Welcome to
Then and Now:

Welcome to "Then and Now", a new CCN Series Blog deriving the bulk of its material from you — the Wes Clark supporter.

We’ve heard so many compelling and interesting stories from so many people. We’d like to put them all together in one place. Therefore we’re asking you to share your story with the CCN readers.

Specifically:

When and how did you initially discover Wes Clark? What specifically about Gen. Clark drew you in, and what did you then do about it?

Then & Now:

Meet the Press Interview Brings in New Draftees – Part II

"Then and Now", derives its material from you — the Wes Clark supporter.

We’ve heard so many compelling and interesting stories from so many people. We’d like to put them all together in one place. Therefore we’re asking you to share your story with the CCN readers.

Click here for a special request from the Then and Now Team to share your stories!.

Last time, Howard Park presented his story, describing the motivation he received from the June 15, 2003, “Meet the Press” interview. Another person inspired by that interview was our “Then and Now” team leader Stan Davis. Since that fateful day that literally changed his life forever, Stan has been the quintessential Clark supporter, providing important leadership and coordination for many Clark/WesPAC activities, as well as those of the Democratic Party in and around his home in Lakewood, CO. He is tireless in his dedication to all things Clark – I can’t believe the timestamps on some of his e-mails.

Stan Davis – Then
“The Moderately Moderate Moderator”

Then & Now:

Meet the Press Interview Brings in New Draftees – Part I

"Then and Now", derives its material from you — the Wes Clark supporter.

We’ve heard so many compelling and interesting stories from so many people. We’d like to put them all together in one place. Therefore we’re asking you to share your story with the CCN readers.

Click here for a special request from the Then and Now Team to share your stories!.

The Howard Park Story

The June 15, 2003, “Meet the Press” interview not only greatly energized those already involved in drafting General Clark for President, it brought many new supporters into the Draft movement. We resume our “Then and Now” stories with those whose support of General Clark for President was clinched by that interview.

First up is Howard Park, the Washington DC Democratic Party activist and Clark supporter extraordinaire. He tells his story below.

Then & Now:
The Draft Clark Movement Explodes – Part II

Click here for a special request from the Then and Now Team to share your stories!.

The Draft Clark Movement Explodes: Part II

“That was one of the best half-hours of my life.” – Jill Squire
“The 800-lb gorillia is on the move. The NEXT PHASE has begun” – Cheryl Lahr
“The Summer of Clark” – Rob Stephens

Welcome back to “Then and Now.” In the last installment we read the transcript of Gen. Clark’s interview with Tim Russert on June 15, 2003. I called it an “explosion” in the movement.

Here are some numbers:

The WesleyClark2004 Yahoo! group, which was the only game in town at the time, opened that day with 179 members. By the end of the day the membership was 204, an increase of 25. By midnight the following Wednesday, membership had grown by a net of 67 new members, reaching the 246 member mark. The month of June closed with 288 members.

Then & Now:
The Draft Clark Movement Explodes – Part I

Click here for a special request from the Then and Now Team to share your stories!.

The Draft Clark Movement Explodes: Part I
“I’m going to have to give some serious consideration to this.”

Welcome back to “Then and Now.” In the first three installments, “From the Beginning,” we “heard” the stories of three groundbreakers instrumental in making the Draft Clark Movement a viable and unique force in American politics.

First we heard from marketer and hype-generator par excellence John Hlinko the founder of DraftWesleyClark.com. In Part II, the amazing and magnificent Susan Putney related “This Amazing Journey with Wes.” Finally, in Part III we enjoyed "A Conversation with Jason McIntosh,” one of the prime movers in making DraftClark2004.com a resounding success.

In the early going, these three pathfinders and several others who were leading the charge had one main objective: to grow the Draft Clark Movement enough to make Gen. Clark’s decision to run inevitable. I always remember Yogi Berra’s line at a tribute dinner held for him. When Berra finally took the microphone after all the praise (and not a little amount of good-natured ribbing), Berra said, “I’d like to thank you for making this night necessary.” The early DraftRooters wanted to create a movement of such size and scope that it would make Wesley Clark’s decision to announce necessary.

Then & Now:
From the Beginning … Part III

Click here for a special request from the Then and Now Team to share your stories!.

From the Beginning Part III…

A Conversation with Jason McIntosh:
“The extreme of doing what is possible”

Then & Now:
From the Beginning … Part II

Click here for a special request from the Then and Now Team to share your stories!.

From the Beginning Part II…Susan Putney’s Story
“This Amazing Journey with Wes”

Welcome back to “Then and Now,” and thanks to all of you who commented on the first installment, “From the Beginning Part I … John Hlinko’s Story.”

In Part I, John talked about the “please run” letters people wrote and stored at his DraftWesleyClark.com site, beginning in March 2003. Part II continues that story with New Hampshire’s Susan Putney. In the late winter/early spring of 2003, Susan had been a more or less apolitical but concerned marketing executive who subsequently devoted months of her life, around the clock, first to the Draft Clark Movement and later to the Clark ’04 campaign. She made it all happen in New Hampshire…with a bunch of help from her friends.

I interviewed Susan some time ago for my Nostalgia Project. The story below includes a few comments from John so as to paint a complete picture of a historic day and its aftermath.

Stan Davis

Then & Now:
From the Beginning … Part I

"Then and Now", derives its material from you — the Wes Clark supporter.

We’ve heard so many compelling and interesting stories from so many people. We’d like to put them all together in one place. Therefore we’re asking you to share your story with the CCN readers.

Click here for a special request from the Then and Now Team to share your stories!.

From the Beginning Part I…John Hlinko's story

We thought that it would be appropriate to begin…well…from the beginning.

John Hlinko founded DraftWesleyClark.com in March 2003. If you haven’t met John or read his e-mails from the Draft Clark days, you’ve missed something. John's creative approach generated a number of innovative marketing strategies to bring in new supporters and pledge funds for a potential race. John is a dreamer who turns his dreams into action.