Clark just said "i haven't declared that i'm a democrat" WTF???

[ElsewheresDaughter]

on Crossfire .....what Democrat could or would vote for this man??????? is this some kind of a joke are Dems seriously considering supporting Clark....slap me and wake me up...

[papau]

1. He must say that to keep "unbiased media analyst" job for Iraq

means nothing.

IMHO

[revcarol]

9. So he just wants to hang on the fence,

say the popular things, and waltz in and at least get the VP spot?????

YOU GOTTA BE KIDDIN' ME!!

Remember the old saying: "a heartbeat away from the Presidency"?

I can't stand the way everyone is going so rabid over Clark.If he wants any office, he either has to declare and debate with the other candidates over ISSUES, or be satisfied with his cushy job and cushy military retirement.NO FREE LUNCH WITH THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY!!

[robcon]

58. That's not true

He can announce he's a Democrat anytime - that doesn't disqualify him from any media job. But if he declares candidacy for office, he's outta there.

[Bread and Circus]

80. He's off the payroll with CNN....

so I don't think he is trying to hang on to
that job.

I think he is going to run as a Democrat but
let's not get hung up on labels. It is silly.

[Pastiche423]

2. This Democrat would not vote for him

and I do not believe he IS a Democrat.

P.S. Don't need to slap you or wake you up. IMHO, this is a joke.

[DoveTurnedHawk]

6. Yes, Pastiche423, We Know You Hate Clark

:eyes:

DTH

[Pastiche423]

13. I don't hate Clark

I just don't want him as president.

[DemLikr]

106. So...if it's Clark versus Bush, you'll vote for the Shrub?

Please elaborate. Thank you.

[Nashyra]

3. In Arkansa you don;'t have to declare that you

are either party, he is not declaring his party until he declares a candidacy, I think it is an attempt to avoid a liberal label until he has more exposure.

[ArkDem]

29. In Arkansas????

He isn't in Arkansas. He is from Arkansas but hasn't lived here in DECADES.

[Kahuna]

33. Really? Where does he live now?

[ArkDem]

36. NYC, I believe

.

[graham67]

37. He does not live in NYC!

He lives in Little Rock.

[JohnKleeb]

74. No actually he lives in Arlington, Va

[graham67]

75. Please read....

post #50

[charlie]

79. No, John is correct

"A native of Little Rock, Ark., Wesley Clark and his wife Gertrude now reside in Arlington, Va.

http://www.draftclark.com/biography.shtml

[graham67]

104. That information

is not correct. He lives in Little Rock.

[Kahuna]

63. You "believe?" That means you could be wrong, right?

:eyes:

[Pepperbelly]

50. nope...

he has a house in Hillcrest in Little Rock. And he is there a good bit of the time.

[Kahuna]

32. Plus, Elsewhere quoted him wrong. If you're gonna pick a person

apart, at least quote them correctly. He said, "I haven't declared as a Democrat YET.

[Brian Sweat]

43. But that quote isn't as juicy.

It's much better to say that he hasn't decided, because it makes it sound much more like he may not be.

[ElsewheresDaughter]

57. no, i did not misqoute him the transcripts of crossfire will show

and imho Clark would be the topping on the cake of the "industrial military complex" that Esienhower's farewell address warned us against.

snip

"This conjunction of an immense military establishment and a large arms industry is new in the American experience. The total influence -- economic, political, even spiritual -- is felt in every city, every State house, every office of the Federal government. We recognize the imperative need for this development. Yet we must not fail to comprehend its grave implications. Our toil, resources and livelihood are all involved; so is the very structure of our society.

In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the militaryindustrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist.

We must never let the weight of this combination endanger our liberties or democratic processes. We should take nothing for granted. Only an alert and knowledgeable citizenry can compel the proper meshing of the huge industrial and military machinery of defense with our peaceful methods and goals, so that security and liberty may prosper together.

read his NATO bio Clark was a buisness man
http://www.nato.int/cv/saceur/clark.htm
and this bio
http://www.af.mil/bios/bio_5009.shtml

[ElsewheresDaughter]

62. wrong 2nd link on my post #57...sorry

[Kahuna]

64. So, all of us who heard him say, "yet." are wrong and you who

is the only person who didn't hear, "yet" is right? I don't need transcripts. One, I heard it with my own ears. Two, I taped it. I'll trust my ears and video tape over a transcript. Thank you.

