Clark gets better ratings as he skips Dean-bashing

[webkev]

JOHNSTON, Iowa -- The Democratic presidential candidate who benefited most from the debate Sunday afternoon might well have been retired Gen. Wesley Clark.

He wasn't there.

Instead, he spent his time doing an interview on NBC's "Meet the Press," with a much larger viewing audience, serving pancakes and holding small forums with potential voters in New Hampshire, a place where he hopes to have a surprisingly strong finish. It was perhaps time better spent <snip>

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-0401050173jan05,1,6316686.story?coll=chi-news-hed

[wndycty]

1. I predicted this. . .LOL

Many Clark supporters knew that this would work to his advantage. LOL

[maddezmom]

2. yes, we did :)

[Tatiana]

10. Yep.

Brilliant strategy.

[waylon]

3. Clark the VP?

Interesting how he phrased his answer, or lack thereof, to Russert yesterday. I suspect he is keeping his options open. Any thoughts?

[BootinUp]

5. He can't make it any clearer, transcript:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3849657/

snip....

MR. RUSSERT: Another general who entered politics, William Sherman, was asked whether or not he would seek elective office. He said: "If nominated, I will not accept. If elected, I will not serve." If General Clark is nominated as vice president, will you accept?

GEN. CLARK: Well, I've said I'm not going to be the vice president, and that's what I stand by. I'm running to be president of the United States. This country needs a higher standard of leadership, Tim, and to get that higher standard, I'm going to have to be the commander in chief and the president of the United States. That's why I'm running.

MR. RUSSERT: But General Sherman had a very understandable formula: "If nominated, I will not accept." Is that your view?

GEN. CLARK: I'm saying that I'm not going to be the vice president. I'm not going accept that nomination. I can't make it any more clearer than that.

[HootieMcBoob]

7. you mean this answer?

GEN. CLARK: I'm saying that I'm not going to be the vice president. I'm not going accept that nomination. I can't make it any more clearer than that.

MR. RUSSERT: So if nominated, you will not accept the vice presidency?

GEN. CLARK: I'm running to be president of the United States. I am not running to be vice president, and I do not intend to accept that nomination, and I will not.

MR. RUSSERT: Absolutely.

GEN. CLARK: That's absolutely the facts.

Gee I wonder what he means by that?

[moz4prez]

15. MR RUSSERT: Is that your final answer?

GEN. CLARK: That's my final answer U TOOL

[Democrats unite]

9. And what part did you not understand?

eom

[pocoloco]

11. LOL

Don't think you were watching the same program I was!!!

[xultar]

4. Well everyone else was saying, he missed an opportunity,

massive media coverage, it's a mistake, blah blah blah.

How funny more media coverage, more private media time, and meeting with small groups of voters. Now that is what I call a strategy!

[Jack_Dawson]

6. Debates are Demeaning

Sharing the stage with the likes of Joe Lieberman, where nobody is talking about their own vision but instead ganging up on the front-runner is, I think, somehow beneath The General. I'm glad he skipped.

[NV1962]

8. Golly that looks good in print

Much better than how we've been saying it huh. ;)

[Radical__Moderate]

12. I also like how he answer

The question posed about Dean's foreign policy qualifications.

to paraphrase

If George Bush is qualified in foreign policy then all the Democratic candidates are qualified.

Exactly the answer all of our candidates should be giving.

[KittyWampus]

20. Clark Said Democratic Candidates Are MORE Qualified.

:D

Yes, classy answer.

Note- he said either More or Better qualified... but you get the point.

[beyurslf]

13. Why was Lieberman in the debate

if he isn't running in Iowa?

[JNelson6563]

16. two words:

hatchet job. ;-)

Doing the dirty work of others....

Julie

[wndycty]

17. Who is he doing the dirty work for. . .

. . .I am no fan of Lieberman and even I was offended by the way he conducted himself yesterday, but could you identify these others he is doing the dirty work for?

[wndycty]

14. I'll have to pick up a hard copy of the Trib to see how the article looks

:kick:

[wndycty]

18. "NBC's "Meet the Press," with a much larger viewing audience"

Remember that. . .I told everyone he had a larger viewing audience.

:kick:

[madfloridian]

19. CNN, FOX, and C-Span have fewer combined viewers than MTP?

C-Span has shown the debate twice more already. Could you show me where the 3 channels combined have fewer viewers than MTP?

I agree it was easier for Clark not to have to be in the fray.

[KittyWampus]

21. Factor In Clark On CSpan With Tax Proposal & Hardball Tonight

along with appearances in NH where he had 800 people show up where they expected 200...

And a meeting with Women in NH.

[returnable]

22. "Meet the Press" averages around 4.5 million viewers each week.

For all the hoopla folks give the news networks like CNN and FOX, their audiences are significantly lower than the traditional networks.

I don't have any hard numbers for how the Dem debates did in terms of ratings, but I'd be willing to bet they did significantly less action than MTP.

A mid-afternoon debate on a Sunday afternoon (and a football playoff afternoon, at that) is a tough sell.

Shoot, as a point of reference, O'Reilly "only" draws 2 million per night on FOX, and he's in prime time and the network's biggest draw.

I think it's safe to say that MTP had the bigger audience yesterday.