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Iowa 2004 presidential primary precinct caucus and caucuses news">
Iowa 2004 presidential primary precinct caucus and caucuses news, reports
and information on 2004 Democrat and Republican candidates, campaigns
and issues Iowa
Presidential Watch's
IOWA DAILY REPORT Holding
the Democrats accountable today, tomorrow...forever.
... QUOTABLE: "I still want to be the
candidate for guys with Confederate flags in their
pickup trucks," the
former Vermont governor [Dean] was quoted as
saying in Saturday's Des Moines Register.
"We can't beat George Bush unless we appeal to a
broad cross-section of Democrats." "When I go out there and
hunt, I'm going out there with a 12-gauge shotgun,
not an assault weapon,"
said Kerry
before he went pheasant hunting in Iowa. He used
the setting to criticize Howard Dean’s past
support by the National Riffle Association and
Dean’s gun support record. "The Army didn’t prepare
the General for the battle he’s in now,"
wrote Jim Barnes
of Wesley Clark in the National Journal. "It's just crazy to me
that these kinds of things make the headlines.
It's just crazy that these things come up,"
said Chrissy
Gephardt about the gay bashing flap with the Dean
campaign. Chrissy also called the blowup a product
of frustration on the part of a Dean campaign
locked in a tight race for front-runner status in
Iowa with Gephardt, a Missouri representative. "My dad is ever
evolving," Ms. [Chrissy]
Gephardt likes to tell her audiences. "I'm
working on him." "Harry Truman used to say
the buck stops here. This White House doesn't even
know where the buck is. We need new leadership
that will make the right choices to make our
country secure,"
said Wesley Clark regarding a speech by National
Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice that the general
implies blame being placed on Bill Clinton and
others for 9-11. "Let New York and New
Jersey and California have all the gun control
they want," he
has said. "But don’t impose it on Montana
or Vermont or Iowa, where we don’t need it,"
quote by Howard
Dean regarding gun control. “We are really having a
hard time pinning him down,”
Laurel Redden,
chair of the state’s Million Mom March chapter,
told The Union Leader regarding Howard Dean’s
position on gun control. “I believe we must shift
to a new energy economy, move away from fossil
fuels and focus on clean, renewable, domestic
energy sources that will enrich the American
heartland, not Middle Eastern royalty and special
interests like Halliburton,”
said Howard Dean
about the failure of the Senate to pass
McCain-Lieberman’s Global Warming legislation. “IF the Republicans take
two more governorships away from the Democrats
(and keep one in Louisiana … ), the national
political media is going to have a Bernie Goldberg
gut-check moment and have to ask itself: Will the
coverage and credit given to the GOP be equal to
what the inverse would have been had the Democrats
swept these races?”
-- as reported
on ABC’S The Note. "They have treated us
like a nuisance and appendage,"
said Sen.
Charles Hagel (R-Neb.), a member of the Foreign
Relations Committee regarding how the White House
relations have deteriorated with the Republican
led Congress. "Bush's father was so
snake-bit by the economy that his son is
exceptionally cautious about crowing about good
news," said
Larry Sabato, a University of Virginia political
scientist regarding the cautiousness with which
the administration offered the 7.2 percent third
quarter growth numbers. "You always want to point
to momentum,"
said Tracey Evans, chief operating officer of the
Campaign Media Analysis Group, an organization
that tracks political advertising. "If
Republicans win, they'll point to momentum for the
party going into the presidential election. If
Democrats win, they'll use it to say it's not good
news for Bush."
The comments are regarding the Southern state’s
gubernatorial races set for Tuesday in Kentucky
and Mississippi.
… TODAY’S
OFFERINGS:
Dean does it again
Damage control
Flap continues
Gay flaking
Times focus on lesbian daughter
Speaking of damage control
Help like this
The Student campaign
Dean blames Congress & Bush
Dean staffing for Unions
It’s about the props
The scariest Republican
Where did they go?
Lieberman names Stacie Paxton as the state's press
secretary.
Affirmative action
Where’s Kucinich?
