Wednesday, July 9, 2003

GENERAL NEWS:

CANDIDATES & CAUCUSES: 

… A group most thought Lieberman would have locked up – Jewish supporters – appears to be failing him. Headline from yesterday’s Washington Times: “Lieberman a tough sell among Jewish donors” The Times’ Ralph Z. Hallow reported: ‘Joe Lieberman, who is seeking the Democratic presidential nomination for 2004, isn't breaking any records for collecting campaign contributions from fellow Jews. Some of them argue this isn't the right time for a Jewish candidate. Potential Jewish donors fear a Jewish president could stir up anti-Semitism in the middle of the war on terrorism and the military occupation of Iraq, Jews in both parties say. ‘To be Jewish is to sometimes feel insecure in the world,’ says Hank Sheinkopf, a New York-based Democratic presidential-campaign consultant. In theory, the senior senator from Connecticut has a lot going for him as the only Jew among the nine Democrats in the intensifying hunt for the 2004 nomination. But some of his co-religionists also say Jewish donors feel drawn to President Bush, who is turning out to be the best friend Israel has ever had in the Oval Office. ‘The smart political money in the Jewish community right now is sitting on the sidelines or supporting the president,’ says Lee Cowen, a Washington-based Jewish fund-raiser. ‘Joe Lieberman has one problem: George W. Bush,’ says Rep. Eric Cantor, Virginia Republican. ‘Bush is the strongest president on U.S.-Israel relationships we've ever had.’ Mr. Cantor, chief deputy Republican whip, says Mr. Bush ‘is more committed to Israel as a Jewish state than any other president…That is fundamental when it comes to Jewish voting patterns for 2004.’ Mr. Cantor, who is Jewish and was elected from a district that is only 1 percent Jewish, said: ‘At the end of the day, Jews are coming to realize they can't afford to be Democrats.’ Perhaps, but Republicans have been making empty predictions about winning the Jewish vote for 80 years. Warren G. Harding was the last Republican to pull a majority of the Jewish vote. That was in 1920. Ronald Reagan won 39 percent of the Jewish vote in 1984.”

… Predictable outcome. When the House voted last night (7:18 p.m. EDT) to approve a $386.7 billion defense bill – which also was passed by a Senate Appropriations subcommittee yesterday – on a 399-19 vote, the players were predictable: Kucinich was one of 19 voting “no,” all five IA congressman voted “yes,” and – as usual – Gephardt was missing in congressional inaction.

… Under the subhead “California dreamin’,” Paul Bedard reported in his “Washington Whispers” column in U. S. New & World Report: ”That Democrat Howard Dean is the flavor of the month doesn't bother Sen. John Kerry, the other ‘top tier’ candidate in the presidential race, because it's allowing him to stealthily build his base. We learn that Kerry is making California the state where he hopes to halt any competitors. How? He has lined up state political, elected, minority, and financial bigwigs. ‘If the race gets to California,’ says an insider, ‘no one will have money left, so it will be based on organization, which Kerry is locking down.’ Also: Kerry's trying to pluck off backers of Rep. Dick Gephardt and Sen. Joe Lieberman, claiming they don't have the slightest chance of pulling it out.”

… Adventures with Edwards: NC wannabe buys Japanese-made jogging shoes before promising to put priority on interests of U. S. workers.  Headline from yesterday’s Union Leader: “The Edwards message goes retail in Manchester” Report by Union Leader senior political reporter John DiStaso: “Half an hour after Democratic Presidential hopeful John Edwards promised to put ‘the interest of working Americans first’ with a new corporate accountability plan, he spent $89.95 on a pair of running shoes made in Japan. In fairness, said Scott Sylvester, who was working at Runner’s Alley on Hanover Street when the North Carolina senator and a media entourage stepped through the door, virtually every running shoe is made overseas, and most in Asia. New Balance, which were also available at the store, is ‘about the only brand’ made in the United States these days, he said. Edwards spokesman Colin Van Ostern said later he had no idea if Edwards knew the shoe he bought, Asics, was a Japanese a brand. For Edwards, the shoe purchase was one of several downtown retail campaign stops he made after his corporate accountability speech. State university system board chairman John Lynch escorted Edwards but said he is uncommitted in the Presidential primary campaign. Edwards said his old running shoes were worn out and he needed new ones for his intended run later in the day. While purchasing the shoes, Edwards said he usually runs ‘35 to 40 miles a week.’ Edwards’ campaign billed yesterday’s 20-minute speech before the Manchester Rotary Club at the Chateau restaurant a major policy address.”

