Wesley Clark Ditches Fox - Signs With MSNBC!

[kpete]

June 13, 2007
A More Candidate-Friendly Audience?

Retired Gen. Wesley Clark will now be exclusively on MSNBC as a military analyst, sources have confirmed to the Hotline. Clark has still not ruled out a possible White House bid and MSNBC would be a much more Dem-friendly audience than his old gig -- Fox News Channel

http://hotlineblog.nationaljournal.com/archives/2007/06/a_more_candidat.html
via:
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2007/6/13/141837/630

[Hamlette]

1. this is good news, I've missed him

and I'm thrilled to hear him say he might make a run for it.

[Tesla]

2. Gore /Clark?

That would be cool
Or If I thought Clark had the votes, I love him.
I never could understand how he could like FAUX.

[MADem]

5. It would also repeat the "Two Southerners" paradigm of Clinton/Gore.

Faux likely gave Clark the TV experience he needed. It takes time to get comfortable in front of those cameras and use all of the assets of a television studio to best effect.

And then, there's the money. I'm sure they didn't pay him in the dark...

[dysfunctional press]

51. that's my biggest problem with the ticket.

it's about time we had a non-southerner in the white house, considering the amount of problems the last two have caused us.

[Bucky]

52. Yes, because region in the country they were born in is clearly the cause of it all

Plus there's that great track record of people from other parts of hte country getting elected.

NB: in my lifetime, exactly two non-Southerners have been elected president: Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan.

[dysfunctional press]

57. more evidence of the dumbing down of america over the recent decades...

as a country, we definitely made some major wrong turns over the course of the 20th century.

and this is where it's gotten us.

choosing folksy charm over substance will do it every time.

[MADem]

71. Well, unless you died twice and were revived from the dead, your numbers are off

You are forgetting two presidents who were not BORN in the south.

George H. W. Bush, the daddy, is a New Englander. He was born in Milton, MA, educated in Andover, MA and Yale (in CT) and was the son of a CT Senator. His son, Porgie, has a similar bio. Porgie was born in CT and ("mis-under")educated, much to our chagrin, at the same overpriced prep school as his Daddy in MA. He then did the Yale thing, and did graduate work at Haaaaavid Business School (will they EVER live that down?). Poppy didn't get to TX until he was an adult, and Porgie spent less time there than he did in New England until he reached adulthood.

That accent is a total put-on; a con for the schmucks. So is the fake relationship with TX, despite the fact that he managed to rip off the citizens with his baseball scheme and snag the governorship.

That ranch that is the centerpiece of his fiction was constructed as a prop, you see--it was a pig/turkey farm (how apropos--still is, IMO) before he bought it in 1999, and the house went up during his campaign, and wasn't even finished when he was elected. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prairie_Chapel_Ranch

It's all BS, a sales job for the dummies who worry about regional affiliations before anything else. But clearly, there are enough dumbbells around who vote and actually care about that kind of stupid crap....otherwise, why would they bother to shop those lies? If it didn't matter, they wouldn't make a big deal out of it.

Edit: Egregious spelling error

[kenfrequed]

73. eh well

Neither of them could even charitably be considered northern yankees since both of them were from California.

George W Bush technically isn't a Texan either, though in temperment he really doesnt represent the northeast where both he and his father were born.

I think we are talking about northern DEMOCRATS. Not just a northern president.

[Cant trust em]

75. Don't forget about George H. W. Bush

He was a Connecticut Yankee until the opportunity to make money drew him to Texas.

[Tom Rinaldo]

62. Clark is kind of the best of two worlds for us

He has Chicago roots but then he grew up on Little Rock, before leaving Arkansas to serve his nation around the country and the world. We can call Clark a southerner, but his identity is actually a national one, tied to a national institution, not to state and regional politics. Which is the case with Vice President Gore now also. It's not the same as a George W. Bush or John Edwards each claiming the mantle of "the southerner seeking the Presidency" from their respective political parties.

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

70. I'm not sure that either of them qualify as "Southerners"

At least not in the typical sense. Gore grew up split between his father's job in Washington, DC and his family home in Tennessee. And Clark only spent his childhood in Arkansas, leaving to travel across the globe for his military career. They both have a broad, first-hand exposure to the world north of the Mason-Dixon line.

[kerry-is-my-prez]

78. good luck with that.....

I think all of us here feel the same way but it's probably not going to happen.

