Clark's Brillant Strategy Re: Karl Rove

[Justice]

Pundits maintain that Bush will be hard to beat because Americans like the man personally, even if his policies disagree with their own.

Clark has deftly dealt with this in two ways -

1. First, Clark repeatedly challenges Karl Rove to challenge Clark - so that when Rove does challenge Clark, Clark can say - I told you so, or Clark singles out Karl Rove as the instigator and perpetutator of all that is ugly in the Bush Adminstration. No rational person likes Karl Rove, and so people will agree with Clark.

2. Treats Bush as if he is a puppet, laying blame on those around him, and claims Bush doesn't know enough to make judgments and decisions. Allows people to separate their like for Bush from the policies that are being adopted around him.

Of course the media lies to us about the man Bush - but rather than try to fight the media, Clark comes around to the issue through the back door.

I really like this strategy.

[SlavesandBulldozers]

1. go Clark

ever since i saw him go balls to the wall against Assman on Faux, i knew Clark was serious. Bush is probably browning his underoos thinking about debating Clark.

[Lefta Dissenter]

17. HAHAHA

Soundgarden, you have quite the way with words! :toast:

[Clark4VotingRights]

28. Go Wes! Go on the offensive.

We all saw what they did to Gore because he had no friggen
idea how to fight back.

[Eric J in MN]

2. The Democratic candidates should criticize Bush in any reasonable way.

The Democratic candidates should criticize Bush in any reasonable way.

In 1984, Walter Mondale decided he should be careful not to criticize Reagan too much, since Reagan is popular. Mondale lost everywhere except Minnesota and Washington, D.C.

Bush-is-popular TO don't-criticize TO Bush-is-popular

is a self-fulfulling cycle.

[giantrobot_2000]

4. ...

Plus Bush isn't nearly as popular as Reagan was in 1984.

My advice to ANY Democrat: Hit these assholes and hit them hard. They're chickenhawks, they'll run to their mommies once they realize the Democratic Party is playing hardball.

[Bombtrack]

5. but the smarter the critic the better

and Clark IS the smartest dem in the running.

[giantrobot_2000]

7. Intellect

He's easily the most intellectually adept of the 2004 candidates. The one-and-only New York Review of Books gave him props, for crying out loud! For a lefty review like NYR, that speaks volumes.

I see him as a smarter Bradley with a sterling military, academic and business record.

Clark is the one man who can lead America into the 21st century. I'm not using hyperbole.

[Bombtrack]

12. Who isn't bald

I think that might have been what killed Bradley more than anything.

[dave29]

19. Clark is remarkably smart

But I wouldn't say the other Dem's aren't ;)

I also wouldn't give Clark top points for political shrewdness, or boldness - no matter who is backing him up. I think that belongs to Dean hands-down. I'd give Clark top points for waiting and going where the wind seems to blow - which is a pretty good barometer of a poll driven candidate.

[kerry-is-my-prez]

26. Clark hits peop hard but never "shrilly." He does it in a "appealing" way.

way. You never think "gawd what an **hole!"

[Turkw]

23. Clark is already attacking Bush on issues, This addresses the smear that

Rove will raise. Remember what the Republicans did to McCaine, Clark will have none of that- we know what he will do. Beat the Sh** out of them, or as his aids said, beat the living sh** out of them.

[Bombtrack]

3. and he can do it while remaining cool as a cucumber

unlike Dean who could break glass he goes so ballistic while talking(usually misleadingly) about democrats, much less republicans

Powerful people aren't effective unless they use logic over emotion.

[Racenut20]

8. I like your thinking, and by the way

Could we have Curt Shilling in TampaBay for the DRays?????

[giantrobot_2000]

9. Bays-ball

Shilling plays for the Sox, d00d.

Anyway, good luck getting past my Giants in the World Series next year. The last time I had an ounce of respect for the D-Rays was when Boggs played for them, and that's only because he cried like a man after the '86 World Series and he sleeps with Margo Adams for a living.

(...and Lou Pinella is a great manager...but you didn't hear that from me...)

[Bombtrack]

11. I dunno about that, but can we trade Johnny Damon for Rocco Baldelli?

At least in a couple years. Rocco's from Rhode Island, and Johnny has his main house in Orlando.

Damon's probably my favorite Red Sock, but Rocco's gonna be a hall-of-famer in all liklihood.

[giantrobot_2000]

13. You heard it hear first

The Red Sox, with the unstoppable combo of Schilling, Pedro, former Giant Bill Mueller and the power of Bill James' Stratomatic nerdliness, win the ALCS next year...

...tragically, only to be stopped by the Giants and the miracle of the Giants front office under Sabean.

[w4rma]

15. Whatever you think about Dean, he certainly isn't

trying to mislead folks about Democrats.

Unlike Gen. Clark, Dean is fundrasing for many Congressional Democrats.

[giantrobot_2000]

6. Like a real general

Like the general he is, Clark isn't afraid to take what he knows to be an objectively weak opponent head-on. That's strategic thinking.

Clark has tested as a genius, above 140 pts.. His intellectual, scholarly and mental prowess, combined with Clinton's obvious political genius in his role as senior advisor to the Democratic Party , bodes well for our side.

CIIW, but Clinton's rumored to have scored a 160 on the IQ test.

[dave29]

20. Funny Dean took Bush on

well before Clark even registered as a Democrat. And I don't even know what his IQ is.

[jogi1969]

10. give 'em hell General

i was watching MTP with my gf and her sister
and when Clark made the "IF * is qualified.." quote
they both clapped and i shouted.
tim -tha-whore was on his best piggly behavior

to quote someone else
"to look at Gen. Clark is like turing a corner and walking into a mountain lion,
at 1st you think 'wow a mountian lion'
then you think 'HOLY SH*T! thats a lion!'

not something you want to screw with.
and i think the more coverage he gets the more people
will have those reactions.

neither of which hurt Clark

[TexasSissy]

14. I hadn't thought of it that way. That makes sense.

[TacticalPeek]

16. First, indirect fire.

Then, the close-quarter stuff.

:evilgrin:

[sandnsea]

18. Hit the body, the KO will follow

My family boxes. ;)

[knight_of_the_star]

21. This is going to be NICE!

He's doing what General Patton so colorfully referred to as, "grabbing them by the nose and kicking them in the ass." If nothing else, Clark is a political Ghengis Khan. You hear of the Khan's horde long before you see it, but by the time you do, you know your only choices are to surrender or die.

[TexasSissy]

22. It helps that what he said is TRUE. Rove is the man behind the man.

Might as well speak to him directly.

Do you ever notice how Clark seems to - gasp! - manage to tell the truth while still playing politics?

[MidwestMomma]

24. Yes, Clark is trying to neutralize Rove's effectiveness

By challenging Rove instead of Bush, he is showing that Rove is the 'man behind the curtain'. And the more Rove is dragged out into the limelight, the less effective his dirty-behind the scene tricks will be.

My hope is that Bush will lose his temper and fire Rove to prove he is the one in charge, not Rove, and we all know he doesn't have a chance in hell without Rove.

[CalProf]

25. He's impressing me more and more each day.

I'm still a Kerry supporter, but General Clark has moved up to number two on my list.

[MIMStigator]

27. Clark's taking it to the fascist bastards

eom