Come On - Give us REAL Clark supporters a break!

[cidliz2004]

Give us REAL Clark supporters a break....we need some time here!

I am really sorry, but I am not ready to turn this lemon into
lemonade with a smile on my face as of yet. Did it ever occur to you
that the good old Democratic Party pretty much discounted "the vote"
when it came to choosing it's present nominees? The primary season
was short and not too sweet. The media honed in on the candidates to
dish and the candidates to promote and before we even got to the
voting booth most candidates had withdrawn and the "race" was over.

Now, here we sit with the most obvious of choices for VP as.......the
choice. All previous elections had a "surprise" for a VP, not us,
not this time. This time the media was right on the money....SCAREY!

Made me think - what if the VP was actually chosen BEFORE the
PRESIDENTIAL candidate?--- What if the only question this campaign
season was....Who will be the person who can look like they can get
the most support that would be suited to be our Presidential
Candidate. They knew JE wouldn't be a good choice for the #1 spot,
but the #2 spot was his, provided he could "prove" himself "worthy"
during the Presidential Primaries. That is why he hung in as long as
he did. JE got his name out there in the media and he became known
to more possible voters. The #1 spot was up in the air until Kerry
came back to life in Iowa. That is when the media really turned the
cold shoulder on WC. When Kerry finally came through, the only
potential danger to him was WC.
WC and JE would be a risky team to say the least. Neither of them too beholding to anyone and neither one of them Washington Insiders - but knowledgeable enough to be pretty dangerous. With the Foreign Policy knowledge of WC and the -Pentagon knowledge of WC and then Edwards ability to "communicate" to the people and his knowledge of law and his proven ability to slice and dice in the courtroom..... They would have been invincable and dangerous. I honestly wouldn't be surprised if JE was 1st chosen as VP and then Kerry as P. What really pisses me off about the whole thing though is - what happened to us? We aren't in the loop choosing these guys anymore. The media and the political parties are doing that for us.

Another poster mentioned that WC recently said that the election
won't be about Iraq by October????? Does anybody have a clue as to
what that means??? I think it may mean Chany bows out and/or Osamma
is brought out. What else could it be? Cheny could easily resign
due to "health" issues. W doesn't have to "fire" him or ask him to
leave, Cheney could simply say that his health won't allow him
another 4 years and then he could continue running this country in
secret (like he has been doing all along) BUT he won't EVER have to
come out in public again. Great for W in 3 ways....1. New
candidate to talk about and steal the last month of attention before
the election 2. Look like he is in a terrible spot and that will get
him all kinds of support and sympathy 3. Get somebody really
popular in the VP spot. (Maybe even Jeb!)

Scary but really possible.

So, excuse me if I am not high 5ing a Kerry Edwards Ticket. I don't
like being played the fool - over and over and over again.

I just wish we had an alternative strong 3rd political party.

Liz

[Dookus]

1. THIS hard-core Clark supporter

is already over it. Kerry's the nominee, Edwards is his running-mate. We need to make sure they win. Clark is doing just that.

[disenfranchised]

2. It's a bitter pill.

The voters in Iowa chose this ticket through some antiquated system. Clark passed up Iowa and he never got in the game after that. We can't go back and do it over again.

I hope you can find something in this ticket you can support. Take your time, Liz. These wounds hurt. There is no 3rd party right now. You know what you have to do this fall. It's like Clinton said, "fall in love, then fall in line."

[AnnitaR]

5. This Clarkie agrees. Iowa cost us big!

Wes has said he just got into the game too late. He didn't have a choice he had to bypass Iowa. However, I will always wonder "what if".

Despite my feelings towards Wes Clark I am totally on board with ticket. This country cannot afford another 4 years of Bush. Too much damage has been done.

Seeing what was done to Iraqi children in those prisons should be enough motivation for every single one of us to work our asses off to get that evil disgrace out of our White House!

[Bread and Circus]

14. I am happy with the Edwards choice but I feel like the D Party

is fucked from top to bottom.

Though I will vote Kerry/Edwards w/ gusto, I think the
Democratic Party is about as stupid as the Republican
party in many ways.

I've been to fundraisers/post-debate town hall meetings/
started a major statewide Clark website and Yahoo group
with over 200 people in it. I've given a ton of money to
"The Nation" and the "The Nation Associates" as well as the
Democratic Party and finally Wes Clark.

What I've come away with is that the "Machine" sucks. It's
just a bunch of insiders spending other people's money while
the stupid media spins its mendacious banality. I've met Terry
McAuliffe. He's a fake asshole. If he's the "leader of the party"
(at least one of its levers of power) then we my friends,
have a lot to yearn for.

Like I said, Kerry/Edwards is a strong jawed good looking pair.
They have a chance to beat Bush and make a few things better.
The media had a huge role in picking these two, but so did
the primary voters (mostly Iowa and New Hampshire). I am not
devastated at the choices. Rather "it figures". Politics is
a lawyer/politicians game for the most part. A guy like Wes Clark
never stood a chance.

