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Iowa primary precinct caucus and caucuses news, reports
and information on 2004 Democrat and Republican candidates, campaigns
and issues IOWA
MORNING REPORT Holding
the Democrats accountable today, tomorrow...forever. Our
Mission: To hold the Democrat presidential
candidates accountable for their comments
and allegations against President George W.
Bush, to make citizens aware of false
statements or claims by the Democrat
candidates, and most especially, to defend
the Bush Administration and set the record
straight when the Democrats make false
or misleading statements about the
Bush-Republican record. GENERAL
NEWS:
Thursday,
May 8, 2003 Among
the offerings in this morning’s
update: ...
Washington
Times editorial accuses Kerry of creating
“revisionist history” and telling a
“fairy tale.” ...
Dean,
in New Hampshire, calls Bush “the most
conservative and economically destructive
president in our lifetime” and the “most
divisive president since Richard Nixon.” ...
Extensive
investigation by The Hill newspaper in DC
reveals that Edwards campaign contributions
indicate a “pattern of giving by low-level
employees” at law firms… ...
Hide
the women and children: The Register
reports that all nine Dem wannabes will be
campaigning in IA during May ...
Report:
DNC chief McAuliffe warns Dems that Bush plans
to stack U.S. Supreme Court with “extreme
right-wing” justices ...
Grassley
says new 1.4 million jobs, which would be
created by his tax cut proposal, are “nothing
to sneeze at.” ...
Quad-City
Times: Graham tells IA and NH reporters
“America has gotten off-track.” ...
Iowa
Supreme Court overturns Ames no-smoking ban ...
For
the record: Gephardt missed another House
vote yesterday – this time on a bill,
which passed unanimously, to extend legal
protections to military personnel ...
All
these stories below and more. ...
Severe
weather, flooding threatens IA today. A
severe thunderstorm watch is in effect for 17
IA counties until 11 o’clock this morning
– primarily south of a line from Council
Bluffs to Ottumwa. The National Weather
Service already has issued a flood watch for
large sections of IA from 6 p.m. this evening
through 6 p.m. Friday evening. Morning
newscasts say “warning sirens are already
sounding” this morning in parts of Kansas.
Front of storm line expected in DSM area
between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. NWS hazardous
weather outlook issued at 5:31 a.m. said storm
spotter activation possible across southern IA
this morning, likely tonight south of
Interstate 80, and possible tonight north of
I-80. Morning
report: ...
The
Dem wannabe traffic through Iowa picks up
again tomorrow when Kerry is scheduled to make
appearances in DSM. His schedule calls for
a series of meetings with IA Dem activists, a
reception at the Landmark Hotel in Perry
and an appearance at “Story County’s Big
Band Swing Fling” in Nevada tomorrow
night. Also due in over the weekend for a Polk
County (Des Moines) Dem event – the
“Take Back the White House” dinner
at the state fairgrounds on Saturday – Kucinich,
Dean and Graham. Due in for Sunday-Monday
visit: Lieberman, who is scheduled to
make stops in DSM and Ames. ...
Questions
about Edwards campaign contributions continue
to linger. The Hill – headline, “Donations
to Sen. Edwards questioned” – reported
that “Edwards’ presidential campaign
finance documents show a pattern of giving by
low-level employees at law firms, a number of
whom appear to have limited financial
resources and no prior record of political
donations.” The lengthy – and very
thorough – report by Sam Dealey said:
“Records submitted to the Federal Election
Commission (FEC) show these individuals have
often given $2,000 to the North Carolina
Democrat, the maximum permitted by law. In
some instances, all of the checks from a given
firm arrived on the same day – from
partners, attorneys and other support staff.
Some of these support staff have not voted in
the past, and those who have voted included
registered Republicans, according to
public records on file in various county
registrars of voting.” Late last month, the
Justice Department’s Criminal Division
launched an investigation into
contributions to the Edwards campaign from
employees of a prominent Little Rock law firm. ...
With
Kerry’s anticipated arrival in Iowa
tomorrow (unless he’s still using the
lost-my-voice-ploy to skip campaign events),
it’s a good time to point out that the
Washington Times – under the headline, “Kerry’s
revisionist history” – said yesterday
in an editorial that Kerry was “rather
slippery on the ‘Imus in the Morning’
radio show Monday, where he rewrote history
– not long after his presidential campaign
had accused Vermont Gov. Howard Dean of
‘pathological recklessness with the
facts.’ To hear Mr. Kerry tell it, in
1993 Bill Clinton inherited a lousy economy.
Without the benefit of a single Republican
vote, Mr. Kerry’s fairy tail continued,
Mr. Clinton’s deficit-reduction plan, which
congressional Democrats passed in the summer
of 1993, singlehandedly destroyed the deficit
monster…As history records, it wasn’t
until the Republican Congress forced the
president’s hand that a credible path to a
balanced budget was ultimately achieved. No
amount of puffing from Mr. Kerry can change
this fact.” ...
