Former Democratic presidential candidate and retired Gen. Wesley Clark urged a group of about 100 supporters of Barack Obama at a rally today in Las Cruces to help convince people to vote on Tuesday.
“I don’t trust the polls, and there’s no room for complacency,” Clark said. “… In good elections in this country, 60 to 65 percent of Americans vote. Can’t we do better than that?”
Clark, speaking at a VFW post on the city’s East Mesa, hardly mentioned Obama’s opponent, John McCain, but was highly critical of the Bush Administration during his speech in arguing that Obama will bring change.
During Bush’s presidency, Clark said, a pattern has emerged: Warnings of a coming disaster are ignored, a disaster strikes, the federal government is slow to respond, and, at the end of Bush’s term, the disaster lingers. He said there have been four such catastrophes: the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the war in Iraq, Hurricane Katrina and the current economic collapse.
“Eight years. Four problems. Enough is enough,” Clark told the enthusiastic group. “Barack Obama is going to bring us some new ideas.”
The rally wasn’t designed to convince undecided voters. Clark asked who among those in attendance had already voted, and just about everyone raised their hands. But Clark asked those people to take on another mission. He asked them to talk to their friends and family members about voting for Obama, and he asked them to call Obama’s campaign and volunteer to make phone calls and help out in other ways.
“I’m here to ask you, in these last hours, as this election closes, that you be part of the change,” Clark said. “… We’ve got to get out the vote. You know, elections are decided on turnout, on effort, on passion.”
Clark urged people to support the entire slate of Democratic candidates appearing on the ballot on the East Mesa, and specifically mentioned state Reps. Nate Cote and Jeff Steinborn and state Senate candidate Steve Fischmann, who each spoke to the group before Clark took the stage.
Clark spoke about two issues: the economy and taking care of veterans. He said the era of trickle-down economics is over and it’s time “for government to lead.” Obama, he said, has the vision to make that happen and the ability to “pull America back together again.”
And he cited Obama’s statement that the government has “a sacred trust” with its veterans.
“We need to live up to that,” Clark said.
