REPORT: Gen. Clark speaking in Dallas, TX on Wednesday, July 16
Submitted by Mitch Dworkin on July 17, 2008 - 9:50am.
Wesley Clark
Hello Everyone:
I went to see Gen. Clark speak in Dallas, Texas last night at a fundraiser for our U.S. Senate candidate Rick Noriega who is challenging Bush rubber-stamp and mindless stooge Senator John Cornyn.
It is always a thrill to see Gen. Clark when he comes to Dallas and it was really great that hundreds if not probably over a thousand people showed up there to see him speak!
Here is the audio link to listen to Gen. Clark's speech which is 18 minutes and 36 seconds:
http://www.pegasusnews.com/news/2008/jul/16/rick-noriega-gen-wesley-clark-dallas-fundraiser/
Gen. Clark made his support of military service very clear in case there happened to be any Fox News correspondents around!
He started out by talking about how good that things were eight years ago before Bush came to power with the economy and how we were at overall peace in the world where we were working with our allies.
He mentioned how that John McCain said he knows how to win wars but said that Bill Clinton actually did win a war in the Balkans.
He praised our troops as being the finest group of fighting men and women in the world who he was proud of.
He then talked about how that things changed for the worse when Bush came to power when we adopted the new philosophy of "rugged individualism" which is Neoconservatism. He mentioned how that Condi Rice told him how that this was the right kind of philosophy.
He praised this country, the people of this country, our troops, the families of our troops but said that we need a change and a new vision in our leadership. He said that Democrats need to help implement that change because the other side is not just going to roll over and let it happen.
He said that this will be a tough fight and that the polls mean absolutely nothing right now with so many people on vacation and not paying much attention. After Labor Day is when he said people will start to pay more attention to the election and to the issues.
He talked about a bottom up approach of the things that we can do to help support candidates such as our talking to people, the letters that we write, and the money that we give to candidates.
He said that nobody is going to give Rick Noriega the Senate seat and that it will be hardly fought for. He mentioned all of the money that John Cornyn will spend to try and keep his Senate seat and how that we need to work hard to help get Rick Noriega the war chest that he needs.
He had a lot of praise for Rick Noriega as a leader as well as for his military and civilian record.
He mentioned how that Rick Noriega will be there to support our veterans and how that he will be great on the economy as well as on education. He said that change cannot happen without people like Rick Noriega in the Senate to help make it happen.
I got to talk with Gen. Clark for a moment which I always enjoy doing. I told him how badly that I feel about the way he has been unfairly treated by so many people when what he said was absolutely right. He really appreciates all of the support that he is getting here at CCN and he does read the posts!
Gen. Clark is a real class act in my opinion!
Rick Noriega's speech was excellent. He completely stood up for Gen. Clark and defended him from all of the unfair attacks that have been happening. It was thrilling to see a Democrat with some backbone to do the right thing!
Here is the audio link to listen to Rick Noriega's speech which is 19 minutes and 48 seconds:
http://www.pegasusnews.com/news/2008/jul/16/rick-noriega-gen-wesley-clark-dallas-fundraiser/
Senate challenger Rick Noriega
If you are not doing anything to help a candidate right now and if you are looking for something productive to do, then I strongly recommend supporting Rick Noriega's Texas Senate campaign to defeat rubber-stamp John Cornyn who has been a mindless stooge in his support of Bush:
http://ga6.org/ricknoriega/join.tcl
Join Rick Noriega's campaign for U.S. Senate today!
Mitch Dworkin
http://www.securingamerica.com/
http://securingamerica.com/ccn/node/16039
RESOURCES: Speeches, Articles, and Career Highlights to help define Gen. Clark!
Submitted by Mitch Dworkin on July 7, 2008 - 2:51pm.
http://securingamerica.com/ccn/node/10756
StopIranWar.com: "War is not the answer"
Submitted by Wes Clark on February 21, 2007 - 11:40am.
This is a great report. Thanks for going and
for writing it up. I'm glad you got to tell
Gen. Clark that you support him, and that he
realizes that we, his bloggers, do too!
for that great first hand report and the audio links.
I'm so glad you got a chance to talk to him.
Rick seems like a great candidate.
"She hopes to open shadowed eyes on a different world...." Robert Smith, borrowed from Penelope Farmer
Thank you!
