Rendell: Dean one of the most creative governors in the US

[dkf]

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/archive/2003/12/13/politics1240EST0502.DTL

"Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell, who says he will not endorse anytime soon, called Lieberman the single-most qualified candidate in the race. But he had high praise for Dean.

"I thought he was a fiscally conservative progressive on social issues as governor of Vermont. He was one of the most creative governors in the United States of America," Rendell said. "He'd make a great president." "

--

Also, on Wes Clark:

"Wesley Clark had talked for nearly an hour about Iraq, nuclear energy, taxes, even windmills, fielding questions at a rat-a-tat rate from prickly New Hampshire voters. Finally, he threw his hands in the air and smiled.

"You're a tough crowd to warm up!" the Democratic presidential candidate said as heads nodded in agreement throughout the cramped conference room. "I'm excited! What about you?"

The plea drew a polite cheer, but one Clark supporter gazed across the crowd of 75 and gave voice to a thought that spoke volumes about the rapidly shifting nomination fight: "Howard Dean doesn't have to work this hard." "

[Skwmom]

1. Clark did great in TN

This was posted on the Clark blog.

They came to see the man named Clark...

... and kept coming and kept coming... into the doors at the I-75 Expo Center in Knoxville Friday night.

Many got a lesson in just how electable Wesley Clark is, while my son got a lesson on the proper way to salute.

The number of veterans, generally thought of as conservative voters, who attended was astonishing. I looked at my friend and fellow Clark super-supporter Suzy Coffey when I saw all the vets and said, "Praise be to God! We NEED these voters!" In fact, the room was exploding with people from all walks of life - rich, poor, old, young, black and white: it was a hodge-podge of the electoral slice of life in this Southern city.

A quick glance around the room told me there were too many people to even attempt to count. I was in the front, so I couldn't see everyone, but the room held 1,000 and it was packed.

Randy Buttons, the chairman of the Tennessee Democratic Party, took to the podium first. He spoke briefly about Tennessee's importance in this primary election season since it starts early voting just two days after the Iowa caucus and finishes up on primary voting day on Feb. 10, just one week after South Carolina. Then he told a brief anecdote about teaching his teenage daughter how to drive: he said it's a lot like voting in an old-fashioned voting booth, "If you put the lever toward 'D', you go forward, but if you put it toward 'R,' you go backwards." Cute, but true!.

Then the Clarks took the stage. Wes looked astonished that there were so many people in the room. I'm sure his handlers had told him how conservative Knoxville, TN was, so he probably didn't expect people hanging out the doors of the hall! He looked around the room and made contact with each and every person while Knoxville native and actor David Keith was announcing him. He is truely a great man!

After he was announced, Clark got up and stumped on his health care initiatives (which can be read on the home page here), he spoke of how Bush was "less than compassionate" to children and veterans, in particular, who are in need of affordable health care. He was greeted with cheers of gratitude for his plans and hoots of understanding when he talked of how horrible the Bush Administration was running the country.

Once his rousing speech was nearly over, Keith presented Clark with a UT football shirt. The shirt said "Clark" and the number 04. Clark, who had mentioned that he always roots for Tennessee when they're not playing Arkansas, said he called Tennessee his adoptive state since he went to high school here for a year. Clark took off the suit jacket and put the shirt on over his dress shirt and said, "This is a football shirt I can wear! And America certainly needs a new quarterback!!" The crowd went nuts!

He jumped off the stage and the crowd surged toward him. My little one, Ramzey, was with me and was starting to get smushed - so one of Clark's handlers pulled us aside and then Clark spotted Ramzey - Ramzey had on Clark buttons and was carrying a Clark sign. The General kneeled down and hugged him, talked to him at length, all the while MSNBC imbed Marisa Buchanan video-taped it. She said she will be DEFINATELY posting the video on their site and gave me her card so I could e-mail her and she could e-mail me back to tell me when. (I also got a hug just after this exhange and a "thanks for coming... so good to see you here!" from the General. And - no - I didn't melt into a puddle!! ha ha)

.....

The Clarks were headed to another part of town for a $1,000-a-head dinner; I don't have any idea tonight how much was raised, but I do know that if anyone in the audience was sitting on the fences, I doubt they are now.

[Skwmom]

2. An obvious hit piece on Clark.

The piece is so bias it's dripping with venom.

[PaDUer]

3. Hmm...Rendell

was with the DNC when he called for Gore to let go of the pres race, remember? Rendell is also close to Clinton and McAuliffe..Wonder which way Ed's going to go? As far as I'm aware, no one in this section of PA is for Lieb, but for Gephardt, teamsters.