RPCVs salute Wesley K. Clark - Statesman
Wednesday, February 11, 2004
Wesley K. Clark - Statesman
In his public address from Little Rock this afternoon, Wesley Clark thanked his supporters and his family, and called the three remaining Democratic contenders good men deserving of support. He said that his journey as a presidential candidate was over and promised, I will do everthing I can to make sure George W. Bush does not get away with playing politics with national security. An officer and a gentleman.
We hope that this sincere, honorable man, with all his talents and experience, continues to define the US foreign policy dialogue and to lead this country toward better relations with its world neighbors. No one does it better.
Posted by EGB at 04:43 PM | Comments (0)
There Are Many Ways To Be A Leader
Press Conference: Wesley Clark will deliver a public address in Little Rock at 3:30PM(EST)>.
Wesley K. Clark is a true leader. In five short months he went from having no political experience to being among the top three of ten original candidates for Democratic nominee for President. In the process, he has established himself as a major contributor to the national poltical discourse.
Last night Clark told his supporters in Tennessee:
It's time we took America back for its rightful owners -- the American people.
An America where we don't just talk about family values, but where we actually value families. And where a job, an education, and health care aren't just luxuries for the chosen few. An America where we don't just preach our faith - we practice it. And those that have the most reach out to those with the least.
An America where everyone has a shot at the American dream, no matter where they're from. And where everyone is included - recognizing that our diversity is our greatest strength.
An America where we understand that debate and dissent - that questioning your leaders and holding them accountable - is the highest form of patriotism. And where being patriotic means using force only as a last resort, not as a political tool. An America where we look up to our leaders, and trust our commander in chief.
These are the values we must champion. I leave Tennessee even more full of hope, and even more committed to building a better America than when we began this journey five months ago.
Posted by EGB at 01:13 PM | Comments (0)
Tuesday, February 10, 2004
Real Change or Business as Usual?
The Clark campaign, the country and the world have a lot at stake in Tennessee. The position on this page is that Clark can do well in Tennessee, must continue to run through Super Tuesday, can win the nomination if voters are allowed complete information and think for themselves, and is the best candidate to confront Bush in November. The Republicans clearly agree with the last point.
By front-loading the primary schedule this year, the Democratic National Committee (DNC) has joined forces with the right-leaning mainstream media to rush to judgment. Early Democratic primary state voters, anxious to replace George W. Bush, are blindly voting for the Iowa winners without proper vetting. As a resident of Massachusetts, this writer foresees painful buyer's remorse should this plan succeed. The same type of insider influence and money that has blinded the Democrats in their rush to judgment will prevail in November, but then it will be Republican insider influence and money.
For those readers who don't work in politics or political journalism directly, allow us to let you in on the biggest dirty secret in our world right now: There is extraordinary pressure to begin covering the Bush v. Kerry general election matchup immediately. This pressure comes from many quarters and on many fronts. (ABC News - The Note) The Moderate Independent
Posted by EGB at 12:06 PM | Comments (0)
Monday, February 09, 2004
The President That Is -The Leader Who Should Be
Just as expected, in his appearance on "Meet the Press" with Tim Russert yesterday, President George W. Bush characterized most of his poor foreign policy decisions as hard choices that had to be made by a president at war.
Toward the end of the hour, Bush asked, Who can properly use American power to make the world a better place?. Answer: Wesley K. Clark, scholar, soldier, statesman!
more ...
Posted by EGB at 12:46 PM | Comments (0)
Saturday, February 07, 2004
Weekend Thread - Activists, Reach Out to Voters!
At this point it's all about connecting with voters. Wes Clark and his family are out there at a pace that is verging on the superhuman. They can't do it alone. We can donate money to air ads, call and write to voters, and write letters to the editor.
Donate: Get aboard the fundraising train.
Eblock: Contact: Tennessee and Virginia, and Wisconsin.
Email: local media outlets with letters and articles.
These measures work. This writer has maintained a daily email correspondence with journalists at a local city newspaper. They have responded effectively to polite comments about their copy from the perspective of a Clark supporter and to new information. In making eblock calls, many voters are delighted to hear from a real person (lots of robo calling going on), are undecided, and are eager for information.
Let's use the keyboard to connect with voters!
more ...
Posted by EGB at 02:30 PM | Comments (2)
Friday, February 06, 2004
National Security and the General Election
The very first entry on the FPCVs site argued that, in November 2004, national security will be the issue Republicans tout as their exclusive strength; people will vote out of fear of change, and the Bush administration will prevail for four more years.
