07-02-2004 

QUOTABLES:

“You can hear the beat of patriotism and promise every day," John Kerry said. "It’s the sound and the spirit of America. It’s the promise of the American dream. And it’s the reason we’re gathered here today. Because on November 2nd, that sound and spirit - that promise from the heartland - will take back America. Together, we’ll build an America stronger at home and respected in the world. Because I believe we can – and we will – do better."

“The New Republic says Kerry's plan "misses the mark." And Kerry's focus? Global crime, not terrorism. How can John Kerry win a war if he doesn't know the enemy?” – new Bush Campaign ad.

"We've spent $50 million and have nothing to show for it. Not a single point," said a Kerry campaign source.

“This week Monsieur Kerry is expected to choose his running mate, and the town is buzzing that it might be Hillary. This would fit perfectly into the affirmative amnesia strategy. Monsieur Kerry could stretch his usual summer idyll in France well into the autumn, and if he is elected president he won't have to come back at all. The Clintons will be happy to see to that.” – writes Wesley Pruden, WashingtonTimes.

“It [V.P.] could be Hillary. It's assumed that she has been vetted on a separate track from the others. At least that's the talk. No one here knows for sure," said a Kerry campaign source.

BUSH BEAT

New Bush ad

Today, Bush-Cheney '04 released the campaign's newest television ad, "Yakuza." The ad examines John Kerry's strategy to win the War on Terror. The ad counters a previous Kerry ad that purports that Kerry was the "author of a strategy to win the war on terror," a reference to his 1997 book, "The New War: The Web of Crime That Threatens America's Security."

Script for "Yakuza"

VOICE OVER:
John Kerry says he's 'Author of a strategy to win the war on terror?'...Against the Japanese yakuza.

VOICE OVER:
Never mentions Al-Qaeda. Says nothing about Osama Bin Laden.

VOICE OVER:
Calls Yasser Arafat a "statesman."

VOICE OVER:
The New Republic says Kerry's plan "misses the mark." And Kerry's focus? Global crime, not terrorism. How can John Kerry win a war if he doesn't know the enemy?

 Just POlitics

July 6 Veep Announcement?

According to an AmericanSpectator article, Democrat John Kerry will announce his vice presidential candidate on July 6. The consensus had been targeting a July 11 revelation and suggests Kerry’s campaign is moving up the announcement out of sheer desperation. Despite low approval ratings for President Bush, Kerry is still failing to capitalize on the situation. Naming the VP candidate could shore up lagging poll numbers and revive a disinterested press:

"It's accelerated. It all began happening on Wednesday," says the campaign source. "For the past week we've been told there was no decision, then all of sudden, this. We've been sifting through some cruddy poll numbers, so maybe that has something to do with it."

"When you factor in a president down in the 40s of approval, and a candidate that many people claim they don't know much about, there is no way we should be losing Michigan and Pennsylvania. But we are," says the Kerry adviser. "We've spent $50 million and have nothing to show for it. Not a single point."

A Kerry campaign source named the following as top contenders for the Veep spot:

Sen. John Edwards, Rep. Dick Gephardt, Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack, Wesley Clark, and a “surprise candidate.” Supposedly, each were asked to supply their contact and travel info for the July 4th weekend.

So, who is the “surpise candidate”? According to the Kerry campaign source:

“It could be Hillary. It's assumed that she has been vetted on a separate track from the others. At least that's the talk. No one here knows for sure," says the source.

According to a Clinton Senate staffer in New York City, late on Wednesday, a staff colleague called from the road and indicated that "the Senator may need to change some things around next week." "But we weren't told to do anything for now," says the staffer.

Jobs, jobs, jobs

The economy continues to improve with another 112,000 jobs created last month. Wall Street was hoping for 250,000 new jobs. The unemployment rate remains at 5.6 percent -- this after the Federal Reserve Board raised interest rates by .25 percent.

While the jobs report was not as strong as expected, the continued growth is causing Sen. John Kerry’s campaign more difficulties.

In March, Kerry derided Bush for "campaigning on failed economic policies that have steadily led America into economic decline." In April, he said, "we need a president who creates jobs," and later added: "There is not a single month of this administration that has seen the creation of a single manufacturing job."

All of this has proven to be a lie. Now, the Kerry campaign is changing the message. Kerry is now going to particular communities that are suffering from job losses.

Kerry did this in June when he went to Canton, Ohio, -- home of the Timken Company, whose workers were held up by Bush in 2003 as examples of families who would benefit from his tax cuts. Kerry met with Timken workers who had 1,300 jobs on the line in a labor dispute with Timken’s owner – a major Bush fundraiser.