[OnionPatch]

17. He said

(paraphrasing) he thought it was good to be on FOX because he felt he was not just preaching to the choir. He wanted to bring some truth and a different perspective to people who needed it the most.

I thought he had a very valid point.

Edited to add: I'm really glad, though, that he's going to be on MSNBC. Now maybe more Dems will see him and understand why some of us like him so much.

GORE/CLARK That would be a great ticket!

[RiverStone]

76. Gore/Clark has always been #1 on my wish-list for a Pres ticket!

Second to that...

Gore/Obama

[colorado_ufo]

80. Faux gave him maximum opportunity

to confront those who oppose his views, who might not appear with him on another channel.

[MethuenProgressive]

3. About freaking time, Wes!!

Gore/Clark '08!

[annabanana]

4. Really. He doesn't belong on Faux. . . never did.. . . . n/t

[Captain Hilts]

12. He was a PERFECT representative for the Dems on Fox. It was a good idea.

He beat the crap out of their people in debates.

I've no doubt he won a few converts.

It's a waste of time to preach to the choir.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

20. Well, ok, but is the average MSNBC watcher "choir?" I don't think so. -nt

[Captain Hilts]

22. That's right, they're not. Better to show the flag to conservatives. nt

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

23. I don't get it

"Better to show the flag to conservatives" = ?????

[Captain Hilts]

24. They could hire a dumbass Dem to make their idiots look good. Clark eats 'em for lunch.

I'll bet some conservatives, particularly vets, actually sat and listened to him while he was on Fox.

Something they'd never do if he were on say, Air America talking.

[AlinPA]

21. He did help them justify being "fair and balanced" by just appearing there.

[Tom Rinaldo]

32. OK, say that gained them 2 points. Clark cost them 50...

by constantly demolishing their Republican talking points on the air in front of their own audiance, making them look silly to even try to defend Bush's policies. And I am being really charitable granting FOX that 2 points. Virtually no one really ever thought they were "fair and balanced" except for those who had already swallowed that Kool Aid, and Wes Clark was the best cult deprogramer we ever could have dreamed for in that regard. Maybe, just maybe, if Clark had hos own show on FOX it would have created some confusion about their "balance", but his two or so short appearances a week weren't about to make a dent in the true image of that network.

But what Clark did was undercut the supposedly pro-military jingoistic posturing of the FOX Chicken Hawks by showing up as the real thing with compelling arguments proving that the Democratic Party has the right answers to America's security concerns. Clark was devestatingly effective at doing that, and since he was officially part of the "FOX Team", minor as his roll actually was, his contract protected him from having his microphone turned off, among other things. I am firmly convinced that Clark going on FOX when he did helped Democrats regain Congress from the Republicans in 2006. The votes we needed to accomplish that were votes that went to the other side in 2004, we didn't have to worry about holding on to our own voters, we needed some of theirs, and we got them. No doubt many of those voters were familiar with Wes Clark from watching FOX.

Strategically, any trade off of minor credibility gained vs defections from G.O.P. ranks caused by Clark appearing on FOX was well worth it. We have Congress now. His contract with FOX is over now, and Clark can move on. A Job well done, General.

[CarolNYC]

35. "fair and balanced"

Yep, I think you're being generous with the 2 points. Anyone who thought Fox was "fair and balanced" when Clark was on most certainly thought they were "fair and balanced" before he ever showed up there.

[earthlover]

41. Clark's influence was made also by persuading Webb to run

Webb's election, after all, gave us the Senate. Not to mention a spunky Senator!

Clark has worked harder for Dems getting ready for 06 than any other figure. I also agree that his Fox air time made a difference.

Now...on to friendlier waters!

[AlinPA]

47. You make good points here, especially:"Wes Clark was the best cult deprogramer

we ever could have dreamed for in that regard.." Indeed he was convincing, (e.g., your next post). I'll still stand by my point that he did help them look like they just might be "fair and balanced"

[Clark2008]

50. It's not just Kool-Aid drinkers, Tom.

In many parts of the country, Faux is on in the waiting rooms of barber shops, beauty salons, restaurants, bars and auto repair shops by default. People who never watch the news are forced, quite literally, to watch that "news" station as they captively wait for their services to be rendered (which is where I think Faux makes up some of the ratings numbers they post).

To see Gen. Clark practically cut the Republican talking points off at the knees is a tremendous service to a Democratic Party trying to make in-roads in the rural South and mid-West.

