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IOWA
DAILY REPORT Holding
the Democrats accountable today, tomorrow...forever.
Thursday,
July 17, 2003
Quotable I:
“No one can
contend he [Graham] has lived up to his
potential as a presidential candidate.”
–
political observer and commentator Larry
Sabato on Graham’s dismal fundraising
performance
Quotable I:
”All this comes
on the heels of last week’s hour-long session
between Lieberman and the black caucus
in Washington that ended with Rep. Albert
Wynn, D-Md., saying ‘basically, people were
laughing at him.’”
– Excerpt from
report in Lieberman home-state
newspaper, Hartford Courant.
Among the offerings in this morning’s update:
WANNABE
WARNING: For those who can’t stand to see
grown wannabes cry, this is a bad site to
visit today. Several reports below
chronicle the potential demise of Dem
candidates – especially Lieberman and
Graham – who soon may be pushing up
political daisies. Other doubts surface due
to inadequate showings by Gephardt
and Edwards
Poor Joe:
LA Times headline says Lieberman
faces a “rocky path” and report says his “middling
performance has been one of the surprises of
this campaign”
Poor Bob:
Orlando Sentinel says Graham to be “dead
in the water if his fundraising doesn’t pick
up soon”
Poor Dick
&
Poor John: Washington Times headline
– “Gephardt, Edwards fall short in
second-quarter fundraising” Times report
raises question about whether Edwards’
trial-lawyer financial base having “second
thoughts about his chances”
Dean
scheduled to open today’s Cedar
Rapids-Coralville visit hosting a coffee
with unemployed Iowans. Kerry starts
two-day eastern Iowa swing tomorrow
Kerry,
following script developed at last week’s
campaign strategy session, heats up rhetoric
against GWB, says in New York City that Bush
has credibility gap on national security –
and it’s “widening every day”
Could it be
that “notorious tightwad” Graham –
worth at least $7.6 million – is really just
driving his 1999 Mercury Sable into
political oblivion?
At DC
forum before nation’s largest gay rights
organization, three wannabes – Kucinich,
Moseley Braun, Sharpton – support gay
marriage. Kerry
and
Lieberman drew “hisses” for declining to
support gay marriage, Dean and
Gephardt met with silence, Edwards
and Graham are smartest --
for skipping the event
Sioux City
Journal reports that Democrat Sal Mohamed
(who?) is literally walking the streets to
face Democrat David Grimesey (who?) to
challenge GOP Congressman King in
Republican-dominated western IA
Poor Joe
II: Lieberman’s
efforts to
appeal to black voters fall flat – “Bringing
up Dr. King is no kind of ace. It wasn’t
like Lieberman was one of King’s aides.”
Hartford Courant says he’s in “big trouble
with the African American community.”
Iowa Pres
Watch Quiz: Which wannabe’s profile includes
these two sentences – “He was wearing a
bulletproof vest. Police sharpshooters ring
the ballpark roof.”?
In New
Hampshire, applause was “noticeably
absent when Edwards defended his support for
the war in Iraq”
Guv
Vilsack Unleashed: attacks GWB on economy,
tax cuts – Is this part of his personal plan
to impress Howard Dean or Dennis Kucinich to
become the Dem VP nominee?
VOANews reports Cuba jamming Voice of
America’s Persian-language broadcasts to
Iran All
these stories below and more.
Morning reports: … Radio Iowa
reports this morning that owners of a landmark
restaurant – The Dock – in downtown
Davenport are undecided about whether they
will reopen after a major fire yesterday. The
investigation into the cause of the blaze at
the restaurant – which also was ravaged by
floods three times during the past decade
(’93, ’97 and ‘01) -- continues…Despite
concerns by employees and union leaders,
Maytag officials in Newton say this
morning they do not anticipate any further
plant closures in their major appliance
division. Fears about another shutdown
increased after Maytag relocated a plant in
Galesburg, Ill., in Mexico.
Poor Joe
Top Cartoons:
New Hampshire
Lieberman -
Edwards
Bob Wonders New Cartoon:
Poor Joe … Wannabes
in Iowa. Lieberman stop in Council
Bluffs today expected to include visit to
Iowa Western Community College…Dean is
scheduled to meet with unemployed Iowans over
coffee this afternoon in Cedar Rapids.
