Wesley Clark - now more than ever - Democratic Underground

DancingBear

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Thu Dec-11-03 06:07 PM
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Wesley Clark - now more than ever

Edited on Thu Dec-11-03 06:24 PM by DancingBear

(Disclaimer: This post is not intended to offend anyone – my sincere apologies to anyone if it does so. I am speaking from the heart, and that is sometimes a very foolish place to begin. I convey these thoughts solely as one committed to taking the best course available in bringing this nation home again. No more, no less.)

*****

The gorilla stands alone in the forest, hidden by the tall trees. The tall trees of populism are wonderful trees, tall and full, green and enticing. They are comforting for those who feel that they need a voice, for those that feel all that stands before them needs to be torn down and rebuilt. The young marvel at the bright object that promises a new path, and those on the fringes grasp once again at the football that Lucy pulls away just seconds from the toe of Charlie Brown.

The gorilla smirks, knowing no matter how large he gets he will stay hidden in the forest. The words “WAR ON TERROR” are emblazoned across his chest like the lettering on a boxers robe, and he thinks he can take a punch. He peeks into the trees to see if anyone there is a contender for the throne, if anyone there has the right cross of statesmanship and the left hook of military gravitas that, in today’s climate, will send him down via KO. No one does, he sees, and he smiles. His handlers have armed him with all the money he needs, and all the avenues necessary to spew his bile. The pre-fight plan is clear: define the opponent in terms that he cannot refute, at least effectively. The gorilla has a 30:1 long shot in the other corner, and he likes his chances.

The contender in the camp of populism has a different fight plan. He plans to fight the strategy of long ago, believing that the gorilla can be beaten with a dose of that good old time religion, a barn burning sermon and a dollop of we’re all in this together. If they would listen, we would tell them no, that this is not the time for this strategy. The gorilla rules by force, and deception, and by fear. It fears only one thing, which you do not possess. It fears a bigger gorilla. One whose left is faster, whose right is quicker, and one whose game plan will leave “WAR ON TERROR” looking helplessly by as the referee counts him out.

Those of us watching you have seen your fight plan before, and we cringe. How can we make you see that the time for populism is not now? These times are defined by the words the gorilla carries. This is the bulls’ eye to strike at, yet you refuse. You define yourselves in terms of education and the environment and you can do better. These are noble causes all, and they can and must be taken care of. But the gorilla with the message stands before you blocking your path. He is the bully who steals your milk money and
you hope to relieve your thirst by showing everyone just what a mean old bully he is.

How I would love to be able to see the world through your prism, your unbridled belief that slogans and rolled up shirtsleeves somehow offset a Republican machine so insidious in its quest for control that it destroyed a Georgia man who left his limbs in south east Asia. Do you not see that your candidate has done the impossible – he has actually given George Bush his very own military “get out of jail free” card? The AWOL president can now look at a man across from him who carried x-rays into the draft board and claim, with some sense of bizarre legitimacy, that “unlike him, I served my country”. Think he won’t? Think again. Think it won’t work? Think again.

Take a trip with us grizzled old timers now. Come to the south, where a northern Yankee has about as much chance of winning as do I. Bring with you your secret weapon, the man who could not carry a single southern state, not even his own, who could not decide whether to whisper or to scream, and who dressed himself by committee. Meet with those who carry guns as fashion statements, and whose eyes will never see such beauty as that which resides in their own backyards. Talk to them of Vermont, and watch the incredulous responses that will scream “outsider” so loud they’ll hear it back in Burlington. Talk to them of the bonds you think you share, tell them of a general from Arkansas, and as the gorilla speaks with a southern lilt ask them who they trust.

Come to Wichita with me, and talk. Speak to the aircraft workers who have, on their own time, nights and weekends, personally restored the last surviving B-29 from WWII. Watch the tears roll from their eyes as the remaining members of the original flight crew watch their plane named “Bashful” be reborn. As the gorilla screams its message inches from their ears, tell them of a general and ask them who they trust.

