches and interviews. Here is the one to watch. His 1/25/04 campaign rally in Heminiker New Hampshire. The link is on page two of their media page, fourth row down, right hand box. It was an amazing speech, as was the prelude by the wife of the man Clark risked his life trying to save.

And, by the way, I have been making phone calls now lol. Just taking a short break.

[blm]

17. He's just stepping into the political arena. I'll bet he's hooked.

Look for another run if he isn't the nominee...maybe Governor of Arkansas.

[HoosierClarkie]

23. I really do not think so.

He answered a call from thousands of people. Unless they ask him to run for something else, he would not do it. He is not the self serving person that some think of him.

[MidwestMomma]

27. Exactly, that's what people just don't get about Clark

He isn't running because he woke up one morning and said 'Damn, I think it's time for a career change. How about I run for president"

People went to him and asked him to run because these same far-seeing people saw that he could be the answer to a lot of what's wrong with this country. And if the Democratic party, instead of wasting the first several months of his campaign questioning his motives and questioning his party loyalty had instead embraced him as a strong candidate against the greatest threat to our party and country, the dishonorable GWB, then we could be on our way to nominating a candidate who could deal a resounding defeat to the pretender-in-chief.

That's my take on it anyway.

Go Wes!

[xultar]

22. I agree 1000% I'm actually sitting here thinking about moving

to another country. Actually, I'd been thinking a bout it since 2000 but I didn't move because Al lost his home state. I figured from that stand point his campaign hadn't considered the south. That was their mistake assuming the south was a gicen since he was from TN.

Now, I'm sick. The media has spun beyond out of control. I don't know how many of you have access to Canadian TV but they make fun of our media and of us for believing their bullshit.

All I can say is by the time the electorate wakes we'll have a dem nominee and he won't have the full support.

How can I know this,
Talking with a friend yesterday from Chicago, Gay, progressive 40 something Italian Male. I've been begging him to pay attention to the race and he hasn't been. Finally Saturday he calls and asks me what do I think of Kerry. I said I don't really care for him that much because I don' think he can beat GWB as the President on the ticket.
He agreed. To late though, the nomination is already in the can. Thanks to CNN, FAUX, MSRNC, ABC, CBS, NVC, and all the others.
:grr:

[eileen_d]

24. I think Clark would (or should I way WILL) make an excellent president

When he first entered the race I was quickly hooked on him. Like you, I would simply describe him as "a great man" and displayed impressive leadership qualities. I was originally a Kerry supporter, and I still support both of them.

However, I was always bothered by Clark's lack of political experience, specifically the lack of a voting record. (I'm talking about voting on issues -- I don't give a crap about that whole "Clark voted for Reagan" line)

I am not a person who thinks that all politicians in Washington are sold-out "insiders." I think previous experience as an elected official is an important qualification for a president to have. I can see how Clark's military experience translates in several areas, but not completely.

I'm starting to think that Clark jumped in the game too late. If Clark had entered the race earlier than last October, I think he would have a better chance. I also agree to an extent that the media is not covering him enough.

But please do not give up hope if Clark doesn't get the nod this time. This election isn't the final opportunity he has for getting involved in national politics. If he's not the nominee, IMO he has an excellent chance of being appointed to the cabinet, or he could run for something else. Hell, if it's not Clark in 2004, make it Clark in 2008!

[Kat45]

29. It ain't over 'til it's over. Don't forget: only a small percentage of

the electorate have had the opportunity to cast ballots yet. Yes, Kerry has received a lot of votes, but I would think the rest of the people in the country would appreciate having the opportunity to weigh in with their votes, and make them count. Why should the votes of the first 10% or so of people, who have the good fortune to live in the states with the earilies primaries, be pretty much the only votes that determine who the nominee will be? (And NH and Iowa are certainly not representative of the country as a whole.) That is ridiculous. I will be extremely pissed off if my vote on Super Tuesday is meaningless, although it may be virtually meaningless anyway because I live in Kerry's home state.

And please do not underestimate this factor affecting Kerry's vote total: Ted Kennedy. As soon as I saw him campaigning with Kerry in Iowa, I knew that would turn things around for him. Particularly with Iowa being a caucus state, the grand poobah of the Democratic Party would have an enormous influence on the votes. Kennedy helped in NH as well. He won't be such a factor in many of the future primaries, particularly in the south where he is much-hated, but I believe that Kennedy's campaigning with Kerry was a major factor in giving him the huge jump-start that started this bandwagon rolling.

I also believe Clark is the best man for the job, and I will continue to support him--and campaign for him in Kerry's home state--to the end.