…And from the Washington Times: Under the subhead ‘Edwards' plan,’ Greg Pierce reported yesterday in his ‘Inside Politics’ column, “Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards yesterday released a plan he said was aimed at restoring integrity to a corporate America buffeted by scandal with the eventual goal of boosting the economy. Making his appeal on populist terms, the senator from North Carolina and former trial lawyer proposed a series of business reforms, arguing that ‘what's holding our economy down is the callous view of a few at the top in Washington and in the corporate world that the values that got us here can now be left behind.’ Under his corporate-accountability plan, Mr. Edwards would require companies to count stock options as expenses against their bottom lines, the Associated Press reports. ‘The abuse of stock options that are hidden from balance sheets has been central to the corporate scandals,’ he said in Manchester, N.H. ‘This is about honest accounting. It is a fundamental tenet of economic reform. If we're going to restore values to our economy, we need to do the right thing here.’ Mr. Edwards' plan would strengthen laws that require chief executive officers' pay to be linked to performance, would eliminate tax breaks for executive pensions that are disproportionately larger than those for rank-and-file workers and would give shareholders greater control over corporate boards. Mr. Edwards also would make it harder for companies to hide their money in tax shelters by requiring them to explain why profits they report to the Internal Revenue Service differ from the amount reported to shareholders.”

… Dean campaign may be moving south and west with newfound fundraising bonanza – effort that’s been focused on IA and NH may expand to three more states. Headline from yesterday’s Boston Globe online: “Dean may step up campaign plan…Eyeing early push in several states after funding boost” The Globe’s Glen Johnson reported from Nantucket (where Kerry was meeting top advisers): “Unexpectedly strong fund-raising probably will prompt Democratic presidential contender Howard Dean to expand his campaign into at least three states beyond Iowa and New Hampshire at least a month ahead of schedule, his campaign manager said yesterday. The $7.5 million that Dean raised in the past three months also will allow what has been a shoestring campaign to add more regional political operatives and a second aide to accompany the former Vermont governor as he hopscotches across the country, campaign manager Joe Trippi said in a telephone interview in advance of a two-day meeting Dean and his staff are starting [Tuesday] in Burlington, Vt. ‘We have a lot more mobility and flexibility in our plan now,’ Trippi said. ‘We're not changing what we are going to do, but we're probably going to be able to do it earlier than we thought.’…While the campaign had considered adding staff in the early-voting states of Arizona, New Mexico, and Oklahoma around Oct. 1, Trippi said, those hires are more likely to occur Aug. 1 or Sept. 1. In addition, the Dean campaign plans to add a staff member to handle the media on campaign trips, a task that had been largely neglected…Dean's strategy session overlapped with a similar meeting last night and today on Nantucket that one of his rivals for the nomination, Senator John F. Kerry of Massachusetts, held with more than a dozen top political advisers…Kerry aides were quick to say they had scheduled the meeting well before Dean's money total was released last week, but conceded the recent news added an item to the discussion agenda. ‘Was I surprised by his numbers? Were you?’ said a top Kerry aide, speaking on condition of anonymity. ‘We just have to keep our eye on the ball.’”

