If Wesley Clark gets the Democratic Presidential nomination, he isn't likely to carry any Southern states except Florida and possibly his native Arkansas, though it's possible he'll be competitive in Tennessee. The same is true with Howard Dean, who is arguably more conservative than Clark.
But Clark certainly seems more comfortable in connecting with Southern voters. While Dean has been embarrassingly awkward talking about the Confederate flag and saying he'll put more references to Jesus in his speeches in the South. Dean seemed to have some idea that he could sidestep the Confederate flag issue in South Carolina the way John McCain tried to do in the 2000 Republican campaign.
This report from the Nashville Tennessean (12/31/03) shows how Clark delivered his message on a campaign stop there:
Clark likened his faith and values to those of Tennesseans, saying he grew up getting ''your fill in faith'' — attending Sunday school, 11 o'clock service, Sunday night service, singing in the choir and Wednesday night Baptist training.
He also touched on another issue close to the hearts of many Southerners, saying he caught bass and crappie and hunted with his father on weekends.
Clark blamed Bush for missteps in the war on terror, saying the president did not do enough to prevent the Sept. 11 attacks.
Bush was wrong to lead America into war by saying Iraq had weapons of mass destruction and connecting deposed Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein to terrorist Osama bin Laden, said Clark, who spent 34 years in the U.S. Army.
Clark's exit strategy would be to put Iraqis in charge and deploy U.S. forces in Iraq through NATO so fellow nations would have more incentive to get involved, he said.
But his campaign speech centered mostly on the loss of jobs during Bush's tenure, saying 8.8 million Americans are out of work.
Anyone who grew up Southern Baptist (as I did) will especially appreciate the reference to Wednesday night prayer meeting.
1 comment:
You point out well the more human appeal of Clark over Dean. On a personal level, Clark is much more approachable and warm and fuzzy. Sounds like he's finally getting his message honed too by focusing on jobs. I has much more resonance than Bush Lied. Hope he succeeds in winning the nomination. I fear Democrats will be sidelined into obscurity if Dean wins.
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