Southern favorite
The blame game
Clark supports lawsuit
EPA vote
Bush’s helping hand
Bush unhurt
Bill’s scandal advice
Speaking of Oops!
* CANDIDATES &
CAUCUSES: Dean continues to prove that
his mouth continues to be his weapon of self
destruction. The comments regarding pickup trucks
and confederate flags he made in the Des Moines
Register on Saturday have drawn flak from his
closest opponents in Iowa and New Hampshire. Here
is the Register quote: "I still want to be the
candidate for guys with Confederate flags in
their pickup trucks," the former Vermont
governor was quoted as saying in Saturday's
Des Moines Register. "We can't beat George
Bush unless we appeal to a broad cross-section
of Democrats." Gephardt’s response in an
Associated Press story is: "I don't want to be
the candidate for guys with Confederate flags in
their pickup trucks," Gephardt said in a
statement. "I will win the Democratic nomination
because I will be the candidate for guys with
American flags in their pickup trucks." Kerry’s response stayed on
his line of pushing the difference between Dean
and himself on gun control: "I would rather be the
candidate of the NAACP than the NRA," Kerry said
in a statement. Edward’s campaign may be
stalled again, or at best temporarily off track as
it answers questions about his failed house deal
with a Saudi Arabia representative when the
Senator was investigating that country’s
involvement in the 9-11 event. Edwards issued the
following statement regarding the incident:
"The Edwardses put their house on the market
because they wanted to move to a more
child-friendly place for their young children.
They signed a contract to sell the house to
Michael and Wendy Petruzzello for far less than
the asking price. They didn't know the buyers and
they didn't know where they worked. They knew he
was a businessman with a letter from a bank saying
he could afford to buy the house.
"Many months later, as the Edwardses became
concerned that the Petruzzellos were going to back
out of the contract, someone mentioned to the
senator that Mr. Petruzzello owned a public
relations company and that one of his clients was
the Embassy of Saudi Arabia. They never discussed
Saudi Arabia.
"It's absurd to suggest that every senator has an
obligation to investigate the clients of potential
purchasers when they want to buy their homes,
which is why Senate ethics rules don't require it.
It is bizarre and outrageous that a contract
dispute with a total stranger would become a
source of wild speculation and international
intrigue. Only in Washington." Edwards had been trying to
push forward the following press statements but
today they are all buried under flaking his failed
house deal with a Saudi Arabia representative:
"Monument To Hate" speaking out against a monument
celebrating the death of Matthew Shepard; Edwards
Prebuttal To Bush Administration Comments Over New
GDP Number; endorsement by Senator Lou D'Allesand;
Edwards Launches Students For Edwards Web Site;
Edwards Real Solutions Express To Come Back To New
Hampshire; John Edwards Monday will outline
aspects of his technology platform as a guest on
Lawrence Lessig's nationally renowned blog; and
Edwards Says New Report On Iraq Contractors And
Campaign Contributions Not Surprising. Just a day after Iowa
Democrat Party Chairman Gordon Fischer hoped that
the Gay Bashing flap between the Dean and Gephardt
campaigns was over, Chrissy Gephardt in a speech
in Indianola referred to the incident as a Dean
campaign “dirty trick”. She stated that the
assault on the Gephardt campaign was the result of
Gephardt’s gains against Dean’s position
advocating cutting Medicare. Dick Gephardt’s campaign put
up a press release on Oct. 29 during the
accusations by Dean’s campaign that Gephardt’s
staff member gay-bashed a Dean campaign worker.
