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Iowa primary precinct caucus and caucuses news">
Iowa 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.
PAGE 1
Thursday,
September 11, 2003
PATRIOT’S DAY.
Time for
Americans to remember and reflect on the
terrorist attacks as most Dem wannabes are
putting campaigns on hold for the day. The
next big campaign event will be Saturday at
annual Harkin steak fry in Iowa. At
least six wannabes are scheduled to attend the
Harkin event – which features Bill
Clinton as the main speaker.
GENERAL
NEWS:
Among
the offerings in today's update:
Zogby poll:
Dean leads in Iowa – tops Gephardt
23%-17% – with Kerry at 11%, Edwards 6%.
Lieberman (4%) and others in campaign trail
dust. That means Zogby shows Dean leading in
both IA and NH
Dean
invites prospective wannabe Clark to join
his campaign effort
Boston Globe
this morning: Kerry to break spending
cap, open piggy bank for campaign if Dean
goes beyond federal limit
Edwards
joins anti-Dean Wannabe tag team, goes after
the alleged frontrunner for race comments
during Baltimore debate
Lieberman
says it’s past time for Iraq administrator
Bremer to surrender control to an
international administrator
New York
Post blasts Hillary’s latest political
antics, questions why GOP is giving her a
“free ride”
Daily Iowan
(University of Iowa) editorial says Dean
should realize the “fault lies in the
messenger, not the audience” for failing to
attract black and minority supporters
Best of
Web’s
Taranto writes that Kerry has “sunk into a
verbal quagmire”
American
Muslim poll: Only 2% say they’d vote for GWB,
Dean (26%) favored among Dems –
followed by Kucinich, Kerry and Moseley
Braun
Dean –
already under fire from Daily Iowan, Kerry,
Lieberman, Edwards and other wannabes – gets
criticized by House Democrats for his Israel
remarks. Gephardt and Kerry supporters sign
letter drilling Dean
Iowa:
Quad-City Times reported today that IA Sen
President Kramer likely to be gone – and
become an ambassador – before next
legislative session
Analysis:
AP’s Fournier says Lieberman takes risk
by challenging Dean
Critical
meetings on Gephardt’s future yesterday, but
unfortunately there won’t be any immediate
news reports about them
Kucinich’s flip-flop on abortion continues
to follow him on the campaign trail – and
will again back home when he’s done playing
wannabe games
LA Times:
California decision to license illegal
residents could result in new
border-crossing procedures
Edwards,
renowned son of a millworker, will announce
his candidacy next week in from of – where
else? – a closed textile mill
Iowaism:
Eighty-one IA communities took part in
tree-planting program last year All these stories below and more. Morning reports:
One word –
rain – dominates morning newscasts as
residents in most sections of Iowa await
relief from dry, drought conditions. The
NW part of the state has been receiving rain
for the past several hours with minor
street flooding reported in Sioux City and
some field flooding in the surrounding area.
Reports indicate that some communities in the
northwest counties have received about three
inches of precipitation. Heavy rain was
reported in Sioux City this morning. The
storms are expected to move across the state
today – although in Jasper County (Newton)
officials have imposed a county-wide open
burning ban.
… “Dean
asks Clark to join campaign” – headline
from this morning’s The Union Leader. Coverage
– excerpt – by AP’s Ron Fournier: “Democrat
Howard Dean has asked retired Army Gen. Wesley
Clark to support his presidential campaign if
Clark decides not to enter the race. The
pair met in California on Saturday to discuss
the presidential race that Clark is
expected to enter as early as next week,
becoming the 10th Democratic candidate.
Dean, the current front-runner, asked Clark
for his support on the outside chance that
Clark doesn't seek the presidency on his own.
‘They've gotten together several times,’ said
Joe Trippi, Dean's campaign manager.
‘They talk about a lot of issues. Every time
the governor talks to him he asks for
Clark's support. I don't think there's any
news in that. I hope every Democrat is asking
for support.’ Trippi and Clark's top
political adviser, Mark Nichols, talk
frequently about the race. Officials
familiar with the conversation say neither
Trippi nor Dean have asked Clark or his
advisers to stay out of the race. News of
the meeting, first reported by The Washington
Post, raised questions about whether Dean
was trying to strike an alliance with Clark
early in the nomination fight, perhaps
promising him a spot on the presidential
ticket should Dean be nominated.