"Our public servants work for us - we don't work for them. We have an obligation, as citizens of this country, to always remember that - and to never let them forget it." - DeadMessengers
It's always so gratifying to hear that he still reads his blog and is aware and appreciative of our efforts to get his back! :)
Great first hand account. Thanks to our Clarkie Texans-- next will be newantique's report from Netroots Nation!
This part of your report struck me.....
---we adopted the new philosophy of "rugged individualism" which is Neoconservatism. He mentioned how that Condi Rice told him how that this was the right kind of philosophy.
There are so many "code words" and carefully couched terms that all attempt to forward this destructive philosophy right now. So much of this toxic thinking coming out of the Think Tanks can be traced right back to Ayn Randism, and the core belief that all altruism is immoral. Immoral..... And especially the kind offered by any government. Heaven forbid we attempt to ease any of the burdens placed upon the commons...
So here we are-- how many new names can we come up with for "bootstraps"? How much longer can we blame the people who are suffering in this country for their difficulties and let the (criminal) government ride on a free pass? All the way to a pardon and to Paraquay?
Thank God for people like Wes Clark and Joe Wilson and Kristin Breitweiser and Dennis Kucinich and Bernie Sanders etc who have the chutzpah to speak out and call attention to it all.
Ayn Rand's premise of altruism being immoral was based on the idea that if one does something for someone else/others, and gains recognition for it, then it wasn't altruistic, but self-serving, so is a lie. That's the immoral part - the lying to oneself.
She never advocated helping others was wrong - at least, not in anything I ever read - she just told people not to bullshit themselves about (all) the motivations entailed in doing it.
Where she was wrong was in not explaining that true altruism does not exist. There is no such thing as a truly anonymous act that gains no recognition for the one committing it. Self-satisfaction is recognition, even if you're the only one who knows it.
Again - that doesn't make it wrong. We all seek recognition. Most people don't handle large amounts of it well. So, it's what we do with it that determines if it's good or bad or something in between. Politics being the marvelous example of how easily recognition can cause harm. Wes demonstrates the opposite, thankfully.
"Our public servants work for us - we don't work for them. We have an obligation, as citizens of this country, to always remember that - and to never let them forget it." - DeadMessengers
Dissent is allowed, even encouraged here... as I think we have noted! :)
I tend to side with Thom Hartmann's perspective on this one.
Repelling any doctrines that suggest we should discard democracy and replace it with laissez faire, unregulated capitalism. It's how her philosophies have been USED by the Free marketeers over the years, to hatch and then confirm some of the most destructive policies worldwide, that troubles me so. Even if that wasn't her intent.
It always rubs me so wrong, on all levels. I dunno...
Maybe it's because Alan Greenspan, Rush Limbaugh, Ronald Reagan, Clarence Thomas and so many republicans I can't stand worship at her feet.... that I tend to regard those feet with the utmost suspicion.
In the 1980s, her work had major enthusiasts in the White House, where deregulation and supply-side economics were predicated on that infamous 'virtue of selfishness'... Rand has fans and admirers at all the think tanks full of free-marketeers
Maybe I don't think that part of the 80's economic plan worked out so well, and am about as eager to revisit it as I am to bring back shoulder pads and big hair.
Maybe I know too many Scandinavians... whose only complaint about their countries that they can drum up when asked is.... Ya! Cold weather! Still, no big deal should they catch a cold; medical care being good, free, accessible to all. Furthermore, should they feel like it-- they can just go and get their own Doctorate, their own PhD- and heal thyself... also for free! Yeah I know, they pay high taxes. For some reason, they seldom complain about it though.
Maybe it's because Nietzche always depressed me even though I knew it was cool to read and quote him in college. Hell, even Sartre depressed me, and I lived in France! I think it's why I left gloomy Paris for the sunny Cote D'Azur... :)
Maybe because of my lack of any real religious training, I have trouble wrapping my head around the zealous semi-worship of private property as a natural state of human condition.
For me --and this is just a personal response to it.... the whole Rand philosophy just never "fit" me. I think I'm too short waisted. :)
Sartre IS depressing! Camus was much more hopeful about the human race. Sartre called Camus a "Christian without Christ."
Stan Davis
Lakewood, CO
Wes Clark -- Make America All It Can Be!
If people do the right thing, I don't give a flying fig why they do it. If they're altruistic for selfish reasons, they're still altruistic. The end result is help for mankind.
