Iowa primary precinct caucus and caucuses news">
Iowa primary precinct caucus and caucuses news, reports
and information on 2004 Democrat and Republican candidates, campaigns
and issues
IOWA
DAILY REPORT Holding
the Democrats accountable today, tomorrow...forever.
PAGE 1
Wednesday,
Aug. 20, 2003
Iowa Pres Watch Note:
A number of factors
have combined to reduce coverage of the Democratic
prez candidates -- extensive reports on the
California recall, follow-up stories on the
blackout, etc. In addition, it appears some of the
wannabes are on reduced schedules. Those still
campaigning have been relying on their usual stump
speeches -- which have been covered in the Daily
Report several times. Therefore, in an effort to
produce a comprehensive update, Iowa Pres Watch
will update the Daily Report on a
Sunday-Monday-Wednesday-Friday for the next couple
weeks through Labor Day.
Quotable:
“The people out here seem to
like me, and they're listening. I plan to bring out
all the issues that need to be talked about and the
need for a change in this country's leadership.”
– Kucinich, wrapping up a three-day
campaign trip to Iowa
Quotable:
“He's the dopey looking one -- I wouldn't vote
for him.”
– David Letterman,
referring to Kucinich
Quotable:
“I think the threshold
question for [Dean] nationally is, can he be
competitive against Bush? I'm not sure that all the
powers that be believe that.”
– Guv Vilsack, handicapping the field of
wannabes in Iowa again
Quotable:
“I am 100 percent
committed to getting the nomination.”
– Edwards trying --
somewhat unsuccessfully – to convince
reporters he’s really committed to the prez
race, not an NC Senate reelection bid
Quotable:
“Democrats aren’t and
should not get elected based on bad news that
adversely affects the people of America.”
– Graham, discussing economic issues in
New Hampshire
Quotable:
“Presidential
candidate Joseph I. Lieberman is testing an
unorthodox -- and some Democrats say suicidal
-- strategy: attacking the core beliefs of
many party activists he needs to win over to
win his party's nomination.”
– Washington Post’s Jim VandeHei
Quotable:
“Connecticut Senator
Joseph Lieberman is running the weirdest
campaign of the season. He looks to be
bypassing Iowa, the way President John McCain
did in 2000 and President Al Gore did in 1988.
Except he's not.”
– Des Moines Register political columnist
David Yepsen
Quotable:
“So what does the
Democratic presidential candidate Dean have in
common with the Republican
movie-star-turned-gubernatorial-candidate out
West? Maybe that both are suffering from an
old electioneering disease -- peaking too
soon.”
– Columnist Matt Towery,
drawing comparisons between the newsmagazine
coverboys
Quotable:
“Can he and his
fresh-faced legions of supporters survive
months of running to stay ahead of the
Teamsters, the lawyers, the attack ads, and
all the other games and players that come with
bare-knuckle politics?”
– Towery – again, commenting on some of
the groups that will be trying to stop the
Dean bandwagon.
GENERAL
NEWS:
Among
the offerings in today's update:
IA Guv
Vilsack trumps latest NH poll (see next
item) with his own prediction: Edwards
isn’t dead yet and will “get a second look
by Iowans.” Vilsack – who’s upset the
Edwards and Graham campaigns with
his public political handicapping -- still
has Iowa as a Gephardt-Kerry-Dean race.
He adds, however, that the Top Three all
have challenges to overcome
New New
Hampshire Poll: Dean 28%, Kerry 21%,
Gephardt 10%,
Lieberman
4%, Edwards 2%, Graham 2%, Clark 1%,
Kucinich 0%, Moseley Braun 0%, Sharpton 0%,
Undecided 32%. Dean up from 19% a month
ago, Kerry down from 25% in July
FOXNews.com
report – Green Party has minimal concerns
about trashing Dem chances in ’04
presidential election, but the Nader party
hasn’t decided whether to field a candidate
yet
Washington
Post: Lieberman adopts risky strategy of
challenging Dem activists while some
concerned his attacks on other wannabes may
end up helping GWB beat them. Report says
“Lieberman is sounding a bit like a
Republican.”
Ohio report
asks if Kucinich’s prez adventure
will end up as his Field of Dreams or his
“field of hallucinations?”
Kerry’s
quips not a hit with all IA Dems – and
disturb some potential caucus-goers
Edwards
outlines revised college loan program and
calls for an end of “legacy admissions”
during final stop on six-day Iowa tour
California special:
Conservative
activist Muth writes about CA’s porn star
gubernatorial candidate
In New
Hampshire, Lieberman promotes tax credit to
keep jobs in the U. S., calls for
eliminating tax cuts for the richest
Iowa –
Freshman GOP Congressman King delivers
message about “clout” in Sioux City
Columnist
Towery goes where few political writers have
gone before – mentions Arnold and People
Powered Howard in the same sentence
Graham
–
like a lonely voice in the Dem wannabe
wilderness – hammers away at infrastructure
investment again
In Iowa,
Edwards nets both a Beaumont story
and Yepsen column with reports on his
pending Senate seat decision. Yepsen also
chimes in with observations about the rest
of the lower tier wannabes
Washington
Whispers: Clark attracting interest from
some DC Dems – and the Bush Team
Iowa tests
show air pollutants near large livestock
confinement operations regularly exceed
state standards
Iowaism:
Biggest flotilla in more than century
scheduled on the Mississippi River next
summer All these stories below and more.
