IPW Daily Report – Tuesday, February 17, 2004
“… two of the greatest war Presidents in American
history — Abraham Lincoln and Franklin Roosevelt —
had military backgrounds that make Bush's look
distinguished: Lincoln, minimal (less than half a
year of militia duty); Roosevelt, none.”
– writes
columnist Charles Krathammer
“Kerry says terrorism is "primarily an
intelligence and law-enforcement operation" —
precisely the misconception that had us waking up
on Sept. 12 realizing that while the enemy was
preparing for war, we were preparing legal briefs
for grand juries.”
– writes
columnist Charles Krathammer
"I'm tired of these politicians who show up when
the bagpipes are wailing and the flags are at
half-staff and they talk about heroes in America,"
Kerry said.
"And then when they go back to Washington, the
flags are at full-staff again and the bagpipes
have stopped playing, they forget."
"The basic conclusion is that it's [the Bush tax
cuts] been a very important factor,"
Ed McKelvey, an
economist at investment firm Goldman Sachs said.
“I believe we need a president who doesn't just
say 'start your engines,' but says 'we're here to
start the engines of the economy by putting
America back to work,"
John Kerry said.
"Do for him what you did for my brother [deliver
Wisconsin],"
Sen. Ted Kennedy implored Wisconsinites.
"He will make a great president, he will lead this
country."
"The latest trend in medicine is for doctors to
try to save time by seeing patients in small
groups. You know what you call a doctor talking to
three people at once? A Howard Dean rally,"
panned Jay Leno
on the Tonight Show.
"I was against NAFTA,"
said John
Edwards. "Governor Dean and Senator Kerry
were for it. There are differences."
"It's not too late because this primary process is
going well into March,"
said John
Edwards. "I want voters to know what the
differences are between us."
Kerry barely wins Wisconsin
Edwards hot, Dean not
Dean’s hopes dashed in Wisconsin
Edwards crowding Kerry
Kerry dropping in Polls
Kerry out of line
MoveOn.org bigger than Christian Coalition
Kerry affair story takes twist
Kerry and Gephardt
Edwards’ new TV ad
Where is Dean’s campaign?
Kerry barely wins Wisconsin
Edwards hot, Dean not
It was another win for John Kerry in the Wisconsin
Primary… but just barely. Rival John Edwards was
hot on Kerry’s heels throughout and momentum was
in Edward’s corner. Howard Dean, coming in third
place, did not secure enough Wisconsin votes to
remain in the race according to those who would
comment. Returning to Vermont, the former governor
has said he is going to think things over. Dean
also called both Edwards and Kerry to discuss his
next move. If Dean endorses Edwards it could mean
trouble ahead for Kerry… if Dean endorses Kerry,
it could mean the end of the Edwards surge and
hopes of unseating the leader.
Dean’s hopes dashed in Wisconsin
Edwards crowding Kerry
According to
DRUDGE, the late afternoon exit polls in
Wisconsin show that even voters in that highly
liberal, independent-minded state just do not
support Howard Dean as their party’s presidential
candidate… at a disappointing 15 percent of the
vote thus far, Howard Dean is not their candidate
of choice. Big question, of course, is: will Dean
stay in the race after today?
But the other developing story, according to
DRUDGE, is that of John Edwards’ surprising
strength and crowding of leader John Kerry -- exit
polling shows Edwards at 31 percent to Kerry’s 42
percent.
Kerry dropping in Polls
The latest Rasmussen Reports national tracking
poll indicates that Sen. John Kerry has dropped 8
percentage points and that Sen. John Edwards has
gained 7 percentage points in just three days.
Kerry is now at 43 percent and Edwards has 25
percent support among the nation’s Democrats.
Howard Dean is at 14 percent.
There was no indication as to why Democrats are no
longer supporting Kerry as strongly as they have.
There have been several revelations concerning
Kerry’s past affairs and a recent affair that was
denied. In addition, there have been suggestions
about his twenty year Senate flip flops and the
revelation of being the leading Senator in taking
the largest amount of special interest money.
The national telephone survey of 570 Democrats was
conducted by Rasmussen Reports over the past three
nights. The margin of sampling error is +/- 4
percentage points.
Kerry out of line
Sen. John Kerry campaigning in Wisconsin with Rep.
Dick Gephardt claimed that President Bush doesn’t
care about America’s fallen heroes.
"I'm tired of these politicians who show up when
the bagpipes are wailing and the flags are at
half-staff and they talk about heroes in America,"
Kerry said. "And then when they go back to
Washington, the flags are at full-staff again and
the bagpipes have stopped playing, they forget."
