The Iowa Daily Report, Monday, December 8, 2003

* QUOTABLE:

“Our government is finally bringing prescription drug coverage to the seniors of America," said President Bush signing the Medicare bill.

"Joe [Trippi] is kind of an unmade bed," said Tim Dickson, a Virginia-based political consultant who has known Trippi since the 1980s.

"This is a campaign that no one has ever seen before," Trippi said. "It's why the other campaigns are having such a hard time competing with us, and why George Bush is going to have a hard time."

“During my presidential campaign I was frequently accused of being too passionate… I am passionate about the fact that today we are continuing a war in the wrong place against the wrong enemy for the wrong reason. I am passionate about the fact that this president is clueless — clueless — as to our economic future. I am passionate about the fact that even in this feeble recovery we still are not creating the jobs that the American people need," said Bob Graham at the Florida Democrat Convention.

"Florida is absolutely critical to the Democratic Party winning the White House. We need these 27 electoral votes," McAuliffe said Friday night. "We're going to have the biggest vote turnout we've ever had here in Florida in 2004."

"Kerry and his team have read the polls and are now giving themselves as much wiggle room as possible in New Hampshire to live and fight another day," said Dean Spiliotes, a specialist on presidential primaries at the New Hampshire Institute of Politics. "The problem is, I don't see him showing much strength in any other states beside New Hampshire and Iowa. So if he doesn't win either of those, where does he win?"

* TODAY’S OFFERINGS:

Dennis Kucinich: *Kucinich restates: pull troops out
*Kucinich's book ranked higher  *Kucinich’s California numbers

Dick Gephardt: *Jobs, jobs, jobs

Howard Dean: *Joe Trippi *$200 million

John Kerry: *Language flack *Kerry lowering expectations
*Kerry to address jobs issue *Kerry asked to fire consultant Robert Schrum
*Kerry’s making it up *Liberal Frank’s no sale

Wesley Clark: *Clark’s theme week

Joe Lieberman: *Moral equivocation

Just Politics: *Nader fundraiser *Death Penalty *Black voters
*There will be no mandate

* CANDIDATES & CAUCUSES:

Kucinich’s California numbers

Kucinich showed well in the recent California Democrat Endorsement meetings. He came in second to Howard Dean. The organization dates back to 1953 when they organized to prevent Republicans from cross filling on ballots and interrupting the Democrat nominating process. The group is famous for encouraging Eugene McCarthy to run against President Johnson. Endorsement results from the California Democrat Council Area and Regional 2004 pre-primary endorsement meetings (Saturday, December 6 and Sunday, December 7, 2003, held in Fresno, Los Angeles, Monterey, Sacramento,San Diego, Santa Clara, Visalia and Yucaipa):

Governor Howard Dean - 56.11 percent
Congressman Dennis Kucinich - 17.19 percent
General Wesley Clark - 14.48 percent

Kucinich restates: pull troops out

An Associated Press story covering Kucinich’s fund-raiser in NY demonstrates that Kucinich is continuing to stress his position of pulling American troops out of Iraq:

Rep. Dennis Kucinich said Sunday that he is the only presidential candidate with a plan for withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq and turning the administration of the country over to the United Nations… "We are now mired in Iraq," the Ohio Democrat told about 50 supporters at a Manhattan fund-raiser. "I'm hopeful that George Bush will recognize the dead end of policy that he has arrived at. But if he doesn't recognize it, you're looking at the one candidate _ with your help _ who will be able to extricate the United States from this sordid chapter in our national experience, from this defaming of our national purpose, from this disconnection with the world community."

 Kucinich's book ranked higher

"We're crushing the other guys," Jay Carson speaking for the Kucinich campaign declared last week to The Post's Howard Kurtz, noting that Dennis Kucinich's "A Prayer for America" was at 1,044, Edwards's "Four Trials" was 3,325, and Kerry's "A Call to Service" at a disappointing 14,763. But by last night, the ranking for Dean's book, "Winning Back America," had dropped more than 600 places in rankings and was 1,231.