Officials close to Dean said there is no such
agreement in the works. The meeting took
place on the sidelines of Dean's public
embrace of California Gov. Gray Davis, who is
fending off a recall effort. Clark, a
former NATO commander, has never run for
political office. Other candidates have
also courted Clark, including Sen. John Kerry
of Massachusetts, who spoke to the retired
general in the past couple of weeks seeking
his support. Dean's advisers,
recognizing that the former Vermont governor's
lack of foreign policy experience could be a
liability, have long been intrigued by the
idea of drawing the retired general into
Dean's inner circle. Both Dean and
Clark opposed the war in Iraq, and both are
producing excitement on the Internet with
grass-roots activists. Still, Dean's
advisers hold out little hope that Clark
will do anything other than seek the
presidency himself.”
… Edwards (6%)
separates from second tier candidates as Dean
(23%) shows six-point lead over Gephardt (17%)
with Kerry (11%) in Zogby Iowa survey.
Lieberman at 4%, others in the 2% range.
Excerpt from report by AP’s Will Lester: “Howard
Dean has taken a slight lead over Dick
Gephardt in a poll of those likely to attend
the Iowa Democratic caucuses, giving the
former Vermont governor an advantage in the
two states with the first presidential
contests this January. Dean was at
23 percent; Gephardt, a Missouri
congressman, 17 percent; and Sen. John Kerry
of Massachusetts, 11 percent, in the Iowa
poll conducted by Zogby International. A
third, 32 percent, were undecided and all
other candidates were in single digits. In New
Hampshire, which holds its primary a week
after the Jan. 19 Iowa caucuses, Dean
holds a 12-point lead over Kerry…In
the Iowa poll, 6 percent of those likely to
attend the caucuses chose North Carolina Sen.
John Edwards, 4 percent Connecticut Sen. Joe
Lieberman and 2 percent Ohio Rep. Dennis
Kucinich. Florida Sen. Bob Graham, Carol
Moseley Braun and retired Gen. Wesley Clark
had 1 percent. Clark is expected to decide
soon whether he will enter the race. In a
Zogby Iowa poll in April, Gephardt was
at 25 percent and Kerry was at 13
percent. Dean was at 6 percent in that
poll. Gephardt and Dean were tied in a
Research 2000 poll taken in late August.
Polling in Iowa is traditionally difficult
because it is hard for pollsters to identify
the relatively small number of activists who
will participate in the caucuses. The poll of
500 likely caucus-goers was taken Sept. 8-9
and has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.5
percentage points.”
… Wannabes lower profile for 9/11
observance. Headline from this morning’s
Union Leader: “Most Democrats off trail on
attacks anniversary” Excerpt from
Associated Press report: “Most of the
Democratic presidential candidates are putting
their campaigns on hold for the anniversary of
the Sept. 11 attacks, choosing to take part in
memorial services or simply staying out of the
public spotlight for the day. The lone
exception was Sen. Bob Graham of
Florida, who planned to address the Council on
Foreign Relations in New York Thursday. The
subject of his remarks: the war on terror two
years after the attacks on the World Trade
Center and the Pentagon. Sen. John Kerry of
Massachusetts planned to attend a memorial
service in Boston Thursday, then help
prepare meals at a veterans' homeless shelter.
‘The families of 9-11 have asked that Sept. 11
be a day of national service,’ said Kerry
aide Kelley Benander. ‘He's honoring that
request.’ Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut
planned to attend a memorial with firefighters
in Miami and attend a private campaign
fund-raiser in the evening. Former
Vermont Gov. Howard Dean, Sen. John Edwards of
North Carolina and Rep. Dick Gephardt of
Missouri plan no public appearances, aides
said. ‘The governor feels that it's more
appropriate not to be campaigning or doing
anything perceived as political,’ said Dean
spokeswoman Tricia Enright. Gephardt will
be in Iowa Thursday and plans some private
meetings with staffers to talk about the
campaign. Aides to Carol Moseley Braun,
Rep. Dennis Kucinich of Ohio and Al
Sharpton said they were unsure what the
candidates planned to do.”
