Ryan Lizza has an interesting article in the latest New Republic suggesting Clark may finally have found his campaign voice–coincident with recovering his physical voice after a bout of laryngitis. By this, Lizza does not mean that Clark has come forth with any startling policy initiatives–he hasn’t–but rather that he is finding a way of framing his political approach that builds effectively on his personal history.

Clark is talking a lot about his military career and how he got drawn into it as a way to help his country during the Cold War. He talks about the considerable work he put into rebuilding and modernizing the military after the Vietnam War debacle. And he talks about his desire to serve his country in a new era when we are both threatened by terror and in danger of damaging our institutions and government. He contrasts his New American Patriotism to the Bush administration’s reckless conduct both internationally and domestically.

That’s a pretty good frame for talking up a Democratic agenda. And he adds to this a strong emphasis on pragmatism--governing based on facts and what works, rather than ideology and pre-formed conclusions. As he puts it: “I don’t oppose the president’s policies because they are Republican policies. I oppose them because they don’t work.”

He also uses the military and his experience in it to advance the themes of equal opportunity and meritocratic advancement. And he is striving to strike a note of optimism about the future of country and the great things it can achieve, both here and abroad, if it gets back on track.

This is an attractive package and, in DR’s view, could make Clark a very effective general election candidate. Policy proposals and critiques of the Bush administration aren’t enough; voters want a sense of your values and your vision for the country and Clark may be on his way to supplying that.

Coming soon in DR: How Clark Could Win the Nomination

Once Again on the Bush Bounce

Three more national polls of adults have been released and once again we cannot verify the Bush bounce. The Pew Research Center poll, covering October 15-19, has Bush’s approval rating at 50 percent, down 5 points from their September 17-22 poll. The American Research Group has his approval rating at 47 percent in an October 18-21 poll, no change from their September poll. On the other hand, CBS News has his rating at 54 percent in a October 20-21 poll, up 3 points from their September 28-October 1 poll.

Note however that the Pew Research poll, conducted by the very reputable Princeton Survey Research Associates, has twice the sample size (1,515 to 751) of the CBS News poll. Note also the very interesting finding in the Pew survey that about three-quarters of adults think Bush’s economic policies are either making the US economy worse (43 percent) or not having not much effect (31 percent). Just 18 percent say they are making the economy better.