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Edited on Fri Jan-09-04 09:37 PM by mot78
Clark is coming on strongly in New Hampshire, and rightly so, because he's spent most of his time campaigning there for the last few weeks. However, I'm concerned that his momentum is rising too early, and I'm concerned he may peak early, especially since he could be in a horserace for the "anti-Dean" spot with Kerry if he finishes second in Iowa, or even Gephardt if he wins in Iowa.
I think the main reason for his recent sucess besides campaigning in NH is the fact that he's chosen to remain above the fray, and let Gephardt, Kerry, and Lieberman attack Dean for him, while he can sit back and relax.
Believe it or not, Clark's slip from his initial front-runner status may actually be benefitting him now, because he's had time to perfect his campaigning style, organize his campaign efficiently, and avoid having to worry about the media defining him before he can define himself (he's going to have to preempt what his likely to be a second whore media/RNC caricature offensive coming up in the next few weeks if he does well in NH and on Feb 3rd). By being a quiet, seemingly marginalized candidate, he's become like a stalking lion, ready to pounce on his unsuspecting opponents. I believe he's clever enough to manage his political expectations, and hopefully he'll be assertive in being able to define himself instead of Faux or Gen Shelton.
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