Morning reports:
Radio Iowa
reports this morning that the GOP stars are
coming out – to Iowa – to counter
Democratic criticisms of the Bush record.
Scheduled in state tomorrow: Atty. Gen.
Ashcroft and RNC Chair Gillespie
With another
hot day ahead, WHO Radio (Des Moines)
this morning was already reading a list of
more than a dozen schools that will close
early today. Some districts also announced
they will be cutting school hours for the
balance of the week
Several media
outlets reported this morning that the
funeral for an Iowa National Guardsman will be
held tomorrow in Cedar Rapids. Pfc. David
Kirchhoff, 31, of Anamosa died in a
military hospital in Germany of heatstroke
suffered in Iraq
Radio Iowa
reported that the Iowa State Patrol
believes most passersby returned money found
near Grinnell along Interstate 80 after
the rear door of an armored car came open last
evening. Others suspected of taking money were
stopped by troopers, but a patrol spokesman
said no arrests were made.
… Dean
takes lead – 28%-21% -- over Kerry in New
Hampshire, Gephardt (10%) only other
double-digit player, Lieberman drops to 4%,
Edwards and Graham at 2% -- 32% undecided.
Headline on American Research Group poll
release: “Dean Jumps into Lead Among
Democrats in New Hampshire” From the ARG
release: “Bolstered by television
advertising, Vermont Governor Howard Dean has
jumped into the lead in ballot preference and
favorability among likely Democratic primary
voters in the New Hampshire Democratic
Presidential Preference Primary according to
the latest New Hampshire Poll. In ballot
preference, Dean leads with 28% to 21% for
Senator John Kerry and 10% for Congressman
Dick Gephardt. As for candidate
favorability, 63% of likely Democratic primary
voters have a favorable opinion of Dean,
61% have a favorable opinion of Kerry,
and 47% have a favorable opinion of
Gephardt. Awareness of Senator John
Edwards, who also has been running television
advertising in New Hampshire, has increased,
but his ballot preference and favorability
remain unchanged. These results are based
on 600 completed telephone interviews among a
random sample of registered Democrats and
undeclared voters in New Hampshire saying they
always vote or vote in most Democratic primary
elections. This sample includes 433 Democrats
(72%) and 167 undeclared voters (28%). The
interviews were conducted August 15 through
18, 2003. The theoretical margin of error for
the total sample of 600 is plus or minus 4
percentage points, 95% of the time, on
questions where opinion is evenly split.
Dean, Kerry, and Gephardt are the only
candidates with double-digit ballot preference
as Joe Lieberman continues to lose support in
ballot preference.”
… Some people –
and governors – never learn: Despite criticism
of his tendency to handicap the Iowa wannabe
campaign, Guv Vilsack does it again – but now
he thinks Edwards might catch on with Dems
over the next couple months. He calls it a
Kerry-Gephardt-Dean race with Edwards as the
horse coming up on the outside over coming
weeks. Headline from today’s Boston Globe:
“Iowa governor sees 4-way race”
Excerpt of report from Indianapolis – where
the nation’s governors are meeting – by AP’s
Nedra Pickler: “Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack said
his state's Democratic presidential caucus is
a three-way race between John Kerry, Dick
Gephardt and Howard Dean. But he hasn't
completely counted out John Edwards yet.
Vilsack said Edwards could catch
on in coming weeks with new commercials airing
in the state and a unique message that could
appeal to Iowa voters. The North Carolina
senator is the only candidate with a
comprehensive plan to help parents pay for
college, Vilsack said. And while the other
three talk about overhauling the nation's
health care system, Edwards talks about
smaller steps like addressing the nursing
shortage. ‘Edwards is going to get
a second look by Iowans here,’ Vilsack
said during an interview at the National
Governors Association summer meeting.
‘We'll know more in the next 30 to 45 days.’
Vilsack said no candidate has taken
first place in Iowa yet, and the three
leading candidates all have challenges to
overcome…Gephardt, a congressman from
neighboring Missouri, was hurt by a
disappointing fifth-place fund-raising result
in the last quarter. His top priority must
be to convince labor leaders that he worked so
hard for them in Congress that he is a viable
candidate, Vilsack said. Right now, the
union leaders ‘are watching and waiting, which
must be frustrating to him,’ Vilsack
said…Kerry's campaign got off track because
of his surgery to remove a cancerous prostate
earlier this year. But Vilsack said he thinks
Kerry, a Massachusetts senator, is getting
back into the rhythm of the campaign. He
said Kerry can improve his standing if
he spends more time in Iowa and tells voters
about his experience as a decorated war
veteran and how that could make him an
effective world leader…Dean, the former
governor of Vermont, built loyalty in Iowa
because he spent so much time there early in
the race. But he must prove that he can
broaden his appeal beyond anti-war activists
and Internet users to win over moderates and
independents, Vilsack said. ‘I think the
threshold question for him nationally is, can
he be competitive against Bush?’ Vilsack
said. ‘I'm not sure that all the powers that
be believe that.’…Vilsack said he may
make an endorsement before Iowa's Jan. 19
caucus. He said he'll be looking for someone
who has a good chance to beat Bush, shows
‘passion and fire,’ and has a strong staff.”