Jobs, jobs, jobs

Dick Gephardt acknowledges that the reason Howard Dean is sending two top staffers to Iowa is to beat him. He states that if Dean beats him in Iowa and wins New Hampshire, then Dean will be nearly unstoppable. Gephardt spent the weekend in Iowa campaigning hard on his jobs creation side of his spending plan, which leads to the differences between Dean and Gephardt on balancing the budget. Job creation is the basis of how Gephardt would straighten out the economy. An Associate Press story quotes Gephardt:

``My health plan will create 750,000 jobs,'' Gephardt said. ``My energy plan will create two million jobs. I have three goals for my presidency: jobs, jobs, jobs.''

Gephardt also had the opportunity to answer the ‘who is best to beat Bush’ question at his Indianola, Iowa campaign stop. His answer was the familiar, ‘I am the only one who can win in the Midwest.’ He referenced that if Al Gore had won his home state of Missouri, Gore would have won the election in 2000. The AP article also sites an example of someone who had checked Dean off her list because of Dean receiving an ‘A’ from the National Riffle Association.

Joe Trippi

The Internet has been a fixture of sorts in two previous presidential campaigns. But admirers say it took Trippi to capitalize on its explosive potential to spread word of mouth at the speed of bytes, writes Mike Glover of the Iowa Associated Press who travels with candidates.

With Howard Dean’s success there comes an interest in why he is so successful and that leads to Joe Trippi, and his unusual path into his current position. Trippi first came into politics with Edward Kennedy’s challenge of incumbent President Jimmy Carter. Trippi left San Jose University, where he was 14 hours short of an aerospace engineering degree.

He is known for his intensity. He is also known for being involved in a number of losing campaigns -- Edward Kennedy, Walter Mondale, Gary Hart and Dick Gephardt. These failures led to his burnout and an involvement in the silicon industry as a consultant. There he was noted for creating online communities. However, according to the AP story it was first in politics that he began to understand the Internet’s capacity for self-generation:

"It dawned on me, being on the other side of Hart with Mondale, that if you drop a pebble in the water, these concentric circles will move on their own," Trippi said. The Internet "was Gary Hart's concentric circles on steroids."

$200 million

A NY Daily News article reports on Howard Dean’s goal to get two million people to give him a $100 each to match Bush:

Dean's "$100 dollar revolution" has built him a $25 million war chest and propelled him from long shot to the front of the Democratic pack. Campaign manager Joe Trippi is confident the $200 million goal will be met next summer.

"There are millions of people that are for us right now," he said. "We're positive we get to 2 million as people become convinced it's us versus Bush."

Today, Howard Dean has a high dollar fund-raiser in NY that is expected to go beyond the previous single day record, $2 million, for a Democrat. It is also reported that the New Hampshire NEA, a major force in Granite State Democratic politics, will give their nod to Dean.

Language flack

Sen. John Kerry’s use of profanity continues to play in the media and editorial columns are beginning to blast away at him as well. Meanwhile, Kerry’s campaign shows no sign of an apology for the foul language in the Rolling Stone magazine interview. Kerry’s campaign issued the following statement:

"John Kerry saw combat up close, and he doesn't mince words when it comes to politicians who put ideological recklessness ahead of American troops," said spokeswoman Stephanie Cutter. "I think the American people would rather Card and the rest of the White House staff spend more time on fixing Bush's flawed policy in Iraq than on Sen. Kerry's language."

Kerry lowering expectations

A Boston Globe story reports Sen. John Kerry’s campaign is lowering expectations about his performance in New Hampshire. The campaign is suggesting that second place is adequate because under Democratic Party rules: Candidates who receive at least 15 percent of the vote in a primary or caucus will receive a share of the delegates who will go on to nominate the Democrats' presidential candidate at the party convention in Boston in late July.

Many other prognosticators suggest Kerry’s advantage of being a Senator from nearby Massachusetts with Boston being a dominant media source for Southern New Hampshire. The question persists: if Kerry can’t win in New Hampshire, where can he win?

Kerry to address jobs issue

Democratic candidate for President John Kerry will address students at Stanford University on Monday, December 8, at 12:00 p.m. PT / 3:00 p.m. ET where he will unveil his plan to create jobs, invest in technology, and build a 21st Century workforce to compete in a global economy.

President Bush has presided over the loss of 3 million jobs in America, including 425,000 high-tech jobs in California and other technology hubs throughout the nation. Through his plan, John Kerry will bring an end to the nation's so-called "jobless recovery" by assuring the work force has the skills so that America can go back to work and compete in the global marketplace.

