I wish Clark were still the race

[WillyBrandt]

:(

It sucks. Still. The best candidate, gone :(

I don't regret a penny of the donations... not one. It's just not easy to get wrapped up into a political movement and move on without trouble. I'm doing my best, and will surely be volunteering and donating to Kerry soon (or Edwards if he wins the nomination!)

But it's a hard slog

[JI7]

1. his wife did say

it was just the beginning of their "early" political career. so it seems he might need your help in the future. you can look forward to that.

[Adelante]

2. I know, honey

Me, too. :hug:

But we have to play the hand that's been dealt us. This time.

[Jai4WKC08]

3. It's hard on all of us

But hang in there.
He's one old soldier who won't just fade away.

[Adelante]

8. Hey, you got your button up

Looks good! :)

[BootinUp]

9. Who made that button?

just curious

[Jai4WKC08]

25. Who made that button?

Danged if I know. Sorry. Got the link from the UnitedForClark yahoo group. http:// images.andale.com/f2/126/118/8576520/1077130542730_2ND_Proud_to_be_Clark_Dem.jpg"

I figured I needed something to add to my signature. I'm not here enough to know the ropes on how to add anything complicated. <g> I sure hope whoever designed it doesn't mind it being used without attribution.

[BootinUp]

4. Willy

I also contributed a lot of money, at least by my standards. I did it for the same reason you did. I was doing something important for my country.

Politics is a nasty sport. When Clark got into it, I knew he would be treated badly, and so did you, and so did he. The Presidential election is important, but there are other elections where we can have an impact.

This is NOT over. Let's give Wes a chance to put his plan together. I know it will be a great plan and I will have no problem supporting it.

cheers

[David Dunham]

5. I'd like a Kerry-Clark ticket!!

[BootinUp]

7. Me too!

I'll fight for that ticket.

[WillyBrandt]

10. Not only is it a nasty sport

It's a crap shoot, and it didn't work out. It might have worked out, but it didn't.

Oh well :(

I hope Clark stays in national politics, and becomes committed to helping progressives causes.

I know the Clark campaign has gotten me far more determined to be involved in progressives politics in the future. For that I think him--and other Clark supporters!

[Adelante]

11. Willy, I just kicked a thread up for you nt

[NV1962]

6. You bet

It smarts, missing the decent and smart guy.

[DaisyUCSB]

12. Me too, but I'm displeased with many Clark supporters being vicious

towards Edwards mostly. If some are to Kerry I havn't noticed.

We missed our John McCain as far as I'm concerned. He would have done so much for the party and the country.

Just tonight on Bill Mahers show Jon Favreut (sp?) who seemed to be a centrist said that now that Clarks out of the race, he's not sure there's anyone who could run the armed forces better than what we have now

[WillyBrandt]

13. Well, I haven't said anything bad about Edwards

Though he ain't my guy.

I do like Kerry. It's not just a vote by default, but it's not nearly as fun as being on the Wes Team, alas.

[BootinUp]

14. Daisy

What is your connection to Edwards? I have not had time to really check him out. Tell me what gets you excited about him.

[DaisyUCSB]

20. First his policies and his ability to sell them to the US electorate

Electablity is imporatant to me. I'm a polisci major and not one of those people who believes that talking about electability and traditional political strategy is somehow unnoble, or unscientific.

I was convinced that Clark was the strongest possible candidate, but I also thought that Edwards had the best platform, and the best ideas. And now that Clark's out of the race I'm sure that he'd be a much stronger candidate than Kerry.

If you look at Edwards platform, it's clear that he has real longterm solutions for the deepest of Americas problems. He's been the ONLY candidate to propose sweeping reforms of the intelligence community. Such as stripping the incompitent FBI of it's spying powers, creating a new DHS intelligence agency to use those powers that would be under new congressional oversight, and creating an office of civil liberties and civil rights as a final watchdog. He also has the best jobs proposals, a better higher education than Kerry, a less expensive healthcare plan, a plan to cut the federal workforce expendature by a 10th.

And what really shows to me and would be realized by the American electorate is that he would represent a winning issue, maybe the most winningest issue that democrats rarely shape elections with, the populist struggle against corporate interests. Kerry and Clinton are democrats who've made themselves unable to be truely credible on this issue that should be what the democratic party represents in the eyes of the American people. But having Clinton as president, and if John Kerry were nominated, people would be able to continue to beleive that both parties weren't willing to stand up to the pharmaceutal, energy, insurance, etc industries to do what's in the citizens favor.

I do think saying that, as many Kerry supporters do, that we NEED a candidate who served in the military to win IS letting the other side frame the debate. Kerry and Clark did have better military service and foriegn policy records and expertise than Edwards, but Edwards has more than Bush.

And frankly, while you can count the predictable basic attacks that would be used against Edwards on 1 hand, you can't on both hands and feet with Kerry. I don't think you could you could find too many people, let alone presidential candidates, who are easier targets for the golddigger accusation than Kerry, that will shape peoples opinions about what kind of person he is. He's also extremely obvious when he's being policical, and when he's dancing around being nailed down on something. And him always coming back to Vietnam would get old really quick

[Crunchy Frog]

17. I have noticed a pattern

of a number of Edwards supporters being pretty vicious towards Clark. I'm sorry to say that that is one of the things that has kind of helped to turn me off of him. I'm also not really thrilled with his association with Shelton. I can definitely understand why Clark endorsed Kerry and not Edwards, as he believes that the nominee must have very strong foreign policy and national security credentials in order to take on Bush successfully.

