|
Clark did fine the first time he ran as an absolute political rookie who had six months to a year less time to put together a campaign and hit the town hall meetings than everyone else in the race. He blew past the early favorite and former VP candidate Joe Lieberman. He blew past a very respected senior Senator and former Governor of a major state, Florida's Bob Graham. He blew past the Democratic Party's former leader in the House of Representitives, Dick Gephardt.
While he remained in the race Wes Clark got more votes and higher finishs than Howard Dean, who for a good while there everyone expected would win the nomination. Wes Clark won a primary in a state where he never lived in and that he wasn't a native son to. Only John Kerry can say the same in 2004. Wes Clark, after having half the Democratic candidates lable him a Republican and the media do a field day with Hugh Shelton's knife in the back unubstantiated character smear, climbed right back into the race after his initial surge of popularity as a "new face" faded. He did it by getting out there and taking his message directly to the public A week before the Iowa caucus Clark was closing fast on Howard Dean for first place in New Hampshire, he had long since pulled past John Kerry there. Clark did not compete in Iowa and we know the rest. Still Clark still finished ahead in New Hampshire of everyone except for two long time politicians who lived in State's neighboring tiny New Hampshire who had been getting free media coverage in NH for many years prior to 2004.
Wes Clark lost to Kerry and Dean but still edged out John Edwards in the nation's first Primary (not a caucus where deals could get cut like the one between Edwards and Kucinich supporters) to come in third there. This even though all the press at that point was focused on Kerry and Edwards and the collapse of Dean The media still ignored Wes Clark at that point and continued to do so even though he came in second in states like Arizona and New Mexico to John Kerry who was obviously on a roll. Clark only started getting a little media attention again after he won in Oklahoma, but by then it was too late.
Don't forget that Al Gore didn't exactly light up the joint the first time he ran for President either, and he was already an experienced sitting Senator who had grown up in a house where electoral politics were the life blood of conversation since Al's dad was a U.S. Senator before him.
Wes Clark is a national figure now, associated with a truly national institution, the U.S. Armed Forces. He could run well on his own or help a Democratic ticket in any region of this nation.
|