Where's Wesley?

[unfrigginreal]

When retired General Wesley Clark entered the race for the Democratic presidential nomination two months ago, he immediately became the favorite candidate for scores of centrist Democrats. Clark, the Democratic Leadership Council crowd reasoned, could deflate Howard Dean's lead in the primary race and give the Clintonian centrists another shot at the White House.

Instead, Dean has surged in the polls. While Clark isn’t doing poorly, he certainly hasn't mounted the sort of rigorous challenge to Dean that was expected -- leaving media pundits and politicos wondering if a comeback is even possible.

<snip>

The Clark vs. Dean issue is far from resolved; and some say it will ultimately come down to a battle between the centrist General and the lefty Vermont governor for the prize spot as the Dem nominee. Clark’s recent announcement that he would accept matching federal funds was expected, considering his late entry into the race (meaning less time to campaign)—but its still unclear whether this will be an advantage or not to Kerry and Dean, both of whom declined funds. Clark has recently been waxing eloquent about his plans for ending the war in Iraq, dealing with terrorist threats, and other pressing foreign policy issues. Matthew Rothschild from The Progressive speculates on the potential for a Dean/Clark match-up:


"Dean, strengthened by the support of AFSCME and SEIU, will knock Gephardt out in Iowa. Then Dean will trounce Kerry in New Hampshire, which will end his hapless campaign. (Both Gephardt and Kerry crippled themselves by voting for Bush's Iraq blunder.) With Dean riding high, the Democratic Party establishment will prevail upon Joe Lieberman and John Edwards to bow out so that there will be no one remaining in the field to Dean's right except Clark. (On the left, Kucinich, Sharpton, and Moseley Braun will nip at Dean's heels, which is great, according to the anyone-but-Dean crowd.)

…

Then there will be a battle royal. On the one side will be the grassroots, anti-war, liberal insurgency that has backed Dean to the hilt. On the other, the powerbrokers, the Clintonites, and the pundits, who say Clark is the most electable. They all will try to browbeat voters to be good little boys and girls and vote for the general."

http://www.motherjones.com/news/dailymojo/2003/11/we_606_01b.html

[CWebster]

1. Yikes!

The DLC-advised candidates threw their chances away when they followed Bush and ignored their constituiencies. Why would anyone rally around the establishment's frontman now? Prying the DLC, the Clintonites and their outmoded failing policies of compromise, presents as much, if not more of a challenge in winning back the whitehouse. It is time for the Clintons to step back---they are liabilities to the future.

[Larkspur]

2. Clark is a horrible campaigner and it shows

Dean is an aggressive and experienced campaigner and that is why he earned the SEIU and AFSCME endorsements and is surging in New Hampshire, where Clark is nose diving after being handed a double-digit place on the NH poll.

Dean has the work ethic of a blue collar laborer or an enterprising American entreprenuer starting up a new business. Clark, Kerry, Edwards, and Lieberman act like pompous princes, who are vying for the title of Crown Prince of the Democratic Party. Gephardt, I'll give him credit, has a laborer's ethic, but he's got no cross-over appeal.

I wouldn't be surprised to see Dean wipe the floor with the other Dem candidates, including Clark, in most of the upcoming primaries. I'm energized to help Dean, not just to win, but blow out his competition.

[Dookus]

3. yes....

Clark is such a bad campaigner that he's polling better against Bush than any other candidate.

If he keeps sucking this badly, he'll guarantee himself two terms.

[Larkspur]

6. Clark's magnificent campaigning took him from 11 pts down to 4

in New Hampshire.

Wow! I'm impressed that the general thinks going backwards is winning.

[vdeputy]

10. I still say

the American Legion members I socialize with and the cops I work with will not vote for a man with no foreign policy experience. That is Dean's big weakness. It wouldn't have mattered at another point in America's history but it does now. Clark can bring these people over to the Democrat side. Even tho' they are unhappy with the administration, if the Democrats nominate Dean, they'll grit their teeth and vote Bush again.

[Tom Rinaldo]

4. I don't see Clark as right of Dean

but I agree that he will pull some support from the right of Dean for his military background if for no other reason. Clark may become the "establishment's only alternative" to Dean, but he is not an establishment candidate. Clark has more grass roots support than any candidate other than Dean. Next to Dean he has the highest percentage of small donar contributions to his campaign, signed up meetup members, etc. etc. Clark is primarilly an insurgent candidate (I don't buy into the stalking horse for Clinton farce - Clinton is one of the few National Democrats who was in a position to closely observe Clark over the years so kind words from Clinton do not necessarily indicate an establishment nod). Many establishment Democrats rightly or wrongly fear Dean will run poorly in the South costing the party further loss of Congrdssional seats endangering the Democratic Party's ability to put a check on Bush's agenda if Bush is reelected. For that reason they may pull in behind Clark. The establishment would have preferred Kerry, or Edwards, or maybe Lieberman or Gephardt.

[YankeyMCC]

5. Grass roots in both camps

Wes Clark side also has the power of a grassroots engine behind him, no matter who else is supporting him.

And in national and southern states Clark is keeping pace with or beating Dean.

Winning may not be everything but without it you can't expect to accomplish much.

[Larkspur]

7. Did Clark energize 43 buses of grassroots supporter to the IA JJ?

Dean did.

[1971]

8. "Date Dean, but Marry Clark"

I, too, predict it will boil down to a Clark vs Dean race.

Clark is far more prepared for the role of Leader, and Commander in Chief, and has the brains and brawn to do it.

[thentro]

9. Where? Clark is on FOX, and he is holding a BIG hammer...

Here's the link to General Clark smacking around that idiotic reporter on Fox News today...

You have to scroll down the left-hand side to "Setting the Record Straight".

http://www.foxnews.com/access/video.html

[indigo32]

11. Kicking butt on Tim Russerts show last night

he was awesome.