Crunch Time

It's crunch time. The numbers this morning don't look so good, and the news media are killing us. The former was expected given the Republicans' fear of Clark and their control of a good portion of the media. The latter wasn't; Iowans were very astute in their voting last week, and, until proven otherwise, I will continue to believe that the New Hampshireites will be too. That should mean that electability trumps everything else which should put Clark in second behind favorite son Kerry.

However, you can shout electability all you want, and it won't have any effect unless you can back it up with proof. In the next three days we will find out a lot about Wes's calm under political fire (which I'm not particularly worried about) and even more about the savvy of his political organization. This is where they earn their pay. The Bob Butterworth endorsement is a big step in the right direction. Butterworth is one of the most popular politicians in Florida history right up there with Lawton Chiles and Bob Graham; in Florida, that endorsement will mean a lot. I don't know how well he is known outside Florida however. [I don't know him. But I do like butter. -- Max] But, in any case, because of the significance of Florida in the last election and its importance in 2004, this endorsement should play well. Butterworth should shout from the rooftops that Clark is the only candidate that can win Florida. And that ain't just blowing smoke. I live in Florida and I have been canvassing for Clark for three months and he can carry this state, which means that Bush will be in real trouble if he's nominated.

If the campaign is holding any other endorsements up its sleeve, now is the time to play them. Especially if they are southerners in states that are in play. Bill Richardson would be great, but I don't think that's going to happen. I read somewhere that the theme for this weekend's rallies is electability, which means that the campaign brain trust has got it right. I would spend five minutes on a brief stump speech and then the rest of the time on why Wes is the most electable Democrat. I would use statements from the right-wing media and their blogs detailing how afraid they are of a Clark candidacy and how eagerly they are looking for a Kerry or Dean candidacy. Let's use their own words against them. Their web logs have been full of discussions about who would be the toughest opponent for them to run against and they universally think it is Clark. Let's get that out.

One final thought for Clark supporters: All of this negative media was to be expected once Clark became a threat. Don't let it get you down. Write letters correcting the smears, continue to give money, and continue to work like hell.

Mickey