He also has two more Cedar Rapids
appearances before attending a roast for
retiring state House Dem Leader Dick Myers
tonight in Coralville…Kerry due
in eastern IA tomorrow with stops in
Burlington, Mount Pleasant and Fort
Madison. On Saturday, Kerry is
scheduled in Bettendorf, Maquoketa, Anamosa
and Dubuque. … Does
Singing Bob Graham have a song for this
situation? Sounds like “headin’ for the last
roundup” might work, but the real question is
whether he’ll be “back in the saddle again” in
this campaign? Headline from yesterday’s
Orlando Sentinel: “Graham lags in money
chase” Excerpt from DC dispatch by
Sentinel Bureau Chief Tamara Lytle: “Sen.
Bob Graham raised only $2 million
during the second quarter of the year --
well behind five other Democratic candidates
for president. Political experts called
it a ‘miserable showing’ and said Graham's
campaign would be dead in the water if his
fund raising doesn't pick up soon. ‘No one
can contend he [Graham] has lived up to
his potential as a presidential candidate,’
said Larry Sabato, head of the University of
Virginia Center for Politics. ‘Florida is a
gold mine. He should have been able to raise
$5 million-plus just from Florida.’ Jamal
Simmons, spokesman for the senator, said
Graham is on course in his fund raising.
Graham joined the fray late, after
open-heart surgery this past winter. ‘For
someone who started at zero 100 days ago,
we've had a strong start,’ Simmons said.
‘At the end of the day, money is not what
determines the winner.’ But it's darned
important, said Norm Ornstein, scholar at the
American Enterprise Institute think tank.
When candidates get a reputation for lagging,
donors stop giving them money, he said. ‘Any
way you look at it, it's a disappointing
quarter [for Graham],’ Ornstein said.
‘Not a disqualifying quarter but a
disappointing quarter.’”
… Three
lower-tier wannabes embrace gay marriage, but
the four top-tier hopefuls stop short to
supporting same-sex marriage. In
yesterday’s Washington Post, Darryl Fears
reported, an excerpt: “Seven contenders in
the Democratic race for president told the
nation's largest gay rights organization
yesterday that they strongly embraced the goal
of equal rights and equal protection for gays.
Three of them said they support same-sex
marriage. But four stopped short of that.
Sens. John F. Kerry (Mass.) and Joseph I.
Lieberman (Conn.) drew hisses from the
audience when they declined to support gay
marriage, essentially saying that marriage
is a historic, cultural institution. Former
Vermont governor Howard Dean and Rep. Richard
A. Gephardt (Mo.) were met with silence when
they made similar remarks. Three other
candidates -- Rep. Dennis J. Kucinich
(Ohio), former senator Carol Moseley
Braun (Ill.) and Al Sharpton of New
York -- said they supported gay marriage.
Sharpton brought a thunderous round of
applause when he said that asking him if he
supports gay marriage ‘is like asking me if I
support black marriage or white marriage. The
inference of the question is that gays are not
human beings and cannot make a decision like
other human beings.’ Sens. John Edwards
(N.C.) and Bob Graham (Fla.) did not
attend the forum here. The candidates all said
that the ‘don't ask, don't tell’ policy that
silences gays who join the military is wrong,
but it was the issue of gay marriage that took
center stage at the forum because of a recent
Supreme Court decision that struck down a
Texas law banning consensual sex between
adults of the same sex. Married heterosexual
couples have 1,049 rights and privileges that
are not extended to same sex couples, a Human
Rights Campaign official said. Moderator Sam
Donaldson of ABC News asked the candidates who
were against gay marriage to explain how they
could support one contract, a civil union,
over marriage. And he asked candidates who
supported gay marriage how they would convince
Congress to enact laws allowing same-sex
couples to wed and receive the same benefits
as heterosexuals. Kerry appealed to the
audience saying, I will be a president for all
Americans.’ But when Donaldson asked him about
if he supported gay marriage, Kerry stumbled
before saying, ‘I do not support marriage
itself,’ because he said that ‘marriage is
viewed as a union between men and women.’
Kerry said there was no distinction
between what he proposes -- equal rights
bestowed upon civil unions -- and the rights
in marriage. ‘I think [marriage] is a
hang-up for the states,’ Dean said, adding,
‘Marriage is a church institution.’
Donaldson reminded Dean that marriage
was also sanctioned by justices of the peace
and, at one time, ship captains. Vermont is
the only state that allows civil unions; no
state allows gay marriage. After the forum,
Gephardt appeared with his daughter Chrissy
Gephardt, who is gay. She credited him for
supporting other rights for gay couples, but,
unlike her father, she said. ‘I'm definitely a
proponent of gay marriages.’” … “If
you’re upset about something I’ve said or
done, or if you want me to clarify a position,
now is your chance.” – Edwards at his
second town meeting in New Hampshire. An
excerpt from AP coverage of Edwards’
appearance in Portsmouth: “Democratic
presidential hopeful John Edwards met
friend and foe alike during the second of 12
scheduled town hall style meetings his
campaign has planned for New Hampshire voters
this summer. More than 200 people attended the
two-hour event Tuesday night, which the North
Carolina senator said he hopes will give
voters a fuller picture of who he is. ‘There
are no limits to what you can ask me here
tonight,’ Edwards said. ‘Anything goes.
