Wesley Clark narrows in on Dean
zwire.com
BY WILL LESTER
Associated Press Writer
01/02/2004
WASHINGTON -- After separating from the pack as the only Democratic presidential candidate to give Howard Dean a late-year run for the money, Wesley Clark is mapping his final sprint to become the Democrats’ alternative to Dean.
"It’s now clear that I’m one of only two candidates in a position to win the nomination," Clark, a retired general, said in a statement issued Thursday. "And I’m the only candidate positioned to actually win the election because I am the candidate best able to stand up to George W. Bush and win the debate about who will best be able to make our country secure over the next four years."
President Bush had a 67 percent to 21 percent lead over Dean on who people trust more to handle national security, according to a mid-December ABC-Washington Post poll.
Dean’s campaign aides say his strength in a general election campaign is his unique ability to mobilize new voters and his ability to raise money beyond the limits required by taking federal matching funds.
Dean spokesman Jay Carson said the former Vermont governor was the one candidate "who had the good judgment to oppose the war in Iraq when that was not politically popular." Carson said Clark and other candidates taking matching funds will be "flat broke after the primary campaign and sitting ducks for President Bush." The president’s re-election campaign has already raised more than $115 million.
Now that Clark has raised more than $10.5 million in the final quarter and is getting $3.7 million in federal matching money, his campaign provided a road map this week of how he plans to capitalize on his strong financial position.
They hope to carry their fund-raising momentum into January by raising another $4 million during the month.
"We will have ample resources to compete well into February and beyond," said campaign spokesman Matt Bennett.
Clark is in relatively strong position in polls both nationally and in states with early contests.
Dean leads in national polls and in New Hampshire as well as some states with early contests.
As Clark tries to narrow the race to two candidates, other campaigns are likely to start diverting some of their relentless attacks on Dean.
They have their own ideas of who can be the alternative to Dean.
Campaign aides to Joe Lieberman, the Connecticut senator, say Clark is relying too heavily on his biography as a military man.
In fact, the Clark campaign is sending a 15-minute videotape about the general’s life and views to 50,000 possible primary voters in New Hampshire and showing it on several cable channels in the state before the Jan. 27 primary.
His rivals have criticized Clark’s past support for Republican presidents. They also found fault with his stumble on the Iraq war issue right after entering the race in September. After giving contradictory answers, he now consistently says he is against the way the war was handled.
Starting Monday, Clark plans a carefully orchestrated introduction of domestic and security proposals. Clark plans to roll out a "signature issue" on the domestic front Monday, though aides wouldn’t discuss specifics.
For a week in mid-January, the former NATO commander plans to address different aspects of domestic and economic security every day -- including a detailed homeland security plan. During that week, he will focus his campaign on New Hampshire and states with contests in early- to mid-February.
Starting the week of Jan. 19, Clark plans to campaign steadily in New Hampshire, as all the candidates move their campaigns to the Northeast.
Relying on his strong finances, Clark is advertising heavily in New Hampshire, as well as in many states in the South and West with contests in February.
The Clark campaign is counting on its roots as an Internet movement to help build a strong grass roots presence, both traditional and online.
Taking a calculated risk, Clark is not competing in the Jan. 19 Iowa caucuses, saying he entered the race too late to compete there.
Iowa plays an important role in several other candidates’ plans to challenge Dean.
Dick Gephardt, the Missouri congressman with the comprehensive health care proposal, is counting heavily on a win in Iowa, while senators John Kerry of Massachusetts and John Edwards of North Carolina hope to do well in Iowa to strengthen their hand in New Hampshire and beyond.
Like Clark, Lieberman is skipping Iowa, and hopes his support of President Clinton’s centrist Democratic policies and his own name recognition as Al Gore’s running mate in 2000 will help him gain traction. |
