A Blast from the Past...

[wjsander]

All the way back to August 2003...

http://www.geckoblue.org/archives/000259.shtml

snip---

Kerry's candidacy is over the day Clark announces, plain and simple. His supporters know that there is no plausible way the man can win. John Edwards, mired in single digits after a barrage of television ads, will drop out and run for reelection to the senate. Joe Lieberman, for all his recent bomb-throwing, will become another Bob Graham, a man with good national security creds but little reason to continue wasting his time campaigning for the top spot.

snip---

Things sure do change.

Come to think about it, I do remember Wesley Clark getting an awful lot of press coverage upon entering the race, whereas canidates such as John Edwards got very little.

Was it because the media thought Clark would have been the perfect saboteur to the democratic party? Was it because Karl Rove knew he could he could rip him to shreds come Nov 2nd and ensure 4 more years of Bush? Was it because he was afraid canidates like Kerry, Edwards, Kucinich, ect would take America by storm with more air time?

OR, was it just the media following the bigger story at the time?

[NMDemDist2]

1. one year before that article i sent an email to JK's senate office

begging him to run and supported him through the bad times and will cry with joy as I watch him take the oath of office next January. In the meantime--- Get active folks especially if you live in a swing state

[displacedtexan]

2. I had just joined the JK campaign that month.

People laughed in my face until the Iowa caucuses.

Even some DUers asked if I was learning impaired.

[Protected]

3. Perfect saboteur?

What in the heck are you talking about?!

[Tom Rinaldo]

4. Recycled Anti Clark agenda

That's the blast from the past. Gephardt absolutely bombs in the primaries, but gets serious consideration for VP nonetheless. Clark runs a reasonably strong campaign with no prior political experience, scores countless powerful blows against the Bush Administration in the process, laying out all of Bush's weaknesses in foreign affairs which now is bearing fruit, and becomes a featured Party and Kerry spokesperson on countless media events and at numerous meetings, but Clark is deemed a potential "saboteur". I saw this thread when it first was posted, and chose to ignore it rather than bump it back to the top of the page. Clark ended up helping Kerry as it turned out. Kerry moved to cash in on his Veteran War Hero status much more heavily after Clark got into the race, which was Kerry's ultimate salvation.

[Tom Rinaldo]

6. In fairness to the original poster

I think the point being made may simply be that Edwards gets so much media coverage now because he is a legitimate big political story, just like Clark was when he chose to become a candidate. That would I suppose be to refute any allegations that Edwards is only being pushed by the media (and secretly by the Republican Party) now because they think he will be easy to take down later if he gets on the ticket.

[wjsander]

10. BINGO!

Although, I'm sure some people will still fail to "get it".

[RafterMan]

14. '...still fail to "get it"': You're one of them

Clark got about two weeks of good coverage around the time he entered.

After that, it was endless repetitions of Hugh Shelton and starting World War Three. And his crackpot theory that Bush tried to tie Iraq to 9/11. And he used a triple-negative in a speech. And he only understood giving orders. And he got a speeding ticket. And he pulled rank on Kerry. And he didn't blink enough.

Does playing the instigator amuse you?

(edit: removed gratuitous personal attack)

[Doosh]

8. Gep

just has more roots in the party, and is more of a Dem veteran. He's often been described as "a comfortable pair of shoes" that's why he's a serious contender for VP

Some think Gep should be rewarded for being the Dems Primary Suicide Bomber, basically he engaged Dean in an Iowa flame war, took Dean out and himself in the process, saving us from a Dean candidacy and getting McGoverned in 2004.

[Tom Rinaldo]

9. I can see that, and understand why some would have those feelings. n/t

[democratreformed]

5. IMO, they were following the bigger story.

Clark got a lot of attention b/c of the draft movement. He was expected to do better than he did. JK was not getting a lot of attention at the time and many viewed his campaign as dull and boring. Even Gert Clark, herself, could not understand why members of the draftClark movement preferred Clark over Kerry.

In the end, Kerry was the victor and that is all there is to it. His campaign was the smarter one and it payed off for him and for us, I hope.

[Doosh]

7. I remember those days

Kerry was trailing dean by 35 points, Edwards mired behind Carol Mosely Whatsername, and here comes Wes Clark with all the fanfare....

seems like a million years ago now.

[TexasSissy]

11. Let me guess....you're an Edwards supporter?

It's an interesting article in your post. No need to add ugly comments or Republican-type comments about reasons some people liked Clark.

My recollection is that Edwards got a lot of coverage. There was even a formal meeting here at my workplace (in Bush country) to push him. But Clark was a well-known general and had been a pundit on CNN, and was not a politician, so it made have made for splash initially. Four a few weeks. And then the media either ignored him or spoke ill of him. Edwards got a fairly free ride from the media, however, owing in no small part to his being more experienced at handling the media (IMO).

[wjsander]

12. Just my reply to the "Media Hates Clark" argument...

... as opposed to having anything to do with Edwards. If some people would stop being so silly, there would be no need for the "ugly" or "republican-type" comments... interesting way to put that, by the way.

[Jai4WKC08]

13. There's no need now

Except from people who would rather tear down another Democrat than build up their own favorite.