If you're upset about something I've said or
done, or if you want me to clarify a position,
now is your chance,’ he said. The crowd for
the most part was enthusiastic and applauded
frequently, although many began to trickle
away as the sunlight faded and mosquitoes
swarmed in at Prescott Park. Applause was
noticeably absent when Edwards defended his
support for the war in Iraq. He scarcely
missed a chance during the evening to note
that his father was a lifelong mill worker,
and that despite his success as a lawyer, he
knew what ordinary peoples' lives were like.
Edwards painted his potential adversary,
President Bush as a man out of touch with the
everyday struggles of most people. ‘I hope
we still live in a country where we can
believe the son of a mill worker can beat the
son of a president,’ he said. Edwards
did not mention any of the other eight
contenders for the Democratic nomination by
name, but outlined differences on health care,
prescription drug prices, and the war in Iraq.” … Kerry
says administration is “big on bluster and
short on action” in remarks at vets memorial
hall in NYC. Headline from Boston Herald
online yesterday: “Kerry says Bush hasn’t
matched rhetoric, actions” Excerpts from
AP report: “Democratic presidential
candidate John Kerry says President
Bush hasn't matched tough rhetoric with strong
actions and is suffering from a credibility
gap on national security. ‘The gap between
America's national security and this
administration's deeds is widening every day,'’
Kerry said in remarks prepared for
delivery at a veterans' memorial hall in New
York City Wednesday. ‘Americans have a
right to ask: Are we safer today than we were
on Sept. 11?’ Kerry asked. ‘Are
our nation's firefighters and police officers
better prepared to wage the war on terror?’
The Massachusetts senator said the Bush
administration has shortchanged police and
firefighters by denying them ‘the equipment
and support to defend America from danger. We
cannot afford to leave the front lines of home
security without the resources they need any
more than we can afford to leave our soldiers
vulnerable to attack in Iraq,’ he said.
Appearing on NBC's ‘Today’ show in advance of
the speech, Kerry was asked whether he
thought the United States was more safe than
before the Sept. 11 terror attacks. ‘In
airline security and a few other things we
are,’ he replied, ‘but we haven't done what we
need to do for what the president and others
have said is inevitable. They say there is an
evitability of attack.’…’We shouldn't be
opening firehouses in Baghdad while closing
them in Brooklyn,’ Kerry said.
Americans should trust the intelligence that
guides them into war, he said. Calling the
Bush administration ‘big on bluster and short
on action,’ Kerry said combative rhetoric not
matched by stronger homeland security is
dangerous. And he called for more
international help in policing Iraq.” Among
specific criticisms of the Bush administration
Kerry cited during his comments:
Going to war with Iraq without a ‘plan to win
the peace.’ …Stalling investigations of
the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks…Failing to
invest enough in the police, fire and
emergency workers responsible for the safety
of the homeland.
… As
reports multiply about the fundraising woes of
most wannabes, maybe the “news” should be that
Dean and Kerry are doing fine with fundraising
while others falter. Washington Times
yesterday finds that Gephardt and
Edwards missed their second quarter
financial goals. Excerpt from coverage by the
Times’ Charles Hunt: “Two of the
highest-profile Democrats running in the
crowded field to challenge President Bush next
year have stumbled in the second-quarter
fund-raising race. Rep. Richard A.
Gephardt, Missouri Democrat and former House
minority leader, missed his goal by more than
$1 million, according to detailed figures
released by the Federal Election Commission
yesterday. ‘We fell short,’ said Gephardt
campaign spokesman Erik Smith. ‘But we'll have
sufficient funds to meet the spending caps in
every early state through Michigan.’ Sen. Joe
Lieberman of Connecticut, the 2000
Democratic vice-presidential candidate, shook
up his campaign fund-raising staff on the eve
of releasing detailed figures that showed him
in the middle of the pack. Though he raised
more than $5 million — third place for the
quarter — he had just $4 million in cash on
hand. Mr. Lieberman's top two
fund-raisers resigned this week. ‘We want to
build on our successes,’ spokesman Jano
Cabrera said. ‘They had a different vision on
how to do that.’ Sen. John Edwards,
North Carolina Democrat, fell to fourth place
in fund raising in the second quarter after he
surprised everyone by landing in the top spot
during the first quarter. Adding insult,
Mr. Edwards also fell short of the $5 million
his office claimed at the close of the quarter
earlier this month. Several published and
broadcast reports said Mr. Edwards expected to
raise $5 million but raised only $4.5 million. ‘He
has a tremendous base among trial lawyers,’
said Ron Faucheux, editor of Campaigns &
Elections magazine. ‘This is an indication
that even some among his own base are having
second thoughts about his chances.’ All
the Democrats' campaign funds were dwarfed by
the $34.4 million Mr. Bush had raised since
officially joining the race in May. The big
winner among Democrats was former Vermont Gov.