… Daily Iowan
(University of Iowa) editorial: Dean “isn’t
really trying to reach minorities, at least
not in Iowa.” Excerpt of commentary by the
DI Editorial Board: “During Howard Dean's
visit to Iowa City, Daily Iowan
reporters asked the front-running Democratic
presidential candidate about his campaign's
lack of minority supporters. He said, ‘When
you have a rally like that in Iowa, it's a
little tougher.’ While his statement was
likely intended to reference Iowa's relatively
small minority population, it still reflected
a cavalier attitude toward recruiting
much-needed minority support to his campaign.
Pointing to Iowa's demography is not only
off-base but is wholly ignorant. It also shows
he isn't really trying to reach minorities, at
least not in Iowa. Dean needs to realize
the fault lies in the messenger, not the
audience. Iowa boasts a strong minority
population in some places. West Liberty,
which is just a short jaunt down U.S. Highway
6 from Iowa City, has a sizable Latino
population: more than 1,300 people in the town
of just over 3,000… If Dean continues to
say it's ‘tougher’ to get minorities, he will
only alienate important constituents for any
Democratic candidate and hurt his campaign.
Dean's failure to broaden his reach so
far is hurting him in other areas, most
notably labor. Andy Stern, the president of
the Service Employees International Union,
said on Monday that Dean needs to
broaden his support to gain labor backing. All
nine candidates are in a tight race for labor
endorsements, and there were signs early this
week that Dean is getting the message.
During his speech to the service-workers union
Monday, Dean touted the Supreme Court for
upholding the University of Michigan Law
School's enrollment policy. Dean has done a
good job shoring up support from previously
ignored voting blocs, particularly students.
His unprecedented Internet recruiting has
propelled him into an early lead. His
e-backers, however, are mostly white
upper-middle-class computer users. He needs to
garner more minority support in order to win
the nomination. If his campaign turns a
corner and becomes serious about that goal,
Iowa minorities will be the first to notice.
That's when Dean will acknowledge them
rather than fall back on the perception of a
homogenous Iowa population.” (Editor’s
Note: Related coverage below – Edwards
criticizes Dean for race remark during
Baltimore debate.)
… American
Muslim poll released on 2nd
anniversary of 9/11 shows that only 2% would
vote for Bush re-election, only 3% believe GOP
represents their interests. Under the
subhead “Muslim politics,” John
McCaslin reported in his “Inside the Beltway”
column in today’s Washington Times:
“On
the second anniversary of the September 11
attacks, the Washington-based Council on
American-Islamic Relations has released a poll
that, among other things, reflects American
Muslim political views. Suffice it to say the
majority aren't in George W. Bush's camp. Only
2 percent said they would vote for President
Bush. One in 10 Muslim respondents say they
support the president's Iraq policy. Asked
which 2004 presidential candidate would get
their vote, American Muslims (a large majority
of whom vote in presidential elections) from
41 states favor former Vermont Gov. Howard
Dean (26 percent), followed by Rep. Dennis J.
Kucinich of Ohio (11 percent), Sen. John Kerry
of Massachusetts (7 percent) and former Sen.
Carol Moseley Braun of Illinois (6 percent).
When asked to name the political party
that best represents the interests of the
American Muslim community, far more
respondents named the Democratic Party (27
percent) and Green Party (25 percent) than the
Republican Party (3 percent). As for the
television news outlet that most fairly
provides coverage of Islam and Muslims,
taxpayer-supported PBS topped the list. The
Fox News Channel exhibits the most biased
coverage, according to those polled.”
… Tough day
for Dean: He’s not only under fire – as usual
– from other wannabes, but now House Democrats
give the anti-Washington hopeful a taste of
real world DC politics. Letter criticizing him
for Israel comments gets support from Kerry
and Gephardt supporters – as well as Jewish
lawmakers. Headline from this morning’s
The Union Leader: “Pelosi, other Democrats
knock Dean on Israel” Excerpt from
AP report: “Democratic presidential
candidate Howard Dean drew fire from House
Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi and several
Jewish lawmakers on Wednesday over his remarks
concerning Israel. ‘This is not a time to
be sending mixed messages,’ Dean's
critics said in a letter circulated by Rep.
