I finally figured out the Clark allure

[Eloriel]

And I'm both relieved to understand it and terribly, terribly saddenecd.

This isn't a Clark-bashing thread, tho I'm sure the super-thin-skinned Clark supporters will see it as such. No matter, I'm going to say it anyway.

It was Charlie Rangel who confirmed for me what I'd been sensing about Clark and his "popularity." After all, here is a candidate people know almost nothing about, other than his resume, and what we know isn't particularly good but supporters here twist themselves into knots trying to defend and spin anyway.

I saw Rangel tonight on Hardball, and while I didn't listen to that whole segment, I heard Rangel go on at some length about how a Clark candidacy "levels the field" (with Bush) because of his military experience and credentials -- IOW, his resume.

Resumes are important, but resume + policies are more important. Clark hasn't developed many yet, which means that what supporters know about him isn't much. That alone is disturbing to me.

Rangel also talked abouot the fact that we NEED a way to get out of this war, it's costing us a billion dollars a week, and he's "scared to death" to let Bush have another 4 years.

Scared to death. It didn't sound all that hyperbolic when he said it.

That's what I think Clark's appeal is -- because he is (incorrectly, IMO) seen as the ONLY one who can beat Bush becasue of that resume, and because people's fear of Bush is so great, it doesn't matter what pr who the hell he is.

Now THAT's scarey.

That level of fear scares me. That level of fear corrodes reason and good sense. It's desperation, pure and simple, and those who are despearate not only don't have good judgment, they're easily led -- and even more easily fooled.

That desperation accounts for what some of us see as the extraordinary thin skin some Clark supporters here have.

That level of fear has convinced some people (again, wrongly) that Bush is somehow unbeatable, that his Commander In Chief role is unbeatable, that Dems really are weak on defense, etc., etc., etc. Yuck. What lies they tell themselves. But that's fear -- and desperation -- for you.

Almost most discouraging of all, they don't seem to get it that if the voting machines don't get fixed, it doesn't matter WHO we run, including Clark. Oh well. Maybe they will figure that out sooner or later.

Eloriel