… Scary headline from yesterday’s Quad City Times – “Missouri volunteers to flood Scott County for Gephardt this weekend” The Times’ Ed Tibbetts reported: “A hundred Missourians will be heading up the Mississippi River this weekend to flood Scott County with the message that U.S. Rep. Richard Gephardt, D-Mo., is the best man for the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination. The volunteers will be bused in Friday night and will spend the weekend going door to door in the county, one of the largest in Iowa, hoping to lock up support in an area that is key to Gephardt’s presidential hopes. He is expected to do well in Iowa, which means doing well in the Quad-Cities. ‘Scott County is critical for Dick Gephardt,’ said Bill Burton, a spokesman. It isn’t unusual for presidential campaigns to flood Iowa’s metro areas with volunteers. But, usually, it occurs in the closing days before the caucuses, which next year will happen Jan. 19. During the summer, many Iowans — even the most politically active — aren’t as focused on presidential politics. ‘When you’ve got a field this big and you really want to cut through, the best thing you can do is deliver a message from one working person to another,’ Burton said. He said volunteers will be coming to the state about once a month, but other cities picked for the volunteer blitz haven’t been named yet.”

… After a week of Dean-mania and hype about his fundraising prowess, it becomes obvious that Dean’s losing the campaign cash flow battle to Kerry, Edwards and Gephardt. Boston Herald headline notes that “Dean lags in key money-in-bank category” One of the nation’s best journalistic political aces, AP’s Ron Fournier, reported that Dean’s fundraising fireworks may be deceptive in measuring his financial strength. Excerpt: “Despite a recent fund-raising surge, Howard Dean lags behind his top Democratic presidential rivals in a key category: Money in the bank. The former Vermont governor cemented his standing as a top-tier candidate by raising $7.5 million between April and June, first among the nine Democratic candidates for the quarter. That gave him a total of $10.1 million raised since the beginning of the year. Dean is the only candidate airing TV ads - $300,000 worth in Iowa - and he invested thousands of dollars to build an Internet-driven grass-roots operation. Those expenses and others, including a growing campaign staff in Burlington, Vt., leave Dean with more than $6 million cash on hand and fourth overall, aides said Monday. Officials with the other top Democratic campaigns, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said: Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts has about $11 million in the bank, including $2.6 million he transferred from his Senate campaign account. Kerry raised about $6 million in the second fund-raising quarter, second to Dean.  Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina has about $8.5 million on hand, none of it from his Senate account. He raised about $5 million this quarter, tied for third with Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut. Rep. Dick Gephardt of Missouri has close to $7 million in ready money, including $2.4 million from his congressional campaign account. Gephardt raised just $4.5 million in the second quarter, at least $500,000 below his goal and a disappointing fifth-place finish. Lieberman has about $4 million in the bank.  Sen. Bob Graham of Florida, who got a late start in the campaign, has more than $1.5 million on hand. While fund-raising totals offer one test of the candidates' viability, many party activists argue that the money-in-the-bank figure is more important. It illustrates a campaign's ability to not only raise money, but to save and spend it when voters begin to pay attention late this year and early 2004. ‘What matters in the campaign is how much money do you have to communicate with voters,’ said Gephardt adviser Steve Elmendorf. ‘It's a question of how much you're raising and spending and how much you're keeping. We're on plan to have what we need.’”

… Michigan columnist puzzled by where Kerry finds his core constituency in the state, but tabs the Mass. wannabe as an early favorite. Headline from Dawson Bell’s column in the Detroit Free-Press: “John Kerry, Michigan Dems make an unlikely match” Excerpts from Bell’s column: “John Kerry, a U.S. senator from Massachusetts and Democratic candidate for president, isn't exactly a household name in Michigan…But if there can be an early favorite in the presidential sweepstakes in Michigan, the Massachusetts Kerry would seem to be it…In general, Kerry's profile on environmental regulation is what one would expect of an East Coast liberal rather than a Michigan pragmatist. That might be OK in a Democratic primary in Michigan, if it helped deliver the green wing of the party. But it's not likely to; that wing seems more smitten with former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean, who does a better Ralph Nader-style angry man impression than Kerry…U.S. Rep. Richard Gephardt, the former House leader from Missouri, is as close to the UAW -- and many in the AFL-CIO -- as any presidential candidate in the last couple of decades. With his impressive resume (Vietnam War veteran, two accomplished terms in the Senate), Kerry should be attractive to other sectors of the electorate. But at first blush it's hard to identify a core constituency in the Michigan Democratic Party that provides him a natural base. His record might appeal to the plaintiffs attorneys, an important group of Democratic donors -- but certainly no more so than North Carolina U.S. Sen. John Edwards, who made his personal fortune and reputation winning lawsuits. Edwards is also actively courting Michigan's African Americans, a significant voting bloc that has two African-American candidates to consider as well -- the Rev. Al Sharpton and former U.S. Sen. Carole Moseley Braun -- before even getting to Kerry. Under some circumstances, Kerry could be expected to do well in the Jewish community, a relatively small but very active constituency. But many will look first at U.S. Sen. Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut, the 2000 Democratic vice-presidential candidate who led the only public poll on the race released so far. And then there are the teachers unions, representing what some consider the vital center of Michigan's Democrats. They might be natural allies of Kerry; he's got a 100-percent voting record with the National Education Association. But so do some of the others. And, unlike Kerry, nobody else in the field proposed in the not-so-distant past to dump teacher tenure and the certification bureaucracy, both pillars of faith for organized labor in education. Of course, all of the Democratic presidential hopefuls -- nine and counting -- are human beings and fallible in one way or another. And holding views contrary to those in the mainstream of the Michigan Democratic Party is not, by itself, evidence of fallibility in the cosmic or even the general election sense. But it sure is an odd way to position oneself as the front-runner in a Michigan Democratic primary.”