…
Lieberman, again showing independence from
most wannabes, would not repeal all tax cuts –
but would erase the cuts for wealthiest. He
also encourages a tax credit to keep jobs in
the States. Headline in yesterday’s The
Union Leader – “Lieberman: Cut tax breaks
for rich” Coverage – excerpted – from
Belmont by UL correspondent Roger Amsden: “U.S.
Sen. Joe Lieberman told a group of workers
from a firm hard hit by the telecommunications
industry meltdown that he wants to ‘pull back
tax cuts for people who don’t need them,’
while providing incentives for American
businesses to stop shipping jobs overseas.
Speaking to workers at Noyes Fiber, a firm
that specializes in making fiber optic test
equipment and has seen its work force reduced
by nearly half in the last three years,
Lieberman called for a 10 percent tax credit
for manufacturers who keep jobs in the United
States. He also called for expanded
broadband access for high-speed connection to
the Internet and increased federal support for
research through tax credits as a way of
helping to rebuild the American economy. The
Connecticut senator and 2000 Democratic Party
vice presidential nominee is making what he
calls ‘Joe’s Jobs Tours’ across the country,
and he toured the manufacturing facility here
before speaking with workers at a gathering in
the plant’s lunchroom. He said he doesn’t
want to repeal all of the President’s tax
cuts, preferring to keep tax relief for the
middle class while restoring federal tax rates
for higher-income individuals.
Lieberman said half of the $3 trillion in
Bush tax cuts go to those making $250,000 or
more, leaving the government without enough
money to invest in infrastructure, such as
broadband Internet access and bridges and
highways. ‘Leadership is about priorities,’
said Lieberman, who has been a strong
supporter of the Bush administration policies
in Iraq and the war on terror and described
himself as ‘an independent Democrat’ who has
the best chance of defeating Bush because of
his stance on national security issues…Lieberman
said he is proposing a Tools for Tomorrow
Scholarship program that will offer up to
$1,500 a year to help both current and
displaced workers get and keep good jobs in a
rapidly changing economy.”
… Some
Greens don’t care if another Nader run
“wrecks” Dem opportunity to beat Bush in ’04.
Headline from FOXNews.com: “Green Party
Happy to ‘Spoil’ Democratic Presidential Run
in 2004” An excerpt from report by Fox’
Kelley Beaucar Vlahos: “Some members of
the Green Party are reserving much of their
anger for Democrats these days, and say they
don’t care if another third-party run by Ralph
Nader wrecks the Democrats' opportunity to
replace President Bush in 2004. ‘As the
Democrats have retreated from their core
constituencies, they have given the
Republicans a real license to move into
greater extremes,’ said national party media
coordinator Scott McLarty, who accuses
Democrats of betraying their so-called
progressive ideals. ‘[The Democratic Party]
seems to be crumbling as a political force
that means something to anybody, crumbling as
a real force of opposition,’ he said.
‘That is what we mean when we say we are so
strongly in favor of running a national
candidate.’ In fact, the party hasn’t
decided to run a candidate, and if it does,
the Greens, with about 300,000 registered
members nationwide, cannot necessarily count
on the star power of Nader this time around.
Nader, a crusading consumer activist and
founder of Public Citizen, has yet to
announce his intentions, though should he
decide to give it a go, it will be his third
jump in the race on behalf of the Greens. Yet
to pan out are reports that Cynthia McKinney,
a former Democratic representative from
Georgia who lost a primary bid for re-election
in 2002, may run on the Green Party ticket.
Officials say she is still mulling it over.
Meanwhile, the party prefers to run through
what members call an old-fashioned convention
process, with a slate of nominees, delegates
and a pounding gavel on the podium. That
convention won’t occur until June 2004, so
until then, it’s unclear whether a third-party
challenge could serve as a possible ‘spoiler’
to Democrats. ‘If the Green Party mounts a
candidate, you could see a replay of last
time, where they draw just enough votes to
make a difference,’ said Roger Hickey,
head of the Campaign for America’s Future, a
network of liberal activist organizations,
many of which continue to support the
Democratic Party. In the razor-thin election
of 2000, Nader received 2.7 percent of the
vote, compared to 48.4 percent for Al
Gore, and 47.8 percent for George W. Bush, who
won the electoral vote and the U.S. Supreme
Court ruling deciding his victory. Democrats
savaged Nader publicly, blaming him for
‘stealing’ votes away from Gore. Third-party
supporters say the Democrats will blame anyone
but their own party for their loss at the
polls. ‘How dare any of these Democrats
accuse Ralph Nader and the Greens, who ran an
honest campaign in 2000, of spoiling,’
said McLarty, who noted that ‘absolutely
nasty’ articles have already been written
about the Greens in anticipation of their
presence in the 2004 race. ‘If there was a
problem, it certainly wasn’t with Mr. Nader.’”
… Chicago Tribune:
Many Democrats beginning to believe Kerry
“might be the most electable” against Bush –
but express concern about the Mass Sen’s
“tone” and comments. Headline from
yesterday’s Trib – on report by Jeff Zeleny
from Iowa: “At times, quips cloud Kerry’s
message…His off-putting remarks often
surprise listeners, but the senator is honing
his presidential campaign skills during a
critical swing across Iowa.” Excerpt from
report datelined Klemme: “It was
shortly after lunchtime, and the next stop on
the presidential campaign trail for Sen. John
Kerry was a pig farm outside of town.
