Clark Message (To DraftMovement) Online Now

[Cush]

http://www.draftwesleyclark.com/meetup_message.htm

[neuvocat]

1. What does it actually say?

I'm at work and can't actually watch. Thanks.

[Catch22Dem]

2. Will announce

"...by the end of next week."

[RichV]

3. Consistent with 9/19

Right? And isn't there another engagement sooner? In TN somewhere?

[Renew Deal]

83. TN State Dems

He will be at the Truman Dinner in Knoxville TN on Saturday.

[Wonk]

4. That's not quite what he said. He said "Will have to make a decision by...

nt

[Catch22Dem]

29. It would stand to reason

that he would announce that decision. But, you're correct, that's what he said.

[Cush]

5. very cool of him to do this

I just hope he runs

[quam]

6. Time and Expense

A video of this quality is not a light task and speaks for itself.

[sfwriter]

7. The message is basically...

He welcomes everyone to the last Draf Wesley Clark Meetup.

Says he'll announce yes or no by the end of next week.

Says what an inspiration this movement has been to him.

Says everyone can make a difference in this country no matter what they go on to do.

Thanks everyone for their support...

That about it?


It made me think he's not running.


-
Sandy

[ignatiusr]

8. Very Nice Message

His body language and tone of voice when he said he would have have to make a decision by the end of next week made me a little nervous, but otherwise the indications seemed positive.

[buckfush2]

10. not running for prez

Dean/Clark in the house, Nov. 2004

bets anyone?

[sfwriter]

14. Yup EOM

[WaterDog]

21. My bet is on

Dean/Clark 04. The forces are gathering. It will be a great battle.

:nuke:

[Renew Deal]

84. Not running for VP. Get over it already.

This is from an interview yestersay.

http://democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=297360#297449

[Prodemsouth]

11. It would cut off after first six seconds with me.

but if that is what he said that is not very encouraging.

[Julien Sorel]

12. I got the same feeling.

He seemed upbeat and positive, but something about his word choice made me think he isn't going to do it. The whole message seemed to be that simply by being part of this movement, we had already made a difference, and that was cool in and of itself. That isn't the kind of difference I want to make, though.

[IndianaGreen]

59. Like his use of the word "closure" last week

when he was answering a question about entering the race. I interpreted "closure" to mean he was not running. A couple of Clark supporters disagreed, saying that Clark has used that word several times and that it did not mean that he was not going to run, but that he was about to reach a final decision.

You guys saw today's Meetup message. You tell me!

[Clark Can WIN]

65. Oh dear God

OK, if you want I will personally look up for you the first time he used the word "closure" in an interview in regards to a decision. It sure wasn't last week or even last month, I can tell you that.

I'm sorry if his candidacy scares you or whatever but I hope if/when he's the nominee you'll come on board and vote for him in the GE.

[IndianaGreen]

67. Please read my post again, you didn't understand it!

I know that Clark has used the word "closure" before because I was told by a couple of Clark supporters. The issue at hand is whether in todays speech, Clark looked like a man ready to lead his supporters into battle, or more like a card player getting ready to fold.

You tell me!

[Clark Can WIN]

77. I listened to it

He sounded to me like a Candidate, thanking "the troops" for their work on completing phase one, and energizing them for the long road ahead. You didn't expect him to tip his hat in a webcast, did you?

[Prodemsouth]

19. On second thought , got it to work, said alot more than that.

fifty/fifty, after reading what you said I thought 80-20, but since tape worked a little more confident, but still would like to be more than 50-50. I stll, however would give the odds to your view.

[clar]

9. Makes me think he may not run

and I'll be very, very sorry if that turns out to be the case despite my support for Dean. We need his message.

