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Politics : Politics for Pros- moderated -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Sully- who wrote (25338)	1/20/2004 5:14:17 PM
From: carranza2	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 793731

Clark's arrogance is his Achilles' heel. The following article I think perfectly captures the political dynamics that propelled him into the race, i.e., the fact that the DLC needed someone who could talk smoothly and confidently, had credible national security experience, and could fill a suit well. As the writer says, however, not even the Clinton's fathomed the extent of his arrogance. An enjoyable read: Sep 22, 2003 Many questions surround Wesley Clark's campaign. The first three are easy. Did the Clintons push him into the race? Will he be able to raise enough money? Did he enter the race too late? Question one: Yes, well at least the Clinton ran Democratic Leadership Council. Question Two: Yes. Question Three: The nine dwarfs are hopeless. No. Still many believe Clark’s late entry will cause him problems in both raising money and establishing a cohesive campaign. If Clark catches fire quickly, the DLC will make sure neither will be a problem. But the fourth and biggest question, his stance on issues, is a bit tougher. But don't worry, the DLC focus groups will tell feed him talking points soon enough. The General spent a lot of time last Thursday telling reporters that he has yet to come to a conclusion on many issues. He flip-flopped on the Iraq war yet again, admitting that he would have likely voted for the war had he been a member of Congress at the time. Then within 24 hours he changed yet again. He’s sure he would ask for more troops in Iraq, but has no clue on how to do it. He was completely lost on the domestic side. Clark is very unsure on many of his positions, and they can change at any time. There is a clear reason for this. The first wave of the Democratic Leadership Council focus group data is barely in, and needs to be reviewed. Once the data is analyzed, the DLC machine will steer the General towards his newly formed positions. It really is that simple. The DLC had nothing going for it until Clark was shoved into the race with zero political experience. Joe Lieberman mirrored their stance on many issues, but lacked charisma. John Kerry looked wimpish and went from frontrunner to bottom feeder in only a few weeks. It was becoming clear that Dick Gephardt stirred no emotions among the primary voters. John Edwards was irrelevant and even joked that no one knew he was running for the Presidency. The only candidate making noise and catching fire for the Democrats on the campaign trail was Howard Dean, who proudly proclaimed that was he was from “the democratic wing of the Democratic Party.” Clearly Dean couldn’t be controlled by the DLC and his successful campaign could set them back years in but one election cycle. And that led the DLC to shove the four-star General into the race. He is the perfect focus group candidate. Smart, looks good, speaks clearly and confidently and he fits the suit. Now the DLC just has to tell him what to say. And that’s where the DLC may run into trouble. Many published reports speak of Clark’s arrogance, and his stubbornness. Many say the General wants things done his way, and only his way. And this may also make Clark difficult to control for the DLC. That means the DLC machine is not running on all eight cylinders yet, but it is fired up and ready to put someone new behind the wheel. They are hoping that someone can be a red hot and obedient Wesley Clark. That’s why it seems so odd that many are wondering where Clark will find money and support. Many say his “draft Wesley Clark” website is nowhere close to as sophisticated as Howard Dean’s sites, and he’s seven or eight months behind with his late entry and that will cause problems in fundraising. But the DLC machine easily solves that. Clark has the best of both worlds if, and only if, his campaign can catch lightning in a bottle in the next few weeks. He can claim that the “Draft Clark Website” showed a groundswell of interest and forced him into the campaign. And if he follows the DLC and the focus group data they feed him, the DLC will fire up its formidable political machine to back him. That means cash, and lots of it. The Clinonistas fund raising machine will raise the money and it won’t take long for Clark to make up the difference in dollars. That takes care of the cash strapped campaign myth. The DLC will follow that with support, experienced campaign staff and experienced handlers. The liberal media are already in love with his candidacy. The most embarrassing example was MSNBC’ host Chris Matthews gushing over the General while lobbing him softball questions on his Hardball program. Mathews literally thanked him on the air last Wednesday night for entering the campaign. Expect rock star treatment from the liberal media for next few weeks for the General. His weekend poll numbers show a confused, splintered Democrat Party that is desperate and has little consensus on which candidate to support. An early Newsweek poll actually has Clark surging into the lead despite his early campaign confusion. The Democrats see a pop culture phenomenon, and at least for now, he is at the top of ten weak presidential candidates. That neutralizes the myth that Clark has started his campaign too late. There are two problems that can slow the DLC machine and both are on candidate Clark. He must be patient initially, and then get his focus group data out in a coherent and forceful way. And he must keep his reported arrogance in check. Clark will get the support from the DLC, but only if he takes orders and stays on message. And that begs the question--will the arrogant General take orders? Talking points will be the order of the campaign, and Clark won’t be allowed to go AWOL and wander too far off the DLC base and continue to get their financial and campaign support. Wesley Clark will soon be on a short leash as he is the “Johnny Bravo” DLC focus group candidate for one reason only; he looks good and fits the suit. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- CK Rairden is a political columnist for The Platte County Landmark and a freelance writer. He can be reached by writing feedback@washingtondispatch.com. Additional columns can be read by Clicking Here. washingtondispatch.com