Kerry asked to fire consultant Robert Schrum

The Boston Globe reports that Jason Kinney, a former speechwriter for ousted Democratic governor Gray Davis, sent a letter to Kerry urging him to fire Shrum for his "betrayal" of the Democratic Party. A political opponent of Kerry's provided the letter to the Globe. Kerry, asked two weeks ago about Shrum's California role, said Shrum was not expected to clear his clients by the Kerry campaign and declined further comment. Yesterday, Kerry spokesman Michael Meehan said he had nothing to add to Kerry's earlier remarks. Shrum, an ally of the Kennedy family, of which Schwarzenegger is a member by marriage, could not be reached for comment.

Kerry’s making it up

The Washington Post covers the fact that Kerry’s statements don’t always add up:

Let me tell you something," he said Thursday on the CBS "Early Show." "John McCain was 30 points behind Bush in New Hampshire at this point in time." The point was clear: Kerry, far behind Howard Dean in New Hampshire, would have a come-from-behind victory, just as McCain did over George W. Bush in 2000.

Well, not exactly. At this time four years ago, an American Research Group poll found McCain with a 37 percent to 30 percent lead over Bush in New Hampshire. And a Franklin Pierce College poll put McCain's lead at 15 points.

Liberal Frank’s no sale

Rep Barney Frank was in Iowa’s most liberal community, Iowa City. He was there campaigning for his friend Sen. John Kerry according to the Daily Iowan. He stood atop a box with a Kerry banner as backdrop during lunch hour. He delivered the not electable line regarding Kerry’s opponent. It is highly irresponsible to support a candidate who won't be able to beat President Bush.  The paper said that his endorsement confused many in attendance:

UI Student Government Vice President Mayrose Wegmann, who attended the reception, said she was "really confused." "I've always been very impressed with Barney Frank," she said, "but I'm disappointed that a progressive congressman would side with someone who has a poor voting record on progressive issues like the war resolution, the Patriot Act, and tax cuts." She said she does not see the same passion in the Kerry campaign that she sees in the campaigns of other presidential candidates such as Howard Dean and Dennis Kucinich. "I was really confused," Wegmann said. "It seemed like he supported Kerry because he's from the same state and has known him a long time."

Clark’s theme week

This is the week that Wesley Clark spends each day promoting his “Turnaround For America Plan.” Clark offers a state by state goal for family income, clean air, college enrollment, child poverty and health insurance. Most of his week will be in New Hampshire.

Moral equivocation

Sen. Joe Lieberman has had a history of being resolute in his expression of the religious moral necessity for Americans. A Boston Globe article shows that Lieberman is willing to equivocate about even this most steadfast issue in his life and political carrier:

During a visit to The Boston Globe last week, he was asked again about that 2000 speech. Did he really mean to assert that religion is necessary for morality?

He could have answered "yes," and observed that just as medicine tends to make society more healthy, religion tends to make society more ethical. He could have explained that Judeo-Christian teachings are a well-spring of the civic virtues a sound democracy requires. He could have pointed out that even Thomas Jefferson, skeptical deist though he was, considered religion "the alpha and omega of the moral law" and used government funds to underwrite the religious services held in the Capitol and other federal buildings.

But he didn't. Instead of defending the stance he had articulated with such apparent conviction in 2000, Lieberman scuttled away from it.

Nader fundraiser

According to the Washington times, Ralph Nader will attend a $100-a-head fund-raiser arranged by the New Jersey Green Party on Thursday as he gauges both political interest and financial support for another possible presidential candidacy. Mr. Nader has promised to announce this month whether he will make a White House bid next year and has authorized the Nader 2004 Presidential Exploratory Committee to raise funds.

Death Penalty

The Boston Globe has an article on how Democrats are changing their stripes on the death penalty:

All six upper-tier candidates are on record as supporting at least some application of the death penalty. Moreover, four were opponents who have modified their views -- Howard Dean, John F. Kerry, Joseph I. Lieberman, and John Edwards. Richard A. Gephardt has been a consistent death penalty supporter, and Wesley K. Clark initially said after joining the race in September that he backed a moratorium on executions, but has voiced support of capital punishment as a punishment option for "the most heinous crimes."

The three Democrats who steadfastly oppose the death penalty are all lower-tier candidates in the polls -- Dennis J. Kucinich, Carol Moseley Braun, and the Rev. Al Sharpton. All three have said they would seek to abolish capital punishment.

