The Iowa Daily Report -- Saturday, December 27, 2003

* QUOTABLE:

“Arthur Goldberg was a fine public servant -- secretary of labor, Supreme Court justice, ambassador to the United Nations -- but a dreadful candidate for governor of New York in 1970, when it was said that if he gave one more speech he would lose Canada, too. Howard Dean is becoming Goldbergean” -- writes George Will.

“Dean's dash from obscurity to dominance in the Democratic nomination contest may be the second-most impressive example of spontaneous political combustion in living memory. But consider what it is second to: George Wallace's 1968 achievement of getting his name on the presidential ballots of all 50 states” -- another quote from George Will.

"I always have believed that experience at the highest levels of government is going to be an important factor in this race," Dick Gephardt said. Voters "are not going to turn this over to somebody who doesn't have experience. It's not going to happen.”

* TODAY’S OFFERINGS:

Howard Dean: *Dean’s corporate giving *Dean’s war troubles
*Dean on Madcow *Dean’s Perfect Storm growing
*Sioux City Meetup *Dean’s enabling supporters
*Dean’s sealed papers

Dick Gephardt: *Gephardt’s isolationism
*Gephardt running hard

John Kerry: *Kerry’s divergence

Wesley Clark: *Congrats to Wes *Clark’s diversions
*Clark on Alaska wilderness

Joe Lieberman: *Lieberman explains himself

John Edwards: *Edwards’ sad tale

IPW: *IPW cartoons tapped

* CANDIDATES & CAUCUSES:

Dean’s corporate giving

As governor of Vermont, Howard Dean presided over the creation of a program that authorized $80.1 million in corporate tax credits without verifying that many of the companies had made good on promises to bring new jobs and investments to Vermont, according to a report by the state auditor's office.

The Report indicates Dean’s corporate tax giveaways contributed to a 44 percent decline in corporate tax receipts, from $57 million to $32 million, between fiscal years 1999 and 2002.

Dean constantly riles against President Bush for giving money away to corporations and falsely ties him to Enron as an example of Bush’s buddies getting away bad acts. However, The Boston Globe reports that Dean asked the committee overseeing the tax credits to relax the oversight on whether the companies would have expanded in Vermont without the tax credits. The audit reports states:

"The governor is reported to have directed the council to weaken its already questionable policy regarding the `but for' issue," the report states. "If an applicant's `but for' is weak, it means there is reason to believe the company would create jobs without the tax credits. If so, any credits awarded represent a potential waste of taxpayer money."

Dean’s tenure and closeness with the committee was well documented at the time. There was a lot of controversy about the tax giveaway because Vermont’s economy was going strong and legislators did not think that the state needed to be giving tax dollars away to big corporations.

The committee was also criticized for doing its business in secret and the chairman of the committee lied under oath about not taking minutes of the meeting. He was not prosecuted by the attorney general. The Globe reports on legislators’ dissatisfaction with Dean:

"Basically, they gave away state money in secret," Dean Corren -- a former state representative, a member of the Progressive Party, and a vocal critic of the program -- said in an interview.

Dean’s war troubles

The Manchester Union Leader has a headline that states “Dean not ready to pronounce Osama bin Laden guilty.” This legal style of foreign policy was abandoned by President Bush in favor of a preemptive policy that goes after the terrorist and doesn’t wait on law enforcement procedures to stop terrorists. This is in opposition to a quote run by the Associated Press where Dean says that he want bin Laden put to death:

“As a President, I would have to defend the process of the rule of law. But as an American, I want to make sure he gets the death penalty he deserves,” Dean told the AP in a phone interview.

The story not only covers Dean’s unease in placing the blame for 9-11 on Bin Laden before a trial, but questions Dean about his anti-war position being in opposition to American public opinion:

Asked how he would persuade people who were not opposed to the war to vote for him instead of President Bush, Dean responded, "By going after him on terrorism, where he's really weak."

Dean questioned whether the Bush administration's use of force against Iraq had anything to do with Libya's announcement that it will scrap its programs for weapons of mass destruction.

Dean on Madcow

Howard Dean, in an Associated Press story, was critical of the Bush administration for not pushing the origin of products legislation that Congress failed to pass. He also supports a financial aide package for the industry:

“What we need in this country is instant traceability,” he said.

Dean said such a system should have been set up quickly after the mad cow scare that devastated the British beef industry in the mid- to late-1990s.

“This just shows the complete lack of foresight by the Bush administration once again,” Dean said. “This is something that easily could be predicted and was predicted.”

Dean said as a result the beef industry will suffer enormously. Officials said yesterday 90 percent of the foreign markets for American beef have been closed off because of the announcement.