It was the most irreverent attack by any Democrat
opponent to date. The charge is akin to saying
that the President of the United States doesn’t
care about the sacrifices of 9-11 or the losses of
American lives in the continuing War on Terrorism
in Afghanistan and Iraq. There will undoubtedly be
those who demand out of decency an apology by
Kerry.
MoveOn.org bigger than Christian Coalition
MoveOn.org recently sent out an email to their
members congratulating them on being more powerful
than the Christian Coalition at its peak. The
organization is an Internet phenomenon that is the
fastest growing political force in our nation’s
history. Here is their recent email:
MoveOn is now over two million people strong in
the United States. That's a huge number: the
organization we've built together is bigger than
the Christian Coalition at its peak. To put it
another way, one in every 146 Americans is now a
MoveOn member. And we're still growing fast.
And what we're doing together is even more
exciting. For decades, parts of our political
system have been sold to the highest bidder, with
corporate donors winning out over the public
interest. But on Friday, we finished our $10
million Voter Fund grassroots fundraising campaign
without a dime from corporations or special
interests. In the end, over 170,000 people opened
their checkbooks and contributed an average of
about $60 to put ads on the air that challenge
Bush and his corporate backers. The impact of this
campaign shouldn't be underestimated: it clearly
demonstrates that real people still matter in
American politics. And the folks in Washington
know it.
Political giving is almost always a quid-pro-quo
business: corporate lobbyists trade money for
policy, the wealthy trade money for access to
politicians. MoveOn members aren't asking for
anything but their democracy back, and that kind
of generosity is pretty rare. When we hear about
the families who saved up to make a $25 donation,
or think of the thousands of folks who mailed in
$5 checks, we know this is something amazing and
new that we're a part of.
And money's only part of the equation: our phone
calls and emails helped win a real victory last
week. After CBS rejected our Voter Fund's Super
Bowl ad, we learned that the White House was being
allowed to air an advocacy ad about Medicare. We
told you about it, and in just a few days over
50,000 MoveOn members called and emailed to
complain. On Friday, CBS pulled the ad, stating
that it had violated their policy. It's a big win,
and a powerful blow to the Bush Administration's
campaign to cover up its Medicare sellout.
This tidal wave of engagement and activism isn't
exclusive to MoveOn, of course. Every leader of
every organization we run into sees the same
thing. Across the country, from labor unions like
the SEIU to Greenpeace to the ACLU, people are
standing up and getting active. President Bush
told us he was a uniter, and he was right: he's
uniting people across America to fight back for
our country.
s this movement gains momentum and visibility,
many of these organizations will inevitably become
targets for Republican attacks. We've already seen
some of the smear tactics the right will use. When
their situation becomes even more dire, we know
they'll strike hard at MoveOn and the groups we
stand with –- a campaign of intimidation fueled by
President Bush's $150 million war chest.
But this new democratic groundswell draws its
strength from the hopes of millions of people,
standing up and taking action for a better country
and a better world. We simply refuse to let
lobbyists, attack politics and fear-mongering
destroy our democracy. And against the courage and
conviction of real people, even Karl Rove and $150
million can't do much.
Thank you for your hope, your generosity, and your
willingness to speak out. Together, we're taking
our country back.
Kerry affair story takes twist
Nairobi Kenya - Alexandra Polier issued a
statement to The Associated Press, saying, "I have
never had a relationship with Senator Kerry, and
the rumors in the press are completely false."
"Whoever is spreading these rumors and allegations
does not know me," Polier said, appealing to the
media to respect her privacy and the privacy of
her fiance and his family.
Her parents stated, "We love and support her 100
percent and these unfounded rumors are hurtful to
our entire family," the statement said. "We
appreciate the way Senator Kerry has handled the
situation, and intend on voting for him for
president of the United States."
In a statement e-mailed to the AP in New York,
Alex’s father Terry Polier said he was misquoted
by the Sun and that his wife never talked to the
Sun reporter. Contacted early Tuesday, the Sun had
no immediate comment.
It is attributed that the story was being peddled
that Kerry had an affair with Alex Polier by a
Wesley Clark aide. Wesley Clark supposedly told
reporters off the record, "Kerry will implode over
an intern issue."
It has also been reported that Polier dated
longtime Kerry Finance Director Peter Maroney. It
was reported that she stated in Kerry’s offices
that she was dating ‘the next President of the
United States.’