On
the other hand, Kerry may be on to
something when he accuses Dean of displaying a
“pathological recklessness with the
facts.” The Dartmouth Online – “The
online edition of America’s oldest college
newspaper” – reported yesterday that Dean
called GWB the “most conservative and
economically destructive president in our
lifetime.” Reporting on a Dean speech
in Hanover Tuesday, the Dartmouth Online
report added: “Dean also declared that
his own unabashed party principles and
straight-talking manner make him the only
Democrat who can beat Bush in 2004. The former
Vermont Governor elicited his loudest cheers
by urging Democrats not to be intimidated by
the Bush administration. ‘Stand up,
Democrats! Stop being cowed by enormous poll
ratings, right-wing talk radio show hosts and
fundamentalist preachers,’ Dean said
to the crowd of over 150 comprised mostly of
students and area residents.” ...
And
another problem with the coverage of Dean’s
remarks – proving he learned his political
hide-and-seek lessons well – was that
they received minimal media play. It’s not
that unusual for candidates to slip off the
political radar – away from the most intense
media spotlights -- to deliver some of their
most inflammatory accusations. For example,
readers of The Union Leader online across the
state in New Hampshire would have seen AP
coverage of Dean’s Hanover visit
under the headline, “Dean promotes plan
for health care in Hanover.” The
Associated Press coverage said: “Democratic
presidential hopeful Howard Dean said
Tuesday that his national health care plan
will work because it builds upon the
current system instead of reinventing it.
Speaking at a retirement community, Dean said
past attempts to provide universal health
insurance coverage failed because they were
vulnerable to attacks from special interest
groups.” To be fair, the AP coverage
included the following Dean quote: “This
president has been the most divisive president
since Richard Nixon. Our party has gone to
sleep at the switch, and we need to fight
back.” ...
An
Iowa spin on Graham’s announcement: The
Quad-City Times – headline, “Graham
comes out fighting” -- did an Iowa
version yesterday of the ninth wannabe’s
candidacy announcement. The Times’ Ed
Tibbetts reported that Graham “may be
entering the 2004 presidential race late, but
among Democrats seeking the nomination, he
holds a politically potent hold card: He’s
from Florida, perhaps the most symbolic of the
swing states. Graham formally
announced his candidacy Tuesday in his
hometown of Miami Lakes. He accused
President Bush of taking the country
off-course, both economically and in its
relationship with other countries.
‘America has gotten off-track,” Graham later
said in a conference call with reporters from
Iowa and New Hampshire…With its trove of
electoral votes and deep financial pockets,
his home state gives Graham a good
launching pad. But he comes to the race late
in Iowa, where rivals have been working on
activists for months …Graham helped
himself, however, by signing up Sheila McGuire
Riggs, the ex-chairwoman of the Iowa
Democratic Party, to chair his campaign in
the state. Two other Iowa staff people are
also ex-party employees.” ...
AWOL
again. When the House voted unanimously
424-0 yesterday to extend legal protections
to U.S. military personnel, Gephardt – as
usual – was missing again. He was one of
nine to miss the vote on legislation
protecting members of the armed services who
may encounter financial difficulties because
of their military duties. ...
Des
Moines Register caucus watcher Thomas Beaumont
– under the headline, “Democrats to
descend on Iowa in May” – writes that
the state’s Dem caucusgoers will have “a
chance to see each of the nine Democrats
running for president in person during May.”
He noted that Moseley Braun will make her
first visit to the state as a “declared
candidate” and Sharpton is
scheduled to make his first visit since
February. Five of the candidates are expected
in Iowa over the coming weekend, but the big
May day is a week from Saturday when all
the candidates except Kerry and Lieberman are
scheduled at a “town hall meeting”
sponsored by the American Federation of State,
County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME).
Beaumont reported that Lieberman won’t
attend because he observes the Jewish Sabbath on
Saturdays and Kerry had a
prior commitment to address a
New Hampshire law school graduation, but will
address the AFSCME meeting by satellite. ...