The release is dated Oct. 25. The release uses
great mention in announcing David Mixner as
co-chair. Here are the mentions in the release: “Rep. Dick Gephardt today
named longtime gay Democratic activist and
fundraiser David Mixner as co-chair of his
presidential campaign.”… “David Mixner has
been involved in public policy for nearly
forty years and has worked in over
seventy-five campaigns as campaign manager,
fundraiser or strategist. Most notably, Mixer
served as senior campaign advisor for Bill
Clinton's 1992 candidacy for president and is
well-known for having garnered him
considerable support from the gay and lesbian
community. Over the years, Mixner has raised
more than $15 million for candidates and
charity organizations and nearly $1 million
for openly gay and lesbian candidates across
the country.” The
New York Times is running a story about how
Dick Gephardt’s lesbian daughter, Chrissy
Gephardt, has affected his positions. Excerpts:
“The daughter's presence is not entirely free of
calculation. Polls suggest that Mr. Gephardt's
fortunes have risen in recent weeks in Iowa, with
its crucial early caucuses and where he is in a
tight race with former Gov. Howard Dean of
Vermont. Mr. Gephardt needs liberal voters, and
such voters tend to support gay rights. A campaign
letter, sent to Democratic voters, emphasizes his
support of gay concerns and includes a letter from
Ms. Gephardt. Though many of the Democratic
hopefuls, including Mr. Gephardt, oppose gay
marriage, nearly all support measures that would
bar discrimination against gays in the workplace,
increase financing for AIDS treatment and legalize
civil unions, allowing gays and their partners to
enjoy the legal rights accorded to married people.
Experts say that is a seismic shift from the 80's
and early 90's, when gay rights rarely figured so
prominently on the political agenda. The shift
reflects what analysts and pollsters describe as a
widening acceptance of gay men and lesbians in
American political and cultural life over the past
decade. Mr. Gephardt, 62, says his views have
shifted as he met people directly affected by his
votes in Congress and considered what it would be
like to walk in their shoes.” Oops! Mark Mellman and Tad
Devine may be looking for more work. It is
reported in CBS’s Washington Wrap that Kerry
received zero votes in the National Journal’s
Insider Poll. The two work for Kerry. Mellman as a
pollster and has been paid $275,031 for his work
so far, according to Washington Wrap. Devine’s
partners are doing media for the Kerry campaign.
The 50 members of the chattering class who make up
those eligible to vote gave Dean two more
first-place votes, bringing his total to 38.
Gephardt also picked up votes, moving from five
first-place votes to nine. Also gaining a little
ground was Sen. John Edwards, who received two
first-place votes in comparison to last week’s
lone ballot. We will see how Edwards fairs next
week after the Saudi Arabia flak. Sen. John Kerry may begin to
wonder about his friends -- not only are paid
staff not voting for him but his hometown
newspaper the
Boston Globe is looking for his spark.
The headline of today’s story about Kerry asks the
question about his style and whether his campaign
can get on track. The paper references the
exchange between Gwen Ifill and Kerry at the
Detroit Debate: "The rap on you is that
you're kind of a Northeastern liberal elitist
and that you have some problem connecting with
people," moderator Gwen Ifill said. "How do
you dispel that notion?" And with dead-pan humor
that Michael S. Dukakis might appreciate,
Kerry replied, "Well, wait until you see my
new video, `Kerry Gone Wild.' " The most positive part of the
story is: “Relaxing on an airplane recently, Kerry
said he is confident that his campaign is starting
to surge in popularity. He has edged up behind
Dean in a few polls and logged endorsements from
high-profile Democrats like former New Hampshire
governor Jeanne Shaheen and the defense secretary
during the Clinton administration, William Perry.
He also continues to draw strong support from
military veterans and Democrats concerned about
national security, who have been his most
passionate supporters by far. They are indeed
Kerry voters, hailing his decorated service during
the Vietnam War and his foreign policy work in the
Senate.” This seems to be the time
that the Democrat presidential candidates are
launching websites to recruit students nation
wide. Gephardt is organizing a drive to use
students in New Hampshire the end of next weekend
-- Student Challenge Weekend - New Hampshire,
November 7- 9th. Teams of students will be sent to
various regions across the state to spread the
word about Dick Gephardt and compete in campaign
challenges against the other teams throughout the
weekend. Students can go to their favorite
candidate to see if they have launched their
national student campaigns. Dean responded to a story in
the Wall Street Journal which inferred that the
Bush administration's Federal Emergency Agency
feels America may not be much better prepared to
deal with a big terrorist attack than it was
before 9/11. He leveled equal blame on Congress
for the reported lack of preparedness. "Making
America safer means focusing resources on
stabilizing Iraq, getting our troops home safely,
and shoring up our security here at home. It is
the duty of the Bush administration and Congress
to make sure that the money they're spending on
security is actually making America safer. Right
now, Washington politicians are failing the
American public." Dean for America today
announced that Mike Ford will be joining the
campaign as a senior advisor to Governor Dean.