Clark, while never registering in the so-called mainstream media, has quite a following where I live, for example. People are forever coming up to me and saying, "I saw your boy on the news - I like what he says" (they know I'm a supporter because of the accoutrements I have at my desk or on my car). And these are people for whom voting is an after-thought. Clark is tremendously more popular than the media gives him credit for. Can you imagine his polling numbers if they ever talked about him?

[Tom Rinaldo]

36. I just read this post at Kos:

Written by nocore"

"Well, considering that I am the lone socialist in a large family of Neo-conservatives...

none of whom has ever voted for a Democrat for any office big or small in any of their lives...

and considering that at a family birthday dinner last week, the majority of the table agreed that Wes Clark would be the first Democrat in their lives that any of them would consider voting for...

and considering that all of them watch Fox News regularly and are basing their opinions exclusively from having seen him on Fox...

I'd say the theory about Wes being on Fox not helping one bit doesn't really hold water. At all.

It is inarguable that Wes Clark has greater Red State crossover than any electable Democrat in modern American history.

And he's done a brilliant job of maximizing that."

[BootinUp]

60. Thats an awesome statement, confirms what I believed all along. n/t

[Cameron27]

10. lol.

[cinci_democrat]

30. Gore/Clark '08

A dream ticket to me!

[David Zephyr]

6. Finally.

.

[windy252]

7. Proud to be 5th rec n/t

[Downtown Hound]

8. Woot! Hopefully the first of many to abandon that piece of shit

propaganda, uh, I mean, news channel.

[dogday]

9. Nice to hear this, I think he will like it better

than Faux for sure.....

[Wesin04]

46. Oh, I don't know

He seemed to get particular pleasure in handing Hannity his a$$, or in refusing to let BillO overtalk him. He can spar with the best of them now. I've read that Clark said, with a big grin, that he relished going into the lion's den over at Faux. He knew what he was doing.

[dogday]

58. Yes, but the stink was just too much for him

and in the end he decided fresh air was better....

[City Lights]

11. Sah-weet!

Excellent news. Thanks!

[shireen]

13. another smart move

Clark was really smart to work for Fox as long as he did -- someone had to get through to the idiot viewers!!!

Now, as the elections approach, his move to MSNBC could also attract Fox viewers ... and maybe they'll watch Olbermann, and realize how much they've been fooled by the evil ones.

[roguevalley]

14. Ah God. This is great news.

[Libby2]

15. That's fantastic!! n/t

[Carni]

16. Excellent!

I really enjoy Wes Clark as a commentator--he is a very intelligent man.

[Cha]

18. The Good General certainly

paid his dues! Yay..goin' to the KO channel!

[earthlover]

42. Paid his dues indeed!

Clark, I believe worked harder for 06 than anyone. His life is all about service and duty. Glad he is on our side.

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

19. What Took Him So Long?

Go Wes!

[renate]

25. oh frabjous day n/t

:woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo:

[KamaAina]

26. I kind of wish he'd sign up with the DNC instead

the race could use someone to shake it up right about now... but at least he ditched the Evil Empire. Can't wait to see him get together with Keith!

[W_HAMILTON]

27. About time

I had been wondering where he went. I used to love him on MSNBC. Then he just disappeared for awhile. I saw him every now and again on Fox, but I found it strange that they would have a Democrat like him on their shows. So, I just figured MSNBC had given him the boot or something.

Glad to see he will be returning, from "the wasteland." :)

[sellitman]

28. I never watch Fox so if he was good on Fox I'd never know.

I do watch KO. Maybe he will have him on?

[Tom Rinaldo]

33. He was great on FOX. It was a joy to behold...

...when viewed as a rerun at a Dem friendly site like Crooks and Liars, who almost always featured Wes Clark's smack downs of Bill O'Reilly. I have to think that Keith will have Wes on, and that I am looking forward to.

[guruoo]

44. Here you go, sellit...

http://www.crooksandliars.com/category/democratic-party/wesley-clark/

[sellitman]

49. Thanks Guruoo

Good to see you posting. How's tricks?

[guruoo]

74. Life still spinning out

of control, as usual. Haven't had my political boots on the ground since
activist burnout hit me about a year after the '04 Prez campaign,
when our local DFA chapter went belly up due to a disagreement over strategy.
While myself, and a coulpe others wanted to stick to Dean's "bottom up", results-based approach,
the rest (majority) were only interested in "our voices being heard", primarily through
promoting acts of civil disobediance at the cross-town gates of Fort Campbell.