Howard Dean, who posted nearly $7.6
million. Much of Mr. Dean's financial
surge was because of his major presence on the
Internet. The former governor's campaign said
he had collected donations from more than
80,000 contributors, whose average gift was a
relatively small $88.11 per person. Sen.
John Kerry, Massachusetts Democrat, came in
second place for the quarter with $5.8 million.
Sen. Bob Graham, Florida Democrat,
raised $2 million after getting a late
start. ‘Our fund-raising operation is just now
being put into place,’ said Graham
spokeswoman Kristian Denny. ‘At the end of the
first quarter, our campaign chairman had been
in place for just three weeks. We will raise
the money we need to be competitive,’ she
said. Mr. Kerry now holds the edge with
more than $10 million in cash on hand,
followed by Mr. Edwards with $8 million and
Mr. Dean with $6.4 million. Rep. Dennis J.
Kucinich, Ohio Democrat, raised $1.5
million in the second quarter and has just
over $1 million on hand. Figures for former
Sen. Carol Mosley Braun and the
Rev. Al Sharpton were not available
yesterday. Mr. Faucheux said that while the
numbers were disappointing for some and
respectable for others, no shocking
developments happened. ‘All the major
candidates continue to raise enough money to
keep a national campaign going,’ he said.
‘Everybody's still in the mix because nobody's
dominating the mix.’” …
Lieberman’s Woe II: Missing the NAACP
convention may be least of Lieberman’s
problems when it comes to attracting black
voters. From Lieberman’s home state
media: Excerpts from coverage by the Hartford
Courant Washington Bureau Chief David Lightman:
“Joe Lieberman is in big trouble in the
African American community. Five days after a
tense meeting with the Congressional Black
Caucus, Lieberman Monday was branded a
candidate with ‘no legitimacy’ in the black
community by NAACP President Kweisi Mfume.
Mfume told thousands at the NAACP convention
in Miami Beach that the Connecticut Democrat
and fellow 2004 presidential candidates Dick
Gephardt and Dennis Kucinich
were ‘persona non grata’ among black voters
because they did not appear before the group,
according to wire reports…At its Virginia
headquarters, Lieberman's camp strongly
defended his record, and spokesman Jano
Cabrera was confident the flap would subside.
‘At the end of the day,’ Cabrera said, ‘no one
has as strong a record or as close a personal
tie to the African American community as Joe
Lieberman. His record, dating back to
the 1960s when he marched with Dr. Martin
Luther King Jr. and personally fought for the
rights of African Americans to vote in
Mississippi, is as strong as anyone's.’
That won't be enough, said David Bositis,
senior political analyst at the Joint Center
for Political and Economic Studies, which
conducts research on politics in the African
American community. ‘Bringing up Dr. King
is no kind of ace. It wasn't like Lieberman
was one of King's aides,’ said Bositis. All
this comes on the heels of last week's hour
long session between Lieberman and the black
caucus in Washington that ended with Rep.
Albert Wynn, D-Md., saying ‘basically, people
were laughing at him.’ In the hall, a
friendly Eleanor Holmes Norton, a Democratic
District of Columbia delegate to Congress,
also warned Lieberman to ‘be very
careful with affirmative action. They
remember,’ she said last week, referring to
what many term an inconsistent record on the
subject. The incidents could sting
Lieberman, who is counting on African American
votes in key primary and caucus states. Unlike
most of his major rivals for the Democratic
nomination, Lieberman is operating with a
history some black leaders see as tarnished.
For years, they have been wary of the
Democratic Leadership Council, the centrist
group Lieberman headed for five years.”