From
yesterday’s Congressional Quarterly midday
report: “TODAY’S TRIVIA: Sen. Charles E. Grassley,
R-Iowa, is the Senate’s only working farmer,
and goes home to work the family corn and
soybean fields on weekends and when the Senate
is in recess.” This
morning’s headlines:
...
Main
online head, Quad-City Times: “Iowa court
overturns smoking ban” ...
Daily
Iowan (University of Iowa), national/world
headline: ”Pentagon: Carrier dawdled
while Bush slept” More on controversy
about GWB’s visit to aircraft carrier last
week. ...
Omaha
World-Herald online, top headlines: World –
“U.S. wants U.N. sanctions against Iraq
lifted now” & Midlands – “Bush
to hit on familiar theme in Omaha: tax cuts”
President scheduled to visit Omaha next
Monday. ...
Sioux
City Journal, lead story headline: “Medicare
proposal impresses lawmakers; tri-state
delegation pitches plan in D.C.” Report
from Washington as Sioux City
metro delegation in D.C. pushes proposal to
boost Medicare reimbursement system that
“shortchanges metro Sioux City
health care providers.” ...
Chicago
Tribune online headline: “U. S. to Urge
U. N. to Life Iraq Sanctions” & “School,
cops probe brawl at hazing” Report on
hazing-brawl in which teenage girls from
Glenbrook North High School pounded each other
during touch football game – and unknowingly
produced one of the most-watched
news videos of the week. ...
The
Iowa Supreme Court yesterday struck down
an Ames ordinance that outlawed smoking in
the city’s eating establishments. The
court ruled state law provides for designated
smoking areas in restaurants – and that
statute cannot be superceded
by local ordinances,
despite the argument by Ames officials they
had “home rule” authority to expand the
no-smoking restrictions. The Supreme Court
ordered the lower court to issue an
injunction prohibiting Ames from enforcing the
blanket no-smoking ordinance.
After the ruling was handed down,
Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller called on
state legislators to change the law to
legalize more widespread bans on smoking in
public places.
...
A
protest rally is expected today at the Maytag
Corp. shareholders meeting in Newton.
According to Radio Iowa, union workers and
others from the Galesburg, Ill, Maytag plant
have announced they will demonstrate
against the company’s plans to close the
Galesburg facility next year – and transfer
the jobs to Mexico. Newton law enforcement
officials say local officers will be posted
both inside the meeting hall and around the
area – with more officers on stand-by. ...
Iowa
Briefs/Updates: Morning news reports
indicate no arrests have been made in
apprehending person or persons responsible for
requiring cancellation of Spirit Lake
track-and-field meet this week. The meet
was called off after Spirit Lake school
officials received a letter threatening female
members of the track team …The first
woman appointed to the Iowa Supreme Court –
Linda Neuman, who was appointed in 1986
– is taking early retirement this summer
…Iowa State University study-abroad program
officials – concerned about SARS outbreak
– say students scheduled to go to China
and Thailand this summer will instead study
in Mexico.
...
On
the North Korean Watch: VOANews (Voice of
America) reported yesterday that “South
Korea’s Foreign Ministry says Pyongyang needs
to take the first step in resolving its
nuclear standoff with the United States.
Seoul is telling the communist North that the
move could lead to the security guarantees and
economic aid that Pyongyang wants. South
Korea’s foreign minister Wednesday called on
North Korea to take what he termed a bold
step and abandon its nuclear program in a
‘verifiable and irreversible manner.’” ...
Grassley,
during CNN interview about his version of tax
cut legislation, said his proposal “helps
both ends of the economy.
In fact, this legislation that I put in is meant
to
be
very
balanced,
to encourage investment to also help the
consumer side of the ledger, which is two
thirds of the economy, to grow, to create
those
jobs
that
the
economists
are
talking
about.
1.4
million new jobs is nothing to sneeze at.” ...
From
John McCaslin’s “Inside the Beltway”
column in yesterday’s Washington Times:
“Democratic National Committee Chairman
Terry McAuliffe is behind a new campaign to
stop President Bush from stacking the
nation’s highest court with ‘extreme
right-wing’ judges. ‘Justices William
Rehnquist and Sandra Day O’Connor have told
friends they would like to step down this
year,’ Mr. McAuliffe warns party faithful.
‘If that happens, Bush will fill two out of
the nine slots on the Supreme Court – enough
to shape the court in the image he wants for
decades. Supreme Court justices, like
federal judges, are confirmed for life.’ Mr.