Asked if he supported a federal economic aid package for the industry, Dean said: “The answer is, yes, of course I do. The question is how much? And we don’t know how much yet.”

Dean’s Perfect Storm growing

Howard Dean’s campaign is getting more and more attention paid to the growing number of volunteers that are coming to Iowa. Dean’s website asks volunteers to come to Iowa to create the perfect storm to elect him. The Des Moines Register reports again today on who these people are and why they are showing up: "The reason that I'm here, as opposed to working back there, is that if everything works mathematically . . . by the time they roll around to Oregon, it will be a done deal," said Michael Lafferty, 51, co-owner of a computer parts repair business in Eugene, Ore.

Sioux City Meetup

The Sioux City Journal reports on a Dean Meetup in their city. It briefly explores the new technology being implemented in campaigns. What is significant is its account of the diverse group who met during the holidays in support of Dean:

The subject matter differs from location to location. The MeetUp at BA's was essentially a Bush-bashing session, with a few references thrown in on people as dissimilar as Paris Hilton and Richard Nixon. It was short of strategizing on how to pump up Dean's campaign and more a wide-ranging discussion of current events and politics. The half-dozen attendees, evenly split above and below age 40, sipped wine, beer and pop in the relaxed atmosphere of a darkened sideroom.

The meeting began with Enfield asking attendees to state why they supported Dean. Many said they liked Dean because he comes off as an unscripted straight talker. Lee Corbett of Sioux City she had been to a lot of Dean's campaign stops, but never to a MeetUp. Corbett, who steered much of the discussion, has another family member supporting Dean, as her son, Shane, volunteers for Dean at the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks.

Sister Mary Lee Cox and John Taylor were at their sixth Dean Sioux City MeetUp. Taylor said such grassroots political movements were important, since the 2004 election will be a turning point for the U.S.

Dean’s enabling supporters

The LA Times reports on how Dean’s support is deaf, blind and dumb in support of Howard Dean:

Stumbles, such as Dean's remark about Confederate flag-wavers, and factual misstatements, such as his assertion that no other candidate was discussing race before white audiences, have not only failed to slow his momentum but redoubled the commitment of Dean supporters.

"It's about all of us saying [expletive] to all the pundits," said Michael Cannon, 49, a New Jersey state worker who attended a rally in Trenton with a Dean sweat shirt, T-shirt and button on the back of his cap.

"Whenever negative stories surface, that just proves to me that I should be behind him all the more," Cannon said.

When Dean makes mistakes on the campaign trial, it is just reinforced that Dean should act more stupid according to the article:

"It shows he's human," said Clifford Rames, 38, another Dean backer from New Jersey, who appropriated a blue-and-gold "Dean for America" sign as a souvenir from the McGreevey rally. "He's a person who goes to work every day and occasionally messes up," Rames said, which suggests that Dean would not only be "a human president, he would understand the average person."

But skeptics, fearful that Dean would be a disaster as the Democratic nominee, say he may be getting the wrong signal from his fervent followers, in the same way an ill-mannered child is indulged by overly protective parents.

"Whenever he screws up, the campaign is quick to point out that e-mail traffic is up, contributions over the Internet are up," said John Weaver, a former advisor to Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona who now consults for Democratic candidates.

Dean’s sealed papers

The NY Times reports on Howard Dean’s sealed papers. They show how memorandums negotiating the terms of sealing the documents took into consideration Dean’s future political ambitions.

Gephardt’s isolationism

Rep. Dick Gephardt continues to flail away at his opponents for voting for global trade. In a recent trip to S. Carolina the Washington Post captured Gephardt speaking to the state’s unemployed:

Under the fluorescent glow of a vast job-placement center, before a small audience of unemployed workers, Rep. Richard A. Gephardt (Mo.) hit his stride, excoriating trade policies that he says have ravaged the United States' manufacturing base, beggared its working class and sent well-paying jobs to exploited masses in the Third World.

"Go to where the workers lived," the Democratic White House hopeful said, his voice rising indignantly. "They live on the ground. They live in the cardboard boxes that bring the products to the United States -- raw sewage coming down the street, no water, no sewers, no electricity. They live in worse conditions than most animals live in the United States."

Industrial Unions are fighting for Gephardt’s nomination and are divided against their service union brethren who have endorsed rival candidate Howard Dean. Gephardt’s campaign may not be solely about trade, but it is clearly its centerpiece:

This election is going to be a bellwether on whether trade matters as much as we think it does," said Mike Mathis, governmental affairs director for the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, which has endorsed Gephardt. "If people don't see the negative impact [of free trade] this time, I don't see how we can make it a big issue anymore."

