PAGE 2                                                                                                                   Tuesday, Aug. 5, 2003

 IOWA/NATIONAL POLITICS: 

… Nussle – urging effort to return to the Bob Ray/Terry Branstad era of GOP success – creates Iowa Priorities Action Committee. Congressman says Iowa PAC will concentrate on returning state to “Republican leadership and setting Iowa back on the path of prosperity.”

Excerpt from Nussle letter: (* EDITOR'S NOTE: boldface added)

Are you disappointed with the results of our Republican statewide candidates in recent elections?

I certainly am!

In the past four years, we as Republicans have fielded qualified people for our state’s top offices – Governor, U.S. Senate, and of course – George W. Bush for President. We all know what an incredible job President Bush has done leading our nation and yet he lost in Iowa by a mere 3,000 vote margin! Our candidates for Senate and Governor share our common-sense Iowa values of limited government, protecting individual rights and freedoms, and reducing the tax burden as much as possible.

Iowa Republicans certainly can claim success at the Congressional and State house level…

If we have good candidates ... and we have the right ideas ... then why have we not been successful at the top of the ticket?

 This is a question I asked many times over the past six months and I have come to the conclusion that we simply do not do a good job of making a connection between our philosophy and the more urban, Eastern and Central Iowa independent voters.

These are folks who are natural ‘ticket splitters’. Research has shown that they are candidate specific, and message driven. We must generate a plan to speak directly with independent voters about their individualized concerns. Of course, we must not compromise our core philosophy of limited government and personal freedom, but finding commonality with these urban, independent voters is the only way we can move from our current status into a position where we can lead and govern Iowa…

I have formed the Iowa Priorities Action Committee (IowaPAC) to take on several key, statewide projects which will be of immense benefit to our candidates up and down the ticket for many years to come. I believe this strategy will get us back to the Bob Ray/Terry Branstad years of responsible Republican leadership for Iowa.

The first priority of IowaPAC will be to identify and survey each and every active no-party voter in Iowa based on an array of issues that will enable Republican candidates to tailor their message to each voter individually. The information we gather from these swing voters will be like gold for GOP candidates here in Iowa to use as they communicate with these voters throughout the campaign.

We will work with our Republican candidates in Iowa to connect them with this key block of voters. Our candidates will be able to more effectively share our party’s positive vision of a better Iowa – an Iowa that grows with jobs for this new century, that preserves quality job and educational opportunities for all Iowans, and continues to work toward making Iowa the best neighborhood in America. We know that mud slinging and name-calling certainly has not worked – it is imperative that we share with all Iowans our party’s vision for a better Iowa.

The second priority of IowaPAC is to develop a statewide strike force, which can descend upon any State House or Senate race in the last 48 hours before an election to make telephone calls, pick up absentee ballots, knock on doors, and drive voters to the polls. This ‘Old Fashioned’ style of grassroots politics really works. In this age of glitzy television, Internet spam, and pre-recorded phone calls, we often tend to forget that the only way to win is to identify your supporters and get them to the polls.

And last, we will promote Iowa’s most important priorities by financially supporting the candidates who share these values and providing communications in support of these candidates to the independent ‘ticket splitting’ voters that we know make all the difference in the outcome of close elections…

But unfortunately we cannot even begin these projects without your help. Funding this massive effort will be expensive, but will yield victory and build the momentum for Republican success in Iowa far beyond 2004. We believe it will take approximately $750,000 to fund this entire program…

Please consider a contribution of $500, $1000, $2500 or more to become a Charter Member of my IowaPAC…Of course, the primary benefit is that we will turn the experiences of our past defeats into victory in the future, returning our state to Republican leadership and setting Iowa back on the path of prosperity…

Sincerely, Jim Nussle

(EDITOR'S NOTE: No web address given, but listed address is 4015 Ashby Ave., Des Moines, IA 50310

 MORNING SUMMARY:    

This morning’s headlines:

Des Moines Register, top front-page headline: “Drugs rules, insurance conflict” Report says nursing home rules are forcing many Iowa veterans and residents with private health insurance to pay for medicine out of their own pockets.

