What is causing Clark's rise?

[AP]

Sticking my finger to the wind and trying to get a sense of what is causing the surge for Clark.

I find it curious since Clark skipped the televised debate and wouldn't otherwise be making news this week. Yet he is.

Since I have no real sense of what's causing this, I'm more than willing to add suggestions.

What is causing Clark's rise in the polls?

[funky_bug]

1. Yep... skipping Iowa

really hurt the general, huh? Didn't some on this board predict that would be "the end of him?"

[cthrumatrix]

29. it helps when you have Rove pulling for the general

[windansea]

2. tankology

[LuminousX]

3. As the primary/caucus dates close in, people start paying more attention

Polling gaps always narrow. People who were saying Dean or Kerry who now have had time to check out candidates are saying Clark. Bound to happen. His message is appealing, on the surface. He is a great package, on the surface.

The real issue is will polling positions change? Dean is slipping, that can't be denied, but I think that is natural. He will have to re-earn some lost supporters in a short period of time. It can be done, but he will have to kick his organization to work a bit harder. I have faith he'll pull it out in the end though.

[lurk_no_more]

4. Where's the "He's the only candidate that can win"

option?.....oops, wrong guy!


And then there were none!
” JAFO”

[FrenchieCat]

7. Yep,

I was looking for that one too...but had to settle :shrug:

But I will not settle on a candidate...I picked the best! I waited for him you know.

[AP]

11. That's covered in choice #1

[Clark4VotingRights]

5. My completely biased answer is that once people see/hear Clark

They can't help but be impressed.

[Jerseycoa]

10. You speak the truth

This is the thing about Clark. Once you get up close and pay attention, he never stops making sense. I think this is what's happening. People get to know him and the rest is inevitable.

[maxr4clark]

6. This is a push poll, no reasonable answers allowed

[AP]

12. How can it be a push poll? I said I don't know the answer and that I'd

add suggestions.

Do you have a suggestion?

[maxr4clark]

17. Sorry...

I truly don't know what I was thinking. Your choices are actually just fine, I misread them.

[Rowdyboy]

8. I think its a combination of factors....

He regained his footing after a rocky start, he settled on a strategy, developed his speaking style and got comfortable in the role. His team evidently put together some kick ass advertising and he had the money to really use it in New Hampshire.

The debates, after the first few, are meaningless and not worth the time wasted. Clark, by skipping Iowa where he had little chance, could devote far more time and money to NH. The time, the ads, the personal attention all helped. Also, gradually, it became apparent that none of the others would catch fire. Kerry, Gephart, Edwards, Lieberman etc all are at or around where they started in the polls.

By consistently refraining from the rank personal attacks indulged in by most of the candidates, Clark kept himself above the fray so that when the time came for an anti-front runner to emerge, he was the obvious choice.

[Draven]

9. I think it's because

people are supporting a REAL American patriot rather than a president who did nothing with the military except that he went AWOL and got drunk all the time. Wait....he did protect Texas from the Viet Cong and "flew" retired airplanes....:eyes: :silly:

[Dookus]

13. I think it's reply 1

I know everybody has their own affiliations and affections. But when I first saw Clark for real (on CNN during the war), I just went "WOW"! I thought he was brilliant, articulate and commanding, and then I did a little research and found out he was far and away from the traditional Pentagon man.

I think as people start trying to decide and really look at him, they see somebody who is head and shoulders above 99% of the politicians in this country.

He's somebody my republican parents could vote for easily. He's someone their liberal son (me) could vote for easily. He has the intelligence, capability, resume and bearing of a truly great leader. As people see more of him, he's bound to rise.

We don't get candidates like him very often. It would be a shame if we missed this opportunity. But I'm not very worried about that. I think he'll win handily.

[Kat45]

16. Absolutely. You said it well. n/t

[Clark Can WIN]

14. I love Edwards

I have said before that he is a victim of his own good health. I would be proud to call him my President, but as an alternate scenario I hope that he has a place in the upcoming Clark administration.

[AP]

15. When you max out on Clark, click through my sig link and give Edwards $10

What say?

[rucky]

18. Clark got more attention by skipping Iowa than if he had stayed & played.

good move, but you can only afford to do that one once.

[Kolesar]

25. More "alternative reality" from the Clark camp

Seriously, how can not participating ever be advantageous?

[sandnsea]

19. People want to win, scared of Dean

The people who are scared to death of Dean and might normally back another candidate for a while are going for the General. They know we've got to get Bush out, Dean can't, the General can. Probably that simple.

[Kolesar]

26. "The candyman can"

Clark has not proven that he can win one election. I am scared to death that if he was the candidate, he would be eviscerated in his first ever political campaign.

[burning bush]

20. It was the Speedos

Definitely the speedos.

[SahaleArm]

21. Campaigning NH and one week of positive press...

The southern detour also helped gain national media attention. His performances on Hardball and MTP have been solid.

[kayleybeth]

22. People are getting to know him

and the more they do, the more they like him. He's also been able to stay above the fray for the most part and people like the fact that he is running a clean campaign. Plus he's been getting a lot of media attention lately and that never hurts.

[Adjoran]

23. I think Dean's problems did it in the short term

and they were inevitable. It is impossible to run a perfect campaign, and Dean had been doing just that for the last 6 months up until late November. Unfortunately, his mistakes have come in a bunch, at a time when he is the frontrunner heading into the actual voting. This is his first real test as a candidate; he can still come back and maintain his lead, but he has to tighten up right now.

Clark's surge in NH was probably inevitable. It is a small state, and you have to go around and actually meet almost all the voters. Many people will have met all the candidates before they vote. In that kind of retail politics, small groups and meetings, a general is always going to stand out.

The biggest change in the race will be if Dean continues to falter. It will then be wide open again. Kerry, Gephardt, and Edwards will have new life, and the primaries will head into areas where Lieberman's strength is, too. It's going to be interesting. The momentum has certainly shifted in Clark's direction in the last two weeks or so.

[bearfartinthewoods]

28. his mistakes did NOT come in a bunch

the gaffs have been constant. he just ran out of free passes, and some of his supporters got tired of it. imagine spending months defending the roll bacl of MC tax xuts and then bingo...dean switches.
or the bennie gaffe...the one time i agreed with him and then bingo.

there is a limit to how much of this shit a normal person can take.

[quaker bill]

24. Clark profits from Kerry's demise

And it works for me.

[stickdog]

27. The nomination is now Clark's to lose. (nt)

[Rowdyboy]

30. Huh?

At best he's in 2nd place but moving up. "The nomination is now Clark's to lose..."? Either you're trying to make a funny (if so, work on it) or, you need to explain your rather cryptic announcement.

[creativelcro]

31. LOL: Invetibaly