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It's not easy, is it? You turn on the television and you hear Kerry, Kerry, Kerry, Edwards, Kerry, Edwards, Edwards, Kerry, Dean, Kerry, oh yeah... Clark is dead.
He's not dead. He's not dead by a longshot. Let's look at this objectively.
Clark was the last one to enter this race. Graham? Gone. Moseley-Braun? Gone. Gep? Gone. Lieberman? Gone.
Clark? Still hanging tough.
It's a victory that Clark is still in this race. Remember that.
Let's move on to the next topic: Unfair Expectations.
Wes Clark is not God. He's a human being who has NEVER run for elective office before. Mistakes, stumbles, (the dreaded) "gaffes" are all things that are normal occurrences in such a campaign. There is one thing that Clark repeats in many interviews that no one seems to pay attention to. Wesley Clark is NOT a politician. This is both a blessing and a curse, in a sense. He's used to being straightforward. He's used to being taken at his word. These are obstacles that Clark can and WILL overcome in his fight for the nomination. A politician is part-actor, a politician makes people feel good, a politician tells us the things we want to hear.
Some of the frustration people have about Clark, even if they share his views on the issues, is that he doesn't really do those things. He's brutally honest. He says what's on his mind, how he really feels, and not what the people or the media want to hear (a problem Dean also shares). While this is an excellent example of character, it's hell on a heated campaign. Wes makes us feel good, yes, with the hope of a much improved America, but he also is a realist -- and cautions us not to shoot for the sky, but to shoot for realistic and attainable goals. Most people are realists in their everyday decision-making, but a message of realistic goals and quality leadership doesn't exactly set the masses on fire.
So, what I'm saying is that given our late entrance into the race as well as our candidate's message of competent leadership, we are actually doing a lot better than we should be at this point. We are truly a grassroots campaign. The people are what is propelling this campaign, getting people out to vote, and donating the funds to drive the Wes Clark movement. WE, not the DLC, not the DNC, not the Clintons, not Washington, not special interests, no one but US owns, drives, and has the greatest stake in this campaign! We've gotten our first taste of victory, but we need to realize that the other candidates have been out there for well over a year, and to some extent deserve their attention and success. But the time is rapidly approaching where we have to truly stake our claim on this primary process.
1- We must keep the donations coming.
2- We have to be positive. People are naturally attracted to positivity. These defeatist threads serve no good purpose. If we don't believe Clark can win this thing, how can we convince others to support us and join the movement?
3- We have to understand that the media controls the message. There is a time for disdain and critique of the media, certainly, but you catch more flies with honey. We need to coordinate an email campaign against the lack of coverage Clark has received, no doubt, but we need to remember to choose words that will effect change. For instance, if writing to Lou Dobbs, commend him on his special on the outsourcing of American jobs, and then suggest he have Clark on as a guest to discuss his proposal of allowing small and medium-sized firms, including manufacturing firms, to expense up to $150,000 in investments. We NEED media coverage! Period. No one is going to cover Clark unless they feel they will get something out of it.
4- Be PUBLIC with your support of Wes Clark. Surprisingly, during my calls to some in Arizona, there were actually people who didn't know who Clark was... BUT they were VERY open to hearing more about his candidacy.
Wes Clark is the best candidate for America. I believe that. This primary is a choice between more of the same or a change for the better. I want change and I believe most of the American people do. We've got to convince them that Clark is the candidate that represents that change. The national campaign will certainly have to do its job of distinguishing the differences between the various status quo candidates and Clark's "outsider" candidacy. But we can do our part to help as well.
Wes Clark, the man who is ALL PATRIOT, NO ACT.
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