April 30, 2004

QUOTABLES:

"He [John Kerry] is generally surrounded by white folks, and sure that concerns me, sure," said Representative James E. Clyburn of South Carolina.

"Not only does the U.S. economy appear to be headed for at least a burst of recovery around election time, but so does the world's second-largest economy, Japan, which should also help buoy the U.S. recovery. It's more evidence, to me, that Mr. Kerry may have to run in the most difficult of all environments and exactly the opposite of the one Democrats had hoped for: an environment where the U.S. economy is rebounding, and Iraq is reeling." New York Times columnist Thomas L. Friedman writes.

"I fully intend to receive Communion one way or another — it's very important to me," said Rep. Nancy Pelosi.

JUST POLITICS

Dean’s re-launch

Governor Howard Dean re-launched his organization's website - www.democracyforamerica.com - in conjunction with a fundraising drive featuring the return of the fabled fundraising Dean Bat. Supporters can track the progress of the fundraising drive by watching the Bat fill up as Democracy for America closes in on its goal of raising $250,000.

"The money we raise on the Bat will go towards the great cause of promoting candidates to run at every level of government," Governor Dean said today. "Our vision is for www.democracyforamerica.com to become a home base for the grassroots community. Our supporters have proven time and time again that the grassroots are alive and well, and I'm certain they are up to our latest challenge."

In the coming weeks, www.democracyforamerica.com will roll out new Action Tools for grassroots organizers, feature Dean inspired candidates on the site, schedule campaign seminars around the country on the basics of grassroots organizing, and continue an ongoing dialogue with supporters in order to restore the sense of community that has been lost during the presidency of George W. Bush.

Hispanic fault-line

The NY Times covers what appears to be an inept move within the Kerry campaign regarding the courting of Hispanic voters. Raul Yzaguirre, the president of the National Council of La Raza, denounced the remarkable and unacceptable absence of Latinos in Kerry’s campaign in a letter to the presumptive nominee.

The Times reports:

Andi Pringle, who worked for the Rev. Jesse Jackson's presidential campaigns and was a deputy campaign manager for Howard Dean, said that in addition to staffing, she wondered where minorities fit into Mr. Kerry's schedule, message and field efforts.

"All I've seen is on occasion there are a couple of Sundays where he's gone to church," said Ms. Pringle, who has a direct-mail firm.

Mr. Kerry's campaign manager, Mary Beth Cahill, and his three highest-ranking minority aides, said in a telephone interview that they would soon roll out an outreach plan, tapping local minority officials and their political networks. They disputed that Mr. Kerry's inner circle was dominated by white men, saying that Marcus Jadotte, a deputy campaign manager who is black, and Paul Rivera, a senior adviser who is Hispanic, are among the 15 top campaign officials on a daily 7:30 a.m. conference call and the eight department heads at a daily 8:30 a.m. meeting.

"This entire line of thinking is both insulting to this campaign and to the communities that are supporting John Kerry," Mr. Jadotte said. Regarding the criticisms of Mr. Cifuentes and Mr. Yzaguirre, he added, "We take all of the input of our friends very seriously, and we intend to act on that input."

Kerry on Iraq

Senator John Kerry is in Pennsylvania on the anniversary of formal conflict in Iraq. He is taking the opportunity to criticize the President’s policy:

"We stand on the eve of an anniversary in this country -- the day that major combat operations were declared over in Iraq and the President declared, 'mission accomplished.' I don't think there's anyone in this room today or 6,000 miles away who doesn't wish that those words had been true. But we've seen the news. We've seen the pictures. And we know we are living through days of great danger... I believe that failure is not an option in Iraq. But it is also true that failure is not an excuse for more of the same. Mistakes have complicated our mission and jeopardized our objective: a stable Iraq with a representative government secure in its borders," is an excerpt from Kerry’s speech to be delivered in Fulton, Mo.

Kerry is spending Friday at Westminster College in Fulton, Mo., four days after Vice President Dick Cheney. Westminster College President Fletcher Lamkin invited Kerry to speak on the campus this week, saying Cheney's speech there Monday amounted to "Kerry-bashing" and the Massachusetts senator has a right to respond.

9-11 surprise

The NY Post reports on Democrats leaving the interview with President Bush and Dick Cheney during the 9-11 interviews:

Both early-departing panelists, former Nebraska Sen. Bob Kerrey and ex-Indiana Rep. Lee Hamilton, insisted they had prior commitments - but their sudden slip out the side door of the White House left Washington and some fellow commission members in shock.

Kerrey dashed to handle a private business matter - lobbying Sen. Pete Domenici (R-N.M.) for more money for his employer, the New School University in Manhattan.

Hamilton bolted so that he could introduce the Canadian prime minister at a ceremonial event at the Woodrow Wilson Center, which employs Hamilton as its director.

"I was surprised," fellow commission member James Thompson told The Post.

Another book

"The Politics of Truth" is being released today. The book is authored by former ambassador Joseph C. Wilson who is an operative of the Kerry campaign. The book puts the spotlight on who he thinks outted his C.I.A. wife, Valerie Plame.

The book points to Vice President Cheney's chief of staff, Lewis "Scooter" Libby, who has been pegged as a possible leaker of the name. Also speculatively named are Elliott Abrams and Karl Rove.

There is not much interesting concerning the book other than naming names that can’t be proven.

Where’s Kerry?

The Washington Times writes about the organizational deficit in the Kerry campaign:

The Democratic presidential candidate's campaign has been almost invisible not only in pivotal states, such as Michigan, Pennsylvania and Ohio, but also in the South, a region that some party strategists fear he will "write off" to focus his resources elsewhere in the country, according to Democratic officials.

Sharpton to speak

Sen. John Kerry told Black Entertainment Television said Mr. Sharpton, should speak at the convention.

"If he wants to do it, I'd like him to do it. I think he'd do a terrific job. I think he'll add something," Mr. Kerry said. "That's my call."

Kerry praised Sharpton for helping energize Democratic voters, "He certainly earned the right to be part of this process, and I think he can be very, very helpful in motivating people, in helping to register people."

Kerry made the offer as he was deflecting criticism that his minority outreach program was not working.

Senators: where they come from

Sen. Zell Miller, the Georgia Democrat who has become increasingly disgusted with his party as well as the way the U.S. Senate has operated the past few years, figures it's time for a major shake-up in how senators are chosen.

This week, he proposed legislation to repeal the 17th Amendment to the Constitution, which in 1913 removed the selection of senators from state legislatures, as the original Constitution called for, and gave it to the voters.