Clark "I think the world of Kerry"

[quinnox]

Anyone catch this quote on CNN? What a good guy, he doesn't attack but praises his fellow candidate.

[janekat]

1. Yes - I though how refreshing for a change....

He's gone up several points in my chart.

[StopTheMorans]

2. yeah, praises him right before he takes

all of his remaining base of support a few months before the primary:) (not saying he's doing it maliciously by the way, but it's bound to happen)

[quinnox]

4. lol I think you

are confusing Dean with Kerry. The wishful thinking is understandable.

[NewYorkerfromMass]

7. Right. Not all Kerry supporters need a veteran to support

while most Deaners want an "outsider".

[Skwmom]

12. Clark seems like a real outsider to me.

How much more outside could he get?

[StopTheMorans]

13. keep laughing my friends

I don't need "an outsider" nor do most Deaners, rather, they want someone who is fed up with Shrub and not afraid to admit it, and who has viable alternative policies. Kerry's support has been waning for months. Now that he is not the established front-runner, and Clark has jumped in to boot, people will begin jumping ship in massive numbers IMHO. Kerry doesn't offer the best of any worlds now, if you want his type of candidate, then Wes is your man (unless youre a dem who wants an ex-military type who voted FOR the War resolution;). Wes will peel off Kerry's support like crazy, Dean peeled off the name-recognition and "confirmed front-runner" supporters who just wanted to beat * and felt that he was their best option. Kerry's sinking fast, and while I still like the guy, I feel like Clark will be the nail in the coffin of his campaign.

[NewYorkerfromMass]

17. keep dreaming Kerry bashers

John's been in the fight his whole life. He's no late-comer to the party. If you think John's quitting or sinking fast in the polls, then you are dreaming.
Keep fighting John! It's what you do best.

[StopTheMorans]

20. i didn't say he should quit fighting

rather, his supporters should acknowledge what has/is happening to him. Do you not see the monumental slide in the polls that is continuing? Show me something to the contrary. I don't hate Kerry, nor am I a "basher", I'm just saying what I think is fairly obvious: his campaign is stalled (now there's talk of Jordan getting fired too, and this right after Lehane), and Clark jumps in on top of it all. What do you see that I don't?

[NewYorkerfromMass]

21. I see what a few hundred thousand others see

the best man for the job of president.

[TLM]

22. Face it, Kerry is over.

Kerry has been banking on the fact he's the only vet running... he did his little thing in front of the aircraft carrier and really has put all his eggs in the military/defense basket.

Clark owns those issues, more military service than Kerry AND Clark was against the war in Iraq.

That means all the support Kerry has from folks who were against the war but want a vet... is gone, and that's a lot of Kerry's support.


Be real... Dean is the only candidate that Clark entering the race won't hurt. Kerry, Edwards, Lieberman, and Graham are all going to lose supporters to Clark.

I think Dean and Clark are in cahoots.

[NewYorkerfromMass]

27. Winning comes from never quitting. You need to get real.

and there are several months 'til a vote is cast. So while I can appreciate your counsel to throw in the towel, I'm not sure where's it's coming from other than to eliminate the competition and make life easier for your candidate. Kerry's in this for the long haul, as he has been his whole life. None of the other candidates have served in public life as long as he has.

[TLM]

29. I did not say he should quit... far from it.

If Kerry quits it will hurt Dean.

Kerry needs to stay in and continue to split up the hawk vote.


And wining does not come from never quiting... it comes from getting more votes and more support, which kerry simply can not do now. He has nothing to offer as a candidate now.

Kerry is now the other vet running who voted for the war and half of Bush agenda over the last 3 years.

Kerry will be lost in Clark's shadow.

[NewYorkerfromMass]

32. If the NH primary were "now" I might be worried. nt

[phillybri]

3. What was the quote?

Inquiring cube-rats wanna know!

[quinnox]

6. That was the quote

He was asked about Kerry, and that was his response.

[phillybri]

8. Then what does that mean?

He and Kerry share the same worldview?

[phillybri]

9. Never mind, I just caught myself....

I am an idiot...:dunce:

[Enraged American]

10. Huh?$#@

That doesn't make sense. It's not even a complete sentence. Think is not a transitive verb.

[quinnox]

14. I don't have the whole quote

but it was something like "I think the world of Kerry, and respect all the other candidates in the race. "

Check the transcript when it comes out.

[Enraged American]

5. What exactly did he say? n/t

[tjdee]

11. Did he say anything about the screwing of Edwards?

???

[uptohere]

15. I think it was along the lines of

'fuck you, I need this day because of that hurricane'.

Of course if you're the pre-fab DLC/DNC replacement candidate for a fizzling Kerry then you are above worrying about nuissance candidates who are siphoning off your money.

[loyalsister]

35. nuissance candidates siphoning off money.

My problem with Clark is exactly this. Many people are passionate about this election. This administration has radicalized a number of Democrats. If someone has chosen a candidate, and gone to the effort to donate, it is damn rude to make their donation practically irrelevant by shaking up the field this much at this time.

[chimpymustgo]

16. I am really confounded by that. I thought Clark was a better person.

What he did to Edwards was skanky. I just can't figure out why Clark would start out this way.

[TLM]

24. Because Clark is not running to win...

he is running to make sure Dean wins, and to get the VP slot.

[uptohere]

26. or perhaps he's the DLC/DNC Kerry replacement

and looking to take Dean down as neither group is very happy with him.

All along Clark has been looking pre-fab. At first I thought it was just for VP or Sec State but after today it looks different.

[TLM]

28. Zogby Poll showed that Dean goes up 2 points with Clark in the race

Clark can only help Dean and has met with Dean several times in the last few weeks.