Someone said that capitalism and Democracy are based on "controlled greed." A part of me agrees.
Stan Davis
Lakewood, CO
Wes Clark -- Make America All It Can Be!
controlled greed.
Greed is Good.
There are a few movies I NEED to revisit. Wall Street. Chinatown. And Network.
Thanks for posting the links, Mitch. Good job!
"Our public servants work for us - we don't work for them. We have an obligation, as citizens of this country, to always remember that - and to never let them forget it." - DeadMessengers
Gen. Clark is a real class act in my opinion!
I believe CCN will concur with your opinion 100%, Mitch!
Thanks for the audio link and write-up. Appreciated more than you know. ;)
Thanks for the write-up and the links, Mitch. Great job.
And to Wes, thanks for what you're doing. Give 'em hell at Netroots Nation tonight and I hope you get to meet Colorado CD-5 candidate Lt. Col. Hal Bidlack there. I haven't yet had the pleasure except by phone.
Stan Davis
Lakewood, CO
Wes Clark -- Make America All It Can Be!
and it looks to me from this very misleading opposition e mail that the Cornyn campaign definitely views Rick Noriega as being a serious challenger and they fear him!
As much as I hate doing anything to give attention to John Cornyn which this e mail does, the bottom line in my opinion is that the people here at CCN who are supporting Rick Noriega have to know what John Cornyn is saying in order to be able to effectively fight back against him and his Bush agenda:
Subj: Rick Noriega’s closest friends are in town
Date: 7/17/2008 5:08:29 PM Central Daylight Time
From: Robjesmer@email.johncornyn.com
Reply-to: Robjesmer.ue.p226545.z190236724@email.johncornyn.com
To: Mitchell Dworkin
Sent from the Internet (Details)
Dear Mitchell,
We have known for a long time that the national left wing was behind Rick Noriega. Last week, he bragged in a press release that he has raised more money nationally from the liberal blogosphere than any other congressional candidate in the country. This week, a who’s who of the liberal hierarchy is in Austin. Everyone from Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Governor Howard Dean to General Wesley Clark will be in Texas over the next 72 hours.
They are here for one reason -- to rally around the Noriega campaign as we approach the final three months of the campaign.
Senator Cornyn will stand with you, and all Texans, over these out-of-state travelers any day.
Rick Noriega and his far left-wing blogger cronies are out of touch with Texas values. But the sad fact is his left wing cohorts have deep pockets. We need your help to combat them.
It is ironic they chose to come to Texas because I am sure the Netroots participants will look around and ask—did we get lost on the way to Berkeley?
They will learn that Texas is arguably the fastest-growing and most successful state in the Union. Our economy is doing well. We have largely avoided the housing bust. We know how to create jobs.
How do we do it? By enacting policies that are the opposite of what Rick Noriega and his liberal blogger allies advocate. We do it with a business-friendly climate that encourages entrepreneurs. We keep regulations to a minimum, so job creators aren’t bogged down by bureaucratic red tape. And we keep taxes low. We also think clearly about our priorities. We want to WIN the war against terrorism. We want government to get out of the way and allow development of our energy resources.
Noriega has raised nearly half of his total funds online, much of it from out-of-state “progressives” who will never even visit Texas, let alone vote here. His campaign regularly boasts that he has strong support from the left-wing blogosphere. Make no mistake, if he were to get elected he would be beholden to these people.
Texas cannot afford that. Will you continue to help John Cornyn in the battle?
Sincerely,
Rob Jesmer, Campaign Manager
U.S. Sen. John Cornyn
Paid for by Texans for Senator John Cornyn, Inc.
The smear e mail below from John Cornyn's Texas Senate campaign calling Gen. Clark "Disconnected Dem of the Week" is a very good reason for helping Rick Noriega's campaign if you are looking for something productive to do right now. You can open up these links to sign up for Rick Noriega's campaign e mails:
http://ga6.org/ricknoriega/join.tcl
Join Rick Noriega's campaign for U.S. Senate today!
Subj: Senator Cornyn Newsletter
Date: 7/18/2008 6:04:24 PM Central Daylight Time
From: JohnCornyn@email.johncornyn.com
Reply-to: JohnCornyn.ue.x226994.z190236724@email.johncornyn.com
To: Mitchell Dworkin
Sent from the Internet (Details)
Inside this issue…
Rick Noriega’s Week in Review…
Cornyn Campaign Announces Outstanding Fundraising Quarter…
Left-Wing Bloggers Descend Upon Texas…
Senator Cornyn’s “Energy Independence Days” A Huge Success…
Disconnected Dem of the Week – General Wesley Clark…
Rick Noriega’s Week in Review...