He was running late, but he teasingly
implored the audience to keep asking questions
to delay him, saying: ‘My hog-lot aromatic
experience awaits.’ The next day, before
delivering a speech at the Iowa State Fair,
the Massachusetts senator turned to the crowd
and declared into a microphone: ‘I came to
Iowa and I'm going to get a hay bale to stand
on!’ At a Democratic breakfast one day later,
John Norwood of West Des Moines told
Kerry that he, too, is a Boston native.
Kerry wondered aloud why Norwood chose Iowa as
his home, asking: ‘What happened to you?’
The three scenes illustrate a test facing
Kerry's campaign: Can he connect with
people and convince voters that he is genuine
without turning away potential supporters with
off-putting remarks on the campaign trail?
After a four-day tour of Iowa last week, his
most aggressive foray into the state where the
first voting in the presidential race comes
Jan. 19, many Democrats said they were
beginning to believe Kerry might be the most
electable of the nine candidates. In more
than two dozen interviews, voters cited his
standing as a war hero and his ability to
credibly challenge President Bush on national
security. But some of those same Democrats
who filled Kerry's audiences in bowling
alleys, cafes and union halls said the
senator's tone and a sprinkling of peculiar
remarks left them flat and unwilling to
immediately commit to his campaign. While
few said Kerry's comments alone would
drive them to consider other candidates, the
voters said they must be convinced of his
authenticity…Five months before the
presidential nominating season begins, the
Democratic candidates are in the courtship
phase, where a biography and a firm handshake
are often as important as a particular policy
position. With the exception of money and
a good resume, there are few more essential
ingredients than the ability to be likeable.
As Kerry prepares to formally announce
his candidacy Sept. 2, his aides are paying
special attention to his image. Perhaps no
other candidate carries the geographical
burden of Kerry-- a Northeast
liberal who shares the initials of John F.
Kennedy and must convince voters he doesn't
carry the baggage of other Massachusetts
Democrats, such as Sen. Edward Kennedy and
former Gov. Michael Dukakis.”
… Who would have
guessed it? Arnold and Howard may have
something in common – peaking too soon. On
townhall.com, Matt Towery – under the
headline, “Inside the numbers: Arnold and
Howard” – wrote about the wannabes. An
excerpt: “Some campaigns peak too soon.
We'll soon know if the two hottest names in
politics this summer, Arnold Schwarzenegger
and former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean, are
bright new stars or just streaking meteors
about to fizzle out. First, Dean.
The latest Insider Advantage Presidential 2004
tracking poll shows the once-obscure Dean
is now leading nationwide among the Democrats
vying for the 2004 Democratic nomination.
His early stand against the war in Iraq has
become more fashionable among other Democrats,
and his combined use of populist rhetoric and
of the Internet has made him the ‘electro-pop’
candidate of the presidential sweepstakes. And
then there's Arnold. The Terminator is
basking in the theatre lights of the
California governor's recall race, but the
latest Field Poll of California voters shows
him trailing Democrat Lt. Governor Cruz
Bustamante among potential replacements for
Gov. Gray Davis. (Just about every other
survey taken shows Schwarzenegger with a
substantial lead over the field of hundreds of
candidates.) So what does the Democratic
presidential candidate Dean have in common
with the Republican
movie-star-turned-gubernatorial-candidate out
West? Maybe that both are suffering from an
old electioneering disease -- peaking too
soon. It can be argued that such a
phenomenon isn't possible with Schwarzenegger,
given that he only recently announced his
candidacy and the election is set for early to
late fall…In Dean's case, there are no
media superstars or corporate giants to muddy
the waters. But it seems odd that the man who
just a few months ago was considered a bit of
a flake by his fellow Democrats has now soared
beyond them to lead our poll, plus another
survey of Iowa voters by The Des Moines
Register. Dean's quick ascent can be
attributed to his embracing of the working
power of computer technology, coupled with a
campaign message designed to appeal to rural
Americans, and to any and all others who feel
left out of today's political goings-on. So
far, the strategy has paid off. Dean
has out-raised his higher-profile foes through
Web-begging appeals for money. He has also
reportedly captured growing crowds on the
campaign trail with his appeal to young people
and his shoot-from-the-hip approach to the
issues. But will Howard Dean's
‘outsider’ campaign still be standing when the
traditional Democratic kingmakers, such as
unions, start playing hardball? Can he and
his fresh-faced legions of supporters survive
months of running to stay ahead of the
Teamsters, the lawyers, the attack ads, and
all the other games and players that come with
bare-knuckle politics? It might be refreshing
to see him survive that kind of
rough-and-tumble-politics, but if he does, the
Democrats might have to face President Bush
with a nominee too far to the left for the
average American voter. As for
Schwarzenegger, his do-or-die question is
whether his fledgling candidacy will come
crashing down from the weight of too many
self-declared political experts, whose
collective political sense serves only to
confuse both the candidate and the public.”