Now, Wes Clark is water-boy. It's kind of funny that he is carrying
JE's water. It makes me laugh.

And in the words of Kurt Vonnegut "and so it goes".

---

I know this is Democratic Underground but I hope the
Democratic is referring to democracy (little D). I hope
this post doesn't get deleted just because I am bad-mouthing
the Party, which I believe needs some huge changes. Like,
for instance, get rid of its antiquated Primary system that
give Iowa and New Hampshire more voting power than the
rest of us.

[KittyWampus]

16. Yup, Clark Will Continue To Do Heavy Lifting

and he does it with integrity.

Your view of the Democratic Party meshes really well with mine.

"Other People's Money"

[Bread and Circus]

18. Kick then!

:kick:

[JI7]

3. many people supported and like John Kerry very much

i know it's hard for supporters of certain candidates to understand why there are people who like another candidate, but that's just the way it is. people don't all agree on something. kerry was popular in new hampshire from the start but then he started doing badly in the polls and after a while people just declared his campaign dead and dismissed him. but he decided on a strategy to help change things and that was to focus on iowa. all he needed to do was be seen as a winner to win in new hampshire again. and the surprise victory in iowa changed that.

john edwards did very well also and i believe if kerry had not ran he would be the nominee. kerry presented his image in a very appealing way. kerry picked edwards for vp because he was the best person to be vp for him.

[JI7]

4. the Primary system was in place long before Kerry got into the race

it's not as if the primary schedule changed once kerry won. people act as if kerry wrongly took something that belonged to another candidate. and blame the primary schedule and other things which were put in place long before kerry got into the race or won anything.

[Turkw]

7. Not Kerry's fault, and I've never blamed him, There was a LOT of media

manipulation. I am a Bob Grahm supporter and the media really marginalized him.

I've always said I would vote for the nominee, and will. How much I will do in addition, remains to be seen. I may just get involved with the Senate race.

[union_maid]

6. This Clark supporter believes Clark

I believed, and still do, all the reasons he gave for getting into the race. If Kerry/Edwards wins, Clark gets a lot of what he wanted so much, which is mainly that this administration is out. I believe him when he says that he thought Kerry's campaign was going nowhere and that's one of the reasons that he got in. I believe that he can do as much or more outside of the office of VP. I believe that the best way to support him is to enthusiastically support this ticket, which stands the only chance there is of unseating the Bush administration.

[JI7]

9. and Clark is already on Kerry's team of military advisors

so he has a say in things they do.

[Adelante]

8. The election will be about IRAN by October

Is what he said.

"Another poster mentioned that WC recently said that the election
won't be about Iraq by October?????"

[coeur_de_lion]

12. Does anyone have a link for that statement by Clark?

The one where he said "The election won't be about Iraq by October?"

[LuLu550]

10. I'm just as hard core as the next Clarkie, but

before there was a Draft Clark movement last year (which I was part of) there was ABB. And if Wes can put his feelings aside and do what is right for this country and through his support behind Kerry/Edwards, so can I.

But is doesn't mean the Clark04 sign is coming off the wall in my home office, honey!

[JNelson6563]

11. As a hard-core Dean supporter

I can certainly relate to your disappointment. Mine is not as fresh tho' cause I never for a moment believed Dean would even be considered for the #2 spot being from the NE like Kerry.

Still, I support Dean in his efforts to keep working on the grassroots and affecting change across the country. I know that there are efforts that Clark is involved in too and I would recommend you join those efforts. Keep supporting Clark in what he tries to do.

One of the things he is trying to do is get Dems into the WH, even if it is not himself.

After Dean dropped out he went on MTP. Timmy boy kept trying to get him to bash Kerry. Finally Dean said that while he's not going to be the captain of the team, that spot is going to Kerry, he still wants to be a part of the team. I really think Clark feels the same, judging by how he is working to get Kerry elected.

I think we supporters of these men can do well to follow the example they are setting. Be gracious in losing and continue working for the greater good.

Julie

[KittyWampus]

13. That's Beautifully Put & Excellent Advice

Politics is hardball.

Kerry/Edwards is what we got to work with. I sure hope both men will rise to the occassion.

Clark is like a cat who will always land on his feet.

[WI_DEM]

15. What is it that anybody is asking of you?

Obviously there will be many posts on a democratic discussion board about the new democratic ticket. My man--Dean wasn't even considered for VP despite having a strong grass roots of his own. It may be best to consider taking a few days off the board.

[unfrigginreal]

17. Take your time

and don't regret for a minute any criticism of our candidates that you speak out about. There was a time when Kerry was telling us to "get over it" and "stop crying in our tea cups." You can hear him at rally's now speaking about the stolen election. He's come a long way in his spoken message if not in his convictions. Proof positive that the criticisms made a difference.