[Pastiche423]

83. HE DID NOT SAY HE WAS RUNNING FOR THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY!

Yet or no yet, he doesn't have the cojones to say what he believes.

[wyldwolf]

4. You didn't know that?

High ranking military men typically keep their political affiliation to themselves. He's retired now so that fact he is obviously a social liberal should tell you he would not enter run as a Republican.

[ibegurpard]

11. Obviously?!

That's all well and good but he is expecting people to support him for president when he won't even say what he would run as?! There are a few socially liberal republicans out there. I really, really don't want to bash on Clark but come on... how can people be gung-ho for the guy when he won't even say whether he'd run as a democrat or not? Let alone whether he would run at all.

[w4rma]

5. That's solves my problem. I am not supporting Clark for VP.

Dean/Graham, pit bulls!

[Pastiche423]

12. That sounds like the ticket for me too

[dolo amber]

18. I dunno enough about Clark

to really have an opinion, but I'm all over some Dean/Graham ;)

[Pepperbelly]

51. Graham should be at the top of the ticket ...

Graham/Clark would take the security issue right away from Bonehead.

[Woodstock]

95. Dean/Graham

sounds good, too

Clark's politics appear to make him fit squarely with the Democratic party. If he wants to be a Republican, he'd be on the outskirts along with the handful that have a conscience.

[imhotep]

7. the "anyone but bush" idiots

don't care that he isnt a democrat, because their emotional hysteria prevents them from intelligent rational choices.

[robbedvoter]

10. As opposed to "Bush above all" geniuses

This democrat will gladly vote for Clark.

[tpub]

8. when asked about "partial-birth" abortion

he very quickly said "I'm pro-life, um, I'm pro-abortion rights"

?

[ElsewheresDaughter]

14. tpub yup i caught that too...his heart revealed truth with his first words

?

[poskonig]

17. Since Kucinich fans have hands-on experience

with flipflopping on abortion, I guess you know what you are talking about. :evilgrin:

[Nashyra]

21. No flip flopping

and honest mistake and then corrected himself in strong terms PRO ABORTION RIGHTS.

[Woodstock]

96. Ouch! But true

:)

Dean is solidly pro-choice. That's very important to me.

[bahrbearian]

19. He' s likely to run against * in the primary as a Repug!

[Kahuna]

34. Do you feel better now?

You should feel embarrassed.

[Nashyra]

20. Go ahead and bash Clark

His slip on the pro-life question was just that, he had the balls to actually use the word ABORTION in his corrected answer. "I am pro abortion rights" what other candidate has said that. And as far as not declaring he is appealing to people on both sides of the political spectrum, and once he declare's he loses half of his audience because so many people are closed minded. Let him expose his Dem social stands to more people and let his knowledge of National Security be exposed to as many as possible before he declares. Centrist of either party who have the unfounded notion that Dems are weak on National Security will be more likely to listen first and judge later.

[11cents]

23. re: yup i caught that too...his heart revealed truth with his first words

Congratulations; this is one of this one of the most ridiculous things I've read on DU. I've made this slip myself, pro-life instead of pro-choice. I understand that many here are already committed to other candidates, and good luck to them. And I think people who remain leery of Clark until they learn more about him are being quite reasonable. But those supporters of Dean, Kucinich, or whoever who respond with this kind of hysteria aren't doing their candidates any good.

[Brian Sweat]

45. No, no, no, no,

It can't be a simple slip, it must be him revealing his true feelings unless the slip is by the candidate that they support.

[ronnykmarshall]

49. AND I remember in 1984

Gerry Ferraro was making a stump speach and at the end of her speach she said: So get out there in November and vote for Ronald Reaga ..... and she caught herself.

See? SEE? She really was a plant by the GOP to ruin Mondale's chances. SEE??? SEE???

[juajen]

88. I agree

I really like Clark and I'm a Kucinich supporter. One of the things that bothers me is that some Americans can't understand that a progressive liberal can be anti-war, but will be strong on defense, and that is the operative word here, DEFENSE.