This strange sequence of events remains
suspicious, and there remain questions whether it
is true or untrue that she taped an interview with
a network television during Christmas – supposedly
telling all about her affair with John Kerry.
Will this saga continue? Will the British
newspapers respond?
Kerry and Gephardt
The Kerry campaign released the following release:
Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry and
Representative Dick Gephardt today joined union
leaders from the Alliance for Economic Justice (AEJ)
at a rally in Milwaukee to highlight George Bush’s
failed economic policies. AEJ unanimously voted
last Wednesday to endorse John Kerry in the
Democratic presidential primary race. The 19
member unions of the Alliance represent more than
5 million workers throughout America.
“It was the choice of our union leaders to stand
behind John Kerry and his more than 19 years of
public service to working men and women,” said Joe
Hunt, Chairman of the Alliance and General
President of the Iron Workers Union. “He has the
character, the passion and the strength to fight
for a better future for America’s working
families.”
John Kerry is currently embarked on a four-day
dialogue with American workers about the
devastating impact of the Bush economy on middle
class families. He is discussing his plan to
re-tool the American economy and create
manufacturing jobs, beginning with the repeal of
the Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans.
The Alliance will put in place a massive
grassroots voter education and mobilization effort
for the remaining presidential primaries and for
November’s general election. In New York and
California alone, whose combined delegate count
totals nearly one-fourth of those needed to secure
the Democratic nomination, Alliance member unions
have more than 500,000 members.
“George Bush is more about creating photo
opportunities than job opportunities,” said Kerry.
“Since he took office, Wisconsin has lost 75,000
manufacturing jobs and more than 170,000 people in
this state still can’t find work. President Bush
has focused on tax cuts for the wealthy rather
than American jobs and he has done little to
address the real reasons manufacturing jobs are
being lost.”
“I promise you that when I am president, we will
put jobs back on the top of the national agenda,
and return prosperity to America,” continued
Kerry. “I will start by repealing the Bush tax
cuts for the wealthiest Americans and instead
invest in education and affordable healthcare for
all. I will fight for manufacturing jobs by giving
real incentives to keep jobs in the United States,
making sure manufacturers can compete by making
health care more affordable and assuring that
these companies can compete on a level playing
field. Unlike the Bush Administration, I want to
repeal every tax break and loophole that rewards
any Benedict Arnold CEO or corporation for
shipping American jobs overseas.”
The Alliance for Economic Justice was formed in
2003 and consists of the following unions: the Air
Line Pilots Association, American Maritime
Officers, Brotherhood of Boilermakers, Bricklayers
and Allied Craftworkers, Graphic Communications
International Union, International Association of
Iron Workers, Laborers’ Union, Machinists Union,
Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way, Marine
Engineers’ Beneficial Association, Office and
Professional Employees Union, PACE International
Union, Operative Plasterers’ and Cement Masons
Union, Seafarers Union, Alliance of Theatrical
Stage Employees Union, United Steelworkers of
America, Teamsters Union, Transport Workers Union
of America and United Food and Commercial Workers
Union.
Edwards’ new ad
Edwards continued to try and make a splash in
Wisconsin’s primary right up till the end. He even
put up a new ad in the last three days of the
race. The following is the script of "Believe":
"I believe in the politics of what's possible, and
for me that's what this election is about. See, I
think that this is about something much bigger
than these petty snipings that are going on. It's
about a new, positive, uplifting vision for
America - that's what we are about as Democrats.
It's what we should always be about.
"We're the party that believes in bringing people
together, not tearing them apart. Together, you
and I are going to change America, because you
believe in the same thing."
Where is Dean’s campaign?
Howard Dean’s campaign has not issued a release on
its website since Feb. 10. It is indicative of the
disintegrating nature of his campaign. However,
Dean stated on national television he is not
ending his presidential quest.
"We're moving forward and we're gonna go to Super
Tuesday and on beyond that. We have very strong
field organizations," Dean told "Today" on NBC. "I
think there needs to be a continued debate in the
party about what we're doing."
"We have an enormous base of grass-roots support
who wants to fundamentally change America," Dean
said. "We've struggled with fundamentally changing
the Democratic Party. Many of the folks now
running, including Senator Kerry, have adopted our
positions on many issues, and I think that's
terrific. We intend to have real change in
Washington, and that's what this campaign's about.
And we can't get there by quitting."
Though Dean’s chances of winning the nomination
are dim at best, his remaining in the race could
continue to hurt Sen. John Edwards’ chances of
having a head to head showdown with Sen. John
Kerry.
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