Black voters

The Washington Times’ Inside the Beltway reports that Black religious groups are going to try to register Blacks in key states. It seems everyone is targeting this season:

Dubbed "Sanctified Seven — Victory Through Voting," the campaign will be active in the key electoral states of Florida, Illinois, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. The goal is to encourage black participants to register every few weeks at least seven members of their community to vote in the 2004 election.

"For years now, the religious right has co-opted the language of the church and the language of the Bible and used it as a tool to motivate people in ways that conflict with our core beliefs and that are harmful to our communities," says the Rev. Arnold Howard, chairman of the AAMLC. "For this reason, we are asking our clergy and our congregations to dedicate themselves to countering the rhetoric of the religious right by mobilizing voters within their communities."

There will be no mandate

Ronald Brownstein’s Washington Outlook in the LA Times column writes about how the ads that are so negative are the outgrowth of the country’s great divide. He also states that no one should look for a mandate out of this election:

The most important backdrop for campaign 2004 is the partisan chasm in attitudes toward President Bush. In polls, more than 90% of Republicans say he's doing a good job. Typically, less than 25% — sometimes less than 20% — of Democrats agree. That's the widest partisan gap over a president's performance in the history of modern polling.

This polarization means lots of Americans are passionately committed to reelecting Bush, and a comparable number are equally dedicated to unseating him. What the last few days have demonstrated is that when emotions are this high, the dollars available for political causes are almost endless, despite the new campaign-reform law meant to slow the flow of money into politics.

* ON THE BUSH BEAT:

Keeping our promise to seniors

Associated Press reports Bush spoke in front of a large blue banner with a prescription sign and the words: "Keeping Our Promise to Seniors" as he signed the Medicare legislation providing prescription drugs:

"I'm pleased that all of you are here to witness the greatest advance in health care coverage for America's seniors since the founding of Medicare," the president said.

He said then-President Lyndon Johnson, when he signed the Medicare Act of 1965, established a "a solemn promise to America's seniors. We have pledged to help our citizens find affordable medical care in the later years of life."

"And today, by reforming and modernizing this vital program, we are honoring the commitments of Medicare to all our seniors," Bush said.

Laura’s touch

U.S. News has a clip about Laura Bush’s fund-raising abilities:

Mrs. Bush has raised as much as the vice president," brags an associate. "And it's not been that visible, really." That's because her appearances have been closed to the press. Insiders say Bush follows a regular pattern: Travel someplace to promote one of her pet projects like reading, women's health, or historic preservation. Then tell donors at a later gaggle what a great experience it was; very little of her stump speech is devoted to reviewing the administration's accomplishments. "She's a very popular draw," says an insider. "There's something very normal about her." Better yet, says an outside adviser: "People like her for all the reasons they didn't like Hillary Clinton."

* THE CLINTON COMEDIES:

Comic suicide

The NY Daily News reports that Bill Maher has made another stab at career suicide. Hillary was accepting an Oceana Partners award in Los Angeles last Wednesday for her work on environmental issues. The event also honored marine explorer Jean-Michel Cousteau, as well as Ron Howard and his Imagine partner, Brian Glazer. Maher was the master of ceremonies of the event. The news reports:

"Maher began bringing up 'Bill Clinton's [bleep] jobs' - with Hillary sitting right there in front of him eating her chicken," says a witness. "It was just cruel. Ted Danson's wife, Mary Steenburgen, is a longtime friend of the senator's. I can't believe they approved of this."

The former President, although not there, was listed as a co-chairman of the event, which raised $600,000.

* NATIONAL:

Reality Politics

The Associated Press reports that television may soon provide viewers with a political reality show like survivors. Contestants would compete for viewer and judges’ votes on a weekly basis:

At the end of each episode, viewers could vote for their favorite candidate by phone or the Internet. The 10- to 12-week series would end with one winner, based on weekly popular votes, polling samples and program judges.

R.J. Cutler, director of "the War Room," a documentary about then Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton's 1992 presidential campaign, would produce the project with Jay Roach, director of the "Austin Powers" movies.

Rapper to be questioned

The Secret Service is planning to conduct an interview with rapper EMINEM, government sources tell the DRUDGE REPORT, after a new song by the artist appeared on the Internet -- a song that wished the "president dead!"

 

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