Rick Noriega ‘s week started off bad and somehow got even worse. On Monday it was revealed that Noriega’s campaign has under a million dollars in the bank, placing him well behind Senator Cornyn, who once again demonstrated overwhelming fundraising support from a broad base of Texans. As the Houston Chronicle pointed out: “[W]ith 113 days left until the election, Noriega has yet to show he can fan embers into a prairie fire,” (Ratcliffe, 6/15/08). Knowing his campaign coffers were in dire straits, Noriega frantically scurried off to Washington, D.C. late last week to beg big money Democrats Chuck Schumer and Harry Reid for an inside the beltway liberal bailout of his fledgling campaign. Unfortunately for Noriega, the consensus in Washington seems to be that Texas is still “solidly Republican.” (Ratcliffe, 6/15/08) On Wednesday, Noriega showed his true colors once again by teaming up for a fundraiser with General Wesley Clark, who recently attacked John McCain’s military service. Noriega, unlike Barack Obama, would not distance himself from Clark in the hopes he could raise a few more dollars. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported: “Asked two more times if he disagreed with Clark's comment, wanted to defend them or perhaps believed that Clark was misinterpreted, Noriega stuck to simply praising” Clark. (Batheja, 6/17/08). Things continued to spiral downward on Thursday when theWall Street Journal reported that Noriega held a fundraiser overseas in London that attracted only 6 people and a “not-so-grand total of$400.” (Whalen, 6/17/08). On Friday morning, Noriega appeared in Austin at the leftist blogger convention Netroots Nation – a convention that is attracting the likes of liberals Howard Dean and Nancy Pelosi. And to close out the week’s festivities the Austin American-Statesman revealed that instead of campaigning in Texas this weekend, Noriega will head off to the posh surroundings of Martha’s Vineyard to chat up deep-pocket Democrats and try to get them to bail out a campaign that Texas Democrats are not upporting.
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/5888131.html#Intro
http://startelegram.typepad.com/politex/2008/07/noriega-silent.html
http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2008/07/17/noriega-supporters-hold-texas-style-fund-raiser-in-london/
http://www.statesman.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/austin/politics/entries/2008/07/17/noriega_busy_before_he_heads_t.html
Cornyn Campaign Announces Outstanding Fundraising Quarter…
This week the Cornyn Campaign reported it had raised $1.7 million in the second quarter of 2008, and has nearly $9.4 million in the bank. What’s even more impressive about these outstanding numbers is that Senator Cornyn received 7,964 separate donations for the quarter, bringing the total number of donors to more than 40,000 in this election cycle. As in the past, 90 percent of the Senator’s donations come from Texas, proving once again that Senator Cornyn’s support throughout the state is strong and continues to grow. The Senator is humbled and honored by the assistance of so many hard-working individuals who believe he represents real Texas values in the U.S. Senate.
Left-Wing Bloggers Descend Upon Texas…
Democrats from San Francisco to Vermont are flocking to Texas this week for Netroots Nation, a national convention of left-wing bloggers. The so-called “progressive” convention features the crème de la crème of the liberal elite, including guest speakers such as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, DNC Chairman Howard Dean, and San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom. It was once expected that Rick Noriega would have a prominent role, but he has since been relegated to two panel discussions. Noriega was drafted last year to run for the U.S. Senate by Markos Moulitsas, founder of the Daily Kos website and Netroots Nation convention. In fact, it was Noriega who successfully lobbied for Netroots Nation to come to Texas. Unfortunately for Noriega, his lackluster campaign efforts have caused Markos and his Daily Kos website to change their tune, having recently called the candidate’s lackluster fundraising efforts “disappointing.”
