Can Clark beat bush in the republican primaries?

[msanger]

I know that most of us think that Clark will declare in the democratic contest, but might the better move be to take on bush -- head-on.

In the democratic contest he has to split the anti-bush vote with 9 other candidates, and split the military hero vote with kerry.

In the republican primaries he can go head to head with bush and his failed policies. He might actually stand a better chance of winning.

And I am sure a whole lot of DUers and Daily Kos folks and all the lefty bloggers and activists would do what they could to help him out. It would be the clearest anybody but bush thing you could do -- kick him out just like LBJ got the boot.

So the real question is, if Clark ran, could he win? Or are there too many "super delegates" to make it even plausable?

[poskonig]

1. Is this flamebait?

Everyone knows Clark is a Democrat. Given his pro-choice stance, for instance, I don't see why Republican activists would vote for him on a cold January night.

[msanger]

5. not intended as flamebait

For a long time I heard questions about which party Clark identified with. I saw an interview where he clearly said the democrats were the party of innovative ideas (or something to that effect.)

But I also thought I heard him say something about not being bound by party labels - which made me think maybe he'd take on bush from a different front.

As for republicans not voting for him - when you hear conservatives bending over backwards for arnold, it makes me think they might support anybody they thought could win.

[carpetbagger]

8. Clark's a democrat trying to build a governing coalition.

Frankly, that takes more than the 35% or so of voters who identify themselves as democrats. He's simply taking a page from the republicans, who had to do this for years until the depression-era people died off. He's banking on the fact that a majority of Americans agree with what the Democrats want to do with the country. It's a softspoken liberalism, but it's liberalism nonetheless.

His views are line by line within the mainstream of the democratic party. My opinion is that he's to the left of Lieberman and Graham, in about the same area as Kerry and Dean, and perhaps Edwards, maybe slightly to the right of Gephardt, and to the right of Kucinich, Sharpton, and Braun. He's also been as outspoken against Bush as Howard Dean has been, although the language he uses is geared more towards the middle third of the electorate.

In a general election, it would be hoped that he could peel off about 10-15% of GOP votes, mostly RINO's from the northeast, and people who have been specifically shafted by Bush's policies. But if the idea of Clark entering the GOP primary is taken seriously, immediately his views make him about as welcome there as someone like Bill Frist or Dennis Hastert would be in our primary.

[LoneStarLiberal]

2. Even If This Were A Contested Republican Primary

I don't think he could win. He would probably be way too far left for most Republicans on social issues, including their hallowed ground issues of affirmative action and abortion. I think he probably would rock the boat enough to potentially give a Pat Buchanan type an equal run at George W.

It will not happen this year, not with Clark or anyone else. The Republican Party is alreay cancelling primaries all across the U.S. because no one, inside the Beltway or outside the Beltway, is going to challenge George W.

[DoveTurnedHawk]

3. Clark Would Have ZERO Chance in the Thug Primary

This idea is a complete non-starter. All it would do is waste (IMO) the best Democratic candidate we can put up.

DTH

[ButterflyBlood]

4. Clark is not a Republican. Bush is.

So it's pretty obvious who'd win a Republican primary.

[Hippo_Tron]

6. Um no because it's damn near impossible

To win a primary against an incumbant, in the first place. Secondly Bush is doing a perfect job in the eyes of the Republicans, if anything he's not conservative enough in their opinion.

[southern democrat]

7. I'd hate like hell to think he could

Being he's a democrat.

[davidinalameda]

9. uh no

I rather see him run as a Democrat, which he is and which he will do