Clark: A Campaign to Remember

[Adelante]

No one can doubt that something new happened during the 2004 Democratic primaries: a candidate who lost may have as great an impact on the party's political future as whichever candidate wins. That candidate, of course, is Wesley Clark.

It is inarguable that Howard Dean put backbone into his fellow Democrats, tapping a powerful vein of anger at the way President Bush is running the country. And, with the help of Joe Trippi, his campaign manager, Dr. Dean devised a potentially revolutionary new model of campaigning by using the Internet to organize volunteers and raise money. In crucial ways, however, General Clark's candidacy changed not only this election but also elections to come.

General Clark made national security and electability the crux of his campaign. Before he entered the race, Democrats were suffering from a peculiar cognitive dissonance on national security. For any Democrat running for president in 2004, one question would precede all others: can you make voters feel that they will be safer with you as president than with George W. Bush?

Only if a candidate could persuade voters that they would be safer would he be able to interest them in other issues like the economy or health care. But most Democrats were afraid to ask the question. This unwillingness to confront the issue of national security made it possible for Democrats to convince themselves that Howard Dean could beat President Bush.

As soon as General Clark entered the race, however, Democrats could no longer avoid the issue. General Clark leapt to the top of most national polls of likely Democratic voters even though he had no experience in elective office, little name recognition and no staff or money beyond what he was provided by a handful of amateur organizers. And this wasn't just a momentary bump; he stayed near the top of the polls for weeks.

Source: New York Times 2/20/04


:loveya:

[Adelante]

1. Read the whole thing

:grouphug: :loveya: :grouphug: :loveya: :grouphug: :loveya: :grouphug: :loveya:

[Maddy McCall]

2. Great article...

Thanks, WesDem. I read the whole thing and I agree...and I think this article shows why Kerry will be our nominee.

[mgmartin]

3. You made me cry again

Clark was the president I was promised as a kid and the candidate the DNC ignored.

[Adelante]

5. Me, too

But it's so good to see him get some fucking respect. :cry:

[BootinUp]

12. heh thats what I said too

[Carolina]

37. yeah finally

and of course, too late.

I hate the media

[Crunchy Frog]

26. I don't think they ingnored him

I think they just used him to take out Dean, then discarded him like a used condom.:grr:(pardon the crude metaphor)

[RafterMan]

4. Very nice.

The Times had a post-campaign hit-piece or two left in their guns, but if memory serves, the Washington Monthly has been good to us. I'm glad the Times printed it.

Nice read.

[ShaneGR]

6. That's a good article on Clark, I remembered when he first got in

I contributed to him. He didn't resonate with me as the one, but I like him.

[Leilani]

7. Terrific!!!

This confirms what I always believed.

Problem is , too many Dems are automatically anti-military, & rejected him outright because of his service.

[Adelante]

8. Kick for bedtime

:kick:

[Piperay]

9. TERRIFIC...

Thanks, I wish Clark could have gone on, he would have made a GREAT President! I miss him in the race. :cry:

[AnnitaR]

10. Iowa

Gotta be the campaign's biggest regret. I remember Wes commenting to a person in the audience after his speech that night in Tennessee. "I wish we had gone too, things might have been different".

Dang it... still gets me teary eyed to think about what happened. Greatness slipped through our fingers. He would have been the President I always hoped we could have. He was a gift.

Maybe one day...

[_Jumper_]

18. That was a heartbreaking moment

It is a shame that we have races decided because people flock to a candidate because of a good showing in one small state...The 2004 nomination process is an embarassment and sham.

[BootinUp]

11. R-E-S-P-E-C-T!

"No one can doubt that something new happened during the 2004 Democratic primaries: a candidate who lost may have as great an impact on the party's political future as whichever candidate wins. That candidate, of course, is Wesley Clark."

:cry:

[AnnitaR]

13. These pictures just kill me!

U.S. Democratic presidential candidate and retired General Wesley Clark (news - web sites) pauses while saying goodbye to campaign supporters as he withdraws from the race for the Democratic nomination, at the Peabody Hotel in Little Rock, Arkansas February 11, 2004.

Democratic presidential hopeful Wesley Clark (news - web sites) pauses during his concession speech in Little Rock, Ark., Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2004

:cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry:

Sorry for posting this pics but just ran across them on Yahoo. I hadn't seen them before.

[RandomUser]

14. I know what you mean

:cry: :grouphug:

[Adelante]

28. First time I've seen these

I couldn't bring myself to read the news or watch it for a few days. Poor Wes. :(

[texasmom]

15. Great Article

Thanks for posting.

[Tim_in_HK]

16. Sigh

Next time, Wes, next time.

[in_cog_ni_to]

17. Nice.

Had General Clark decided to contest Iowa a month ago, he almost certainly would have done well, and he might well be winning the race right now. Instead, John Kerry, the establishment candidate, is the current leader in Democratic presidential campaign. In many ways he owes his position to the revolution that General Clark started.

Right there in black and white! Kerry OWES Clark. Can you say VICE PRESIDENT? VICE PRESIDENT! VICE PRESIDENT! :loveya::loveya:

Great article! Funny how the GOOD, Kind, and RESPECTFUL articles are printed AFTER he's out of the race. *sigh* :grr: I hate the media, but am grateful to see this in print....FINALLY.

I miss Wes Clark. :cry:

[Crunchy Frog]

23. Oh, in_cog_ni_to,

Your posts always make me want to cry.:cry: You worked so hard for Clark. I hope your starting to heal from all this. :hug:

I'm feeling better, but I know that I'm never really going to get over this. I feel like I had a diamond in my grasp, and that it slipped through my fingers.