… A mellower Sharpton? The headline on yesterday’s LA Times online profile says the “outspoken activist has softened his rhetoric as he redefines his image to run for the presidency.” An excerpt from the report datelined Lancaster, SC by the Times’ Josh Getlin “Now, Sharpton is promoting himself as a thoughtful presidential candidate, a leader of minorities and other disaffected voices who wants to influence Democratic Party policy. His rhetoric has been toned down, and some observers are startled to see him play the role of a healer during debates. Like the Rev. Jesse Jackson, who failed to win the presidential nomination in 1984 and 1988, Sharpton says that for him, winning is a relative term. ‘Of course I'm running to win,’ he says, hurrying from Etta's Kitchen to the airport for a trip to Chicago. ‘But it's also about putting together a progressive coalition that will take back the Democratic Party and register a million new voters. It's about electing people to the House, the Senate and other offices.’ Few observers believe Sharpton will capture the nomination, let alone beat President Bush. He runs distantly in most polls and has reported raising about $114,000 in a campaign where other Democrats expect to raise millions. Still, Sharpton leads among black voters (24% in a recent Gallup poll), and that's the key to his game plan. As he campaigned in South Carolina on a recent Sunday — reaching out to blacks, who make up 40% of Democratic primary voters here — Sharpton's new persona was on display. He preached at New Hope Baptist Church, bringing the crowd to its feet as he talked about black self-empowerment. Shouting in sing-song rhythm, Sharpton unveiled his own version of Saul on the road to Damascus: When Jesus told him to change his ways, he said: 'I want you to go back to your old crowd! Go to your hangouts! Go to your drug dealers! Go to your hoochie-coochie girls! I want you to be the doctor and raise them all up! I want you to bring them to the light of God!'  The room exploded with cheers, and minutes later Sharpton was engulfed by well-wishers. This scene will be repeated in churches all over the country, because ‘no one else in this presidential race can speak as well as Sharpton about drug abuse, the criminal justice system and welfare policy,’ said Cornel West, a Princeton University professor and prominent black essayist who backs Sharpton's campaign. To many critics, however, the idea of Sharpton as a candidate, let alone president, is a joke. They dismiss him as a demagogue, and they say his participation will cast a cloud over the Democratic Party, bringing ugly racial issues to the fore and dooming efforts at unity. Some Bush supporters have gleefully launched a ‘Republicans for Sharpton’ Web site, and conservative commentators such as Tucker Carlson on CNN's ‘Crossfire’ have said, with tongue in cheek, that Sharpton is a ‘great Democrat.’”