[Bread and Circus]

89. Very Well Said

I couldn't have said it better myself.

[wheresthemind]

70. I think you can be both...

I am pretty pro-life, but completely for abortion rights!

I would probally never encourage an abortion, but who the hell am I to tell others what they can and cannot do!

[poskonig]

15. You guys are being *way* too hard on the General.

Clark brings a lot of professionalism and experience on foreign policy matters to the Democrats. I don't know if he has the *entire* package to be the at the top of a ticket, but Clark does have his plusses.

[Woodstock]

97. I've always liked Clark

If you haven't heard his recent interview with Diane Rehm, it was very impressive (in the wamu.org archives)

[Avalux]

16. Clark is a Democrat

Before all of you tear the man down - learn about him. Read articles and visit www.leadershipforamerica.org
The man is a registered Democrat in the state of Arkansas. His stepfather held public office as a Democrat. He is very progressive on issues even though he doesn't have a detailed platform yet.
Consider this - if we continue to go on without changing strategy, it's conceivable the Republicans will continue to beat us down. Maybe we need someone who doesn't exactly follow the same path as the others - maybe we need someone so different it scares the crap out of the Republicans.
I think what Clark is doing is smart and great strategy - it't not just about the party, it's about running the country for the good of the country. I wouldn't mind nabbing Republican votes if it means we have a Democrat in the White House. And that may be exactly what gets us there.

[Brian Sweat]

46. LIAR!

He's a Republican and you know it. Even though he supports every single Democratic position and is probably too liberal for the DLC, is registered as a Democrat and comes from a line of Democratic politicians, he is still probably a Republican.

[Bandit]

52. Virtually every General is Republican. Whether Clark is or isn't

doesn't mean that he doesn't share much of the pro war philosophy. He is a lifer. If you have ever been in the military you know what that means. I don't trust any General. The higher up the chain of Command the more likely they are liars.

[Avalux]

54. Don't call me a liar

it's totally unnecessary. If you don't agree with me, find a more mature way of saying it. Grow up.

[Kahuna]

56. I'm pretty sure Brian was being facetious.....

and forgot his </sarcasm> tag.

[Avalux]

59. My apologies Brian

Geez - it's been a rough day. Just a wee bit touchy - think I need a drink. :crazy:

[Bread and Circus]

82. That is cute

;)

[knight_of_the_star]

100. It is clever

He's pulling stealth approach. He's waiting until the right moment to decalre his candidacy while shoring himself up. He's doing part of his race against Bush NOW so that if he wins the nomination he will be able to build on that as well as his rather impressive resume. That and it appeals to a broad variety of voters so that if he declares he is running in say January of '04 then it won't be too hard to get the voters out to get him the nomination. That and it doesn't cost him a dime to do these kind of appearances and he gets the good exposure from them so that he can save his war chest for the real rumble against Bush. It is very sound.

[kstewart33]

22. Clark's my guy

He's brilliant, with tons of military leadership experience, he has character, courage and he's a centrist. Above all, he's electable. He can declare himself to be anything he wants. He's better than anything the Dems have yet offered.

[grasswire]

25. more power to him...

....if he challenges Bush in the primary. I might even re-register as a Republican to get a piece of that action.

And why is one an idiot for being anyone-but-Bush? The Bush cabal is the scourge of the planet. They must be removed from access to power, or we're all going down.

[Cornus]

26. My Guy, too

Agree with what you say and it's why I will work to get Clark elected in 2004.

[revcarol]

24. A larger military, anyone?

Can you say "DRAFT?"

[redwitch]

27. that is what will happen if Bush stays

I don't believe that is the Clark stance.

[unfrigginreal]

28. Did you forget the most important word in that statement..."yet"!

This guy is a godsend, which is all the more reason to PRAY that he get's in the race. Hell I'm not even religious, but you can bet your sweet bippy that I'll be saying prayers.

He would be unbeatable in my opinion and I hope I'm not alone in those thoughts.