[laruemtt]

13. buckfush2, if that's what we have to settle for

it'll still be 87 billion times better than what we've got now, so i'm not complaining :beer:

[southern democrat]

24. Well if no is the answer why in the hell wait

to next week.I've been supporting him 100%If he strings his supporters along for another week and says no,I believe that would be stupid.I know the meet-ups ended tonight but I can't see hinting a no tonight and then confirming it next week.Hell fire if he's not running he's not running.There's not going to be any emmaculate revelation next week and he's going to change his mind and make him run.If he's positioning yourself for a V.P. nod he's taking a foolish gamble.He could be a liabilty to the eventual nominiee.I personally don't like to be strung along and I bet many others feel that way too.This shit could cost votes.Makes more sense to me for him to say yes.But then agian I'm not a mindreader.I will tell you one thing though if he says no ,it's his right and I respect him for it.But I don't appreciate this stringing along shit.I take as personal disrespect to myself and my family and all who are supporting him.

[southern democrat]

25. One other thing

This dragging around shit won't help sell his book either.

[Prodemsouth]

32. As one southerner to another.

Don't know if you are a guy or not? but that sounded like the way a southern guy sends off, very understated, polite, says hey we are moving forward. Are you a life long southerner. That kinda sound like a send off, I talked like that to others and I have seen others do it. What do you think.

[southern democrat]

47. To be honest with you

I didn't see it so I can't comment about the impression it made.I was just commenting on what I have read about.But I'm telling you one thing I am sure of Wesley Clark is a intellegent individual.And it is absoloutly illogical for him to wait till next week and say no.I can't believe he dosen't have more class than that.These draft people are focused on Clark and if the answer is no he owed it to them to tell them/us tonight or stay slient.To give the impressions that answer is no without coming right out and saying it ,just to string it along for a week or so would be stupid.Since the man most definitely is not stupid I would assume he is going to run.But like I said if it's no,dumb move. By the way Male transplant from north with solid southern heritage.

[dean4america]

15. just watched it...

and I don't think he's running. It sounded like a heartfelt Thank You Very Much... but I'm not going to run message. Now, maybe he wants it to come across like that, but from his body language and word choice (esp. if we couple it with his use of "closure" from a week back or so), I think he's made up his mind that he's not jumping into this one.

If he doesn't announce, yet also doesn't support someone else, he basically gets to go on TV from now till he's selected VP and bash the shit out of the bush administration without being necessarily tied to a candidate. That, i think, is a good thing.

Just an impression I get, no more, no less.

[Julien Sorel]

16. That makes him no different than one of the

right wing hatchet men who now do that sort of thing. I would expect more from the standpoint of dignity from Clark than that.

[RichV]

17. So why the media blitz as of late

if he's not running? Just to get jabs at W?

[TheBigGuy]

18. Yeah, that is helpfull.

It also positions himself as maybe a potential Secretary of State or VP choice.

I dont see him being SecDef, though.

I do see him as addressing the Democratic Convetion....and that would be an excellent speech.

[dean4america]

22. yes on the convention speech

that would be pretty sweet

[Julien Sorel]

20. The thing is, this video was an awesome example of

what a rousing speaker he can be. He projected an upbeat energy in it, and had a good message, and looked more presidential than the other folks on their best days. If he doesn't run, it's a true waste of a tremendous talent, and a missed opportunity for the Democrats.

[Prodemsouth]

23. Remember this guy was top in his class at West Point, a Rhodes Scholar

Could be stradegy for putting others off guard. Why would he not run?

[ignatiusr]

26. No

It certainly wasn't an "I'm not going to run" message. If he had made up his mind, he would have no reason to continue to stall, considering that he's going to have to make the annoucnement by the end of next week anyway. Not telling us that he won't be running, if he had already decided that he wasn't, would be totally arbitrary and rude. My main concern after seeing it was that it wasn't completely clear that he had made up his mind, and I was hoping to see that he had.

[democracyindanger]

28. I agree

I took it as a clear sign that he hasn't completely made up his mind yet, although he's probably leaning one way or the other. I think he recognizes the potential energy in the meetups, and he was basically saying, "*IF* I don't decide to run, keep working to kick * out of the White House--don't let your efforts end without realizing the ultimate goal."

My 2 cents.

[Renew Deal]

86. He has said all kinds of stuff.

Yesterday on Hardball when asked if he was running he said "It could happen."

