Clark May Join Democratic Debate
Thursday , September 18, 2003
WASHINGTON — Retired Army Gen. Wesley Clark (search) came under fire Thursday for suggesting he will skip the first debate for which he's eligible, one day after declaring himself a Democratic presidential candidate.
The debate next week in New York City will focus on economic issues. On Thursday, Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman's (search) campaign challenged Clark to attend the event.
"The economy is going to be arguably the most important topic that will be discussed this entire political season," said Lieberman spokesman Jano Cabrera. "Surely the general can change his schedule to discuss this issue with the American people."
Aides said Clark is "contractually obligated" to give a paid speech on the same day as the debate, but they insist they are working things out and the candidate is expected to attend.
We are "98 percent certain he will be there," an aide for the fledgling campaign said, adding that they are trying to find a private plane to get the candidate to the debate on time.
The Clark camp has not disclosed to which group Clark is contracted to speak. Senior campaign officials claim they don't know and have made it clear they don't want to discuss details because ultimately they expect Clark to attend the debate.
Several campaigns have criticized Clark, saying a debate on the economy is too important for a presidential candidate to miss.
"I think all Democrats will be disappointed if General Clark passes on an opportunity on national television to lay out his policies for making the American economy stronger and fairer," said Jim Jordan, campaign manager for Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry (search).
The New York debate will be the second in a series of six debates sponsored by the Democratic National Committee (search). The now-10 candidates also plan to attend several other forums hosted by Democratic interest groups.
DNC officials said party Chairman Terry McAuliffe (search) mentioned the debate every time he spoke to Clark in recent weeks, and told him how important it is that he participate.
Clark officially joined the race on Wednesday, announcing in his hometown of Little Rock, Ark., that he plans to lay out serious questions asking why the administration has failed on several policy fronts, including Iraq and job creation.
Some pundits have said his late entry into the race puts him at a disadvantage.
But Clark hesitated before joining in part because he lacked the cash — both campaign contributions as well as personal finances. Not being independently wealthy, Clark needs an income while he runs and doesn't benefit from the congressional pay several other candidates receive.
Raising millions of dollars this late in the game could be tough. Other Democrats have been tapping traditional Democratic donor bases for months. Labor, Hollywood, African-Americans and Jewish donors in New York and Florida are frequently pursued for donations.
But insiders in both parties say Washington's special interest community has not yet fully opened its political checkbook. With the help of high-profile members of former President Clinton's team, Clark could tap into that.
The downside of looking to Washington's K Street lobbyists is that it could undermine his image as an outsider. However, since timing is critical in politics, the calendar could be a help to Clark.
If he raises significant cash in the final quarter of the year, which starts Oct. 1, Clark will not need to disclose his earnings or donors until Jan. 15, 2004, just days before the first caucus and primary votes are cast. The short space between his disclosure and the elections would leave little time for voters to fully determine if Clark's outsider campaign were largely funded by D.C. lobbyists.
Clark, a retired four-star general who was head of the U.S. Southern Command and NATO commander during the 1999 campaign in Kosovo, may skip more than next week's debate.
The former cable news military analyst may sidestep Iowa a bit. Since he is late in starting, it will be difficult to get ahead in the state, which is distinctive for the amount of on-the-ground campaigning and hand-shaking events candidates must attend. Instead, Clark plans a mass marketing campaign using television interviews and the Internet.
Caucus night, set for Jan. 19, consists of meetings in roughly 2,000 precincts statewide, where party activists nominate and argue about the candidates. The process, which is much different than an open primary, invites the most loyal and often more liberal Democrats.
That form of nominating could be a disadvantage to Clark, whose appeal to independents and Republicans might fail to ignite the party loyalists who make up the base of the caucus participants, Drake University political science professor Dennis Goldford said.
Fox News' Carl Cameron and The Associated Press contributed to this report |