[qanda]

31. Not alone...

I would vote for Clark in a heartbeat! He is absolutely the biggest threat to Bush* and until some people around here start realizing that, it's gonna be a long road to 2008.

[Kahuna]

35. She didn't forget. She purposely misquoted him.

That speaks volumes.

[ElsewheresDaughter]

60. Kahuna no, i did not misquote clark transcripst will show...

wet panties is no reason to vote for someone...i couldn't help but noticed your high libido for Clark on this thread since your 2nd post was "boy does he look handsome" (not a misquote) and the posts that follow it ....sigh
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=114218&mesg_id=114218

[robbedvoter]

65. Only if your friends are doing the transcript - I heard what he said

and I deeply resent the tone. You are not doing your candidate any service by going freepershit on Dems - the Green is showing - you know the contemptuous part of it. Go patronize someone else, will you?

[Kahuna]

67. Wonk posted a mpeg. Why don't you listen to it and then come back.

:eyes:

[graham67]

69. I don't get it....

Thinking someone is handsome equals a "high libido"? (It seems pretty tame to me.) I don't know anyone is supporting Clark because of his appearance...its just a happy little bonus. :)

[Bread and Circus]

84. Women think Clark is extremely goodlooking

I am not sure what it means, but I bet it will be helpful.

[knight_of_the_star]

101. It means

He gets the soccer mom vote and the college girl vote silly!

[Kahuna]

30. At least quote him properly!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

He said, " I haven't declared as a democrat....YET.

[Democat]

38. He stated a fact!

Some people are looking for reasons to bash Clark.

[Joe the Revelator]

39. Gore and/or Clark

are the best chances we have this election cycle

[poskonig]

40. Gore has the Perot thing working against him.

Gore has the best chance for the nomination, though there are concerns about the general election. Anyway, he's not running.

[Joe the Revelator]

41. neither is clark

the keyword in this whole discussion being " yet"

[Pastiche423]

42. Gore is not running

http://www.cnn.com/2003/ALLPOLITICS/08/01/gore/index.html

And I do not believe Clark will either.

[Joe the Revelator]

44. yeah i just saw that link

sad news in my opinion :thumbsdown:

[TruthIsAll]

78. Do you believe everything you see on CNN?

You are right. Gore is NOT running. At this time.
Keep telling us Gore is not running; we really need to know this.

You are right. Gore is NOT running. At this time.

You watch and read the Repuke/Rove spin machine in action every day. And every day - another lie or two.

You are right. Gore is NOT running. At this time.

Gore won the election. It was stolen from him. So therefore, we can take him at his word.He really doesn't want to win again.

You are right. Gore is NOT running. At this time.

I can play this game, too

[Pastiche423]

87. Huh?

What game? I supplied a link I cut and pasted from LBN. Did you read the link?

What's your problem? If you are pissed that Gore is not running, take it up w/Gore.

P.S. I do not have cable. Therefore, I do not get CNN. Therefore I saw squat.

[jagguy]

47. I have to chuckle

we're far too prone to jumping in bed with someone whit whom we share one opinion. Its really funny when we discover that they have more than one opinion !

I'm sorry but you guys had this coming.

[unfrigginreal]

53. Tell us the opinions of Clark that you disagree with

Then we'll decide if we had anything coming or not.

[robbedvoter]

66. It's not Ralphie approved, that's all.

[Mz Pip]

48. Understand that

most of the people in this country aren't even plugged into the Primary squabblings yet. We are, but we do not represent the majority of Americans who will start waking up around the time of the Iowa Causus or the New Hampshire Primary.

Clark has time to declare and be a very credible candidate. ANd he will get plenty of support when he does.

MzPip
:dem:

[JackSwift]

55. Maybe he'll challenge Bush for the nomination

and really, really hammer him on military issues. It would leave him bleeding badly. And I'd donate to a Republican Clark for President in 04 campaign.

[Democat]

61. What if an Independent won the White House?

It's probably not possible, but how great would that be?

[ElsewheresDaughter]

76. Democat if that independent was bernie sanders it would work for me

:7

[mot78]

68. Are You Clark-bashers going to vote Green

if he gets the nomination? Otherwise, quit bashing the military.

