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IOWA
DAILY REPORT Holding
the Democrats accountable today, tomorrow...forever.
PAGE 2
Wednesday,
Aug. 13, 2003
… “Fla.
Lawmakers War Bush on Cuba Policy” –
headline from yesterday’s Los Angeles Times.
Under a Miami dateline, the Times’ John-Thor
Dalhberg reports that 13 GOP lawmakers are
protesting U. S. policies. An excerpt: “It
has been a season of growing dismay and
discontent among Cuban Americans. Some Cubans
attempting to flee the communist island have
been stopped and shipped back by U.S.
authorities. Fidel Castro has cracked down
with impunity on dissidents and independent
journalists. On Monday, a number of
Republican state lawmakers from Florida
publicly warned President Bush that unless
U.S. policies changed drastically, he could
lose their backing in the 2004 election.
Some of the legislators accused Bush of not
keeping campaign promises he made to Cuban
Americans, a normally loyal Republican vote
bank. ‘No group of Americans should be taken
for granted,’ said state Rep. Gustavo A.
Barreiro, a Miami Republican. It is an article
of faith among Cuban Americans, the nation's
only Latino minority that consistently votes
Republican, that they tipped the balance in
Bush's favor in the 2000 election cliffhanger.
About 80% of Florida's Cuban Americans
voted for Bush, who carried this key state by
just 537 votes. ‘The problem is, Bush has
given them all the right rhetoric, but hasn't
delivered on the major policy initiatives he
promised,’ said Dario Moreno, a professor at
Florida International University who has
served as a consultant to Cuban American
political candidates. In a letter that was
mailed and faxed to the White House on Monday,
and whose contents were provided to the media,
13 GOP lawmakers — Barreiro among them —
said that if current administration policies
on Cuba continued, ‘we cannot guarantee that
in next year's election Cuban Americans will
provide Republican candidates for federal
office the unprecedented levels of support
garnered in past elections.’ That does not
mean the legislators, mostly Cuban Americans
from the Miami area, might endorse or campaign
for one of the Democratic presidential
hopefuls, said state Rep. Marcelo Llorente,
another of the letter's signatories. But
they might adopt a ‘neutral approach’ where
they do nothing to work for Bush's reelection,
Llorente added. The lawmakers told Bush
that he had not followed through on a pledge
to review a controversial 1994 migration
agreement between Castro and the Clinton
administration, in which most would-be
migrants from the island who are intercepted
at sea are returned to Cuba. Those who make it
to U.S. soil generally are allowed to stay.”
… “Democrats debate
how to hit Bush” – Headline from
yesterday’s Boston Globe. Excerpts from report
by the Globe’s Peter S. Canellos: “Democratic
Party leaders and rank and file are
increasingly divided over how best to take on
President Bush -- whether to match his
assertive style, finger point for finger
point, or offer a contrasting tone of
moderation. Most of the leading
presidential contenders, backed by seasoned
strategists, are taking the latter approach,
offering detailed criticism of Bush's
stewardship while taking pains not to alienate
those who have respect for Bush as a leader
and commander in chief. But last week
brought the strongest indications yet that the
party regulars are frustrated with the muted
tone. Former Vice President Al Gore gave a
fiery speech attacking the Bush administration
and implying that Democrats are not being
aggressive enough in countering the president.
And a poll by the nonpartisan Pew Research
Center showed a sharp increase in
dissatisfaction among regular Democrats with
their party's leaders. ‘In each of the
three polls we've done we've seen a lower
rating for the party among Democrats,’
said Andrew Kohut, director of the Pew
Research Center, noting that registered
Democrats are ‘very antagonistic to Bush. They
really want a candidate to stand up to Bush.’
The current thinking, according to
strategists and those involved in the
campaign, is that Bush remains personally
popular among swing voters, even if they
disagree with some of his policies. At a
time of intense concern about national
security, many voters are inclined to defer to
the president, and still suspect that
Democrats are weak on defense. Thus, they
said, the party's candidates must zero in on
weaknesses in the economy and the chaos in
Bush's postwar Iraq policy, while persuading
the electorate that they, too, are vigilant
against terrorism. The result has been many
candidates competing for the mantle of
Clintonian moderation. But to many in the
party's base, Bush's assertive tone and
message call for a similar response. They
yearn for a sharper line of attack and echo
the Republicans in foreseeing a combative
campaign with strict ideological dimensions.