Quad-City Times, main online stories: “Liberians swarm peacekeepers” & “Vote delayed as gay bishop is accused of inappropriate touching”

Nation/world online heads, Omaha World-Herald: “Episcopalians delay vote on gay bishop” & “Peace force delights Liberians”

Featured stories, New York Times: “Iraqis Get the News but Often Don’t Believe It” & “U. S. May Reduce Aid to Get Israel to Halt Barrier”

Sioux City Journal, top online reports: “Peacekeepers arrive in Liberia” & “Forest Service exhausts firefighting funds”

Main online headlines, Chicago Tribune: “Powell’s exit could leave void” & “Secret task force is spearhead in hunt for Saddam”

Radio Iowa reports that the month of July ended up being slightly cooler than normal, but that doesn't mean we're in for a cooler August. Darwin Danielson reported that State Climatologist Harry Hillaker says temperatures will be a few degrees below normal in the first week of August; maybe getting up to normal the second week. He expects the dry pattern to continue for another two weeks. He says there's no real strong tendency in the forecasts either way, but he wouldn't be surprised if August ends up a little bit drier and a little bit hotter than normal. Hillaker says July was slightly drier than normal and Iowa could use some extra rain in August to catch up.

Iowa Briefs/Updates:

With the Iowa State Fair now less than 48 hours away, WHO-TV (Des Moines) and other central IA outlets – as well as the Iowa DOT – are encouraging fair visitors to use “park and ride” sites. Fair officials are concerned about major traffic jams because of extensive road construction projects, especially on the DSM freeway and other locations near the fairgrounds.  

WAR & TERRORISM: 

… On the Korean Front: Headline from VOANews.com (Voice of America) – “White House: Bolton Spoke for Administration in Criticizing North Korea” Excerpt:  “President Bush is standing behind a senior U.S. official's recent criticism of North Korea's communist government. A White House spokesman said Monday that Undersecretary of State John Bolton was speaking for the Bush administration last week when he described living conditions in North Korea as a ‘hellish nightmare’ and called leader Kim Jong Il a ‘tyrannical dictator.’ Pyongyang responded with a warning that Mr. Bolton will not be welcome at upcoming six-way talks on dismantling its nuclear weapons program. But White House spokesman Scott McClellan told reporters that only President Bush will choose who participates for the United States. Earlier Monday, China welcomed the expansion of talks to include South Korea, Russia and Japan. A Foreign Ministry spokesman said Beijing is offering to host the talks, and will work to see that they take place as soon as possible. Pyongyang's state-controlled news media announced the location for the talks, but did not give a date. U.S. and South Korean officials have said the discussions could begin by next month.”

FEDERAL ISSUES:  

… Union Leader editorial charges that Dems – despite minority status – have maintained a “great deal of control” Senate decisions. Headline on yesterday’s editorial: “Stymied in the Senate: Democrats are winning the big battles” Editorial excerpt: “Here’s a quick test of your political knowledge: Which party controls the U.S. Senate? If you answered ‘the Republicans,’ you're wrong. Republicans have a 51-48-1 advantage in the Senate, but Democrats have managed to maintain a great deal of control over the chamber. Last week the Senate passed an old Democratic-sponsored energy bill from 2002 because Republicans could not muster the votes for their own bill. Also last week, Democrats prevented votes on four of President Bush's judicial nominees. Before that, Democrats got much of what they wanted in an astronomically expensive Medicare prescription drug bill. Democrats are outmaneuvering Republicans in the Senate, and there seems to be little anyone can or will do about it. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist appears to be in over his head, while the more crafty and experienced minority leader, Tom Daschle, is winning victory after victory. Perhaps if we had a President as conservative on domestic issues as on foreign ones, this wouldn't be happening.” (See related item – next.)

… “GOP-Led Congress Increasingly Defies Bush” – weekend headline from the Los Angeles Times. Excerpt from Sunday report by the Times’ Janet Hook: “A feisty Congress has left for a summer recess with a blunt reminder to President Bush: Republican control of the House and Senate does not give him carte blanche on Capitol Hill. The GOP-controlled Congress has in recent weeks defied Bush on domestic policies ranging from drug imports to media deregulation to tax credits for the working poor. Congress is also presenting new challenges to Bush in foreign affairs. Members of both parties have expressed qualms about postwar policy in Iraq. The No. 2 House GOP leader has questioned Bush's ‘road map’ to peace in the Middle East. And the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee last week criticized the president's policy on Liberia. To be sure, Republicans have stuck with Bush on major fiscal and foreign policy matters. But on a variety of fronts, Congress is showing more independence from Bush than at any point since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. ‘I think Congress has finally found a voice in questioning the administration on a whole range of issues,’ said Roger Davidson, a visiting professor of government at UC Santa Barbara. ‘This is a healthy sign because the last Congress pretty much rolled over in the wake of 9/11.’ It is a measure, in part, of the dissipation of Bush's post-Sept. 11 aura of command — with Congress and among the public, according to recent polls that show his approval ratings dropping. But it is also a reminder that presidential leadership is not the only force that drives legislation through Congress. On two striking occasions this summer, populist tides moved Congress to override Bush's objections. That is how the House came to approve a bill allowing the importation of lower-cost prescription drugs — a measure that had built a powerful head of steam among constituents angered by rising drug prices.”

