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How I Know Wesley Clark is a Democrat
03.06.04 (9:58 am)   [edit]
Being a Democrat in the state of Kansas is a very interesting thing. We are the ultimate in underdogs like the Chicago Cubs or the little indie company that distributed [i]The Passion of the Christ[/i]. Since FDR, only one Democrat statewide has ever been reelected - current 3rd Congressman Dennis Moore - and he virtually has a target tatooed to his forehead. And it's no wonder to look at a large group of Kansas Democrats at once. There are the guys in the cowboy hats from Western Kansas, the black community leaders from KCK and Wichita, and the "art gallery owners" (the gays) from college towns like Lawrence. Like a more compressed version of the overall party, it's hard to understand what brings these people together.

This weekend, these people were brought together by Washington Days at the Ramada Inn in Topeka. The Ramada Inn in Topeka looks about the way it sounds: Big, outdated, and desperate to appear classy. But the people there this weekend were full of hope and enthusiasm. The last election cycle brought Gov. Kathleen Sebelius to the State Capitol, a fiery presence that has made her way onto everyone's short list for VP. (But then, I think every female governor is on that list as well.) And the party has discovered organization recently. They are so organized that Gen. Wesley Clark (Ret.) - the Presidential candidate who was endorsed by the Filmsnobs and lost as a result - was the headline speaker.

Of course I was there. I knew someone who knew someone and...I also took tickets at the door. I had a speech pass thanks to a friend of mine's father and got to see the General deliver a fierce and passionate speech about Sen. John Kerry. He talked about Kerry's experience in the Navy, his experience as a prosecutor in Suffolk County, and about his record in the Senate. I sat there and watched the General - short in stature but large in eloquence - and one thought kept running through my head. When I supported this guy, people would always say: "He's not a Democrat because he voted for Reagan and supported Bush after 9-11."

He's not a Democrat, huh? So why in the HELL is he at the Topeka Ramada Inn on a cold March night? Because eastern Kansas is supposed to be lovely this time of year? Hell, my dad voted for Reagan and he hates Republicans. But he hated inflation and gas lines even more, just like everyone else in the middle class. And didn't everyone want to support Bush after 9-11? Of course, too bad he crapped on our support shortly thereafter. Clark was in Topeka on a Friday night because this election is important. He was there because he cares about this cause. He was there because he is a FREAKING Democrat. And perhaps it's Clark's fault that no one noticed this when he was actually running. But I heard him speak of Sen. Kerry's voting record and how this has already become the nominee's biggest weakness. Members of Congress always make crappy candidates because that voting record is so black and white. An opponent will point out one decision without considering the sweat and consideration that went into that vote. Bush already knows this is more important than being " a liberal from Mass." While Clark never got his footing, he more represented the anti-Bush that primary voters saw in Kerry. Clark looks the part and he was able to govern over a large mass of a continent in his prior capacity. Maybe if he had competed in Iowa. Or maybe, as Ron Reagan put it, Clark just "weirded" people out.

At the end of his speech, Gov. Sebelius got up and persuaded Clark to auction off his tie. The bidding began and someone walked away with a signed neckpiece for $3400.00. And people wonder why they are able to give away free liquor at these events. But the room got up and roared as the General marched away. There was a hope of promise in that room If there's hope at the Ramada Inn in Topeka, I think there's hope for us all.