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/7/5/103833/5059
Senator Cornyn’s “Energy Independence Days” A Huge Success…
After a full week of successfully driving the debate on our nation’s energy future, Senator Cornyn’s “Energy Independence Days” officially came to a close. Throughout the week Senator Cornyn posted a variety of videos on the campaign website offering his vision of how we can best achieve Energy Independence. In addition, “Energy Independence Days” was fortunate enough to feature insightful posts from a variety of national experts on energy policy, including former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, and former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, among others. Excitement also built within the conservative blogosphere, with both national and local bloggers praising the Senator’s vision. And even more exciting, hundreds of Texans committed to Energy Independence left comments on the campaign blog thanking Senator Cornyn for his leadership on this critical issue and offering their opinions on how we can fix this problem. To see full coverage of “Energy Independence Days” or to offer your feedback, make sure to check out our campaign blog.
http://www.johncornyn.com/news?ref=News718
Disconnected Dem of the Week – General Wesley Clark…
This week the former Democrat presidential candidate finally came out of hiding following his recent, well-publicized attack on John McCain’s military service. In appearances across Texas, Clark continued to explain his controversial statements and offered no real apology while fundraising for Rick Noriega. Clark tiptoed around the issue, saying in the Dallas Morning News: “Military service is ‘a wonderful test of your character and what it means about your willingness to sacrifice for the country.’ But, he said, judgment is also important.” (Jeffers, 7/17/08). Strange words coming from someone who some have said has recently shown neither.
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/politics/local/stories/DN-noriega_17pol.ART0.State.Edition1.4d9a2aa.html
Paid for by Texans for Senator John Cornyn, Inc.
yesterday. The contribution link is set up as "clark4noriega" where Gen. Clark will receive the recognition for any donations that are made to Rick Noriega's campaign:
http://www.actblue.com/page/clark4noriega
Subj: I've Seen It Before
Date: 7/16/2008 11:00:21 AM Central Daylight Time
From: info@ricknoriega.com
Reply-to: notice-reply-id7egdw4o7jnkknd@ga6.org
To: Mitchell Dworkin
Sent from the Internet (Details)
Dear Mitchell,
I'm in Texas today to help Rick Noriega because I know we can elect him the next U.S. Senator from Texas. But I need you to do your part in helping him get to Washington. Click here to contribute to Rick Noriega's campaign today!
https://secure.actblue.com/contribute/page/clark4noriega?refcode=clarkemail_071608
Just over two years ago I was asked to get involved, to take a chance -- to help a veteran, who had been drafted into his race, facing long odds and an entrenched Republican incumbent with a huge campaign war chest in a red state.
Today, we call that candidate Senator Jim Webb.
There's no doubt in my mind that we have the same opportunity in Texas -- that in four months, we can elect Rick Noriega the next U.S. Senator from Texas.
Rick faces a difficult and close race this November. Please contribute to Rick's campaign today!
http://www.actblue.com/page/clark4noriega
I know you've heard from both Senator Jim Webb and Senator Jon Tester recently. I can tell you that two years ago, the so-called experts didn't give either of them much of a chance. But when I hit the campaign trail for Jim in Virginia and Jon in Montana, I saw something different. I saw voters ready for change, an enthusiasm from the grassroots that the pundits were missing.
I see the same thing in Texas. The movement to draft Rick into the race was a remarkable organic groundswell from the grassroots. The record turnout for the Democratic presidential primary was incredible. Rick's historic victory in his primary sent a signal that we have the right candidate to beat John Cornyn.
That's why I'm in Texas today to help Rick. But I need you to do your part now. Contribute to Rick's campaign today!
http://www.actblue.com/page/clark4noriega
With Rick Noriega, we have a candidate Texans will be proud to vote for. I know Rick personally, and I know he'll be a great Senator for Texas.
At a time when we are facing increasingly serious foreign policy and national security challenges, Rick's leadership and first-hand knowledge will be of paramount importance.
At a time when people are facing record-high gas prices and sky-rocketing health care costs, Rick's commitment to Texas families, not Washington special interests, will be critical. Please make a contribution to Rick today.
http://www.actblue.com/page/clark4noriega
Thank you for your support.
Sincerely,
Wes Clark
To make a contribution by mail, please download this form.
Disclaimer: Rick Noriega is a member of the Army National Guard. Use of his military rank, job titles, and photographs in uniform does not imply endorsement by the Department of the Army or the Department of Defense.
Paid for by Rick Noriega for Texas
Visit the web address below to tell your friends about this.
Tell-a-friend!
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http://ga6.org/ricknoriega/join.html?r=n7Nhm5SqCQ1wE
Join Rick Noriega's campaign for U.S. Senate today!