MORE: In an apparent attempt to make
sure that Lieberman would enjoy reading
his home-state news, the Courant’s Lightman
devoted equal coverage to the report that –
the headline – “Lieberman Drops Chief
Fund-Raiser” For more details on that
episode in Lieberman’s campaign week
(and it’s only Thursday), see the LA Times
report above… AND MORE FROM CONNECTICUT:
Headline from yesterday’s New Haven
Register – “Joe’s woes continue with
shakeup” Joseph Straw of the Register’s
Washington Bureau wrote that Lieberman’s
“rough week” continued with “a major
shakeup of his campaign fundraising staff and
leadership” and Connecticut NAACP officials
calling his absence from the Miami convention
“a disgrace.” …
Millionaire Graham is the “notorious
tightwad” in the Dem derby – but probably
driving his 1999 Mercury Sable to nowhere in
the presidential race. Excerpt from
copyright story by Kris Hundley in the St.
Petersburg Times: “U.S. Sen. Bob Graham is
a notorious tightwad who has gone to great
lengths to portray himself as a regular guy.
He drives a 1999 Mercury Sable and slows golf
games by retrieving lost balls from lakes.
Campaign workdays put him to work alongside
airport baggage handlers and construction
workers. But Graham, 66, is worth at least
$7.6-million, thanks to a hefty stock
portfolio and his family's beef, dairy and
development business. Such wealth carries
with it a host of potential land mines for
politicians, especially ones like Graham,
who are running for president. Consider his
holdings: Graham Cos., the business started by
Ernest R. Graham, the senator's father, more
than 70 years ago, sells sugar cane to U.S.
Sugar, which contributes thousands of dollars
to the senator's political action committee.
Runoff from its sugar cane crop flows into the
Everglades. Graham has been one of the
strongest supporters of spending billions in
taxpayer money to restore the Everglades …Graham,
who has spent nearly four decades in public
life, appears well aware of these potential
conflicts. And so far, he seems to have
skirted problems by cautiously distancing
himself from day-to-day personal money
management issues. Though his wealth has
drawn criticism from some quarters, it has
been muted by lack of evidence that he has
leveraged his position for personal profit.
The senator's holdings in Graham Cos. have
been in a blind trust for nearly 30 years. His
votes on agricultural issues have been mixed.
There's little in Graham's record to
indicate he has allowed specific stock
holdings to affect his vote. He has long
supported a Medicare drug benefit, which was
opposed, until recently, by big pharmaceutical
companies like the ones in his wife's
portfolio. He opposed drilling for oil in the
Alaskan reserve, though approval could have
helped oil companies such as Anadarko
Petroleum Corp., which have been among his
wife's holdings.” … Headline: “The
Onetime Boy Mayor of Cleveland Is Still a
Maverick After All These Years and Proudly
Wears the Liberal Label” The Los Angeles
Times profiles none other than wannabe
Dennis J. Kucinich. Excerpt from Times
profile by David Lamb: “Opening day,
Cleveland Municipal Stadium, April 1978. On
the mound, to toss out the ceremonial first
pitch, the 31-year-old maverick mayor and
enfant terrible of Ohio politics. He is
wearing a bulletproof vest. Police
sharpshooters ring the ballpark roof. Dennis
J. Kucinich looks up at the crowd. When he
is in attendance and Indian fans yell ‘Kill
the bum,’ he knows they aren't talking about
the umpire. His appearance on the field brings
a chorus of boos from 75,000 fans. Kucinich,
who had just fired the popular police chief
live on TV, on Good Friday, adjusts his body
armor. He winds up and fires a waist-high
strike to Indians catcher Gary Alexander. The
catcalls give way to scattered applause and
cheers. Politics and sports, he thinks: They
are fickle businesses. Kucinich lasted only
one term as the nation's youngest mayor of a
major city. During that time he narrowly
survived a recall, made as many enemies as
headlines and presided over the first
bankruptcy of an American city since the
Depression. ‘Dennis the Menace,’ as the press
labeled him, was trounced in his bid for
reelection. A political cadaver, he packed his
bags and headed west to reevaluate his life.
Now, 25 years later, on a Saturday morning
in June, Kucinich is stuck in freeway traffic
outside Los Angeles. A vegan, he is in the
back seat, drinking apple juice and eating
pita bread loaded with hummus. It is his
10th campaign trip to California, and a few
miles away, at Taft High School in Woodland
Hills, 500 people are waiting for the comeback
politician — a four-term Ohio congressman and
one of nine candidates vying for the
Democratic presidential nomination …Though
the national media have paid scant attention
to his longshot candidacy — ‘That's OK, I'll
benefit from exceeding expectations,’ he says
— Kucinich's grass-roots, underfinanced
campaign has attracted more than $1 million in
individual contributions (corporate donations
are eschewed) and enthusiastic crowds,
particularly among the pro-labor, antiwar core
of the Democratic Party. The Bush
administration, he tells audiences, ‘led the
nation into war based on lies.’ He finished
second to former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean
in a recent poll of 317,000 Democrats by
MoveOn.org, a liberal online organization.
