"Meetup" Mobilizes Local Clark Campaign

[DoveTurnedHawk]

It's been just three weeks since Gen. Wesley Clark tossed his helmet into the presidential ring, but already he has emerged as one of the strongest Democratic contenders.

Supporters showered him with $3.5 million in cash during the first two weeks alone, and the volunteers who successfully waged a "Draft Clark" campaign to get him into the race have fanned out into their communities to build a grass-roots base.

The fruits of their labor were evident last night at Kells pub in Seattle's Pike Place Market, where about 100 people showed up for the first local organizing meeting of the Clark campaign. There they watched a C-SPAN videotape of Clark at a New Hampshire town-hall meeting, followed by a Webcast to his supporters around the country.

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"We need a very, very strong candidate, especially someone with a military background," said campaign volunteer Deborah Jones. "Also, he's worked with the whole European contingent. Given the state of things right now, we definitely need that."

<...>

"I was on the flight deck when Bush landed," said one sailor, who did not want his name printed. "It was a slap in the face."

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All of this sounded good to the attendees last night. Even Clark's Webcast got a rousing cheer when he vowed, "It's going to take a lot more than five Supreme Court justices to keep George Bush in the White House."

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2001765465_clark14m.html

DTH

[DeepModem Mom]

1. Six sailors from the USS Abraham Lincoln!

"It was a slap in the face."

[VolcanoJen]

2. Now here's a quote we can all get behind:

Wesley Clark: "It's going to take a lot more than five Supreme Court justices to keep George Bush in the White House."

:bounce: :bounce: :bounce:

[Voltaire99]

3. Monbiot's take on this in yesterday's Guardian

Read this if you're concerned about the militarization of US culture.

Read it, especially, if you aren't.

http://www.commondreams.org/views03/1014-09.htm

[VolcanoJen]

4. Here's the problem I have with the military-industrial complex thing.

Believe me, I've weighed this a thousand times over in my mind, and I've certainly heeded Ike's warnings in his famous 1961 speech.

However, is this going to come up again every time a former high-ranking military officer decides to run for higher office? Does Ike's statement mean we should reject leadership of that nature when it presents itself at a time of great need? Is that what Ike intended? Would he be proud of the efforts to discount Wes Clark on his face, because of the words he uttered 42 years ago?

I certainly don't mean to discount the concerns about the military-industrial complex, but I'm starting to find it trite when folks who don't care for Clark assume we haven't weighed these concerns in our own minds before coming to a decision about supporting a candidate.

[Julien Sorel]

5. On a side note, at our meetup, which was so big

we had to hold it at an outdoor cafe, we had some bum drive by in a beat-up pickup and yell, 'go W!!!' Then he stopped and yelled, 'I mean George W Bush, not the other W!' (meaning Wesley Clark) It was funny as hell.

We also had a disruptor, who kept petulently demanding to know what Clark's positions were, and how could anyone support him not knowing all his positions. She eventually stormed off, never to return. I wonder which candidate she supports. :/

[VolcanoJen]

6. Sounds like you had a pretty rowdy Meet-Up, Billy!

The poor cat in the pick-up... how embarrasing!

Did you enjoy the webcast?

[Julien Sorel]

7. I'd seen the webcast before going.

Clark does awesome in those -- he projects a tremendous amount of energy and enthusiasm. I also liked what I saw of Eli Segal, who struck me as being cagey, but the kind of guy you'd want in your corner.