Clark contrasts humble roots with Yale-educated rivals
sfgate.com
By HOLLY RAMER
Associated Press Writer
Monday, January 26, 2004
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(01-26) 08:49 PST LEBANON, N.H. (AP) --
Democratic presidential hopeful Wesley Clark on Monday drew an economic line between himself and his Ivy League rivals, telling voters "I didn't go to Yale" or enjoy a privileged upbringing.
Three of his opponents in New Hampshire's Tuesday primary -- John Kerry, Howard Dean and Joe Lieberman -- graduated from Yale, as did President Bush.
"Unlike all the rest of the people in this race, I did grow up poor. I didn't go to Yale. My parents couldn't have afforded to send me there," Clark said during a campaign stop in Keene.
Clark was born in Chicago and grew up in Little Rock, Ark. His mother moved in with her parents after his father died. He attended the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, where tuition is free.
Clark spent more than 30 years in the Army, retiring in 2000 as a four-star general. His financial records show he earned $1.6 million in 2002, mostly as a consultant and military analyst.
Two other candidates, John Edwards and Dennis Kucinich, also talk about their humble roots on the campaign trail.
Edwards, a graduate of North Carolina State University, tells voters his father was a mill worker. Kucinich, who earned degrees at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, says his family struggled financially as they moved from home to home nearly two dozen times.
Clark struck another familiar theme -- his independence from Washington politics -- as he undertook a bus tour of all 10 New Hampshire counties. It, too, aimed to separate him from Kerry, Edwards and Lieberman, all U.S. senators.
"I'm an outsider. I'm not part of the problem in Washington. I've never taken money from a lobbyist. I've never cut a deal for votes," he said.
After his retirement from the Army, Clark worked for nearly two years as a a lobbyist for an Arkansas database firm, Acxiom Corp.
While meeting voters at a truck stop in Lebanon, Clark called the Republican Party a "heartless organization" and said he had earned the respect of other nations as NATO supreme allied commander.
"The Europeans know who I am and respect me," he said. "When you elect a president, you need someone who's not just experienced at getting elected, but someone who's experienced at leadership." |