Dean got 43.9%, Kucinich 23.9% and
Massachusetts Sen. John F. Kerry 15.7%
‘More folks than I thought are jumping on
his bandwagon at this point,’ said David
Loebsack, a political scientist at Cornell
College in Iowa. ‘I think he's tapping into
many of those who would normally go with Dean.
It's the angry crowd, the Democrats who are
almost as mad at Democrats as they are at
George Bush.’…Kucinich drew
standing ovations and cheers as he quoted
Emerson and Churchill and outlined a
progressive platform: Repeal the USA
Patriot Act (for taking away civil liberties),
nullify NAFTA, halt antimissile defense
technology development, transfer money from
the Pentagon to education. He supports global
nuclear disarmament, universal health care,
setting up a Cabinet-level Department of Peace
to make nonviolence a cornerstone of domestic
and foreign policy. A Catholic, he wavered
on abortion before taking a solidly
pro-abortion rights stance. Kucinich
stands 5 feet 7 in shoes with thick soles and
weighs 135 pounds. On the desk of his
Washington office is a portrait of Lincoln and
in the closet, a dummy named W.C. that
Kucinich, an amateur ventriloquist, uses from
time to time to delight children. With net
assets listed at less than $32,000, he is one
Congress's least affluent members. He still
has a $40,000 mortgage on the modest Cleveland
home he bought 32 years ago. When people talk
about inner-city poverty, he replies, ‘I know
the territory.’”
IOWA/NATIONAL
POLITICS: … Sal
Mohamed (who?) runs for Congress. Headline
from yesterday’s Sioux City Journal: “Congressional
candidate takes campaign to streets”
Excerpt from report by the Journal’s Bret
Hayworth: “He
may face a daunting road to Congress, but a
Sioux City Democrat is taking to the streets
when campaigning.
Literally.
Sal Mohamed is
one of two announced Democrats seeking Iowa's
5th District U.S. House of Representatives
seat. There have been no print, radio or
television ads for Mohamed, but he can be seen
on Sioux City street corners. No
mudslinging campaigning -- and he hasn't been
too precise on issues yet either -- for
Mohamed, he generally stands near a busy
street and holds up a sign with the ‘America
the Beautiful’ phrase.
The atypical way of getting his name out has
brought various responses. Some will honk
at him -- generally that means support, but
occasionally it also means ‘get off the
corner.’ Said Mohamed, ‘People are really
supportive. The Democrats are very
supportive.’ Mohamed said he gets three
reactions. Democrats will ‘smile and wave and
honk horns;’ Republicans politely ‘just look
and go their way;’ while a third group will
get testy. ‘It is very few and rare that I get
a negative reaction. I would say maybe three
in 10,000,’ Mohamed said. Even President Bush,
he added, gets his share of criticism, so
Mohamed can take some, too. His first
electoral hurdle will come in June 2004 in the
Democratic Party primary. If Mohamed passes
that test -- there is one other announced
Democrat to date, David Grimesey of Sioux City
-- then he would advance to the general
election. The 5th District is now held by
Republican Steve King of Kiron,
who is in his first term in the heavily
Republican district.” This
morning’s headlines: Des Moines
Register, top front-page headline: State – “Locker
search is upheld by court…Ruling
reinstates pot charge” Iowa Supreme Court
rules that while students have a right to
privacy, it is overridden by school officials’
responsibility to maintain security and
discipline. Quad-City
Times online, main heads: “Iraqis fire
missile at U. S. transport” & “Senate
panel OKs nuclear ‘bunker busters’” Featured
online headlines, New York Times: “Yearlong
Tours an Option for ‘Guerilla’ War in Iraq”
& “In Ohio, Iraq questions Shake Even Some
of Bush’s Faithful” James Dao reports from
Cincinnati that although many supported the
war in Iraq some say they are growing
uncomfortable with reports the White House
might have used inaccurate intelligence to
justify it. Nation/world
online heads, Omaha World-Herald: “Man
barrels into market, kills 9” & “Iraq
insurgents fire at U. S. plane” Top stories,
Sioux City Journal online: “Car plows
through crowded Santa Monica farmers market;
eight dead” Note: Morning news reports
indicate that the death count was at nine. & “South
and North Korean soldiers exchange fire at
border” Daily Iowan
(University of Iowa), nation/world online
heads: “Democracy groups win in Hong Kong”
& “Colombian militia promises to disarm in
2005” Chicago
Tribune, main online stories: “For GIs,
home is on elusive dream” & “War
anxieties erode support for president” … “Agency
Says Cuba Jamming US Government Satellite
Broadcasts to Iran” – Headline from
VOANews (Voice of America). Excerpt from the
VOA report: “A U.S. government-funded
broadcasting agency has condemned Cuba for
allegedly jamming U.S. international
broadcasts to Iran. In a statement
Tuesday, the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG)
said the Cuban action was a ‘deliberate and
malicious’ effort to block Iranian audiences
from getting access to truthful news and
information…BBG's chairman Kenneth Tomlinson
said Cuba's jamming of satellite transmissions
from the United States to Iran is, in his
words, ‘illegal and interferes with the free
and open flow of international
communications.’ The BBG is an independent
federal agency which oversees all U.S.