I seriously think the two are working together. Think about it...


Clark comes in and takes out the hawks Kerry, Lieberman, and Graham. Dean walks away with the nomination, and taps Clark for VP.

It is perfect.

I think that's why Clark waited... Dean is now way out in front and Clark will take out the two or three guys who have been aiming for Dean.

It is military planning... let Dean get out front then see who goes after him, now Clark comes in right behind Kerry and Lieberman, who are caught in the middle of a crossfire between Dean and Clark.

This is a fantastic plan.

Kerry and Lieberman will hemorage supporters to Clark... while Dean will remain relativly untouched. CLark just gave Dean the nomination.

[loyalsister]

36. I hate this ugliness

Clark had several other options. It's very lame that he chose to upstage Edwards.
I have been a Dean supporter for quite awhile, but am really disgusted by the possibility of this sort of collusion. Not sure how to confirm or refute.
I do think it's pretty clear that a number of Clark's supporters will come from Kerry's camp. Lieberman has never been a serious candidate, anyway. He'll turn into pure comedy from Clark's announcement forward.

[Jim Sagle]

33. Music to my ears.

[PurityOfEssence]

30. Just when I'd sent the jaw strap out to be cleaned...

It really is dirty pool. Maybe it's just teething pains with his staff, but this Mark Fabiani really is a rotter.

Can't we just have ONE day? Just one? Maybe just part of one?

Geez.

I must say I'm absolutely shocked; I thought Clark was a truly decent person, but this is something you comment on even if not asked if you're a decent person. Fuck. I'm also REALLY tired with some of the responses from some of our boardmates here, as if it's all just fine because he didn't have a chance anyway.

Your worth as a human being is not displayed by how you treat the President, it's by how you treat the waitress who's screwing up your order and slowing you down. At least some of the posters have had some decency on the subject, but I'm just shocked at the jungle justice expressed by many. I've been majorly bugged by two EXTREME partisans for other candidates, and they chimed right in immediately to say how disappointed they were about this. Some of the Clarkies jibed them for some subtextual proxy-support being cloaked Clark-bashing, but I truly feel they were sincere. Damn. Are manners in that short supply? I'm not even talking about true fairplay and ethics, I just mean base-level MANNERS.

I really trusted Clark on a human level. I thought he was bewildered and truly out of his element, but I thought he was nice; this was a pretty ugly move, and even if unofficial, it warrants mention.

Oh well, grin and bear it. He deserves everything he has coming.

[quinnox]

18. He wasn't asked about it

He didn't say anything on that.

[uptohere]

19. actions speak louder than words

and every good general knows that very well

[roguevalley]

23. Darlings,

this is too short hand for me. Details, please. I don't know how
Edwards fits into this. Please elucidate.

RV, who is voting for Clark. :) <I think, "Think the world of
Kerry" is what it is. Is that the point here? I AM CONFUSED! LOL!

[uptohere]

25. briefly,

Clark's people went to the press 10 minutes before Edwards big announcement to do in NC to say that they were moving up Clark's announcement to do up to tomorrow.

Its widely believed to be a ham handed swipe at Edwards.

I don't much care about the Kerry/Clark angle as I'm an Edwards guy.

[paulk]

31. I think Clark moved it up

'cause he didn't want to be pre-empted by a hurricane.

Raining on Edward's parade was just an added bonus - from clark's POV, anyway.

[Adjoran]

34. The Kerry remark

was a nice gesture. Clark's entry complicates Kerry's campaign, at a time when it is undergoing major reorganization.

We know that Clark's people, or the General himself, have met with several of the other candidates recently. This is a polite "heads-up" which might be typical of an officer accustomed to proper "form." The timing of the announcement viz-a-vis Edwards signals that perhaps their meeting did not go well.

Clark's entry does help Dean in one respect. By injecting a new twist into the race, Clark sucks all of the oxygen out of the arena. With Dean establishing himself as the front-runner in early states, the other candidates were more in need of media time and attention. Gephardt, because of his grassroots labor support, might weather the storm, but it will be hard on the others who are trying to step out.

It could become a "two-man" race between Dean and Clark almost by default. Mark my words, over the next few days all we will see and hear are "Clark: who is he?" and "Clark: the General and the Man" and other such features as the media scrambles to define the new guy. Dean's momentum is well-established, but the others are striving to invigorate their campaigns, and may not be able to survive the lack of attention.

[Zuni]

37. That is a relief

I am so sick of negative campaigning that I could scream. A candidate coming off as chivalrous would look really good to the public at large.

When the Rove slander machine goes into affect against a polite person, it will make them look evil.

[einsteins stein]

38. Let's Be Honest, Eh?

Clark may be the sweetest man on earth, but he doesn't owe a damn thing to Edwards. Right now, Edwards is the competition, as is every other candidate, unless Clark actually does have some backroom deal with Dean (???).

After the primary season is over, all of these Dems, who were once the competition, will be the Dem candidate's best buddies, and Bush will be the opponent.

That's politics. You play to win, nothing else.

I do not hold this against Clark at all. In fact, it is EXACTLY the type of hardball I want to see the Dems run against Bush. I'm impressed! If Dean and Clark are thinning the field, and Clark is jostling to push up Dean and get the VP nod, I'm ecstatic!

I LOVE it!

Now, if Clark came out on attack today, slurring Edwards' candidacy, I might not like it at all, be he didn't. He just stole some of Edwards' thunder in a nice, polite (but serious-as-a-heart attack) manner.

Good for him. If Edwards can't handle the rough stuff, better get out now, cause what happened today is nothing compared to what the Dem opponent to Bush will go through. You know it's true, dontcha?