Walk through the suburbs, the malls, and the soccer fields, and see those who feel not populism, but concern. They feel pride in America, but they are scared, very scared. They see the horror that is Iraq, and they know all is not well. They look for experience; they look for someone who can lead. They want most of all to be reassured, and they want strength. They understand the need for war, but not this, and they pray that it never shows itself again. We bring to them a general, who can speak first hand to their hearts and minds, who knows of what they feel. You bring a man of strong conviction, and a vision for a new populism, but little else. As the gorilla screams of skiing trips and civil unions, ask them who they trust.

Come with us as we talk with the ex-veterans, the federal workers, the fence-sitting Bush Republicans who time after time yell out “I can’t vote for any Democrat, except…” See, as we do, the thousands of cars adorned with flags and bumper stickers proclaiming their love (albeit misguided, at times) for their country. Talk with them of their vision for this nation, and listen for their distrust at its current direction. Talk to them of the two men who hold the flag in their speeches, and as the gorilla screams of x-rays and Vietnam, ask them who they trust.

Do you know where we’ve been? We’ve walked through the swath of America that will decide this election. We saw no populism, no massive uproar for a new American vision. We saw no clamoring for slogans, no grassroots electioneering masquerading as real support. What we saw are everyday people looking for someone they can respect. They will vote on what they see, and they will look for someone to protect them. If hope comes along - so much the better. Their sons and daughters die each day for something they always thought they believed in. They cry for someone to tell them why, for someone to say, “I know.” They look for someone who has lived proud enough to die, yet who is strong enough to stop the killing. As the gorilla screams of sealed governors records and Confederate flags, ask them who they trust.

“Ah”, you say, “but this time it’s different.” “Ah”, we reply, “no it isn’t”. We’ve seen your movie before. It ran on movie screens everywhere in ’72, in ‘84, and in ‘88, and its reviews were abysmal. The results never change, and we sadly know the outcome. We know, too, your indignant reply – “Predicting the future now, are you? How about telling us the winning lottery numbers, or the Super Bowl outcome. You can do that too, right?” Sadly, no. What we can do, however, is recollect. We remember CREEP, and small time burglaries. We remember Lee Atwater, the demon seed of political destruction, and a black inmate in Massachusetts. We see Karl Rove, who sat at the feet of Atwater and carries on his demented legacy. While we admire your fervor, we question your plan. A plan that revolves around the belief that “Karl doesn’t scare us” is hardly reassuring to those who have seen the movie before. Look down – your political naivety is showing.

This is a new and bitter age we live in now – sad but true. The rules have changed – invoking Kennedy and tugging on the heartstrings of our collective good will not win. The opposition is still a gorilla, and the gorilla cares not one whit for decency. The phrase ”war on terror” will be to this race what "it’s the economy, stupid” was to Clinton. It will be George W. Bush’s calling card, and it will be shouted 24/7 from every rooftop. The one-trick pony will play it as a full house, up until someone calls the bluff and shows four aces, or, in this case, four stars.

We work for Wes Clark because we believe in this political landscape he is the only one who can win, and to pretend otherwise is folly. The importance of this election cannot be understated, for the balance of what America stands for hangs in the balance. Our reasons for working are many, but all revolve around the unflinching desire to make this nation America once again. As for myself, I speak as someone who has seen half a century pass. I still take my hat off when they play the National Anthem. I still cry when I walk past the black piece of etched granite, and within me still lays the soul of one committed to those beliefs that make this nation all that it is. Social injustice will not pass without action, bigotry will not pass without reprisal, and basic human dignity will not be denied. I wear the badge of Democrat with honor.

The Clark candidacy, it is said, is a gift to the nation. We as Democrats have been given the man we need, at the time we need him. He has looked us in the eye and spoken of his love for this nation, and his obligations to it. When elected, he will not shirk those obligations. In order to get him there, we shall not shirk ours.