Must read - Lunch with Wesley Clark

[kstewart33]

Professor Yin of the University of Iowa sat down for lunch with Wesley Clark last week, along with a bunch of other members of the university's law school faculty. Yin sat at Clark's table. They asked Clark a bunch of questions. Yin details Clark's answers on his site:

http://yin.blog-city.com/read/231503.htm

Yin's conclusion---pretty much a home run. Yin concludes that the other Dem candidates would do well not to plan on campaigning past the Dem primary.

[connor]

1. Minor correction regarding your conclusion

Having read Professor Yin's report, I think you overstate his conclusions. "Home run" is much too strong, and he did NOT conclude that "the other Dem candidates" should give up soon. What he actually said was:

"Anyway, I hope that as he begins campaigning, Gen. Clark continues to display the forthrightness that he showed today. The way things look now, if I were Dick Gephardt, Dennis Kucinich, Al Sharpton, Carol Mosley Braun, or Joe Lieberman, I wouldn't be making plans to be campaigning past the Democratic primary.

That cuts the field in half, but still leaves Professor Yin's obvious conclusion that Howard Dean, John Kerry, Bob Graham, and John Edwards are all well worth considering (in his opinion) along with Clark.

[Dudley_DUright]

2. Good point Connor and welcome to DU

:toast::party:

[connor]

5. Thanks

Much appreciated. I've been checking DU daily for news and an un-sugarcoated take on same for a long time. More than a year now. Thought I'd finally raise my own voice, unabashedly liberal as it is.

[tsipple]

3. Re: Cutting the Field in Half

I'm of the school that says voters ought to decide whether any candidate (or group of candidates) who want to run should drop out. And one primary or caucus may not decide that.

And I say that because my guy, Dean, was one of the longest of long shots at the beginning of 2003. (Bill Clinton was in a similar position.) I don't dismiss any of the ten candidates.

[dofus]

8. They ought to stop campaigning

past WHICH Democratic primary?

And, at some point, candidates WILL start dropping out. Oh, maybe it will take until early March to know for sure who the nominee is going to be, but I rather expect that the losing candidates will, after a period of time to recover from not being the nominee, will come out and campaign for the nominee.

Actually, wouldn't it be GREAT if not matter who the nominee is, all the candidates stand behind him (sorry, Ms Mosely Braun, but it won't be you this time) and campaign vigorously? Think about it, imagine your favorite candidate campaigning for one of the other guys. I know that would make me support the nominee enthusiastically.

[kstewart33]

9. I accept this minor correction if I may add...

Another of Professor Yin's opinions of Clark, directly quoted:

"He impressed many of my colleagues and me. Of course, considering that many (most?) of my colleagues are Democrats, perhaps that's not unexpected. But I have to say that given the breadth of questions he was getting, he showed remarkable command of factual matters and political issues. What I was most impressed with was his willingness to accept reality and to state clear opinions. The Social Security question was probably the best indication of this. You might disagree with raising the cap on the amount of income subject to the payroll tax, but the reality is that there are only four things that can be done: (1) raise the retirement age; (2) cut benefits; (3) raise the payroll tax (either the rate or the amount of income taxed); or (4) some combination of two or all three. Some people might think it is better to cut benefits, say, to the wealthy elderly by means-testing. Some might think we should all suffer a little and cut benefits across the board. But I give Gen. Clark immense credit for being, as far as I can tell, the first of the major candidates to select from that unpalatable menu."

[tsipple]

11. For the Record...

Howard Dean has publicly stated, long ago, he favors eliminating the earnings cap on the payroll tax.

On edit: eliminating instead of lifting.

[newyawker99]

10. Hi connor!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[disgruntella]

4. Thanks for the link - this was amusing

"* He likes the French. In fact, just before he stepped down as the NATO Supreme Commander, a French political leader told him, "You should have been French!" Coming from the French, that sounds like high praise. He did note that the French suffer from a similar problem to what he believes the current administration suffers from, namely, too narrow of a view of self-interest."

I wonder how long it will be before the right-wing talking heads make themselves look like asses talking this up...

Anyway, thanks for the link!

[tsipple]

6. Yeah, They'll Have a "Frenchman" Trail Clark

Somebody dressed up in some "French looking" getup, with beret, trailing Clark at every campaign stop as a French lover.

Or something like that. I hope we're ready for some of the most incredible election crap ever.

[disgruntella]

7. oh god! that put the most ridiculous image in my head

Some pathetically sterotypical "Frenchie" wearing a beret and a striped shirt with a baguette under his arm, twirling his moustache, shouting out "Vive La France!" at every Clark appearance.

:crazy:

I stopped drinking a couple years ago; maybe I ought to start again to keep images like that from popping up in my head.

[tsipple]

12. Chef Boyardee

Hector Boyardi was Italian, as it happens, but the GOP would do something like that, I have no doubt. Whatever they can get away with, and more. Willie Horton, cruises in Boston Harbor, you name it.