That's the first time I have heard him say something other I haven't made a decision yet. There are reasons to believe he will do it including his speaking engagements and large number of interviews, and the fact that he has never said no. There is also the article today that says that Clinton said that Clark (and Hillary) are the stars of the party. Hillary will work her tail off for a candidate. I think that this is more of the wait and see. And that's what I will do.

I wouldn't take comments by people like IndianaGreen and others bother you. They have been anti-clark the whole time. Esspecially Indiana. They want their second class candidates to not be challenged.

[FDRLincoln]

27. transcript

I can't get the video to work on my pathetic dialup, but they have a transcript up now on draftwesleyclark.com.

After reading the transcript, I'd say it's 50/50....very cagey of him. Nothing too positive or negative either way, just stuff for citizen involvement.

Oh, well, I can wait another week. I've had to put up with 2 and a half years of Schmuckboy in the White House....I can wait another 11 days to find out if Clark is running.

[diplomats]

30. I'm pretty sure he's running

his caginess could be because he wants the most media attention when he announces. If he made it clear he was running now that might take away some of the buildup to his announcement.

[AlabamaDem]

31. he's going to

I'll bet he is going to run and he knows exactly what he's doing by waiting this long to announce it. If he wasn't going to, he would have said so already.

It just seems more logical to me that that would be the case, he can't still be deciding. If he really doesn't know yet, then I worry how he would do making serious decisions if he were President.

[Prodemsouth]

40. The only problem I have Alabama, is that sound like the way we

If you are a guy -have you done it to others, if you are a women have you ever heard it. Not trying to get personal, but that sounds like the way a southerner says goodbye. I have done it seen others do it what do you think?

[cally]

48. Welcome to DU

I like that your first post is stating an opinion that not all agree with. You will fit in well.

Umm, I think he is not running. It sounded like a thank you to his supporters speech and he will say he is not running shortly.

[imhotep]

33. Clark knows he can't win

the nomination. He will probably ride Dean's wave into the vice-presidency, then he will "wellstone" Dean so He can be President and Hillary VP. He spent the last 34 years killing people, what is 1 more?

[Pepperbelly]

35. that was a seriously unhinged,

damned near psychopathically paranoid libel. I think if I had crap like that going on in my head, I'd be up for some shrinking.

[Pastiche423]

39. How is that libel?

He/she just said what they were thinking. Nothing libelous about that.

W/that said, I hope, hope, hope Dean does NOT ask him to be his VP.

[Prodemsouth]

43. Ignore these two.

n/t

[Catch22Dem]

76. LOL, I always do

[Pepperbelly]

44. the more I read of you ...

the more relieved I am that you do not support the same candidate as I.

Libel? Suggesting that Wesley somehow plans to become VP and KILL Dean.

Do you people really think that?

And yes, definitionally, it is libel because this person is pulling a serious charge straight out of his/her ass regarding criminal matters. It is incredibly irresponsible to say that sort of thing based on nothing.

[Prodemsouth]

46. Don't respond to them,

They are just like the freepers who were running around here this morning, because Bush Bombed. I am not going to take it out on Gov. Dean he is a respectable gentleman and would never approve of these remarks. Dean speaks his mind and would tell them to take their support somewhere else. I am sure of it.

[imhotep]

49. It is no secret

The DLC i.e. Clinton/Clark wing of the party hates liberals and Hates Dean. They are ruthless and it is a fact that Clark is proud of killing his "enemies."

[Clark Can WIN]

62. And the tinfoil post award of the night goes to................

It's a TIE!!!!!!

:tinfoilhat: :tinfoilhat: :tinfoilhat: :tinfoilhat: :tinfoilhat: :tinfoilhat: :tinfoilhat: :tinfoilhat: :tinfoilhat: :tinfoilhat: :tinfoilhat: :tinfoilhat: :tinfoilhat: :tinfoilhat: :tinfoilhat: :tinfoilhat: :tinfoilhat: :tinfoilhat: :tinfoilhat: :tinfoilhat:

[graham67]

63. I guess....

you missed the Bill Maher show on Friday? Liberal isn't a dirty word to Wesley Clark.