IOWA ISSUES:

… Sioux City Journal headline says “Vilsack chalks up win with Wells Fargo move” – but House Speaker Rants wonders how application for Iowa Values Fund money was done day before the rules were established. Excerpt from column by the Lee Enterprises’ Kathie Obradovich: “Gov. Tom Vilsack chalked up a big win this week with the announcement that the first award from the Grow Iowa Values Fund would be a whopping, 2,000-job expansion by Wells Fargo & Co. in the Des Moines metro area. The announcement overshadowed the news that Republican legislative leaders had filed a lawsuit, accusing the governor of overstepping his constitutional authority when he vetoed tax cuts and tort reform measures that the GOP had packaged with the values fund. The size of the project will almost certainly mute criticism that Vilsack and Department of Economic Development Director Michael Blouin let a potential western Iowa biotech project, an anchor of the proposed Trans Ova expansion in Sioux Center, slip away to South Dakota. (Republican lawmakers initially suggested calling the program the BIO fund, which stood for Bring it On, a bit of "in your face" bravado aimed at S.D. Gov. Mike Rounds. Maybe they should change the name to PSSS, which stands for Please sir, sorry sir.)…House Speaker Christopher Rants, R-Sioux City, said nobody is likely to turn up his nose at 2,000 good-paying jobs, so you're unlikely to hear much quibbling over the fact that the values fund will first benefit an already-successful company in an already-established industry in an already-growing part of the state. However, he said, he does wonder how Wells Fargo was able to have a completed application for the values fund, dated Tuesday, July 29, when the rules to set up the program weren't even approved until Wednesday, July 30. It raises the question, he said, of whether other companies had an equal chance to apply before the first $10 million was awarded. ‘I want to know how we got to this point, and where we're going from here,’ Rants said.”

OPINIONS: 

Today’s editorials:

Des Moines Register: “Dean under the microscope…The former Vermont governor will face tougher scrutiny now that he’s the front-runner.” & “Take the Smithfield deal” Editorial says Congress and federal officials have “a right to scrutinize the deal” for Smithfield to take over Farmland Industries, but “this looks like a good deal for Iowa and other states.”

 IOWA SPORTS: 

…  Several sportscasts this morning report that former Iowa QB Brad Banks – the runner-up in last fall’s Heisman Trophy voting – has been released by the NFL’s Washington Redskins

… Veteran NASCAR driver Ken Schrader is scheduled to return to the Independence Motor Speedway on Wednesday night to participate in a race that was rained out on 7/9. Schrader and former Winston Cup champion Bill Elliott are expected to appear in the regular Dodge Weekly Series program in Farley on Thursday night, 8/14. Sports reports indicated they are to compete in the late-model division race

IOWA WEATHER: 

…  DSM 7 a. m. 66, light rain. Temperatures across Iowa at 7 a. m. ranged from 55 in Decorah and Monticello to 56 in Dubuque and Davenport to 66 in six locations – including Denison, Des Moines and Lamoni and 68 in Clarinda. Today’s high 81, chance T-storms. Tonight’s low 65, chance T-storms. Wednesday’s high 84, mostly sunny. Wednesday night’s low 63, partly clear.

IOWAISMS: 

 … Iowa has lowest car insurance rates in the country. Excerpt from report by Radio Iowa’s Darwin Danielson: “A study by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners says Iowa still has the lowest car insurance rates in the country. Angela Burke-Boston of the Iowa Insurance Division says the rank is based on a variety of factors. They consider our population, repair cost, theft rates, and the number of registered vehicles. Under the system used by the study, Iowa's average premium was just over $596. Burke-Boston says Iowa likely has fewer claims than other states, which also helps the ranking. She says she can't tell that from the study, but it's probably safe to say that we have fewer bodily injury claims. She says the competition among companies in Iowa keeps the cost of insurance down. She says we have over 350 companies in Iowa that offer auto insurance. New Jersey topped the list with an average auto insurance premium of nearly $1,200.”

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