Clark transcends party lines, AWESOME!

[Quixote1818]

I am a life long Democrat but from time to time I vote Republican. I am middle of the road and socially liberal much like Clark. First of all Clark has NEVER been a Republican and he voted for Clinton and Gore but so what if he was a Republican at one time? Who cares? Why do so many Democrats hate Republicans? Sure, I don't like the far Right and I don't care for Bush but there are a number of Republicans who are not so bad. Look, we need both parties not just one. We need a party who fights for the little guy and a party who reminds us about personal responsibility. Having both parties brings balance. Right now we are a little off balance and need to move back to the center and Clark is the best person to accomplish this. Does anyone remember when Will Rodgers talked at both the Democratic and Republican National Conventions? Will Rodgers was the guy who said, "I never met a Man I didn't like." What an awesome attitude while I must say he must not have met George Bush or he would not have been so quick to say that. Just kidding. I am sick of the partisan politics and if Clark can bring Republicans and Democrats together then AWESOME!!!! I know he will fight like a mother for his more liberal ideas but he won't rub them in Republicans faces. I just want peace and respect between all people no matter what party affiliation, color or what ever. I am sick of labels because labels automatically tear people apart. Clark is definitely more liberal than conservative but the bottom line is he transcends party lines and anyone who realizes we were founded on the ideals from the Enlightenment and not the Bible is tops in my book. Rational thought and tolerance over superstition and religious dogma. That's all the liberal belief I need to know about Clark. We could use another Jefferson in the White House again don't you think?

[goobergunch]

1. We do NOT need to move back to the center

And we don't need to be supporting the existence of Republicans either.

I will support any candidate running against any Republican in 2004.

[Maddy McCall]

3. We will have to cross back through the center to go left again.

I am a leftist, ideologically, but I am also a pragmatist who realizes that we will have to cross the center before we can see an ideological shift left, so that a leftist candidate will be viable.

[goobergunch]

4. IMHO we have to get the votes of the 45% who don't vote

I don't think centrism will get them to vote.

[Deja Q]

11. If 'moving back to the center' still means supporting the corporate....

Look at the history of workers between 1980 and 2001.

Clinton did NOTHING to help workers' pay even though workers ended up working at twice the rate.

Of course, CEO pay went from 42x the average worker to 531x (between 1980 at 42x to 531x in 2001).

Clinton may have done some good things but history speaks for itself. (let alone NAFTA, DOMA, DMCA, firing of Jocelyn Elders, 1996 telecom bill, 1995 welfare 'reform' that did nothing to corporate welfare takers, etc, etc, etc...)

I will still support any Democratic nominee; I suppose a slow death is better than a fast one.

[ogminlo]

2. The Party of Lincoln is dead.

Republicans today are closer to fascists than classic conservatives like Ike. Well, the Republican "leadership" is more fascist anyway... And they are the ones we "hate".

[ramapo]

6. We need Lincoln's party back

I hate much of what today's Republican party stands for and especially the way it operates. But not that long ago there were liberal Republicans. These Republicans were more Democratic than the Democrats.

Sound familiar? Just a role reversal.

I also think Clark might have a chance to really tone down the excess and attract voters across the spectrum.

[mistertrickster]

5. Okay, you lost me with "sometimes I vote Republican." Dude,

what Republican would you ever vote for? Ron Paul maybe . . .

[Quixote1818]

10. Who I have voted for.

Well to be honest I have never voted for a Republican but I might have considered someone like McCain. I liked Berry Goldwater and what he said about the Religious Right. "They are all a bunch of Lunatics."

[imhotep]

7. I have said this before

if Clark wants to be non-partisan, then he needs to get the fuck out of my party and run as an Independent.
And don't compare Clark to Jefferson, that is the most repulsive and dishonest thing I have ever read.

[wyldwolf]

8. "Your" party.... bwahahahahahahahahaha!

What party would that be? Green? Socialist? Communist?

[Quixote1818]

9. Clark and Jefferson

Look, I have studied Jefferson, Madison, Franklin, Adams, Paine, Washington for years. I have read about the Enlightenment extensively and Clark is absolutly perfectly in line with the Enlightenment philosophy. Tell me why he is not like Jefferson?

The ‘Age of Enlightenment’ is a term used to describe the trends in thought and letters in Europe and the American colonies during the 18th century, prior to the French Revolution of 1789-1799.
Enlightenment meant an emergence from centuries of darkness and ignorance to a new age guided by reason, science and a new respect for humanity. New discoveries in science such as Newton's law of gravity gave mankind a new way of looking at the world. If mankind could unlock the laws of the universe, God's own laws the possibilities of reason were thought to be endless. People came to assume that through a judicious use of reason, an unending progress would be possible; progress in knowledge, technical achievement, and even in moral values.

BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT

September 5, 2003

“REAL TIME WITH BILL MAHER”

http://www.safesearching.com/billmaher/print/t_hbo_realtime_090503.htm

MAHER: Right. A lot of the – you know, they all talk about the military. Very few of them served like “hm-hm.” I want to – I want to read you a quote, because I’m not saying whether you’re going to get into this or not, but Howard Dean, who is apparently the front runner now for the Democrats, he said last week, he said, “In Vermont, politics is much further to the left.” He said, “A Vermont centrist is an American liberal.”

And then his campaign manager came out and said, “That’s not an admission he’s a liberal.” Which, quite frankly, pissed me off. Because somehow they hijacked that word, “liberal.”

Now, you’re a Democrat. You said that last week.

CLARK: Absolutely.

MAHER: Okay. I’m just – I’m just wondering, of all the people who has the credentials to say, “liberal” is not a bad word, I’m wondering if I could get you to say that.

CLARK: Well, I’ll say it right now.

MAHER: Good for you.

CLARK: We live in a liberal democracy.

MAHER: Right.

CLARK: That’s what we created in this country. That’s our—

MAHER: That’s right. Thank you.

CLARK: That’s in our Constitution. Let me follow on this, okay? I think we should be very clear on this. You know, this country was founded on the principals of the Enlightenment.

MAHER: Right.

CLARK: It was the idea that people could talk, reason, have dialogue, discuss the issues. It wasn’t founded on the idea that someone would get stuck by a divine inspiration and know everything right from wrong. I mean, people who founded this country had religion, they had strong beliefs, but they believed in reason, in dialogue, in civil discourse. We can’t lose that in this country. We’ve got to get it back.

MAHER: Thank you.

[Quixote1818]

12. Will Rodgers never met you either

>>if Clark wants to be non-partisan, then he needs to get the fuck out of my party and run as an Independent.
And don't compare Clark to Jefferson, that is the most repulsive and dishonest thing I have ever read.

Look Clark has positioned himself to the left of Dean on most issues. What's not to like even Michael Moore loves him?