… Teresa Heinz Kerry won’t touch “touchy issue” about Cape Cod wind farm proposal that would ruin her ocean view. Headline from yesterday’s Boston Herald: “Teresa on wind farm: Ask John” Herald’s Andrew Miga reported: “Teresa Heinz Kerry, an ardent and often outspoken environmentalist, yesterday refused to wade into the controversy over a proposed Nantucket Sound wind farm - a potential land mine for her husband's presidential campaign. ‘Because it's such a touchy issue and a Massachusetts issue, she's waiting,’ said her spokeswoman, Chris Black. ‘On Massachusetts issues, her feeling is that you should ask (Sen. John F. Kerry). She has not taken a formal position on the wind farm.’ Heinz Kerry's reluctance to take a stand comes as her husband, the Massachusetts Democrat, faces criticism from environmentalists, including Greenpeace, for not backing the 130-turbine windmill farm seven miles off Cape Cod.  Heinz Kerry appeared to be following the lead of the senator, who is waiting to take a position until after the Army Corps of Engineers completes its environmental study of the Cape Wind proposal. ‘I would be surprised if, at the end of the day, her position is not the same as the senator's position,’ said Black. ‘They are very close on environmental issues and share a love for the ocean and the New England coast.’ Kerry, who is running for president as a strong alternative energy advocate, must weigh fierce Bay State opposition to the project against his urgent need to win liberal Democratic votes in key primary states where rival Howard Dean threatens him. Heinz Kerry, one of the nation's leading philanthropists, has given generously to environmental causes. She also owns a mansion on Nantucket's Brant Point. Cape Wind's plan has sparked a bitter battle on Cape Cod, where many fear the 40-story-tall turbines across a 24-square-mile grid could spoil ocean views and ruin tourism. Advocates say the windmills could provide more than half of the Cape's electricity needs without generating any pollution.”

IOWA/NATIONAL POLITICS: 

MORNING SUMMARY:    

This morning’s headlines:

Des Moines Register, top front-page headline: “’God spared me for some reason’… Lansing teen survives bout with meningitis” Report says Andy Lapel, 18, of Lansing in northeast IA looks forward to playing baseball again as he recovers.

Online heads, Omaha World-Herald: Midlands – “Okoboji-area voters reject casino plan” & Nation/World – “Bush decries slavery, vows help”

Sioux City Journal, top stories online: “Dickinson County rejects gambling” & “Iranian twins die after surgery separates them”

Featured stories, New York Times online: “9/11 Commission Says U. S. Agencies Slow Its Inquiry” Report says the panel’s work is being hampered by failure of executive branch agencies to respond quickly to requests. & “Foes of California’s Governor Say Recall Is a Certainty”

Daily Iowan (University of Iowa) online, nation/world heads: “’Bigot’ kills 5 at plant” & “Bush: Slavery a great crime”

Chicago Tribune, top online headlines: “U. S. Forces Capture 2 Ex-Iraqi Officials” Saddam Hussein’s former interior minister and a top member of his Baath party have been taken into custody.  & “Storms pummel region”

WAR & TERRORISM: 

… “New tactics ordered to foil Iraqi killers” – headline from yesterday’s Washington Times. Excerpt from Times’ coverage by Rowan Scarborough: “In Iraq, commanders are exploring new security measures to reduce risks to units as Iraqi guerrillas mount multiple attacks daily. The military began three major sweeps to capture or kill the paramilitaries, including the last campaign, Operation Sidewinder. ‘We are seeking the enemy out,’ said Maj. Gen. Carl Strock, deputy director of operations for the Coalition Provisional Authority, which is running postwar Iraq. ‘And when you get in that kind of a situation, you're going to stimulate more action just by the nature of our tactics.’…’We're not sitting still and waiting for them to come to us, and, hence, more things are going on,’ he told reporters at the Pentagon via a teleconference hookup from Iraq. ‘I think that's part of the reason you're seeing an increase in the number of attacks.’ Gen. Strock said that soldiers are encountering ‘more sophisticated attacks,’ and that ‘we're adjusting to those tactics.’ He did not specify the changes in tactics. But other U.S. officials said the Army is looking at installing more protection at checkpoints and providing better body armor. One officer in Iraq said in an interview that not all soldiers are equipped with the best bulletproof vests. Some models can stop shrapnel and pistol fire, but not rifle shots, the officer said…Since President Bush declared an end to major combat operations in Iraq on May 1, American troops increasingly are the target of forces still loyal to ousted dictator Saddam Hussein. In what some soldiers consider an urban guerrilla war, 30 American and six British soldiers have died in hostile fire since Mr. Bush's declaration.”