McAuliffe, handpicked by former President
Clinton and New York Sen. Hillary Clinton to
lead the DNC, says Mr. Bush has already
proven what kinds of justices he would
nominate to the nation’s highest court,
citing ‘ultraconservative, right-wing
nominees like Priscilla Owen, Charles
Pickering and Miguel Estrada.’” ...
Citizen
commentary from the Sioux City Journal:
“Iowa Gov. Vilsack hired a consultant
which could result in $1.5 million less coming
from state funds to Sioux City. Our
[city] council complains that this came up
quick and there was a lack of citizen input.
Talk about a taste of your own medicine!”
Rudy Salem, Sioux City ...
KCCI-TV
(Des Moines) reported that voters in
Jasper County (Newton) gave
overwhelming – more that two-thirds approval
– to a one-cent local option sales tax
for school construction and repair. The
five Jasper County school systems and Grinnell
schools will use the extra penny sales tax,
which will be collected starting on 1/1/04.
...
This
morning’s Des Moines Register editorials:
Local – “Hooray for cops at schools …Des
Moines officials learned how much people like
the program.” Des Moines
police decided to pull officers from schools
– but later reversed decision –
after superintendent made critical comments
about the program. & Federal --
“Thanks for nothing, judges …The
McCain-Feingold ruling produced 1,600 pages of
confusion.” ...
Des
Moines Register columnist David Yepsen
headline: “Merger: Vilsack can reform or
protect political hacks” Decision on
legislation to promote mergers is now in Vilsack’s
hands – to either sign or veto it.
Excerpt: “Property-tax payers need a hand
from Vilsack, not a slap.”
...
A
co-defendant in a drug case involving
former boxing champion Michael Nunn of
Davenport has pleaded guilty to storing
and distributing cocaine for Nunn and has
agreed to cooperate with federal prosecutors
for his trial later this month. Wayne D.
Reiner admitted to conspiring to distribute
more than five kilograms of cocaine and
another man between 1993 and last August. Nunn
remains in custody and faces five to 40 years
in prison if convicted on the charge of
possessing cocaine with the intent to
distribute it. ...
Former
Iowa State – and Chicago Bulls –
basketball coach Tim Floyd is among the
candidates to be interviewed next week for the
head-coaching job with the NBA’s New Orleans
Hornets. Floyd, who has not coached since
resigning from the Chicago Bulls post in late
2001, spent six years as the head coach at the
University of New Orleans before taking the
ISU job.
...
The
seven founding members of the Iowa Association
of Business and Industry (ABI) were honored
this week as the state’s largest trade
organization recognized its founding 100 years
ago. The DSM Register reported that two of
the founding members – Lennox Industries,
founded in 1895, and Fischer Controls, which
started in 1888 – hosted the event Tuesday
in Marshalltown, the home for both
companies. The other founding members –
Economy Advertising of Iowa City; Deere
& Co, which has several IA locations;
Tone Brothers, which was founded in Des
Moines in 1873; The Des Moines
Register, founded in 1849 as the Iowa Star;
and U. S. Gypsum of Fort Dodge, founded
in 1902.
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Top
front-page headline, Des Moines Register: “Rules
turn to ash …Iowa’s high court stubs
out city smoking bans in eateries”
City-enforced smoking bans in Ames and Iowa
City went up in legal smoke yesterday with IA
Supreme Court ruling. Second Register headline
– “County to ask voters to OK new jail”
– reports referendum will be on November
ballot seeking approval of a new Polk County
Jail in downtown Des Moines. 
...
WHO
Radio reports this morning that animal rescue
officials are seeing increased signs of
illegal dog-fighting across Iowa – primarily
in rural areas of the state. 
...
DSM
5 a.m. 50, fog/mist. Temps range in 40s to
lower 50s across IA this morning – 39 in Washington,
Iowa City and Dubuque to
52 in Atlantic. Today’s high 65,
showers and T-storms. Tonight’s low 55,
showers and T-storms. Friday’s high 78,
chance T-storms. From WHO-TV’s Brandon
Thomas
- “Clouds will be on the increase
Thursday, with highs in the mid sixties and
low seventies. A good chance of severe
t’storms with heavy rains by the mid/late
afternoon. The main risk will be large
hail, damaging winds and flash flooding. There
also is a chance of isolated tornadoes.
Most of the t’storms should be out of here
by early Friday morning.”
to read past Iowa Morning Reports