…Edwards –
who often appears to be on an issue-a-day pace
– outlines his college loan plan while
wrapping up extensive Iowa tour. Headline
from FOXNews.com: “Edwards Calls for
Revamping College Loans” Excerpt from
report – dateline: Des Moines – by AP
caucus-watcher Mike Glover: “Sen. John
Edwards is calling for revamping the nation's
college loan program, eliminating the role of
banks and making loans directly to students
from the federal government. The North
Carolinian, seeking the Democratic
presidential nomination, believes such a
move would save ‘billions of dollars’ each
year and allow financial assistance to be
provided to an additional 3 million youngsters
every year. ‘We should give the money to
the people who need it the most, our kids,’
Edwards said in remarks prepared for
delivery here Monday. Currently, the federal
government offers subsidies to banks and other
lenders to lower interest rates on student
loans, but the loans are actually made by the
financial institutions. Under Edwards'
plan, the loans would come directly from the
federal government, which also would have to
assume the liability for loans that aren't
repaid. The plan Edwards was releasing does
not carry a specific pricetag, but he said the
money currently being paid to financial
institutions could be shifted to student aid
programs, including his ‘college for everyone’
proposal. Under that package, students who
pass college prep classes and agree to work at
least 10 hours a week would be offered free
tuition at community colleges or public
universities. Edwards said he was
timing his announcement to coincide with the
opening of the new school year. ‘Parents are
getting ready to buy their kids new school
clothes and supplies,’ said Edwards.
‘But for parents and students who are about to
go to college, they're in sticker shock from
the increase in college tuition.’ A sour
economy and budget cuts in states around the
country have forced most colleges to sharply
increase tuition, and Edwards said there
are projections that up to 500,000 students a
year are being forced to forego college
because of rising costs. In addition, Edwards
called for an ending of ‘legacy’ admissions, a
policy where colleges routinely admit the
children of alumni. He said that makes it
tougher for students who are the first in the
family to attend college to gain admission. He
also called for an increase in spending on
Pell Grants, a need-based grant program aimed
at aiding low-income youngsters in financing
college costs. The proposal came as Edwards
wrapped up a six-day bus swing across Iowa,
where precinct caucuses in January open the
presidential nominating season.”
… “Must be
willing to work weekends and cold, January
nights” – subhead from Thomas Beaumont’s
“Caucus Notebook” column on
DesMoinesRegister.com. Excerpt: “Joe
Lieberman pledged last month he would
be increasing his Iowa staff and opening more
field offices in Iowa, where he has
reversed strategies and now plans to compete
vigorously. With a lot of the Democratic
foot soldiers already spoken for in the
half-dozen other Iowa caucus campaigns,
Lieberman has taken to the e-mail classifieds
in his appeal to Iowa Democratic Party
officials for suggestions. A copy of such
an ad states ‘The Joe Lieberman for
President Campaign is increasing its presence
in Iowa and looking to fill several positions
immediately’ including general staffers,
regional directors and a press person. The ad
didn't mention having to take a spelling test,
but to those who are interested in applying,
it's H-A-D-A-S-S-A-H.”
… Will Wesley Clark be
the Great Dem Hope? Paul Bedard, writing
in his “Washington Whispers” column on
usnews.com, reports DC Dems are gaining
interest in his candidacy – and Arkansas
Democrats are considering changing the primary
date to give home state favorite an early win.
Excerpt from Bedard’s report: “Retired Gen.
Wesley Clark, the NATO boss who is
toying with a bid for the 2004 Democratic
presidential primaries, is starting to gain
the interest of key Democrats and the
curiosity of the White House. Whispers
learns that White House officials have in
recent days clicked through the Draft Clark
Web site, www.draftclark2004.com, in an
apparent effort to keep an eye on the possible
presidential or vice presidential candidate.
And insiders tell our Suzi Parker that
Democrats are becoming interested in the
Arkansan, the one possible Democratic
candidate whose military and national security
credentials can’t be questioned. We learn,
for example, that House Democratic Leader
Nancy Pelosi recently reached out to Clark
in a phone call and that Arkansas
Democratic officials are trying to move up the
state’s presidential primary to give the
native an early victory next year.
Clark’s allies, who are pressuring him to
get in, say he might wait until October to
declare or bow out of the race, and they also
believe that a fall entry won’t be too late.
They point out that fellow Arkansan Bill
Clinton entered the 1992 race late. Further,
they say that money won’t be an issue because
defense contractors will line up to back his
bid. And speaking of Clinton, Clark’s
friends hope that a candidate Clark
would revive the former president’s Arkansas
Traveler gimmick of sending supporters to key
primary and caucus states to talk up the Army
vet, laying the groundwork for an eventual
Clark visit.”
… The favorite
media story of the week. When national
political reporters weren’t writing about
Lieberman’s latest attack or slippage in the
polls, they were working the story on John
Edwards’ Big Decision. Over recent days,
newspapers from Boston to Los Angeles – not to
mention North Carolina – have reported their
versions of the Edwards situation. The
DSM Register’s Beaumont joined in yesterday.
