A Blogger Endorses Wesley Clark

The proprieter of the Whatever blog has just endorsed Wesley Clark for President. He has an interesting twist on the power of Clark's appeal to counter some of the Republican Party's angry-white-guy base vote:

Let's be real for a moment, shall we. Republicans win presidencies because they've got the White Guy vote in their pocket, and have for 30 years -- even Clinton didn't win their vote (though he closed the gap, which with the help of Perot was enough). ... The reasons white guys vote Republican will be the subject for an entirely different entry, but ultimately the psychology of the White Man Vote is simple: White guys are status freaks. ...

Unless the Democrats have a candidate who clearly and ably plays to the white man's pathological need for reassurance that voting Democratic doesn't make him look like a sissy. Like, say, a Silver Star-winning former Supreme Allied Commander of Europe who kicked ass in Kosovo without a single American killed. Who is also, lest we forget, a son of the South, where the most white (that is, most paranoid and status-conscious) of white men live.

Now, someone more familiar with Southern geneology might not describe Southern whites as "the most white." But that's a whole other story. It's a good point that there are a variety of cultural factors that go into voting, not just a simple left-right choice. I have the impression that Clark is more liberal overall than Dean. But I agree that Clark could have a broader appeal, if not the the Angry White Guys, at least to some of their slightly-less angry neighbors.

I would also stress that Clark will have maximum credibility with everyone on national security issues. The Whatever post includes some thoughts on Clark's and Bush's respective images in that regard.

Because foreign policy, especially the Iraq War and the various issues involved with the so-called "war on terrorism," will be extremely important in the 2004 election. The intensity with which zealous Republicans, encouraged by the party and its national leaders, are already attacking the patriotism of Democrats shows how hard the Democrats on going to have to hit back on national security issues. I'm sure Dean can pull it off. Clark can pull it off better.