[in_cog_ni_to]

29. WOOHOO! Now I can see him again! This is GREAT news!

As much as I love Wes Clark, I just couldn't bring myself to tune to FAUX NEWS.


:woohoo::woohoo::woohoo:

[xultar]

68. Ditto I haven't seen him since he signed on to Faux.

[monkeyhq]

31. Fantastic! Someone who speaks the truth...

...on a news channel that speaks more truth than any other cable news channel.

The extra bonus here, too, is that General Clark will likely (at some point) appear on NBC news. He is great at delivering the anti-war message, so it is refreshing to have a retired FOUR star General and all his gravitas out there on the airwaves.

[renate]

87. welcome to DU!

:hi:

[Glimmer of Hope]

34. I don't have cable so I hope this means he will make his way on to NBC too.

[UTUSN]

37. WES!!!1 My man!!1 NOW we're getting somewhere!!1 n/t

[calteacherguy]

38. Yes Wes, time to get away from those fools! Good move! nt

[Matsubara]

39. No Dem should EVER lend credibility to that agitprop network by appearing on it.

It's bad enough the dems have to go through politically-compromised corporate media, but there is just no reason to dignify Fox with their presence.

Cheers to Clark for seeing the light and moving to a somewhat better venue.

[ConsAreLiars]

45. I think his intention, and effect, was to discredit and expose the flying monkeys and

the neocons. I believe he played a significant part in persuading some of the less stupid viewers to spit out the Kool-Aid and to face a few facts. And thus have a significant effect on the 2006 elections. "Bearding the lion in his den" is the description I would use for his decision to go there. Now he is moving on to speak to the broader range of the electorate, but the first task in military strategy is to take down or neutralize the opposition's most effective weapons. I think he went there for that reason, and was successful.

[bullwinkle428]

64. Clark's frequent smackdowns of that ignorant, blown-dried tool Hannity

or "big wind from empty cave" Orally were always a delight to watch, even though I never actually lowered myself to watching them "live"! I just waited for the video to appear at Crooks & Liars, etc.

[windbreeze]

84. He saw the light, before he ever went on Faux....that's exactly WHY

he did it...it WAS the only way to get to some people...what people need to understand, is that the man is brilliant...and that he's no one's fool...IF he does something...it's done for a reason..a damned good reason...
wb

[Matsubara]

91. I don't doubt his sincerity or his motivation.

But I still think an en-masse permanent boycott of that fake news channel by all non-nazis would be more effective at ruining its credibility.

I undertand the logic of what you're saying, I just disagree with it. There are still millions of people who simply see Fox as a counterpart to CBS and other news channels. They think CBS is "liberal biased" and that Fox is just attempting to level that bias.

The fact it that all network news is corporate- biased, which means they are all automatically weighted in favor of the conservative/coprorate position. CBS, NBC, ABC, they have all ignored imortant stories that would have been damaging to their corporate sponsors, and they all hyped and promoted the war without questioning it. They are all right/corporate biased.

But Fox takes it one step further, to the point of being a 24/7 mouthpiece for the republican Party, with EVERY SINGLE ANCHOR spewing RW talking points and smearing dems at every possible opportunity, especially with their stock phrases "Some say that democrats have gone to far this time by..." and "Is Howard Dean inviting socialist anti-war radicals to take over the entire democratic party? We'll fnd out in a moment" It's a very clever way to put out libelous memes without ever risking a libel suit.

That any real liberal or progressive would want to appear regularly on that viper's nest of a network boggles my mind. It doesn't surprise me when I see whores and hacks like Susan Estrich or Alan Colmes there - they probably would have trouble getting on a channel with any credibility. But seeing people of Clark's stature on Fox is a real disappointment.

Again, I applaud him for leaving, but I believe the net effect of liberals appearing on that channel is negative. If liberals would ALL stay away, the channel's extremism and lopsidedness might be more obvious to all but the most brain-dead dolts, and they might decide to turn to one of the less nazi networks for their news.

[Ilsa]

40. Good. I haven't been able to bring myself to watch him on Faux News, and

I'm crazy about Wes Clark. Wish he'd run. NOW.