Headline from the Register: “Sen. John
Edwards, well-financed but little known, is at
a turning point in his campaign for the 2004
Democratic presidential nomination. Facing
pressure from North Carolina Democrats to
choose between the nomination race and a
Senate re-election bid, Edwards is
airing television ads in Iowa, New Hampshire
and South Carolina in hopes of raising his
profile and poll numbers in the early
nominating states. ‘The Senate seat is
something I know I'm going have to make a
decision about at some point,’ Edwards
said Monday aboard his tour bus titled
‘Solutions Express’ after meeting with
Democrats at the Second Street Cafe in
Ottumwa. ‘I am 100 percent committed to
getting the nomination.’ Edwards begins a
bus trip across New Hampshire Wednesday, like
the six-day trip he wrapped up in Iowa on
Monday, with the belief that he can rally
Democrats to his candidacy if they take time
to learn who he is. Longtime North Carolina
state Rep. Mickey Michaux of Durham said the
longer Edwards waits, the more it hurts the
Democrats' chance of holding the Senate seat.
‘The bottom line is people need to know, and
need to know in a hurry, what he's going to
do,’ said Michaux. ‘I think there are a lot of
folks who feel that way in the party. He
should be making up his mind real, real soon.’
Democratic Senate campaign officials say
privately Edwards, an effective
fund-raiser who won the seat in 1998 largely
without party financial help, may not feel
pressure to decide because he is not beholden
to the party for his election. He has
reported raising nearly $12 million in 2003,
second-most among the nine Democrats seeking
the nomination. He has until late February
to file to run for re-election to the Senate,
but has given no deadline. Edwards
came in fifth in The Des Moines Register's
Iowa Poll last month, with 5 percent of likely
caucusgoers saying he was their first choice.
He has similar numbers in New Hampshire.”
… Lieberman’s
strategy apparently isn’t helping him, but
other Dems worry he may be making a case – for
GWB and GOP – against the eventual nominee.
Headline from yesterday’s Washington Post:
“Lieberman Rejects Strategy Of Running to
the Left” Coverage – an excerpt – by the
Post’s Jim VandeHei: “Presidential
candidate Joseph I. Lieberman is testing an
unorthodox -- and some Democrats say suicidal
-- strategy: attacking the core beliefs of
many party activists he needs to win over to
win his party's nomination. Lieberman,
whose lead in national polls belies his
precarious political standing, is increasingly
taking aim at the other eight Democratic
contenders and throngs of activists who want
to repeal future tax cuts, limit global trade
and provide expensive health care coverage to
millions of Americans. The Connecticut
senator also is ripping into opponents of the
war in Iraq, hitting Sen. John F. Kerry
(D-Mass.) for showing ‘ambivalence’ about the
conflict and calling former Vermont governor
Howard Dean unelectable for opposing it
outright. In appearances before crowds of
Democrats looking for sharp attacks on
President Bush's tax cuts, trade pacts and
foreign policy, Lieberman is sounding a bit
like a Republican as he laments the ‘old’
and ‘outdated’ solutions advocated by many
Democrats. ‘It's right out of [Bush
political director] Karl Rove's playbook,’
said Dean's spokeswoman, Patricia Enright.
Some Democratic voters seem to agree -- he was
the only candidate booed at recent candidate
cattle calls. By openly challenging the
political adage that a Democrat must run to
the left to win the nomination, Lieberman
is pressing the case that only an unapologetic
centrist strong on national defense such as
him can beat Bush. Although many Democrats
agree with much of his analysis of what it
will take to defeat the president in a nation
divided almost evenly between the two main
political parties, others are angered by his
decision to run hard against key Democratic
constituencies. Some fault him for hurting
the party to help himself. ‘It's a bad
strategy in a primary where Democratic
activists are sort of on a shopping spree for
someone who will fight and defend party
principles in 2004,’ said Donna Brazile, the
campaign manager for Gore-Lieberman in
2000. Brazile is not backing any of the
candidates. ‘Alienating a large segment of the
Democratic Party base will not bode well for
the future. How do you bring [liberals]
back [if] during the primary you made them
feel like they were unwanted and unneeded?
It's terrible for Joe.’ Democratic
strategist Joe Lockhart, President Bill
Clinton's former spokesman, said it is ‘not
good for the party,’ either. ‘I don't think
anyone finds it helpful to be painted as an
extremist,’ he said. Lockhart, who is not
affiliated with any of the presidential
campaigns, said many Democrats he has talked
with consider Lieberman's recent string
of attacks ‘over-the-top and
counterproductive’ to their efforts to oust
Bush. ‘This can be calibrated a little
softer," he said. These Democrats worry
that Lieberman is essentially doing Bush's
bidding by painting the party as soft on
security and stale on domestic policy.
They contend the senator can run as a ‘New
Democrat’ without undermining the rest of the
party in the process…At the very least,
Lieberman has accomplished one of his chief
goals: drawing attention to his otherwise
lackluster campaign. Indeed, Lieberman
is doing better on paper than he is in the
field. He leads in most national polls, enjoys
widespread name recognition thanks to his
stint as Al Gore's running mate in 2000 and
remains near the top in fundraising. Yet
many prominent Democrats don't see the senator
as a top-tier candidate in the league of
Kerry, Dean and Rep. Richard A. Gephardt
(Mo.). He is struggling for a top-three
showing in Iowa and New Hampshire, the two
earliest testing grounds. His centrist
ideas of supporting Bush on Iraq and shying
away from the costly health care proposals
offered up by the other candidates might be
prudent general election positions, but they
are generating little excitement in the
primary. His outspoken support of free
trade is likely to hurt him in Michigan, Iowa
and other early primary states where union
passions run high.”
…
For Kucinich, will the current presidential
adventure be a “Field of Dreams” or his “field
of hallucinations?”