‘If the election were held tomorrow it would
be very close, but the Republicans would win
for one reason: Their base is hot. Their base
is rallied. Their base is exercised. And ours
is not,’ said Donna Brazile, who managed
Gore's 2000 campaign. ‘We can win by focusing
on the basics -- rally your base, enlarge it,
and energize it.’” This morning’s headlines:
Des Moines
Register, top front-page headline: Israel – “Bombings
rock hopes for peace”
Quad-City
Times online, main heads: Iraq -- “Troops
ready for 1-year tour” &
Illinois – “Fair
disqualifies steer for drug use” Report
says the Illinois Dept. of Ag stripped the
title of Grand Champion from a 14-year-old
girl’s steer after it tested positive for
performance-enhancing drugs.
Featured
reports, Omaha World-Herald: “Bush running
out of tools to repair ailing economy” & “Missile
plot foiled by three arrests”
Featured
headlines, New York Times online: “U. S.
Holds Briton on Missile Charge” & “Rising
Tide of Islamic Militants See Iraq as Ultimate
Battlefield”
Sioux City
Journal online, top stories: Missouri River –
“As river flows fall, conservationists
press ahead” Report says conservation
groups intend to push for continued reductions
in river flow levels. & “Twin suicide
bombings rattle shaky Midwest truce”
Chicago
Tribune, main online heads: “Plot to sneak
in missile foiled” & “Suicide blasts
kill 2, wound 13”
Iowa Briefs/Updates:
WHO Radio (Des
Moines) reports that IA Sen. Grassley
will try again to get the National Indian
Gaming Commission to accelerate settlement
of the dispute that resulted in the closing of
the Meskwaki casino near Tama.
Grassley’s remarks came after reports
yesterday indicated it may be December before
the casino – closed before Memorial Day by a
federal judge – can be reopened. The GOP Sen
noted that about 1,300 employees remain out
of work
The Quad-City
Times said that “some officials” from
Quad-City Episcopal churches have “strongly
criticized” the appointment of the church’s
first openly gay bishop. The Times’ Tony
Robinson reported that the Rev. Dr. John Hall
of Trinity Episcopal Cathedral in Davenport
said: “It’s going to be a very difficult time
in which the unity of the Anglican community
will be tested.”
KETV-TV (Omaha)
reported that farmers near Denison may
soon have an alternative to selling their corn
at the local elevator. The report says
Amazing Energy, an ethanol production
interest, is looking for its first 600
investors as it plans to build an ethanol
plant
Iowa Ag
Secretary Patty Judge reports that the oat
harvest is “nearly complete” and the corn and
soybean crops are “progressing well in
most areas of the state.” She said 96% of the
corn acreage has “silked” and 96% of the
soybean crop was blooming. More than 93% of
both crops were reported in fair to excellent
condition.
From the Korean Front:
“August 27 Set as Date For North Korea
Talks” – Headline from VOA News (Voice of
America). Excerpt from VOA coverage: “The
United States has announced that six-nation
talks on North Korea's nuclear ambitions are
likely to begin August 27 in Beijing.
Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage
made the announcement Tuesday during a visit
to Australia. Russian diplomats in Beijing
also confirmed that the multi-lateral talks
will take place August 27-29. Last month,
North Korea agreed to the talks with South
Korea, China, the United States, Russia and
Japan to try to resolve the dispute over
Pyongyang's nuclear weapons program. Senior
officials from the United States, Japan and
South Korea will meet Wednesday in Washington
to formulate strategy. Their meeting is part
of the intense preparations by countries
participating in the Beijing conference. A
senior Bush administration official who
angered North Korea with derogatory comments
will not be participating in the Beijing
talks. John Bolton, the government's top
envoy to Pyongyang, recently described life in
the communist country as a ‘hellish nightmare’
and called its leader, Kim Jong Il, a
‘tyrannical dictator.’ Pyongyang later said
it would not allow Mr. Bolton to attend the
talks.”
“Gun
backers claim momentum among state governments”
– headlines from yesterday’s Washington Times.
Excerpts from coverage by Times’ reporter
James G. Lakely: “Gun-rights groups gained
momentum for their cause this year after a
series of victories at the state level made it
easier to legally carry concealed weapons.