Ford has held pivotal roles in numerous
presidential campaigns going as far back as 1972,
and has also worked as an organizer for AFSCME.
Sen. John Kerry looked like a
presidential candidate complete with just the
right props in his press conference Friday. He
used the occasion of Iowa’s pheasant season to
criticize Howard Dean’s gun record and past
support of Dean by the National Riffle
Association. Local and national press carried the
story. Here is the Associated Press’s account of
the scene as Kerry made his statements: "Kerry
made his remarks on a farm about an hour northeast
of Des Moines, where he planned an afternoon of
pheasant hunting. Dressed in blue jeans, a flannel
shirt and rubber boots, he spoke against a
backdrop of stacked hay bales, lit by a row of
television lights. Kerry’s attack on Dean’s gun
control positions will be seen by some Democrats
as pandering to the left. Democrats are trying to
re-craft their approach to gun control. Several
Democrat policy groups have developed to deal with
assisting Democrat candidates to moderate their
position on gun control due to election failures
in what is known as red states (those carried by
George W. Bush)." Dean’s response to the
Kerry/NRA attack: "I come from a rural
state with a very low homicide rate," Dean
told reporters in New Hampshire. "We had five
homicides one year. It's a state where hunting
is a part of our life. I understand that's not
the traditional Democratic position." Kerry’s rebuttal: "You cannot favor federal
gun control and allow the states to do it
their own way. That's a complete
contradiction… "I believe we must put the
safety of our children and families ahead of
special interests like the NRA. I will never
pander to the extremist NRA for personal or
political expediency." Sen. John Kerry’s
website has a Halloween atmosphere for his
“tournament for the scariest Republican.” The
tournament match-up is between Attorney General
John Ashcroft, (defeated President Bush 1047-731)
and Vice President Dick Cheney (defeated
Congressman Tom Delay 1102-676) Opposing them in
the finals is Karl Rove (defeated Defense Sec.
Donald Rumsfield) and against the number two
person in the Defense Department Paul Wolfwitz (
defeated Sen. Trent Lott 1076-701). Currently John
Ashcroft and Karl Rove are substantially in the
lead for the showdown on the Kerry website to be
named the “scariest Republican.” If you were wondering what
happened to Julia Franklin and Toby Friesen -- who
used to be hanging around in Iowa with Joe
Lieberman -- they are now field coordinators
responsible for community and college outreach in
South Carolina. Franklin is a 2003 graduate of
Yale University, and Friesen is a 2003 graduate of
the University of Oklahoma in Norman. Paxton most recently served
as senior publicist at CNN where she managed
publicity for the network's anchors,
correspondents and programs, including Crossfire,
Wolf Blitzer Reports and Judy Woodruff's Inside
Politics. Prior to that, she served as the press
secretary to U.S. Representative Lois Capps (D-CA)
on Capps' campaign and in her congressional
office. Paxton, Franklin and Friesen, join South
Carolina State Director Barry Butler and South
Carolina Political Director Carleton Atkinson in
Lieberman’s S.C. state campaign office. The
Associated Press has a story about Howard
Dean, Joe Lieberman and John Kerry regarding their
changing positions on Affirmative Action. The
three have not always been stalwarts of the
policy. Here are past statements by the three:
John Kerry: "There exists a reality of reverse
discrimination that actually engenders racism.”
Later, he added, "We cannot hope to make further
racial progress when the plurality of whites
believe, as they do today according to recent
data, that it is they, not others, who suffer most
from discrimination."
Joe Lieberman: "Most Americans who do support
equal opportunity and are not biased don't think
it is fair to discriminate against some Americans
as a way to make up for historic discrimination
against others.”