Howard Berman, D-Calif., and signed by Pelosi
and more than two dozen other Democratic House
members who are supporting other candidates. ‘On
the contrary, in these difficult times we must
reaffirm our unyielding commitment to Israel's
survival and raise our voices against all
forms of terrorism and incitement.’ Last
week at a rally in Santa Fe, N.M., Dean said
an ‘enormous number’ of Israeli settlements
must go to make progress in the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict. ‘It's not our
place to take sides,’ he said…New York Rep.
Jerrold Nadler, a Dean supporter who is
Jewish, said he was comfortable with Dean's
position, although Dean initially used some
language that could concern some pro-Israelis.
But Nadler said Dean's clarifications
since then should have cleared that up. ‘This
is sent out by Gephardt supporters and
it should be seen for what it is -- a
political document trying to exploit his
statement before he has a chance to clarify
it.’ Nadler said. Pelosi spokesman Brendan
Daly said she did not sign the letter because
of her endorsement of Gephardt, but because
she was concerned about Dean's comments on
Israel. "It is unacceptable for the U.S.
to be evenhanded on these fundamental issues,’
the letter said. During the debate Tuesday
night, Dean defended himself by saying
he and former President Bill Clinton held the
same view on the issue -- that the United
States must have the trust of both sides to
negotiate between the two countries. He
repeated that argument during an appearance
Wednesday on CNN's ‘Wolf Blitzer Reports.’…’I
believe the position that I take on Israel is
exactly the position the United States has
taken for 54 years,’ he said on the show.
But he acknowledged that saying there should
be an ‘evenhanded policy’ toward the Israelis
and the Palestinians may have been a poor
choice of words. ‘I have since learned that is
a sensitive word to use in certain
communities,’ he said. ‘So perhaps I could
have used a different euphemism. But the fact
of the matter is, at the negotiating table, we
have to have the trust of both sides.’”
… Kerry vs. Dean:
Wannabes find new area for battle as Kerry
suggests he may break federal spending cap.
Headline from this morning’s Boston Globe:
“Kerry says he might exceed spending limit…Would
follow suit if Dean rejects public
financing” Excerpt from report by the Globe’s
Michael Kranish: “Senator John F. Kerry
said yesterday that he would break a federal
spending cap, reject public financing for the
presidential primaries, and possibly use his
personal funds if Howard Dean's fund-raising
strength leads the former Vermont governor to
go beyond the federal spending limit. Dean
sent a letter to the government in June saying
he would abide by the limit, but is now
considering exceeding the cap. ‘If Howard
Dean decides to go live outside of it, I'm not
going to wait an instant,’ Kerry said in an
interview at his campaign headquarters.
‘Decision's made. I'll go outside. Absolutely.
I'm not going to disarm.’ As recently as
Aug. 31, the Massachusetts Democrat expressed
indecision on the matter, saying only that he
would ‘reserve the right’ to exceed the cap if
Dean did so. No major Democratic
candidate has rejected public financing and
the spending cap since the voluntary program
became law after the Watergate scandal. If
Kerry and Dean exceed the cap, it would also
enable them to break the spending limit of
$729,000 in New Hampshire, setting off a
financial arms race that could dramatically
alter the way the campaign is run in the
first-primary state, said Larry Noble,
executive director of the Center for
Responsive Politics, which studies money and
politics. ‘It would probably signal the
demise of the public financing system, at
least as it is presently constituted,’ Noble
said. ‘If the calculation is that you can't
win if you take public funding and the limits
that come along with it, the serious
candidates are going to have to figure out a
way out of that system.’ Kerry bristled
when asked about the possibility that Dean may
break the cap, pointing out that Dean had
pledged in a letter to the Federal Election
Commission that he would abide by the spending
cap. The issue prompted Kerry to use
some of his strongest language yet about Dean,
criticizing the former Vermont governor for
changing his positions on a variety of issues.
‘Somebody who wants to be president ought to
keep their word,’ Kerry said. ‘I think
it goes to the core of whether you are a
different politician or a politician of your
word or what you are.’ Dean campaign
manager Joe Trippi said in a telephone
interview that he didn't want to respond
directly to Kerry's criticism of
Dean. But Trippi said that ‘the facts have
changed’ since Dean said he intended to
abide by spending limits, observing that
Dean has surprised people by collecting so
many small donations from so many Americans.