Excerpt – datelined
Davenport
-- from report in the Lorain (Ohio) Morning
Journal: “U.S. Rep. Dennis
Kucinich
continued making a pitch for his field of
political dreams throughout southeastern Iowa
yesterday in his bid to capture the Democratic
nomination for president of the United States
in the 2004 election.
Or will it wind up his field of
hallucinations?
In the late 1980s movie, ‘Field Of Dreams,’ an
Iowa farmer heard a voice: ‘If you build it,
they will come,’ referring to constructing a
baseball diamond in a cornfield. If
Kucinich builds a strong enough case to win
the nomination over favorite Howard Dean,
Vermont governor, will the Democrats, liberals
and those looking for as change vote for him?
‘We're getting a good response here,’
Kucinich said yesterday on a break from
the first of a three-day campaign stop in
Iowa. ‘The people out here seem to like me,
and they're listening. I plan to bring out all
the issues that need to be talked about and
the need for a change in this country's
leadership.’ By tradition, the Iowa caucuses
that kickoff in January 2004 are the beginning
of the presidential campaign races, and often
are crucial for gauging Democratic and
presidential favorites. In fact, Scott County,
where Kucinich spent most of his time
making public appearances yesterday, made the
difference for Democratic presidential
candidate Al Gore to carry the state in the
2000 election…Kucinich is the longshot
candidate with a meager war chest (about $1
million, according to members of his staff),
and on late-night talk shows, he has sometimes
replaced the city he hails from as the butt of
jokes. Last week on ‘The Late Show with
David Letterman,’ Letterman had a makeshift
book of ‘Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.’ On
the cover was a photo of Kucinich's face
over one of the dwarfs. Letterman quipped,
‘He's the dopey looking one -- I wouldn't vote
for him.’”
… Edwards
introduces his book of policy proposals, but
the Register’s Beaumont wonders why he left
out standard references to his father working
at the mill and his mother working for the
post office? Under the subhead “John
Edwards, now with an office and handy pamphlet
near you,” Beaumont wrote in his online
“Caucus Notebook” column: “Sen. John
Edwards of North Carolina now has 14 Iowa
campaign offices and one shiny new information
guide with details of his policy proposals,
the campaign reported this week.
Undeterred by his 5 percent showing in the Des
Moines Sunday Register's first Iowa Poll of
Democratic caucus activists, Edwards now
has Iowa offices from the Missouri River coast
to Mississippi River coast, from Burlington to
Sioux City, including less common field spots
such as Ottumwa and Fort Dodge. Edwards
also released the booklet Tuesday, 65 pages
with everything from his recently announced
health care plan to the rural economic
initiative he outlined in Iowa in May. It
even has a letter from Edwards that reads
remarkably like an abbreviated version of
Edwards' stump speech, complete with a
reference to ‘growing up in a small town in
North Carolina.’ No mention of the mill or
the post office. Maybe that's in the sequel.”
… Another week,
another infrastructure speech by Bob Graham.
The FL wannabe is developing a familiar
pattern – giving the same basic speech in
Manchester, NH, that he gave in Davenport, IA,
last week. Headline from yesterday’s The
Union Leader: “Graham: Infrastructure
investment needed” Excerpt from report by
the AP’s Holly Ramer: “Democratic
Presidential hopeful Bob Graham said yesterday
the strengthening economy will not weaken his
message about the urgent need for
infrastructure investments. Though
Democrats have tried to blame President Bush
for job losses and other economic woes of the
past few years, economists believe the economy
will regain strength in the second half of
this year. Consumer prices rose modestly last
month, and production at the nation’s
factories, mines and utilities increased by
the largest amount since January. Speaking
at a Rotary Club luncheon, Graham said a
rebound won’t hurt Democrats because larger
challenges remain beyond the immediate need to
reinvigorate the economy. ‘Democrats aren’t
and should not get elected based on bad news
that adversely affects the people of America,’
the senator from Florida said. ‘We all
want to have this period of economic
stagnation over as quickly as possible . . .
(but) we still have a number of challenges to
deal with in our economy if we, as we all
hope, see a resurgence of growth.’ Graham
said he has proposed a comprehensive,
long-range plan to keep the economy humming by
repealing much of the tax-cut package Congress
enacted in May and putting the money into
middle-class tax relief and infrastructure
improvements. Thursday’s eight-state
electrical blackout — the largest in U.S.
history — showed that such investments are
needed, not only in electricity but in
transportation, water and sewer systems and
schools, Graham said. ‘This plan lays
out not a program to deal with the immediate
economic circumstances but rather one that is
aimed at building the foundation for America’s
long-term economic growth,’ he said. ‘A major
part of our economic program is to begin to
prepare America for the next half century by
making an investment today in things like our
infrastructure, in things like research and
innovation that will help us stay on the
leading edge of the next economic revolution,’
he said. That would mean $300 million a year
to upgrade and repair New Hampshire highways,
bridges, schools and water systems, he said.
But he said a key part of his plan is
balancing the federal budget, something he
believes can happen by 2010.”