Howard Dean: "You know, I think we ought to
look at affirmative action programs based not on
race, but on class and opportunities to
participate.” Like the Medicare issue Dick
Gephardt is sure to use these past statements, oh,
say when we get to South Carolina. Congressman Dennis Kucinich
is in California campaigning with his lefty
friends Danny Glover and Congresswoman Barbara Lee
(D., Calif.), who co-chairs the Congressional
Progressive Caucus, the largest caucus in
Congress. They will join Kucinich at a town hall
forum in Oakland on Nov. 2. Wesley Clark has moved ahead
in South Carolina -- the state John Edwards must
win in order to stay in the delegate hunt for the
Presidential nomination, according to an
Associated Press report. Excerpts: “Clark had
the support of 17 percent, while North Carolina
Sen. John Edwards had the backing of 10 percent in
the poll by the American Research Group of
Manchester, N.H. More than a third, 36 percent,
were undecided. Edwards led among South Carolina
voters in this same poll in September, with the
backing of 16 percent, 9 points ahead of his
closest competitors. Edwards, a South Carolina
native who now lives in a neighboring state, is
counting heavily on a strong showing in South
Carolina and has spent more than $600,000 on
campaign ads there.” Wesley Clark continues to try
and place the blame for 9-11 on the current Bush
Administration. Following a speech by National
Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice, Clark implied
that Rice’s speech continued to try and place the
blame for 9-11 on others: "The White House was
told that Al Qaeda was the biggest threat America
faced. They ignored that threat and focused
instead on missile defense and other skewed
priorities. Even as they blame other
administrations for 9/11, they are stonewalling
the 9/11 Commission. Instead of blaming others,
they should try to figure out what went on between
January 20 and September 10, 2001.” Wesley Clark Website issued a
press release stating that he supports 12 states
suing the federal government in an attempt to
roll-back parts of the Clean Air Act by the
Environmental Protection Agency. This week a
coalition of 12 states, the District of Columbia
and local governments filed suit against the
Environmental Protection Agency to block the
rollback of key provisions of the Clean Air Act.
The new EPA regulations, pushed by the Bush
Administration, will allow older power plants to
continue polluting at high rates even as they
undertake massive expansion. Anyone interested in whether
John Edwards, John Kerry or Joe Lieberman voted to
confirm Gov. Michael O Leavitt to the EPA
Administrator… the answer is, no.
* ON THE BUSH
BEAT: Bush is trying to take up
Democrat National Committee Chairman Terry
McAuliffe’s challenge that the governors’ races
this year will foretell the 2004 election results.
Bush is spending his political capital campaigning
for Republican gubernatorial candidates in
Mississippi and Kentucky. Bush will stop Saturday
in Mississippi for former Republican National
Committee Chairman Haley Barbour, who is trying to
unseat Democratic Gov. Ronnie Musgrove. In
Kentucky, the President will visit Paducah and
London to lend support to Rep. Ernie Fletcherin --
a win would be the first time the Republicans held
the governor's office since 1967. A car penetrated the security
perimeter around the arena where President Bush
was speaking Saturday and rammed the building.
Authorities swarmed the vehicle. Bush was not hurt
and no shots were fired from or at the car, White
House spokesman Trent Duffy said. It was not
immediately clear if Bush had gotten into his
limousine at the time of the incident.
* THE CLINTON
COMEDIES: Clinton campaigned for Mayor
John Street according to NY
Daily News: Saying he knows "quite a bit
about Republicans investigating Democrats," former
President Bill Clinton led a raucous campaign
rally for embattled Mayor John Street yesterday,
four days ahead of the election. Clinton slyly
compared his impeachment to the FBI investigation
of the Street administration, saying Republicans
in Washington "ought to be investigating
[Street's] public record, because it's a lot
better than theirs."
*NATIONAL: Rummy Rummy how did it
happen? The NY
Daily News reports a big fubar: “European
newspapers are white-hot over a Pentagon blunder
this week, when a Russian flag was draped over a
table at a Rumsfeld lunch in honor of President
Ion Iliescu of Romania. "Don't they know who is
with them and who is not?" snapped one diplomat
from "Old Europe," a phrase Rumsfeld coined to
chide Germany and France for not backing the Iraq
war.”
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