[Julien Sorel]

75. One of the seven dwarfs must be at it.

A new low for them afaik, it used to be simply the Illuminati accusations, and the crypto-Republican, Rovian spy stuff, but apparently that got old, and now we have assassin accusations. I think the next thing on the list is an accusation of Hitlerism, and we'll have the Grand Slam of paranoid conspiracy theories. Perhaps an accusation that Clark was involved in the JFK assassination would fit as well. He would have been a teenager, and apparently he had an early background with firearms, so he fits the profile perfectly. In exchange for the assassination, he got an entry into West Point, and was guaranteed he'd finish first in his class. Texas isn't too far from Arkansas.... Have you asked your relative if he has an alibi?

[MissouriTeacher]

34. Many of us already had our hearts broken

by Gore's decision not to run. Let's hope Clark doesn't do it to us again.

[Pepperbelly]

36. at this point ...

knowing how enthusiastically some people support his candidacy, not running would be exceptionally cruel outside of some heavy considerations. I think he will run.

[diplomats]

42. I read somewhere that he's waiting to announce until

after Sept. 15 for financial disclosure reasons (that's the deadline for reporting contributions for something - I forget what).

[graham67]

54. Q3

ends on September 30th, filing deadline is Oct 15th. There's nothing that has to be filed on Sept 15th.

[Renew Deal]

87. Not taken seriously.

I haven't taken the deadline stuff seriously. I have heard that it would look bad if clark had bad Q3 numbers. I don't get how. Everyone knows he would be running for 10 to 15 days. What happens if he raises $1-2 million? Does that mean something too?

You may know why this date is distorted. The NY Times put an article out with that date. It has caught on. It's a mistake.

[Kahuna]

79. Agree MT. I'm counting on Wesley to heal...

my broken heart. I'm counting on Wesley to not only kick the bushies out of Washington, but to then deal with them in the manner in which they deserve. Investigations and a lenghty stay at Camp Gitmo.

[jumptheshadow]

37. Clark will announce one way or another before the 19th?

I met my first Clark supporters tonight. The rumor was that he'll say something definitive around the 15th. I stress that it's a rumor.

If he's not running then there sure will be a lot of resources to put at somebody else's disposal. The room was packed tonight. There were some interesting and potentially effective strategies being discussed.

The people at the meeting sure were acting like he's running. They were recruiting volunteers to campaign in New Hampshire and Iowa.

[Doctor_J]

38. If he doesn't run

you might as well get set for at least 4, and probably 12, more years of GOP control of all 4 branches of the government (WH, Congress, SCOTUS, and Media). I like Dean, but the media will butcher him, on the rare occasion that they even do mention him. He hasn't got a prayer.

If that happens, by 2008 we'll be looking at rigged elections, lifetime RW courts, endless wars waged to divert our tax money to Haliburton, one-party media (probably state-run, like in the old USSR - Limpballs as "voice of the NFL fan", O'Really as "media critic", etc.), and basically complete disintegration of the citizens' representation in the running of the goverment.

Clark's resume makes him the only one capable of fighting off Big Media's "Re-elect (sic) Bush" onslaught. His credentials make him impossible to ignore or denigrate.

[MissouriTeacher]

41. I fear the same.

Howard's awesome, but after seeing what the media did to Gore in 2000, I can only think that they'll do worse to Dean. :(

[dean4america]

50. the only problem with that is...

Even if Clark announces, and even if he becomes the nominee, there is no surer guarantee that he will defeat bush than there is the Dean or Kerry will. The media will butcher EVERY SINGLE candidate we have - look what they did to Max Cleland, Gore, and the rest of them.

Also, elections have been rigged throughout history, including, as I recall, 2000. We have to fight against that irrespective of who our candidate is. Let's face it, if Bobby Kennedy was running against Bush, they'd slime him just as much as the next guy.

I like Clark, I do, but this hero-worship/savior bs is a bit much at this point.

[MissouriTeacher]

52. For some reason I don't think the media will go after Clark.

I don't know why.

He's got the outsider image that most Americans seems to like, plus his distinguished record. Of course, Fox will go after him, but I don't envision the character assassination like what went on with Gore.

