Weird: Where are all the Clark supporters hiding

[markus]

Ok, this is not a conspiracy theory post. I just think it's weird.

I just finished calling through my legislative district's Dem Leader List (donors, volunteers, chronic voters) for the last time for Dean.

When I call, I identify myself first as past district chair and legislative candidate (which I am), and as a volunteer for Howard Dean.

Clark has been on TV in North Dakota for almost two months now, has widespread support in the party HQ, and polled very well in the Fargo Forum/WDAY poll last week.

I have not found a single Clark supporter. I have found, however, a much higher than normal incident of won't say/rude disconnects for this list.

Is Clark telling his people not to talk to other campaigns? What could they possibly tell them that would be so universally effective? That Howard Dean supporters have telephonically communicable cooties?

Either Clark is doomed in a state where he should do very well, or there is something just plain weird about the campaign and/or the people who've committed to Clark.

Not meant to be a slur. I'm just curious if anyone else has encountered this behavior, or has a reasonable explanation for it not involving pods from outer space, enhanced contrails, etc.

N.B. -- I have, in the past, called Clark a "golum of unknown origin". I still don't entirely trust him. However, I will vote for the Chuthullu/Satan ticket over Bush. Even Chuthullu/Lieberman, but I don't know how hard I'd for for them.

[bowens43]

1. I've stated before that I don't know a single Clark supporter outside

of DU. Not one. I have regular contact with many (30 to 40) democrats in several states. None of them support Clark or admit to KNOWING anyone who who will support Clark in the primaries. It almost looks as if Clark's 'popularity' has been in some way artificially inflated.

[onehandle]

2. More than half of the people I know...

...outside of the Internet are Clark people. Almost none are Dean folks. The rest are Kerry people.

Guess it depends on where you live. I'm in the Deep South.

Which means I know a Lot of Bushbrains too.

[formernaderite]

3. I think it was an effort to stall the Dean campaign...

...Obviously it worked. No need to muck about any longer.

[angryinoville]

5. That's a shame...

What do people see in Kerry that they don't see ten fold in Clark? I'm from Massachusetts, and I don't see anything in Kerry but a life long insider. Has America been duped by Edwards and Kerry? It seems a little too preplanned and loved by the media to be an actual phenomenon. I'm disappointed. It should be a two man race between Clark and Dean right now but something has gone terribly wrong and it smells fishy. Anyone else think so?

[aquanut]

4. Many of the folks where I work...

...support Clark.

But I doubt any of them frequent DU.

[teevee99]

6. paranoia is a bad thing

just ask dick cheney...


is clark satan????
is clark obl??????
let's ask the aliean who writes for the weekly world news.
or..he must be, because I like dean and kucinich....

i've never read more paranoid posts on any message board in my life.

[Lefta Dissenter]

7. Well, last week when we had our

primary watch party at a local bar, we had 60 - 70 Clark supporters packed into the place, including a group of Albanians (and not one other DUer who has identified him or herself, and I've been pretty open in asking if people hang out here). When we do our phoning (I do data entry for the campaign), we certainly find a good number of Clark supporters, and a lot of Undecideds. We also get plenty of foot-traffic in the office - people coming in for yard signs and bumper stickers and to volunteer. It's a joke to think that there's some sort of Clark Conspiracy to not talk to the other campaigns. What would the benefit of that be? :shrug:

Perhaps we're all too busy working for our candidate to spend time yacking on the phone with other campaigns - or maybe you have bad breath so people don't want to talk to you? :D

oh and yeah, thanks for your concern...

[Carolina]

8. don't

understand the phenomenon you're speaking of, but where I am (SC), there are Clark supporters and yard signs. And guess what? Very few Dems I speak with have a clue about DU, Buzzflash, etc.

We're political web junkies but even the SC Dem Party and the Clark campaign staff were clueless 'til I suggested they have a look. Clark is NOT a DU creation.

[Maddy McCall]

9. We are hiding in caves, under rocks, in catacombs, awaiting our signal....

but we are here. :eyes:

Actually, maybe Clark supporters are not as, (how do I say this and stay inside DU's rules) er, um, VOCAL or EXTROVERTED as Dean supporters. Or maybe Clark doesn't bus in tons of cheerleaders from other states.

We are here, though, and we live all across the U.S.

Lots of us here in that Southern state that some people at DU think the Democratic Party should disown: Mississippi.

Yes, when we donate to the Clark campaign and otherwise pledge our support, Clark's staffers tell us "Be sure to keep your covert support a secret from other candidates' supporters."

It's all a big conspiracy. We are here, but no one will ever know until our evil Golum master unleashes us upon the primaries. :evilgrin:

[roughsatori]

10. I too do not know a single Clark supporter outside of DU

I do know people who support all the other candidates. I am from a northern, urban area though.


Polls show that he does better in the South. But I feel better that he is not doing that well compared to the other Democratic nominees. I was afraid that he might win the nomination and would most likely lose the election. Though I have made a reassessment. I think he too could win against Shrub now (he would just not be the best bet.

His supporters at DU white-washing the SOA/WHIS and Clark's support of the school troubles me.

[FreeperSlayer]

11. I think that a state with the population..

..of a medium-sized urban area is a fair representation.

[Beaker]

12. Lots of Clark supporters in chicago...

most of the people I know support Clark, some Kerry...I was the only Dean person I knew, until I switched to Clark- now I don't know anyone in the city that supports Dean.

[davsand]

13. My hubby was on the Clark train before I was.

That isn't unusual for us--we really don't back the same candidates 100% of the time, but he's NOT a DUer and he was sold on Clark long before I was. Maybe our situation was different because here at DU I was hearing about the other candidates long before the rest of the Dem voters--I dunno.

I think the support for Clark IS there--but I think that for many people it has come over time--with exposure to Clark and his ideas. This last weekend, I was at a Stupor Bowl party and had a lady I know only by sight start a conversation with me about the primary.

She began by asking my opinion of the various candidates, and only after we'd talked for a bit did she come out and volunteer that she is a Clark supporter. I was blown away--because I try really hard to just lay out my views about the candidates and NOT to push over hard about anybody. (I know that runs contrary to a lot of folk's style--but I really DO feel we have several great candidates this time and that we need to be informed about them all.) I did turn her on to the Clark meetup locally, however, so I'm not completely blameless here.

I saw her later talking with friends of mine who are Dean supporters and even then she was self IDing as a Clark supporter--I think she is a committed Clark voter. Had she and I never spoken about it, however, I would have not known it. I think there are many more like her out there.

As for the hangups and the rude responses, I think that may be characteristic of what is going on right now all over the nation. I know we have been flooded with ads and calls and mailings from various candidates and as politically active people we don't care. However, I think a lot of voters really are tired of being hounded by local candidates, state candidates, and national candidates all at one time.

I think the intensity of this election really has created a sort of voter anger at the whole process...

Laura

[wndycty]

14. Not hiding. . .working for the General in Phoenix!!!

I am off to Sun City to knock on doors. . .its kind of hard to post on the DU when you are out working. . .see you tonight.

[Moderator]

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