Still, to the general public Kerry’s pessimism is beginning to serve up a thin gruel and is adding to the portrait of his being a pessimist as American job growth continues.

Undaunted, Kerry doggedly continued his pessimistic tone in Minnesota. Kerry pledged today to fight for these communities with policies to create jobs, close disparities in health care, improve education and make communities more secure:

"Over the next few days, in that bus right over there, we’ll continue our trip through small-town America, from Independence, Wisconsin to Independence, Iowa," Kerry said at a rally in Cloquet, MN. "We’ll visit towns, farms, march in a parade, eat barbecue and even do a little trap shooting. And we’ll honor the values that built our land and strengthened our communities. Family. Responsibility. Service. Values that are rooted in the heartland, and are harvested in all you do."

In response to his being labeled a pessimist, Kerry offered this:

"They say this is the best we can do. They've even called us pessimists. Well, I say, the most pessimistic thing you can say is that America can't do better," Kerry said. "Don't tell us losing 1,300 dairy farms in Minnesota is the best we can do. In 2004, we have to bring back our mighty dream again. We have to make America all that it can become."

Money, money, money

John Kerry raised $180 million in his bid for the White House, including $34 million in the last month. The Kerry campaign said it had raised $56 million over the Internet, including $12.5 million in June.

Top Ten Reasons: John Kerry is Wrong for Rural America

The Bush campaign released the following ten reasons why John Kerry is wrong for rural America as he begins a tour of Minnesota, Wisconsin and Iowa:

1. JOHN KERRY IS NO FRIEND OF THE MIDDLE CLASS
   At Least 13 Times Kerry Voted Against The Full Repeal Of Death Tax. Kerry also sponsored and voted for a motion to kill marriage penalty relief for couples earning less than $50,000 per year. In 1995, Kerry voted for a resolution that said middle class tax cuts were not wise. "The sense of the Senate amendment, killed on a motion by Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT), said, "reducing the deficit should be one of the nation's highest priorities, and that a middle-class tax cut would undermine and be inconsistent with the goal of achieving a balanced budget."

2. AGAINST FARMERS
   Kerry Has Called To "Get Rid Of The Agriculture Department." Kerry said, "I think we can reduce the size of Washington… Get rid of the Agriculture Department, or at least render it three-quarters the size it is today; there are more agriculture bureaucrats than there are farmers in this country." (Timothy J. Connolly and Mike Elfland, "Kerry Rips Into GOP On Budget," [Worchester, MA] Telegram & Gazette, 1/6/96) In 1995, Kerry called for the elimination of the Department of Agriculture’s Marketing Promotion Program (MPP), which is critical in promoting agricultural products overseas. (Scott S. Greenberger, "A Tale Of Two Programs: ‘Corporate Welfare’ Is In Eye Of Beholder," States News Service, 5/12/95) Kerry has also voted at least four times against the U.S. sugar program.

3. WRONG ON RURAL HEALTH CARE
   Kerry Missed 36 Of 38 Votes On Medicare Reform And Prescription Drug Benefit, Including Final Passage Of Bill. Last year, Kerry twice voted against bill providing $10 billion additional funding for state Medicaid programs. Moreover, Kerry voted twice against a Medicare Bill in the Senate Finance Committee that contained a $25 billion rural package to increase Medicare reimbursements to states like Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin that helps equalize Medicare reimbursements in urban and rural areas. (David Pitt, "Grassley Medicare Package Faces Tough Battle In House," The Associated Press, 6/13/03) Kerry also opposed or voted to block medical liability reform at least ten times.

4. OPPOSING GUNS
   Kerry Received An "F" On The Most Recent National Rifle Association Report Card. (National Rifle Association, "NRA U.S. Senate Key Votes," 1985-2004) He has voted with the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence 100% of the time and received a 0% rating with Gun Owners of America in 2002. (Candidates On Guns Website, Project Of The Coalition To Stop Gun Violence, www.candidatesonguns.org/content/meet/cand_kerry.html, Accessed 2/9/04)

5. OUT OF TOUCH WITH RURAL VALUES
   Kerry Supports Partial-Birth Abortion And Has Voted At Least Six Times Against Banning The Procedure. Recently, Kerry was rated the "most liberal" member of Congress. (Helen Dewar and Dan Balz, "Kerry’s 19 Years In Senate Invite Scrutiny," The Washington Post, 2/8/04; National Journal Website, "How They Measured Up," http://nationaljournal.com, 2/27/04)

6. TROUBLING RECORD ON NATIONAL SECURITY
   Kerry Would Replace The Patriot Act That Is Keeping America Safe. Kerry has said, "So it is time to end the era of John Ashcroft. That starts with replacing the Patriot Act with a new law that protects our people and our liberties at the same time." (Remarks By Senator John Kerry, Iowa State University, http://www.johnkerry.com/pressroom/speeches/spc_2003_1201.html, Accessed 3/11/04) Kerry voted against the $87 billion Iraq supplemental. These funds provided body armor and other force protection measures such as armored Humvees, as well as health care for reservists, support for families and meals for injured soldiers.