I think Clark might be slightly more liberal than Gore, and supposedly a lot of journalists loved Bill Bradley who was also more liberal than Gore. :shrug:

[DoveTurnedHawk]

74. Umm...Pot, Kettle, Black Much?

I like Clark, I do, but this hero-worship/savior bs is a bit much at this point.

I love Dean. IMO, his supporters are just as "bad" (if in fact it's even bad to feel so strongly about a candidate) as Clark's.

DTH

[Quahog]

85. What rubbish

The media will be fed by the GOP Mighty Wurlitzer with lie after lie about ANY candidate the Dems nominate, and the mauling in the press and on television will be constant, brutal and bloody. It's not going to be up to "the candidate" to pull out the win in an environment like this, it's going to be up to the Democratic party. If we sit idly by and let the bullshit that's passed of for news in this country go unchallenged, Dean will lose, Clark will lose, Kerry will lose, WHOEVER will lose.

Dean has shown the ability to punch back and punch back hard. Wesley Christ, your personal lord and savior, has shown ZIP at this point. He has a good looking resume, but NO ONE has started looking into the skeletons in his closet, NO ONE has started probing into his military history (not his official record, but his history). He is this wonderfully romantic figure to some Dems who seem to get all moist and gushy over him, but what do we know about him? What do we know about the kind of campaign he would run? What do we know about how he would react when the media started eviscerating him under the direction of Karl Rove?

From a more practical standpoint, Clark really does not have another couple of weeks to waste to make his announcement. Don't give me that "Clinton announced in October" nonsense either, because there was no credible frontrunner in '91, and Clinton had nothing to lose but money. And the first primaries in '91 were not being held in January as they are in '04, so Clinton's window of opportunity was much larger. Dean has got the big mo right now, but Kerry is a very credible contender, as is Dick Gephardt (sad to say). Where is Clark going to get the money to go up against these guys? Where is he going to get his campaign organization? Who is going to direct his campaign? Volunteers at a MeetUp are great, but how many of these people are willing to quit their day jobs and work for Clark full time? And where is he going to get his money? And by the way, between now and the first primaries (just over 4 months away), WHERE THE HELL IS HE GOING TO GET HIS MONEY?

If the guy is going to make a credible run, he needs to announce TODAY. I think those of you who are reading his announcement as the beginning of a gentle let-down are right on the money. The only reason for stretching this out is for some kind of publicity ploy (his upcoming book?), or perhaps to give him time to meet with the front-runners to decide which campaign he should hook is caboose to.

Doc, I'm sorry to hear that you've already accepted defeat and are looking forward to the demise of our nation under BFEE rule. Personally, I am going to campaign my ASS off for Dean/Clark in '04.

[MissouriTeacher]

45. So I actually read the message

and in the first paragraph he makes me think he's running, but it's the last paragraph that makes me think he's not.

Argh, this is annoying.

[southern democrat]

51. I just read the complete transcript also

He's in no doubt about it.

[neverforget]

53. After listening to him on NPR Boston, I really think he is going to

run. If he's not running, why all the media events? Even after reading this, I still think he's going to run. If he doesn't, I'll be sorely disappointed :cry: but I will get over it...

[Sean Reynolds]

71. Gore did the same thing!

Remember hitting the late night round? Leno, Conan, Letterman, and SNL. They all came weeks before he said he wasn't running.

[neuvocat]

55. Ok, so why the press conference to annouce he is a dem?

Why have a press conference to announce that he is going to announce?

Like one of the other posters said earlier, dragging things out can't help book sales.

Besides, how many of you would buy his book if he said he wasn't running?

I do hate to start things up like that but I have to think out loud here.

[Pepperbelly]

57. what press conference are you talking about? nt

[neuvocat]

58. Well ok, announcements.

I didn't actually see them but remember his announcement of being a dem as news to everyone.

[southern democrat]

64. it will help book sales and the procrastonation will be forgot

when he runs,if he doesn't dumb strategy.

[eileen from OH]

56. It sounded to me like he's laying the groundwork

not to run. Anybody know that old joke about the cat on the roof?