… Never
fear, Ralph’s here. In his “Washington
Whispers” column in U. S. News & World Report
– under the subhead “Nader's 9/11 Plan”
– Paul Bedard wrote: “Get a load of
this: Likely 2004 third-party presidential
hopeful Ralph Nader thinks the 9/11 terrorist
attacks wouldn't have happened if he had been
president. He claims that amid all the big
decisions new presidents have to make after
inauguration, he would have ordered cockpit
doors to be hardened against attack. He says
an old report warning about how easy it is to
get in the cockpit still sticks with him.
What's more, he would have wiped out Osama bin
Laden and his gang without a shot being fired.
How? Bribe Osama's friends to hand him over.”
… For non-Iowans
and others who missed Yepsen’s latest analysis
of the lower tier wannabes. Headline
from yesterday’s column by the Register’s
David Yepsen: “Edwards is in race, all
right – 26 stops in 6 days” Excerpt:
“North Carolina Senator John Edwards
said Monday he is ‘absolutely’ in the
Democratic presidential race to stay. He
said talk of his dropping out to seek
re-election in North Carolina was ‘fantasy.’
That talk has sprouted in the political
community because Edwards' presidential
campaign has been flat in recent weeks and
because it will be a hard Senate seat for
Democrats to hold. The safe play might be for
the 50-year-old Edwards to get re-elected and
run for president some other day. But the
White House is won by risk-takers, and
Edwards told reporters in Iowa Monday,
‘I'm in the race to stay.’ He wrapped up an
intense six-day, 26-stop bus tour of the
state, hardly what a candidate does if he's
about to quit. Edwards started out well in
the presidential race. He was the fresh face
and a moderate Southerner who could raise
money. Yet he stumbled on some early
television appearances. Howard Dean captured
the folks who wanted a non-Washington fresh
face. Many liberals didn't like Edwards’ vote
for the war. Some think with only five
years in the U.S. Senate, he's a little green.
Edwards has not spent much time in Iowa
recently because he was raising money
elsewhere. Top Iowa Edwards backer Rob
Tully conceded Monday that ‘we're playing
catchup’ with other candidates who virtually
live in Iowa. The conclusion of Edwards'
bus tour wrapped up the most intense week of
the Democratic presidential campaign to date
in Iowa. Seven of the nine candidates
worked overtime in the summer heat. Nearly
100 political events for Democratic candidates
were held in the last 10 days, from small-town
meetings to three lengthy candidate forums.
While most of the attention was focused on
three top-tier candidates - Dean, Dick
Gephardt and John Kerry - the second-tier
candidates such as Edwards were busy trying to
move up…Connecticut Senator Joseph
Lieberman is running the weirdest campaign of
the season. He looks to be bypassing Iowa,
the way President John McCain did in 2000 and
President Al Gore did in 1988. Except he's
not. He has a staff and office here, and made
campaign visits last week. Yet he didn't show
up for any events with other candidates, even
if they were just across town. I had
thought there was a constituency for Lieberman
in Iowa, but after his non-performance
performance last week we may continue to see
Lieberman's poll numbers slide here… Ohio
Congressman Dennis Kucinich continued
to spend lots of time in the state last week.
He has some of the best oratory of any of the
candidates, yet is seen by many as too
strident and too far left to be a credible
contender. But he's made himself a factor
in this race by picking up support from some
of the most zealous, left-of-center elements
in the party. As a result, he takes
anti-war votes away from Dean and labor
votes away from Gephardt. However, neither
Dean nor Gephardt will attack
him because they don't want to anger
Kucinich's people…Florida's Bob Graham
is a respected senator and former governor of
a large state who should do well in a
presidential campaign. But not this one this
time…[Graham’s] speech to a labor forum
at the Teamsters Hall in Cedar
Rapids last Friday was one of the best of
his campaign, although it was marred by his
lame imitation of President Bush's voice. Such
attempts at comedy are unseemly for a serious
contender… Also last week, former Illinois
Senator Carol Mosley Braun showed up
for a health-care forum sponsored by Gov. Tom
Vilsack. Vilsack gave her short
shrift, a fitting symbol for the short shrift
she is giving Iowa. There's talk she'll drop
out of the race. And the Rev. Al
Sharpton couldn't make it to Friday's labor
forum in Cedar Rapids because he was stranded
in a darkened New York City. He, too, is
giving Iowa scant attention. When he does show
up, his message often seems a bitter one. If
it's true he's running just to replace the
Rev. Jesse Jackson as the nation's top black
leader, then he has a ways to go. Jackson
spent lots of time in Iowa and won lots of
white votes by offering a message of hope,
not anger.”
FROM THE LEFT COAST RECALL:
Under the
subhead “The Candidate Who Will Bend Over
Backwards for the People,” Chuck Muth – in
his daily “News & Views” newsletter – wrote:
“Porn star Mary Carey is running in the
October 7 California gubernatorial recall
election. Her platform, as described on her
campaign website (www.marycareyforgovernor.com),
includes: legalizing gay marriage to raise
money by making California a gay honeymoon
destination; taxing breast implants (her own
are ‘all-natural’); making lap dances a
tax-deductible expense for businesses;
and putting the unemployed to work by giving 'em
all jury duty. She'll also ‘wire the
Governor's Mansion with live web cams in every
room’ and help pay off the state's debt by
charging people to watch her in government
action. She also intends to ‘recruit fellow
performers from the adult video industry as
ambassadors of good will’ and use them to
negotiate lower electricity rates from
neighboring states. Who says there are no
serious candidates in this race?”
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