If Gephardt becomes the Dean alternative, the fight will undoubtedly hinge on the ‘Washington failed and Gephardt was there’ scenario:

Trippi, who manages the campaign of former Vermont governor Howard Dean, insists that Gephardt's problem is more fundamental. "He's been talking about these issues for a long time," Trippi said. "But in the end, they still lost their plants, they still lost their jobs."

Gephardt running hard

The LA Times covers Rep. Dick Gephardt’s race and finds the candidate making a push towards important dates:

Gephardt's campaign, seen up close this month in four states, is lean, nimble and — usually — punctual and predictable, like the man himself. But flashes of passion, humor and personal anecdotes leaven his script. He denounces President Bush as "by far the worst" chief executive he has worked with in Washington, declaring himself "nostalgic for Ronald Reagan" — a sure laugh line for Democratic audiences. But Gephardt also insists that the Republican incumbent cannot be beaten with anger alone, a dig at the Dean insurgency.

Instead, Gephardt says, his candidacy offers "bright, bold, positive, realistic" ideas, clear contrasts with the president on domestic policy (if not on the Iraq war) and a Democratic edge in crucial states of the Midwest.

Kerry’s divergence

The Manchester Union Leader reports on Sen. John Kerry’s latest trip to New Hampshire. Kerry quoted New Englander Robert Frost:

"Two roads have diverged in the New Hampshire woods," Kerry said in a speech prepared for delivery in Manchester Saturday. "One of them takes us toward retreat from our responsibility in the world, our responsibility to working families, our responsibility to talk straight to the American people - and our obligation to win their confidence and their votes next November."

Kerry’s tone seems to have changed regarding his handling of Howard Dean. He seems more confident to stand up to Dean and say there is a difference. He is not trying to explain his vote on going to war in Iraq:

Kerry said "we can't beat George Bush by being Bush-lite," referring to Dean's criticism of more centrist Democratic candidates.

"But we also won't beat George Bush by being light on national security, light on fairness for middle-class Americans or light on the values that make us Democrats."

Congrats to Wes

Wesley Clark got a surprise holiday present - his first grandchild was born a little early, on Christmas Day. The baby boy, named Wes, was not due until January but was born Thursday in Los Angeles. The father, Wesley Clark II, said both the child and mother, Astrid, were doing well. The new grandfather, a retired Army general who is seeking the Democratic presidential nomination, waited outside the delivery room with his wife, Gert, during the birth.

Clark’s diversions

The Washington Post is carrying a story titled, “Clark waits for voters to thaw” but a better title would be, “voters wait for Clark to learn politics.” Here is a piece that shows Clark’s amateur status:

"I'm not a professional politician," Clark tells his audiences, and the lack of tradecraft shows. At his town hall meetings, his answer to a single policy question can run 15 minutes, complete with detailed percentages. He can drift off into Al Gore-ish techno-idolatrous/green Earth dreams, about electric highways or buffalo roaming free in Montana. He can talk himself into strange alleys, like his recent verbal bio that began with his experience as a teenage camp counselor and somehow ricocheted back to "I want to be camp counselor of America . . . at whatever age I'll be."

Clark on Alaska wilderness

Wesley Clark issued a statement that the Bush Administration finalized the opening of 300,000 acres of Alaska's Tongass National Forest for logging and other development. Now the timber industry will be able to clearcut trees in one of the most ancient forests in the world.

"As Americans gathered to celebrate the traditions of the holiday season, the Bush Administration practiced its own tradition - rolling back environmental protections when most Americans weren't looking.

“It's wrong to announce gifts to your special interest supporters under cover of Christmas. American needs leadership that puts the people's interests above the special interests. That's the kind of leadership I'll bring back to White House."

Lieberman explains himself

Sen. Joe Lieberman is taking issue with a story the Manchester Union Leader ran showing him as questioning Roe vs Wade. Lieberman, apparently in an interview, went into the intricacies of the legal aspects of abortion and the changing aspect of medical science making the viability of the fetus earlier and earlier. In an attempt to make sure that pro-choice Democrats do not misunderstand his position Lieberman is quoted as saying yesterday, “I did not say nor do I believe that Roe should be looked at again, revisited or reconsidered.”

The Union Leader explains the discrepancy as follows:

In Lieberman’s statement yesterday, Lieberman said, “I said in that interview what I have said for years — namely that medical science has advanced the time of fetal viability to approximately 24 weeks. In response, the courts have determined, as the article pointed out, that the viability standard has replaced the original trimester formulation of Roe… “And it is critical to note that while these miraculous medical advances have shortened the time to fetal viability, they have also lengthened the time of a woman’s clearly protected right to choose in Roe from the first trimester to 24 weeks,” he said.