[bdamomma]

43. what a smart decision from a smart man, no use talking if no one

is going to listen. Fox, what a waste of time.

[EstimatedProphet]

48. Good for him Fox has no credibility, so why lend them any?

[Bucky]

53. Well, I'm certainly looking forward to his first appearance with Keith Olbermann

[Mad_Dem_X]

54. Good job, Wes! n/t

[swimmernsecretsea]

55. Welcome, Wesley!

This is long overdue. I hope they make him feel at home. Once he feels appreciated I'm sure we'll hear some great words from him.

[MrSlayer]

56. I wonder if he'll be on every single show like Buchanan.

It would be nice to have General Clark's perspective that often.

[Breeze54]

59. Why does he always seem to be late to make sensical moves?

:shrug:

I don't get it... You'd think he would have bailed on faux suxs YEARS AGO!!!

[Tom Rinaldo]

61. You are displaying your lack of information here

Six years ago was shortly before Clark went onto CNN. Clark only spent two years on FOX, and during those two years Bush's approval ratings fell 20% due almost exclusively to a massive loss of support for him among Republicans and Independents (in other words a lot of FOX viewers) AND Democrats won enough Senate seats and House seats away from Republican incumbants in red leaning districts to win majorities in both houses of Congress. Clark was seriving time behind enemy lines during a critical battle. He was our special ops team.

Mission accomplished Sir, welcome home!

[Breeze54]

63. No I'm not. I'm referring to his history. Not just his time at faux suxs.

[LBJDemocrat]

65. It'll be interesting if he gets the Democratic nomination

and if Fred Thompson gets the Repubs'. Two NBC employees will be competing against each other.

[madmax]

66. Run Wes Run!!!! n/t

[K in FL]

67. Hillary/Wesley?

I think whoever wins the primary would be smart to enter Wes Clark as their partner in 2008

[Tom Rinaldo]

69. That may be true but that ain't my ticket

And anyone would be foolish to assume that Clark wants to be VP on anyone's ticket. If Clark makes so much sense, we should draft him for President (again).

[MADem]

72. Way too much Arkansas in that matchup, despite Clinton's Chicago roots.

Running mates, like it or not, are picked not just for their smarts, but for the states that they can deliver. No value added with Wes--I'd wager Clinton would use the husband to work the charm in AR. She'd be wiser to pick someone who can deliver any big state with a mess of electoral votes that is a tossup.

[renate]

88. welcome to DU!

:hi:

[Lena inRI]

77. Here comes the General. . .

. . .flanking the enemy, he is!

Love what you're doing General Clark. . .

you can count on our watching your back!

F O R W A R D C H A R G E !

:loveya: :grouphug: :loveya: :grouphug: :loveya:

[0007]

79. Egads!!!

It took Westley a long time to wise up!!

[Tom Rinaldo]

82. Nope. It's taking a long time for some Democrats...

...to wise up to what Wes Clark really accomplished for us while he was on FOX. Now with his year contract with FOX up, and the mid term elections successfully behind us, Clark knew it was time to move on, and he is obviously right.

[windbreeze]

86. surely you jest???.....

you couldn't possibly be serious...right?
wb

[0007]

89. Huh!!

[Pawel K]

81. Too bad

He was a great person to have rebuff all that shit. I always repected him for being able to stomach appearing on that network. I'm sure he opened up quite a few minds up to the lies.

It will certainly be nice to have him on MSNBC as I will finally be able to watch him live but it was also nice to have him available to such a large, arrogant, audience.

[spooky3]

83. Good, Clark will reach more reasonable people

on MSNBC. A much better use of his talents and a good move for MSNBC.

[Eurobabe]

85. Thank GOD, being on FAUX must have been a living nightmare

There's no use intrying to convince anyone who watches that shit.

[pacalo]

90. I hope Wes fills in Keith about the goings-on behind the Faux cameras!

[0007]

92. Westley Clark gets after Bill O'Reilly

http://www.flixya.com/wesley-clark-makes-bill-o-reilly-lose-it

[FrenchieCat]

93. Go Wes! An out of the box thinker never does what is popular......

but does what is right. He was right to be on Faux.....and now that the Primaries are revving up, it's time for him to make a move.

Clark is a first class warrior against the GOP neoCons....and what others wouldn't do because it might be uncomfortable, Wes did because it needed to be done.

It's easy to preach to the choir; much harder to fight head-on the devil.