I think he really would have represented something revolutionary for this country. I think he could have brought about a political realignment along the lines that Reagan did, only in reverse. I think we've thrown away a wonderful opportunity for a couple of second rate politicians.

I'm trying really hard to feel good about what we have left, but it's not easy.

These Clark threads are the only place that I can really express my true feelings. There doesn't seem to be a lot of tolerance here for genuine feelings of grief, and serious doubts about the remaining candidates. What I'm feeling is alot more than just sour grapes that my guy didn't win.

I'm glad to see you posting more again anyway. I hope that means that your feeling better. :)

[in_cog_ni_to]

29. I am feeling better.

Thanks crunchy...:hug:

I'm somewhat melancholy, but have become more pissed off than anything. Wes Clark will always be the candidate of my dreams. I'm holding out hope that he will be our VP. I'm thinking.....Light a candle every day until the convention. :)

I was cleaning my son's room this morning and came across my "American Son" DVD that I got when I was at the Tennessee headquarters.....I am trying to get the courage to watch it. It depresses me to know what could have been and seeing American Son, I'm sure, will only reinforce that feeling.

I will never be enthused about Kerry or Edwards. Neither one comes close to the candidate of my dreams, Wesley K. Clark.

[Adelante]

30. Light a candle every day until the convention

I'm surprised we haven't burned down a house or two with these candles. :hug:

[BootinUp]

34. me too :)

I am surprised we didn't burn something down too.

[Crunchy Frog]

31. I think the candidate of your dreams

is only a once in a lifetime occurrence. It's an absolute tragedy when the country lets one slip through it's fingers.

I still hold out some hope that we still can have him for pres someday. If the Dems lose this year (a catastrophe that I pray we can avoid. As much as I don't care for what we have left, W is infinitely worse.), I hope that he will make a run in 2008 and really do it right this time.

I feel that he got into it too late, and didn't give himself the time he needed to really put a good organization together and learn the ropes of campaigning. I think he is a natural at it, and with enough time and the right organization, could really mop it up.

I hope that this experience hasn't turned him off politics. I think he could really be a powerful force for positive change in the Democratic party. It definitely needs some new blood.

I'm really glad you're feeling better.
:hug:

[maddezmom]

19. super article, thanks for posting

:)

[incapsulated]

20. Thanks for that, Jersey

Very nice op-ed! :)

Imagine, a positive article on Clark with no hidden jabs!

All he had to do to get some positive press was to drop out, I guess. Bleh.

Do I sound bitter?

[Crewleader]

21. Wes Clark is a beautiful person and

so are his army of supporters!:grouphug:

[Avalux]

22. Great article

I am proud to have been part of the draft and the campaign. Thank you Wes Clark and fellow supporters. :grouphug:

[democratreformed]

24. Thanks, WesDem

Great article.

[democratreformed]

33. Look, everyone, I got the new avatar!!!! n/t

[Crunchy Frog]

35. I'm not seeing it yet,

do you need some help with it? Incap should be able to help you.

[Adelante]

38. I see it!

Bea-u-ti-ful :D

[Crunchy Frog]

25. Thank you for the article Jersey,

Maybe the media wants to give the voters buyers remorse and rub it in or something. Well, I am glad that someone has something nice to say about him finally.

By the way, I'm really working on trying to like Kerry. I think I've decided that I don't dislike him as much as I do Edwards, I guess that's a start. Maybe I'll be ready to join that Kerry/Clark group soon. I've looked in on it a couple of times, just not quite ready yet.

[Adelante]

27. A start is good. crunchy

Nobody's forcefeeding any candidate down our throats. That's what makes it good to be a Clarkie! (Among so many other things.) We are the lucky ones. :pals:

[Crunchy Frog]

32. Yes, it's great to be a Clarkie

even though it's really painful as well.

I've been lurking on this site for nearly a year now, and this is absolutely the nicest and most cohesive and supportive group that I have seen on here. :pals:

[Adelante]

42. Yeah

Overall, Clarkies are not meanspirited, which is nice. I think it's the leader we have showing us the way.

[Bad Thoughts]

36. Clark's Legacy

This is a great article ... thanks for bringing it to our attention.

I like the fact that the article points out the lasting contribution to the Democratic Party--getting it to talk more about diplomacy and security and about faith. There is a whole in the primary campaigns--one that used to be filled by Clark and the candidates responses to Clark's expertise. There is no one who completely fills the void in foreign policy in the debates (some with Kucinich, some with Kerry). But this legacy is still Clark's: he may not be the nominee, but he is in a position to completely shape the party's approach to foreign policy.

[Adelante]

39. Everybody get their thank you note in the mail yesterday?

I hadn't looked and found it just now. Choked up, but through a smile. I guess I'm getting better.

[BootinUp]

40. You mean The Road Ahead?

I got the one called "The Road Ahead" from Wes on Wednesday.


You better not be saying you go another one!

[Adelante]

41. No title, just a thank you

It's a form letter, summarizing what he's been saying, honored and humbled, greatest troops, old soldier won't fade away, etc. So I'm sure you can expect it. Dated Feb 17.

[BootinUp]

43. maybe

it was for volunteers or something, I don't think I got that one.

[DeepModem Mom]

44. Thanks for posting --

[Adelante]

45. kick for WillyBrandt

You may have seen it in the paper today, but I didn' want you to miss it. 'Night, Willy. 'Night, all Clarkies. :grouphug:

[WillyBrandt]

46. Thanks WesDem

I read my newspapers! But thanks nontheless :)