From today’s daily tracking poll in New Hampshire, conducted by ARG:
Dean — 29% (down 3 points)
Clark — 24% (up 2 points)
Kerry — 15% (up 2 points)
In other words, Dean continues to fall, Clark and Kerry continue to rise. Who would have predicted this a month ago at this time? Not me.
We’ll have to see if this holds. These results reflect support before Dean started a new round of attacks on Clark. If his negative campaigning works, we may start to see Dean’s lead start to increase again.
Nevertheless, the Clark campaign had other good news today. Michael Moore, the award-winning film maker and best-selling author, has written an enthusiastic endorsement of Clark, whom he describes as a man “shares our values AND can communicate them to Middle America.”
This is a bit of a surprise. Remember, Moore was so frustrated in 2000 that he actually voted for Nader. Now, however, Moore wants a progressive candidate who will beat Bush and he’s convinced Clark’s the one to do it. Moore’s detailed and persuasive message on supporting Clark is probably being tacked to the walls at Clark’s campaign headquarters right now.
“I believe that Wesley Clark will end this war,” Moore said. “He will make the rich pay their fair share of taxes. He will stand up for the rights of women, African Americans, and the working people of this country. And he will cream George W. Bush.”
In fact, Moore took an unusually pragmatic approach to the election. While promising to work enthusiastically for any of the “non-Lieberman 8,” Moore believes, as I do, that independents and swing voters are the necessary ingredient for a successful presidential campaign.
“The hard core (like us) already have their minds made up. It’s the fence sitters who will decide this election,” Moore said. “The decision in November is going to come down to 15 states and just a few percentage points. So, I had to ask myself — and I want you to honestly ask yourselves — who has the BEST chance of winning Florida, West Virginia, Arizona, Nevada, Missouri, Ohio? Because THAT is the only thing that is going to matter in the end. You know the answer — and it ain’t you or me or our good internet doctor.”
Clark also got some good news this morning from the Washington Post’s Richard Cohen, a nationally syndicated columnist, who described Clark as “Karl Rove’s nightmare.”
“[Clark] is a ‘duty, honor, country’ guy — the West Point mantra he recites constantly,” Cohen said. “His themes are patriotism and leadership, and his credentials are unimpeachable. He was wounded in Vietnam. He rose to command NATO and made war in the Balkans. Four invisible stars glitter from his shoulders.”
Cohen added that Clark is prepared to “go at President Bush in the one area where he once seemed unassailable: his leadership as a wartime president.”