7. OPPOSES FAITH-BASED PROGRAMS
   Kerry Says He Would End Government Funding To Any Religious Group. "Kerry also continued his criticism of Bush’s ‘faith-based’ programs, saying he would end government funding to any religious group." (David R. Guarino, "Kerry Raps Pope," The Boston Herald, 8/2/03)

8. SUPPORTING THE NORTHEAST DAIRY COMPACT
   Kerry Voted In Favor Of Northeast Dairy Compact. Midwest dairy farmers wanted Northeast dairy compact abolished. "[F]armers in major dairy states in the Midwest and West want the [Northeast Dairy Compact price] controls abolished, saying they encourage overproduction." (Adam Gorlick, "Berkshire Farmers Meet With Sen. Kerry," The Associated Press, 8/7/01) Kerry has promised Massachusetts dairy farmers "…I would fight like hell to keep the dairy compact alive…" (Sen. John Kerry Press Release, "Kerry Hails Dairy Provisions In Senate Farm Bill," 2/14/02)

9. SUPPORTING SNOWMOBILE BAN
   Kerry Would Reinstate "Clinton Administration’s Phase-Out Of Noisy And Direct Snowmobiles" From National Parks And "Other Sensitive Areas." (John Kerry For President, "John Kerry’s Comprehensive Vision For A Cleaner Environment A Stronger Economy Healthier Communities," 10/03) Kerry said there "absolutely" should be limits on snowmobile use in state and national parks. (National Public Radio Democrat Presidential Candidate Debate, Des Moines, IA, 1/6/04)

10. FOR-AGAINST ETHANOL
    Kerry Voted At Least Five Times Against Ethanol. But when he campaigns in the Midwest "Kerry … emphasiz[es] to voters … ‘I’m for ethanol.’" (Editorial, "Swearing Fealty To Ethanol," The New York Times, 12/3/03)

Pruden: Hillary can arrange

Wesley Pruden in his column at the Washington Times infers that Sen. John Kerry may not want to select Hillary Clinton as a running mate given what happens to their friends:

The truth-telling Kerry campaign, meanwhile, continued what one pundit calls "the affirmative amnesia strategy." The Democrats intend to keep their man hidden as often as they can, sending him out only to mingle at midnight basketball games and deserted all-night laundromats, since his poll numbers consistently fall when he is seen in public.

Monsieur Kerry's strategists were heartened this week by a NBC-Wall Street Journal poll that reveals that only 57 percent of the respondents say they know "a lot or a fair amount" about him. A similar NBC-Wall Street Journal poll in March showed that 68 percent knew something about him, and when 11 percent of the voters have forgotten what they didn't know only three months ago the strategy is clearly working.

This week Monsieur Kerry is expected to choose his running mate, and the town is buzzing that it might be Hillary. This would fit perfectly into the affirmative amnesia strategy. Monsieur Kerry could stretch his usual summer idyll in France well into the autumn, and if he is elected president he won't have to come back at all. The Clintons will be happy to see to that.

Kerry’s divorce records open?

The Boston Globe reports that much of Kerry’s divorce records are mostly open:

The only portion of the records that are sealed involve the couple's financial information, including salary, assets, and debts, which are impounded in all divorce cases, Assistant Norfolk Probate Registrar John Jenney said.

However, A separation agreement, which included custody and alimony arrangements, was presented to the judge, but it is not included in the public file.

clinton comedies

Clinton soft on terrorism

Vice President Dick Cheney attacked the Clinton administrations soft response to terrorism. He implied that the Clinton administration emboldened bin Laden.

The Washington Times reports:

During the Clinton presidency, Mr. Cheney said terrorists began planning the September 11 attacks and moved freely in "terrorist states" that included Iraq, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan.

"All of these dangers were gathering in January of 2001. In short, this was the situation when President Bush and I came to office," he said.

The Times reports Kerry campaign’s response:

Responding to Mr. Cheney's speech, Democratic presidential candidate Sen. John Kerry's campaign spokesman, Phil Singer, said, "Clearly, the American people are making up their minds about the president's handling of the war on terrorism and the Bush administration is running scared.

"In the nine months before September 11, Bush did not hold a single Cabinet meeting on terrorism."