That being said, I will enthusiastically support Edwards should he get the nomination.

IMHO, he was a hell of alot more than John McCain could ever have been. I think he would have been more like a reverse version of Reagan, redefining the political landscape of this country, and taking it back from the right wing ideology that has dominated it for the last 25 years.

Maybe we will still find out, sometime in the future.

[democratreformed]

21. Yep, that viciousness certainly goes both ways, IMO

One side started a little earlier, IMO. I try hard to stay out of those.

[Donna Zen]

23. Shelton+red cap=neocon

The grassroots received nothing from this primary season. Supporting Shelton, after they supported candidates who were clearly against the war, makes no sense at all.

We know for a fact that the corporate media could give a crap about ordinary citizens. We rail against it everyday, and yet, when it comes to understanding their intent vs our "chosen" candidate, we throw all past intellectual experience out the window to do their bidding.

It is truly a mystery.

Clark has chosen to focus his fight against bush from a Kerry authorized pulpit. That tells me something.

[Jai4WKC08]

26. It's not being "vicious" to not want Edwards to win

I'm one who will NEVER forgive Edwards for the Shelton smear. If he wins the nomination, God forbid, I'll vote for him. Or more accurately, I'll vote against Bush. But I won't forgive or forget.

Edwards claims to run a clean "upbeat" campaign, but if he didn't directly instigate Shelton's remarks (and I'm not convinced he didn't), he should have disassociated himself from them. He should have had Shelton either retract them or substantiate them. Instead, he backed them up by lauding Shelton's expertise and knowledge when specifically asked about the smear.

Admittedly, I'd probably be for Kerry over Edwards anyway. Maybe not--I don't have much hopes for a "Massachusetts liberal" being able to beat Bush. But I don't think a trial lawyer with almost no experience in government, and none at all in national security, foreign affairs, and just plain leadership, has much of a chance either.

I do believe that Edwards is totally unqualified to be POTUS. OK, no less so than Bush, but that's not a very high standard to meet.

Any way you cut it, General Clark has a reason for endorsing Kerry. Or likely more than one. Until he tells us otherwise, I'm going to assume his reason(s) are the most obvious--Kerry has the best chance of beating Bush and is the more qualified of the two.

[democratreformed]

27. Perfectly said, IMO and I agree n/t

[Crunchy Frog]

15. I feel the same way Willy

I donated loads too, and don't regret a penny of it. He's the best candidate, and would have made the best president of my lifetime.

There's no choice now but to get behind the nominee, but it definitely will not have the excitement that it would have had:-( .

I also don't have nearly the degree of confidence in Kerry's electability that alot of people do, though I'll work damn hard for him. I just hope Wes is on the ticket, or that he makes another run in the future now that he knows the ropes.

I definitely feel for you. :hug:

[robbedvoter]

16. He'll speak up really soon: 9.11, war - what is not being said anymore

For kerry's benefit. Hope he'll appreciate it. W will crown himself at Ground SZero and the media annoined candidates run from the subject. Well, Clark will be speaking out (and won't get TV coverage)
Hardballs - as Time called them:


But the White House has been off its game for weeks, and the hardballs just keep coming. Last week, as Wesley Clark endorsed John Kerry for the Democratic nomination, the retired four-star general said that "questioning our leaders, especially in time of war, is one of the highest forms of patriotism." That suggests a brutal campaign to come about the war that is still going on—especially since the two sides haven't stopped arguing about the one that ended more than three decades ago.
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1101040223-590683-2,00.html

[LouisFC]

18. Me Too n/t

[BootinUp]

19. Another day in the slog

:hangover:

Jack Daniels is a friend of mine.........La De Da De Da.


*drinks pot of coffee*


awwwwhhhhhh! much better


:)

[Auntie Bush]

22. Feel better now?

:puke: :puke:

[in_cog_ni_to]

24. This was the first campaign

I ever donated money to. I was so HONORED and PROUD to support Wes Clark. I NEVER, EVER put bumper stickers on my cars....have 2 Wes Clark bumper stickers in my car windows. I never, ever spent as much time working for a candidate.....I would have done anything to get that man elected.

I cannot get excited about Kerry or Edwards. I've tried. I'm warming up to Kerry ONLY by comparing him to Edwards. Edwards voted for the IWR and DOESN'T regret it. Kerry does. Edwards voted for storing nuke waste at Yucca Mt....Kerry voted against it. Edwards is for the death penalty, Kerry's against it except for terrorists. Now we have Roe v. Wade being challenged and Bush appointed another RW judge while congress is in recess and Ralph FUCKING Nader is going to run. I see that I will have NO CHOICE but to vote for a Dem nominee and if I HAVE to choose between Edwards and Kerry, Kerry would be my choice, but I am NOT THRILLED about him as I would have been about Wes Clark. If Wes is the VP choice for Kerry, I will work my ass off for them. If he's not the VP, Kerry will get my vote.

A hard slog? You bet your sweet bippie it is! I hate having to "settle" for a Democratic candidate when we could have had the candidate of my dreams. *sigh*