[jonnyblitz]

71. so will you Clarkbots support him if he comes out as a Republican?!?!

:crazy:

[graham67]

72. LOL @ Clarkbots

He's not going to run as a Republican.

[bicentennial_baby]

73. You're so bad!!

:spank:

Clarkbots...I love it!

Oh, the answer to your question would be no, that's a line I cannot in good conscience cross.

[Bread and Circus]

86. I support the Man, not the Party

I support America, not party politics.

Clark is the man and America is my country :)

He will win it all for us all :)

[Kahuna]

102. Nope!

But the last thing I'm worried about is Clark running as a rethug. Though I'm sure you would like him to.

[inthecorneroverhere]

77. Third party candidacy?

Picture this situation: *shrub vs. moderate Democrat or even Dean.

Wesley Clark runs as a Third Party but on a relatively conservative platform that is similar to, but milder than Pat Buchanan's position. In other words, Wesley Clark runs on low taxes, fiscal conservatism, and protection of jobs, as well as a pro-military position.

This is the perfect way to split the conservative vote between the Neocons (*shrub) and what I call the true conservatives, who are fiscally as well as socially conservative.

This picture yields very high odds of a Dem in the White House come January 2005, especially if there is little improvement in the economy.

edit: speling

[Bread and Circus]

85. 'taint gonna happen

He's gonna run and he's gonna run as a democrat.

Yahoo Baby!!!! :)

[Bread and Circus]

81. You misquoted him, you left out "Yet"

Remember the "Yet" - It may come back and bite ya'

:)

[bicentennial_baby]

90. From the Crossfire Transcript:

"CARVILLE: General, are you a Democrat?

CLARK: I've not declared that I'm a Democrat yet."

(emphasis added for those that need to see it to believe it)

http://www.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0308/01/cf.00.html

[Q]

91. Mr. Smith Goes To Washington

- More parsing of words and having to explain what a politician 'really' means because he's not plain spoken enough to do it himself.

- The Clark loyalists should ask themselves a question: if Clark is a 'registered Democrat' then why did he say he hasn't declared as such?

- Is he ashamed to be a Democrat? This is the type of mealy-mouthed bullshit of the 'centrists'...too afraid to take a stand for fear of alienating the power brokers and monied interests.

- Too many Democrats seem to have lost the ability to tell the difference between a political opportunist and a public servant. And indeed that's why the party is so divided. Too much compromise, appeasement and 'date rape' bipartisanship.

- The party is at a crossroads and 2004 may determine if we go right or left. Be careful who you choose to represent the 'party of the people'.

(Edit:many typos)

[Bread and Circus]

92. We are not parsing words

We are correcting the parsing of words
the original poster used, meaning he
cut off an important word to mislead
what people think about Clark's message.

It is a dirty political trick, and I thought
a Kucinich fan would be better than that.
I really did.

[Q]

93. Why didn't Clark simply say he was a Democrat?

...and say it proudly? Why did he leave even a speck of doubt?

- It wasn't a slip of the tongue. He was being intentionally obtuse.

[Kahuna]

105. I'm more interested in someone who has impeachable democratic..

principles and who believes that our constitution should not be usurped for political gain. Just because you don't know much about Clark, don't ASSume that we Clark supporters don't know much about him.

I'm certain that if Clark runs he will run as a Democrat because I heard him say as much. If he did a 360 and ran as a rethug or indie, I would no longer support him.

[unfrigginreal]

94. Q if you're really a Democratic...

and give a shit about Democratic politics, then you wouldn't be trying undermine Clark. He is by far the best candidate that we could put up. And even if you didn't agree with that BUT were still Democratic you wouldn't be bashing him as you are. Take a hike!

[Pastiche423]

98. If Clark really did give a shit

about the Democratic Party, he would have declared he was a Democrat.

[unfrigginreal]

99. And since he hasn't done it on Pastiche's timeline...

he's not worth supporting? Yeah, Pastiche, we all realize that YOU and ONLY YOU know whats best for the party. We'll blindly follow, ok?

[Kahuna]

103. If you're gonna quote someone, you don't close the quote without

including all of the words in the quote. You also don't start a misleading thread using the incomplete quote. It's just dishonest.