Two brothers, one of whom has a much beloved cat. He goes on vacation and entrusts the cat to his brother. Calls one week later and asks about the cat. Brother says, "Oh, it died."

His brother is devastated. "Why didn't you break it to me gently?" he says. "First time I called you could have said, 'the cat's on the roof and we can't get it down.' Then, next time I called you should have said, 'The cat fell off and was injured and we took it to the vet.' And finally, on the third call you could have told me that the cat died."

"I'm really sorry," apologizes his brother.

"That's okay, I guess I'll be able to handle it. By the way, how's Mom?"

"Um, well she's up on the roof and we can't get her down."

I think this is Wesley telling his supporters that the cat's on the roof. Letting them down gently and subtly letting them be the first to know.

eileen from OH

[Dookus]

61. Have to disagree-

I watched the message and I got no indication that he's backing out.

Of course, we could just take him at his word that he's still making the decision.

[southern democrat]

68. I believe your wrong

I believe he'll anounce on the 13th

[Clark Can WIN]

60. I understand why some are afraid

But I really believe after watching the clip that he is taking this opportunity to thank everyone in the draft movement without tipping his hat too soon.

The incredible marathon of media appearances tells me he will run. His demeanor on NPR, Insannity & Colmes, Hardball and Real Time all tell me he is running. He said plainly on NPR this morning that he was NOT RUNNING FOR VP. He is running folks. Patience.

[southern democrat]

66. I believe he would take VP,but

They'll have to beat him first.

[Kahuna]

80. Riiiiiiiight!

If he wins the nomination he goes up against bushco. If not, he runs as VP. Nothing wrong with that.

[Donna Zen]

73. The NPR interview

What struck me about the NPR piece was he defense of his economic credentials. He was selling them. Also, recently he has made it clear that he is committed to "civilian leadership."

The media: Clark has close ties to Richard Holbrooke...and while no one can gage the corporate whores, Holbrooke is in with many of them. Off hand, I can't remember all the marriage moves, but I do remember that the swirl around a number of prominant heads many of whom bridge the NYC to Aspen Conference crowd.

[Avalux]

69. He's running

at least I think so. Remember, he's well trained in strategic offensives.

[tameszu]

70. He's so in

The biggest indication is that he mentioned that the phenomena of the MeetUps (presumably everyone's MeetUps, but the Clark ones are doing pretty darned well) were the biggest thing to happen to democracy since the committees of correspondance of 1772.

So if you knew you had an invite to jump into the process that would lead to the Declaration of Independence, you would say...NO?!?

Don't think so! He's so in.

[robbedvoter]

72. Back from a HUGE meet-up in NYC (one of the 3 going on today)

High energy, high brains, organizing feverishly - the most repeated sentence was "the moment he announce we need to have it all ready to go". Everyone applauded the message wildly - none of us thought he's not running. Some of the organizers were saying - I do not know anything more than you - nudge, nudge, wink, wink. So nourish your VP dreaps if you wish, but a big shake down is in the making!

[knight_of_the_star]

78. We can still draft him!

Pull an Eisenhower! We just have to get enough votes for him to win the nomination and he will be the candidate anyway!

[IndianaGreen]

81. Clark is not Ike!

Ike was immensely popular with a natural constituency among the WWII vets. The Republican establishment needed and used Ike to block the conservative Taft from winning the 1952 GOP nomination and bringing defeat.

[Khephra]

82. Here's a possiblity that many of you seem to be missing

Maybe he hasn't made up his mind yet?

There's many reasons why this could be so. We know that Dean and Clark have been talking. Clark may be talking to other candidates as well.

If Clark is as brilliant as he's said to be, and I believe he is, he could still be playing the field, trying to see what he can get from the other candidates if he stays out.

He's trying to woo someone with this "will he or won't he?" tactic, and it might not just be supporters.

Now don't attack me for pointing out that he might still be checking out his options. That's what a good general does. He checks out the field, learns all he can about it, and then acts.

Whatever he does, I welcome him as a member of the "Anti-Bush when it wasn't cool" crew.

:toast:

[Renew Deal]

88. Actually

Thanks for pointing that out.