Of the currently viable Democratic candidates, only Wes Clark can stand up to Bush/Cheney in this arena.
•Governor Dean has absolutely no experience in foreign policy and national security.
•Senator Edwards, positive, “gifted natural campaigner," has no military, foreign policy or national security experience. Edwards is a plaintiff lawyer, most accustomed to talking about problems.
•Senator Kerry, decorated Vietnam War veteran and long-term politician, has no direct, leadership experience in foreign policy and national security and no international diplomatic experience. Kerry is a legislator with almost 20 years of political votes that can be held against him.
•General Clark, also a decorated war hero, has direct foreign policy and national security experience at the executive level. Clark is a leader, accustomed to solving problems. Clark can effectively address the war on terror. He is the only candidate who is trained to understand all the tools of confrontation and who has actually won war. Clark also has diplomatic experience. He is the only candidate who has built a real international coalition and held it together until victory. He was the chief negotiator during the Dayton Accords, brokering the peace. Fifty-five US ambassadors and diplomats have endorsed Wes Clark: Serving as representatives of the United States has allowed each of us to meet with world leaders and see what terrific leadership looks like.
James P. Rubin, an Assistant Secretary of State in Clinton's administration, noted, Wes Clark bases his foreign policy on the multilateral principles that have guided Democratic residents from Woodrow Wilson to Franklin Delano Roosevelt to John F .Kennedy to Bill Clinton. He recognizes that working with the rest of the world as a partner is the best way to defeat the threats of global terrorism and weapons of mass destruction and to promote democracy, human rights and economic opportunity around the world. Wes Clark believes that the United States must lead by working together with its friends and allies. And he's done it - leading a coalition of 19 NATO allies to win the war in Kosovo, rescuing over a million Kosovars from ethnic cleansing without a single allied casualty. This is the type of principled leadership that Wes Clark will show as President.
Clearly, the economy is a critical election issue. (Clark has a degree in Economics from Oxford, taught the subject at West Point, and understands the concerns of middle-income families from a lifetime of modest living.) Yet correcting the mishandling of the war on terror and assuring our national security are two of the most important steps that can be taken toward a strong economic future.
Wes Clark cannot be painted as unpatriotic (in addition to his war medals, he was awarded the nation’s highest honor, the National Medal of Freedom); he cannot be portrayed as soft on national security; and he cannot be characterized as a career politician beholden to special interests.
Wes Clark is not a career politician; he is a proven international leader with precisely the right credentials and experience for the job of commander in chief
more ...
Posted by EGB at 04:23 PM | Comments (0)
Thursday, February 05, 2004
The Votes, the Money, the Media and the Message
It would be great to be posting about the issues, as this site did in November and December. But the reality is that we need to concentrate on winning in Tennessee and Virginia, and in Maine, Michigan, Washington State and Wisconsin. Eblock til you drop.
Wins will bring more financial support beyond loyal Clark supporters. For now, let's get aboard that donation train.
David Broder wrote a fair article in the Washington Post: The Democrats sharpen the focus and the Columbia Journalism Review warned of A premature coronation, yet the mainstrean media continues to ignore Clark. Email local media outlets and hold the mainstream media's feet to the fire.
Then, perhaps, we can get back to discussing the issues.
Posted by EGB at 12:46 PM | Comments (0)
Wednesday, February 04, 2004
The Man and the Message
Yesterday, Wesley Clark won the state of Oklahoma and came in second in three states: Arizona, New Mexico and North Dakota. As the Moderate Independent reported, he got exactly what he needed to continue.
There is no doubt that volunteer efforts made a difference in the outcome of the February 3rd primaries. Volunteers, encouraged by yesterday's results, dove right back into campaign work in the next primary states: Michigan, Washington, Tennessee and Virginia. Donations are pouring in for the new $700,000 in seven days fundraiser, and supporters are ardently continuing to try to hold the media accountable.
We have to do this because Wes Clark is clearly not getting fair coverage by the mainstream media. This writer is not usually distracted by conspiracy theories, but it is very hard to ignore the silence surrounding the Clark campaign. As the Moderate Independent said,
The real story here has to be that Clark is still around to continue at all after the media did everything possible to ensure that he would be out after last night. Winning one and taking second in three contests while fighting against an all out media campaign to bury him and his candidacy is a massive victory and a thumb (or perhaps another large finger) in the eye of the right-wing machine that hoped to have taken him out by this point.
Wes Clark is the real Washington outsider. Let's do everything we can to get this officer and gentleman elected!
Posted by EGB at 07:36 PM | Comments (0)
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