Alaska Gov. Frank Murkowski, a
Republican, signed a bill in June that allows
residents to carry concealed weapons without
applying for a special permit. The new law
would also allow permit-holders from any state
to freely carry their weapons in Alaska. The
Missouri legislature is poised to soon
override the veto of Gov. Bob Holden, a
Democrat, and validate a bill passed this
spring allowing the right to carry concealed
weapons. The Wisconsin Supreme Court
last month defied a 130-year-old ban on
carrying concealed weapons, ruling that ‘if
the constitutional right to keep and bear arms
is to mean anything, it must, as a general
matter, permit a person to ... sometimes
conceal arms’ to protect himself. In May, a
new Colorado law took effect that
allows ‘any competent person over 21’ who ‘can
show proper training in handgun use’ to
receive a concealed carry permit. Local
authorities report that enrollments for
handgun safety classes are "swelling." And in
Minnesota, a liberal enclave
historically hostile to gun rights, Gov. Tim
Pawlenty, a Republican, signed a bill in April
that made that state the 35th to permit
concealed firearms. Before 1987, only 10
states allowed the carrying of a concealed
weapon. All of these laws greatly reduce red
tape, no longer requiring individuals to
convince authorities they have a compelling
need to carry a concealed weapon. As long
as they qualify by age, and in many instances
complete a firearms course, they get the
permit. Gun-control groups say the passage
of these laws doesn't actually reflect the
will of the people, citing various surveys
that show antipathy or opposition to questions
about how they'd feel if their neighbors were
armed with a concealed weapon. They pin the
legislative success of these measures on the
influence of one source — the National Rifle
Association. ‘I do think it's a big NRA
push,’ said Jim Kessler, policy and research
director for Americans for Gun Safety. ‘[The
states] are where they've set their sights
these days. Whenever they make an effort,
you're going to feel it.’ However, Wayne
LaPierre, NRA executive vice president and
chief executive officer, said this trend took
on a life of its own because for the last few
years, ‘virtually nowhere on the state level
has there been an anti-gun bill passed.
Even in states where they had high hopes, it
didn't work out. I think you've literally had
a sea change in the issue around the United
States. The fact is that all the momentum is
on the pro-firearm side.’” Today’s editorials:
Des Moines
Register:
Local – “Downtown’s getting lively…A
year-round market near Sherman Hill will
enhance amazing east-to-west transformation.”
… Iowa – “DHS reform: You can be there…Redesign
of Iowa’s child-welfare system occurs bright
and early in Williamsburg.”…”Remember
the vaccinations” Editorial says as Iowa
children enter kindergarten it’s importance
they receive vaccinations.
While
thousands still hanging out at the State Fair,
thousands of sprint car fans are heading to
Knoxville for the Nationals.
Report from
KCCI-TV (Des Moines) sports: “Three
weekly racers at the Knoxville Raceway are
going strong as fans get ready for the
Knoxville Nationals starting Wednesday.
Robert Bell, Jaymie Moyle and Eddie Leavitt
Jr. are among the drivers who will compete in
the Nationals. The championship race on
Saturday pays out $125,000 to the winner and
is considered the Superbowl of sprint car
racing. The entire purse for the event tops
$760,000 this year. Last year Steve
Kinser won the Nationals. Other racing stars
have also raced at Knoxville early in their
careers include Al Unser Jr., A.J. Foyt, Jeff
Gordon, Danny Lasoski, Kenny Joe Saldana.
Bell, Moyle and Leavitt are the ones who keep
the .5-mile dirt oval track going. The
well-heeled World of Outlaws drivers
will take their motor homes and semi
tractor-trailers to the next event on their
circuit after Saturday's race. Races start
this Wednesday and tickets for all four days
can cost up at to $161 per seat.”
DSM 7 a. m. 64, clear. Temperatures across
Iowa at 7 a.m. ranged from 54 in Sheldon
and 55 in Harlan, Estherville
and Decorah to 64 in Des Moines,
Burlington and Oelwein to 66 in
the Quad-Cities. Today’s high 83,
mostly sunny. Tonight’s low 63, mostly clear.
Thursday’s high 85, mostly sunny. Thursday
night’s low 66, mostly clear.
“Nose
printing doesn’t hamper livestock show at fair”
– headline from yesterday’s Quad-City Times.
Excerpt: “Kids exhibiting livestock at the
Iowa State Fair aren’t being deterred by new
rules meant to ensure that the animals they
raised are the same ones judged in the 4-H
competition, organizers say. ‘What we are
seeing is the number of exhibitors is up,’
said Denise Schwab, a 4-H youth development
specialist who was busy Monday checking cattle
into the competition. 4-H and FFA records
show 2,622 youths will exhibit 7,920 animals
at this year’s fair, compared with 8,497
animals shown by 2,528 youths last year.
It’s a 7 percent decline in the number of
animals, but a 4 percent increase in the
number of participants. ‘We think everything
looks very positive,’ said Schwab, who helps
organize the competition for 4-H kids from
fifth grade to 12th grade. The new
identification requirements for livestock
include nose printing and DNA sampling.
The move comes after an incident last year
regarding the identity and ownership of the
fair’s winning steer, as well as the 4-H grand
champion and reserve champion lambs. Schwab
said although the number of kids showing
animals is up, the number of hogs and horses
entered into the competition was down some.”
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