non-military international broadcasting,
including the Voice of America. The
agency said Cuba's jamming was first detected
on July 6, when VOA launched a daily half-hour
Persian language television news and analysis
program. There has been no comment from
Cuba.” … From the
Korean Front. Another VOANews headline: “Diplomats
Seek N. Korea Nuclear Talks” Excerpt from
Amy Vickers report: “A wave of diplomatic
activity is underway to bring North Korea's
nuclear activities back to the negotiating
table. U.S. Secretary of State Colin
Powell and Chinese Foreign Minister Li
Zhaoxing discussed the issue by telephone,
while Australian Prime Minister John Howard
took it up personally with Japanese leaders.
China's official Xinhua news agency says Mr.
Powell and Mr. Li exchanged views over the
telephone Wednesday on the escalating North
Korean nuclear dispute. The telephone call
came amid growing worries about North Korea's
nuclear ambitions. A number of nations have
expressed concern over Pyongyang's recent
claim to have reprocessed nuclear reactor rods
into atomic fuel. A White House spokesman says
that claim is being investigated.
Chinese
Foreign Ministry Spokesman Kong Quan said
Tuesday that China hopes the parties involved
can work toward a peaceful and nuclear-free
solution.” … Guv
Vilsack joins Dem chorus criticizing Bush
economic policies, tax cuts. Vilsack – acting
a lot like Dean, Kerry, Gephardt, etc. –
sounds off. Sioux City Journal headline: “Vilsack,
Midwest governors blast Bush’s economic
strategy “ Excerpt from Journal’s coverage
by Todd Dorman:
“A trio of Democratic Midwestern governors,
including Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack, blasted
President Bush's economic strategy Tuesday,
charging his reliance on tax cuts has cost the
nation millions of jobs.
Vilsack,
Gov. Bob Holden of Missouri and Gov. Frank
O'Bannon of Indiana argued that a series of
tax reductions have done little to stem a
rising tide of unemployment and have instead
spawned a large federal budget deficit.
The governors
took their swings at the president during a
conference call from the Democratic Governor's
Association annual meeting in Chicago.
‘President Bush's reliance on tax cuts is
somewhat akin to giving Sammy Sosa a whiffle
ball bat and asking him to hit a Roger Clemens
fastball,’ said Vilsack, noting
that Chicago also hosted baseball's All-Star
Game Tuesday. ‘It just isn't going to work,’
he said. Vilsack and his colleagues urged
Congress and the White House to spend an
additional $14 billion on an array of public
works projects, including $4 billion for
highways and $9 billion for schools and
homeland security needs. Democrats made a
similar pitch for dollars in January.
Republicans rejected that approach, arguing
that reducing the tax burden on Americans
would be more beneficial to the economy in the
long term than new spending, which they
contend would create largely temporary jobs.
But the governors argue that alongside
good-paying construction jobs, new spending
would create the kind of infrastructure
improvements needed to spur additional growth.
And with the U.S. unemployment rate hovering
at 6.4 percent -- a 20-year high -- Vilsack
and Democrats argue jobs are needed now.
Vilsack pointed to his state's Vision Iowa
program, which has awarded millions of dollars
to an array of tourism-oriented projects. He
contends those projects have created 2,000
permanent jobs and 12,500 construction jobs.
‘It's not about tax cuts for the wealthy.
