New Hampshire

Congratulations to Wes Clark, his team and the entire NH GOTV effort. Wes Clark finished third in New Hampshire. Unfortunately, the media and punditry seem to think otherwise. For some reason, Edwards is getting positive press having finished fourth, and Clark is getting negative press having finished third. This is absolutely ridiculous. Don't get me wrong - I like Edwards, and he's my second choice in this thing. But Edwards was among the first candidates to declare for the Presidency. He's been campaigning for a year. He had great momentum out of Iowa, having finished second. And all he could pull off was a fourth place finish, and he's getting positive press? The Draft Clark movement began last summer, but there was no campaign or campaign apparatus until September 2003. There was no money until September 2003. The campaign stumbled quite significantly throughout the Autumn of 2003. Yet Wes Clark finished an amazing third in New Hampshire - his first election. Pundits and bloggers are spinning that Clark's results are a disappointment because he had New Hampshire all to himself for the 1st two weeks in January. Well, those two weeks in January propelled him to third place. Not only third place, mind you, but third place behind the long-standing Senator from neighboring Massachusetts, and third place behind the former Governor of neighboring Vermont. In short, I think that Clark's third-place showing was a very positive outcome, and should help him in the upcoming February 3rd states. Now that the year-long pancake breakfast politicking is through, it's going to be more sound-bites, more media events, more TV ads. Clark has the advantage of cash in hand to make a go of it in these states. It's up to us to help him. If you can go to South Carolina or one of the other February 3rd states, go. If you can make phone calls and write letters, do so. Become an e-block captain at the Clark04 website and you can get numbers to call, and scripts to read right there on-line. You can get names and addresses for letters right there on-line. Let's not give up, and let's show the punditry and the media that this campaign has momentum, energy, life and legs.