Edwards’ sad tale

Sen. John Edwards is the subject of a New York Times story that reports on the few, the proud and the faithful supporters of Edwards in New Hampshire. Edwards’ recent visit to Portsmouth helped bolster some of the workers’ spirits, according to the story:

"Seeing him today helped because it recaptures the feeling I had when I first saw him," said Connie Williams, a retired psychotherapist who is writing letters and making calls. "But it is discouraging. If he could only come across as more forceful, I think he'd have a chance."

IPW cartoons tapped

Iowa Presidential Watch’s political cartoons have gained a wide circulation throughout the Internet, traveling to a diverse global audience – they are viewed by our soldiers overseas; by those stateside in the U.S. military, government, education, commercial, and professional sectors; and by people in Taiwan, Saudi Arabia, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Australia, Netherlands, Hong Kong, Singapore, Canada, Sweden, South Africa, New Zealand, Mexico…

IPW also receives requests for publication from national and international media – such as the Sunday London Telegraph Times, and most recently by DefenseWatch magazine (“The Voice of the Grunt”) for an article by senior editor Dr. Robert G. Williscroft.

IPW cartoons are also seen regularly on Men’s News Daily.

* ON THE BUSH BEAT:

Congressional recess appointments

The President has the power granted by the Constitution to make appointments in the absence of the Congress. During this time President Bush has appointed the following who will serve unless Congress -- when it reconvenes -- rejects the nominees. The appointments are:
    •Albert Casey of Texas, to be a governor of the U.S. Postal Service. Mr. Bush initially nominated Mr. Casey on March 4, 2002.
    •Bradley D. Belt of Washington, to be a member of the Social Security Advisory Board. The president nominated Mr. Belt on Sept. 3, 2003.
    •Raymond Simon, the former director of the Arkansas Department of Education, to be assistant secretary for elementary and secondary education at the Education Department. Mr. Bush nominated Mr. Simon on Sept. 22, 2003.
    •Gay Hart Gaines of Florida, to be a member of the board of directors of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. The president nominated Mrs. Gaines on Nov. 17, 2003. Mrs. Gaines is a major donor to Republican causes and candidates. She gave $1,000 to Mr. Bush's presidential campaign in 2000 and again this year, and has given tens of thousands more to Republican National Committee campaign accounts.
    •Claudia Puig of Florida, to be a member of the board of directors of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Mr. Bush first nominated Miss Puig on Jan. 9, 2003. Miss Puig gave the maximum allowable donation to Mr. Bush's re-election campaign this year.
    •Fayza Veronique Boulad Rodman of Washington, to be a Member of the Broadcasting Board of Governors. The president nominated Miss Rodman on Oct. 24, 2003.
    •Cynthia Boich of California, to be a member of the board of directors of the Corporation for National and Community Service. Mr. Bush nominated Miss Boich on Sept. 23, 2003. She donated money to one-time Bush presidential rivals John McCain and Bob Smith.
    •Dorothy A. Johnson of Michigan, to be a member of the board of directors of the Corporation for National and Community Service. Mr. Bush nominated Ms. Johnson on Sept. 23, 2003.
    •Henry Lozano of California, to be a member of the board of directors of the Corporation for National and Community Service. The president nominated Mr. Lozano on Sept. 23, 2003.
    •Ronald E. Meisburg of Virginia, to be a member of the National Labor Relations Board. Mr. Bush nominated Mr. Meisburg on Nov. 20, 2003.
    •Clark Kent Ervin of Texas, to be inspector general, Homeland Security Department. The president nominated Mr. Ervin on Jan. 10, 2003, and he has served as interim inspector general.
    •Robert Lerner of Maryland, to be commissioner of education statistics at the Education Department. The president nominated Mr. Lerner on June 3, 2003.

* THE CLINTON COMEDIES:

Draft Hillary

Draft Hillary Camp will hold a rally in Senate park January 13, 2004 (more details to come). Senate park is located directly next to the Russell Senate office building, and between Union Station and the Capitol.

*NATIONAL:

Oh the French

There are a number of reports that America and France were not on the same page when it came to the cancellation of French flights to Los Angeles. The Washington Times reports American officials believed there was bad timing for the announcement of the cancellation of the flight:

One official said "a chorus of groans" from the Department of Homeland Security to the White House went out when the French made clear at the time the cancellations had been ordered for security reasons.

Washington believed that the longer publicity could have been avoided, "the greater the chance to catch anybody else who was suspected of being involved," he said. "The French announcement caught everyone off guard."

 

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