If Clark Falls back in NH and Does Not Win Big Feb. 3rd, Will He Pull Out?

[WiseMen]

Anyone on the Clark campaign who knows. Clark seems to be a
great patriot who would pull out if was clear he could not win so as to throw his remaining resources into beating Bush.

Clark has the reputation as a great strategist and it would likely be a great assett to any of the other candidates to have Clark and his team planning and executing a Bush defeat is selected states, while the primary campaign went on.

It would also reduce the chances of some fatal gaffe of the type that
occurs when you are exhausted on the campaign trail.

[arewethereyet]

1. of course he should and probably will

but by the same token, nobody else would touch him as his fizzle would only reflect badly on him.

If the scenario you present comes to pass, is he still a great strategist ?

[WiseMen]

3. Of Course. Faltering on you first political campaign does not negate a

brilliant executive career in the military. Clark is widely viewed as
one of the most brilliant diplomats and strategists to have served at such a high level.

[arewethereyet]

5. but the inference was as a POLITICALstrategist, not military

if his own political strategy fails, who else would want it ?

If other campaigns would like some ideas regarding the military, you could do worse.

[WiseMen]

7. The Role of Nato Supreme Commader was Principally Political-Diplomatic

I think Clark has done a great job putting together a team (with a little help from his Friend), and was executing a great strategy. Few expected what happened in Iowa.

If Kerry manuever had failed, Clark's would be on the way to victory
now.

[lastknowngood]

2. I say he teams up with Dean as a ticket

and kick some tush.

[AnnitaR]

4. I hope he stays in till the bitter end!

He has been unfairly maligned over one statement that has been blown way out of proportion. He is the one candidate that did not deserve this. In every interview, debate he has always taken the high road.

Kerry then tries to act like a wounded puppy who never said much less did anything negative... Clark is made out to be mean, nasty, etc. While Kerry becomes Mr Nice Guy.

Guess Kerry admonished Gov Shaheen for the trash she threw on his behalf? Nope Mr. Nice Guy just sends out some really positive mailers to the voters in NH!

Kerry may be fooling a lot of people and they are now jumping on his bandwagon... not me. I know what class is... my candidate has been showing it all along.

Stay and fight General!

[arewethereyet]

6. if it was only 1 statement it would be one thing what of all the others ?

n/t

[AnnitaR]

9. You wanna list the statemtents

you are saying the General has made?

I will put Gen. Clark's actions in this campaign up against Kerry's any day!

[WiseMen]

12. Let's keep our eyes on the prize. Kerry has great respect for Clark

and if Kerry is leading in the primaries there is no reason for a
"bitter" end.

[WiseMen]

14. Hey, Clark's Key Guy, LeHane left Kerry because Kerry refused to Attack

Dean.

Refusing to do the vicious attack has been the hallmark of Kerry's
campaign from the beginning. Kerry was adamant. It is widely known, so please don't do this B.S.

I think Clark's instincts are fine as well. So let's drop it.

[kerry-is-my-prez]

8. As long as he has the money and a chance - I believe he'll stay in.

He would pull out if he thought it would hurt the party if he stayed in though.

We will have our Clark Coordinator's conference call tomorrow - so we will hear SOME "scoopage" on what's REALLY going on I'm sure...

[Maddy McCall]

10. No one ever expected him to win NH, but he is polling way ahead in

NM and OK. He will finish high in SC. He has NO REASON whatsoever to pull out.

Will Kerry pull out after March 9?

[WiseMen]

11. Of course, if he is winning, three cheers. But if he looses NM and OK? ?

[Maddy McCall]

13. He won't because he has STRONG American Indian support.

He has endorsements from numerous American Indian groups across the US. He is totally opposed to Yucca Mountain and said he will halt it completely when he enters the office.

And the head of the American Indian Congress has pledged to get one million Indians out on election day to oust Bush.

Clark is polling high in OK and NM because of the heavy Indian population that likes his platform as it regards them. HE above all other candidates has reached out to a huge segment of voters that for too long politicians have ignored. They will be loyal voters for him.

[incapsulated]

15. No

I believe he will wait till Super Tuesday.

[Adjoran]

16. It depends

on what you mean by "win big on Feb 3."

Clark doesn't have to win a primary outright to stay in. In a four-way race, with all delegates being awarded proportionally in all primaries (no more winner-take-all states), any candidate only needs to do well enough to keep some money coming in.

It is possible to win more delegates with seconds and thirds in the Feb 3 primaries than by winning one and trailing in the others.

All four will stay in the race until either the money dries up, or it becomes apparent that one candidate will win a majority of delegates. I think the money will come into play before any clear winner emerges.

[maxr4clark]

17. Candidates should stay in

the race until they're mathematically eliminated or they are out of money for two reasons:

(1) you never know what may happen until you're mathematically eliminated. Any candidate can have a serious gaffe, or find serious traction in an issue.

(2) the race for the nomination isn't just about who, it's about platform. Dean, for example, should stay in even if he tanks in NH. Dean represents a set of positions, both anti-IWR and balancing the budget come to mind, that need to be represented at the national convention--and who better to represent those issues than a candidate and the delegates he won in the states he ran in.

Clark should definitely stay in; he represents a voice for change in the direction of the Democratic party, one that I would welcome. We need to stop ceding verbal and moral territory to the GOP. Family values is a term horribly twisted by Republicans. So is patriotism. So is "the death tax". Someone like Clark, who stands for moral fibre in a way that Republicans can understand, but clearly takes a Democratic view of how to mix his view of morality with the views represented by other Americans--separation of church and state, living out our faith by lifting up those in need, rather than "celebrating" the moral/racial "purity" of Americans like the GOP does and thereby breaking our society into the haves and the have nots--these are messages that Clark brings to the table that the Democratic Party needs to hear loud and clear.

[mikehiggins]

18. I guess it would be possible if he were a regular politician

However, since his goal is different from "living the life politic" (with apologies to Ricki Martin) I tend to doubt it. Most of us in the Clark wing of the ABB movement support him because we do not believe that any of the other candidates has a tinker's chance of beating George W. Bush in November.

So, what has changed?

He has the organization, manpower and money to keep on going no matter what happens in New Hampshire and on February 3. Most of us still see no one on the Democratic side who has a tinker's chance of beating George W. Bush.

Nothing has changed.

If Clark does drop out we will all be extremely disappointed but that is how it goes sometimes. If everyone agreed with us Clark would have won Iowa, even though he didn't run there. The average voter is not so dissatisfied with the regular politicians at this point that they would flock to an obvious outsider. By the time the convention rolls around, that may change.

I think we're in it for the long haul.

[DoNotRefill]

19. Considering that at one point he was Catholic....

"will he pull out" may NOT be the best phrase to use when referring to him.

D'oh!!! :silly:

[JPJones]

20. According to McAullife

Anyone without a win by Feb. 4 should drop.

Clark really only needs one state on Feb. 3.

You Kerry people forget 4 things:

1) Kerry has crappy organization in the Feb. 3 states.

2) We don't like Yankees in SC, MO, OK, NM, AZ and ND.

3) Kerry is running a stealth negative campaign. Don't think we aren't noticing and that the animosity that you are building up is not going to haunt you.

4) The war hero status won't be as resonant in the Feb. 3 states after you add in 'The New Soldier' factor.