FEDERAL ISSUES:  

IOWA ISSUES:

… “Republican lawsuit a waste of money in budget crisis” – Headline from Daily Iowan (University of Iowa). Editorial excerpts: “In Iowa these days, one party's partisan witch-hunt is another party's noble defense of the hallowed Constitution. Semantics aside, a party-line vote has commenced what will most likely become a lawsuit against Gov. Tom Vilsack. Last week, the state Legislative Council, which conducts business between legislative sessions, voted 14-9 to authorize the hiring of a law firm to advise state lawmakers as a preliminary measure for potential litigation. This move is relatively unsurprising. Republican lawmakers, including House Speaker Christopher Rants, had publicly stated their intention to sue Vilsack if he did not flatly accept or reject the economic-stimulus bill, which was approved in a special legislative session….According to House Majority Leader Chuck Gipp, R-Decorah, ‘This is a matter of separation of powers between the executive branch and the legislative branch. It's not Democrats versus Republicans.’ The conduct of some lawmakers, however, strains the validity of such an assertion. Most notably, the rejection of a $200,000 spending cap for legal fees suggests that winning the lawsuit might be more important than clarifying an important constitutional provision. Vilsack has an irrefutable responsibility to uphold the Iowa Constitution. As such, legislators are right to question potentially dubious actions of the governor in the matter. However, in these troubled economic times, state funds should not be used frivolously. With the plethora of lawyers involved in Iowa politics, perhaps some noble figure might have offered their services pro bono in the interest of seeing justice served. Had a spending limit been approved, state lawmakers would have more clearly demonstrated a motivation to work purely for the good of the state.”

OPINIONS: 

Today’s editorials:

… Today’s editorials, Des Moines Register:  “Welcome the Muslim camp…The Coralville site should be a place to foster interfaith understanding…The Muslim Youth Camps of America board is made up of eastern Iowans. The idea for the camp preceded 9/11.”  & Medicare/prescription drug benefit – “Full speed ahead – to disaster…For every political persuasion, there’s a reason to oppose the ill-conceived drug benefit… Liberal and conservative opponents are coming from different places. They’re both right.” 

… Citizen commentary from the Sioux City Journal: “Just laundering money doesn’t always make it clean, nor does inviting motorcycles, hard work or gambling. In truth, the only way Sioux City will shine is when they put morals first instead of the dime.” – Odell and Kathy Nelson, Sioux City

 IOWA SPORTS: 

IOWA WEATHER: 

… DSM 7 a.m. 66, thunderstorm. Temperatures across Iowa at 7 a.m. ranged from 63 in Dubuque and Charles City with eight reporting stations at 64 degrees to 73 in Lamoni and 72 in Chariton and Knoxville. Today’s high 82, possibly severe storms. Tonight’s low 62, chance T-storms. Thursday’s high 85, mostly sunny. Thursday night’s low 65, clear.

IOWAISMS: 

…”Iowa wine industry revives” – Headline from Quad-City Times online. Excerpt from report by Times’ Jennifer DeWitt: “Across the state, the wine industry is taking hold, according to statistics from the Iowa Farm Bureau which show that an estimated 175 growers produced more than 400 acres of grapes last summer with 18 wineries were operating. That is up from 30 acres and nine wineries in 2000 and the numbers continue to be on the rise in 2003…Eli Bergmeier, a viticulture technician hired by the state, told a group of farmers gathered recently in western Iowa to learn about the new opportunities. ‘There are over 36 different varieties of grapes planted in Iowa, many that could have a promising future in the state ... I talk to new grape growers just about every day.’ The renewed interest may help Iowa regain its long-lost position as a key player in the grape and wine business. The state ranked sixth nationally in grape production back in 1919, but the industry nearly disappeared in the 1930s and ’40s because of Prohibition, the Armistice Day freeze of 1940 and the common use of pesticides on other crops.”

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