It's really about putting people to work,’
Vilsack said.” Today’s
editorials: … Today’s
editorial, Des Moines Register: “While
Iowa fiddled…A biotech move to South
Dakota shows this state’s need to be more
nimble.” … Citizen
commentary from the Sioux City Journal,
reacting to last week’s defeat of gambling
referendum in the state’s Great Lakes region:
“Congratulations to the voters of Dickinson
County [Spirit Lake] for giving real
meaning to the term ‘Iowa Values!’” – Sue
Nieland, Sioux City … The Sioux
City Journal reported that local basketball
standout – and former Kansas star -- Kirk
Hinrich, the seventh player taken in this
spring’s NBA Draft, has signed a contact with
the Chicago Bulls. The Journal said terms of
Hinrich’s contract were not disclosed, but it
should be about $7 million (over three years)
under the NBA’s rookie salary scale … Several
sports reports indicated that University of
Iowa athletic director Bob Bowlsby will take
over as chairman of the prestigious NCAA men’s
basketball selection committee on 9/1. Bowlsby
was actually elected to the post last summer,
but under the committee rules the election is
done a year before taking over the
chairmanship.
… DSM 7 a.m. 73, fair/mostly cloudy. Warm
conditions across the state at 7 a.m. from 63
in Decorah and 64 in Charles City
to 75 in Creston and Red Oak
and 77 in Council Bluffs. Today’s high
92, severe T-storms. Tonight’s low 69,
decreasing clouds. Friday’s high 85, cloudy.
Friday night’s low 64, clear.
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…
Lieberman’s Woes I. Headline from
yesterday’s Los Angeles Times: “Signs Point
to a Rocky Path for Lieberman…Senator’s
2004 campaign is thrown off balance by a staff
shake-up and a NAACP feud. He’s also seen as
not connecting with Democratic voters.” In
addition, he slashed the $100,000 campaign
salaries for his two children by 20%.
Excerpt from Times report by Mark A. Barabak:
“A staff shake-up and slap from the NAACP
this week are just the latest signs of the
problems facing presidential hopeful Joe
Lieberman, whose strategy for winning the
nomination faces deep skepticism from many
fellow Democrats. Although he sits atop
most national polls as the party's preferred
candidate — thanks in large measure to his
status as the 2000 vice presidential nominee —
Lieberman is lagging in the crucial leadoff
states of Iowa and New Hampshire. Moreover, in
a year when angry partisans are hungry for
red-meat rhetoric from the Democratic
candidates, the affable senator from
Connecticut is taking a more subdued approach.
‘Democratic primary voters tend to be
activists: environmental activists, civil
rights activists, pro-choice activists," said
Donna Brazile, who managed Al Gore's 2000
presidential campaign. With Lieberman,
‘there's a failure to connect on a basic level
with Democratic primary voters.’ Brazile
and others caution that it remains early in
the Democratic contest, with no clear
front-runner. ‘It's still a hot race,’ she
said…Lieberman's middling performance so
far has been one of the surprises of this
campaign, given the expectations that followed
his exuberant and history-making performance
as the first Jewish candidate to run for
national office on a major party ticket.
On Tuesday, he reported raising just more than
$5 million during the three months ending June
30 — a notable improvement over his
performance earlier in the year. His total
receipts for the year placed him third in the
nine-candidate field. But Lieberman
continued to spend money at a brisk pace,
drawing down the reserves he may need to
compete once voters start paying closer
attention. His cash on hand ranked fifth
among the Democrats. Meantime, there have
been strains within the campaign between
political strategists and members of
Lieberman's Capitol Hill staff. The
shake-up announced Monday was part of an
effort to streamline the campaign's costs and
its unwieldy decision-making process. As one
consequence, Lieberman's top
fund-raiser, Shari Yost, and her deputy have
both moved into more limited consulting roles,
at reduced salaries…Also taking 20% pay
cuts were two of Lieberman's children, Matt
and Rebecca, who were being paid $100,000
salaries for their fund-raising work. And the
campaign is looking at other ways to trim
expenses, including cutbacks in staff travel…But
more fundamental questions surround
Lieberman's positioning in the Democratic
field and his strategy of waiting for a
breakthrough after the early voting in Iowa
and New Hampshire. A favorite of party
centrists, Lieberman is the most
conservative of the Democratic candidates on
an array of issues. He unabashedly supported
war with Iraq, backs experimental school
vouchers, proudly boasts of being a
‘pro-business’ Democrat and has many enemies
in Hollywood, thanks to his condemnations of
sex and violence in mass entertainment.
Temperamentally, Lieberman is more suited to
smiling than slashing — an attribute that
still rankles many in the party who remember
his amiable debate with his GOP counterpart,
Dick Cheney, during the 2000 presidential
campaign, and his conciliatory demeanor during
the Florida recount that decided the election.
‘There seems to be a significant portion of
Democrats who want to see a candidate who
rhetorically punches [President] Bush in the
face every day,’ said Anita Dunn, a party
strategist who is sitting out the primary
contest. ‘That's not Joe Lieberman's style.’”
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