‘I think a couple of million Americans
giving $77 is totally within the spirit of our
democracy,’ Trippi said. ‘I don't think
writing a check to yourself or collecting
bundled money is.’ He was alluding to the
practice of prominent fund-raisers collecting
contributions to one candidate from a number
of associates…In the interview, Kerry
was asked repeatedly whether he would use
personal funds if Dean exceeds the cap.
‘Whatever's legal under the law,’ Kerry
responded. He is married to one of the
country's wealthiest women, Teresa Heinz
Kerry, but there are restrictions that
probably would prevent the senator from
tapping her wealth. Kerry probably
could tap half of their jointly owned assets,
including a Beacon Hill townhouse that may be
worth around $7 million. In his 1996 Senate
race against William F. Weld, Kerry
used jointly owned assets as collateral to pay
for loans for campaign advertising.”
… Lieberman
keeps up attack on Bush’s efforts on the
terrorism front and says it’s past time for
Iraq administrator Bremer to come home.
Headline from latimes.com (Los Angeles Times):
“Lieberman Wants New Iraq Administrator”
Excerpt from report by AP’s Nedra Pickler: “On
the eve of the second anniversary of the Sept.
11 attacks, Democratic presidential candidate
Joe Lieberman delivered a blistering critique
of President Bush's handling of the war on
terror and said an international administrator
should take control of Iraq within 60 days.
‘I didn't support the war so that the U.S.
could control Iraq,’ the Connecticut senator
said in speech prepared for delivery to the
Council on Foreign Relations, just blocks from
the World Trade Center site in Manhattan.
‘Iraqis must control Iraq.’ Lieberman said
it's past time for L. Paul Bremer, the U.S.
administrator in Iraq, to hand off control of
the country's government to an international
administrator. The new administrator
should immediately announce a schedule for
Iraq to adopt a constitution and hold free
elections, he said. Lieberman has been
the most unwavering supporter of the U.S.-led
war in Iraq among the nine Democrats pursuing
the party's presidential nomination. But he
has criticized Bush's handling of diplomacy
and reconstruction, and continued his line
despite a warning from Defense Secretary
Donald Rumsfeld on Monday that criticism of
Bush's handling of the Iraq war could give
encouragement to terrorists. ‘The Bush
administration has hoarded authority, bungled
diplomacy, pushed allies to the margins, and
divided rather than multiplied the strength we
need to win the war on terror,’ he said.
‘I won't tie my tongue, nor should any
American tie his tongue, because our Secretary
of Defense thinks dissent encourages the
terrorists.’ Lieberman also said Bush has
done nothing effective to reduce the nuclear
threat from North Korea, get tough on Iran's
ties to terrorism and secure stray nuclear
material in the former Soviet Union. He
said he would double investment in the
Cooperative Threat Reduction Program that has
destroyed more than 6,000 nuclear warheads and
thousands of missiles and launchers in the
former Soviet Union.”
… Edwards counters
Dean’s race remark at Tuesday night’s debate –
and even Associated Press reporter Pickler
notes that “Dean was wrong.” Headline on
washingtonpost.com: “Edwards Critical of
Dean Over Race Remark” Excerpt from
Pickler’s report posted yesterday: “Democrat
Howard Dean's claim that he is the only white
politician who talks about race to white
audiences drew criticism Wednesday from one of
his presidential rivals. Sen. John Edwards
said the entire field discusses racial issues
on the campaign trail. ‘I think what
Howard Dean said last night does a disservice
to everyone he stood next to and all the
people before us who have raised this issue
over and over again in front of all
audiences,’ the North Carolina lawmaker said
one day after the nine candidates debated in
Baltimore. Dean, defending himself against
criticism that his supporters are mostly
white, told the predominantly black debate
crowd, ‘I'm the only white politician that
ever talks about race in front of white
audiences.’ Dean was wrong.
Edwards urges racial tolerance in nearly
ever speech he gives on the campaign trail,
including addresses to white crowds. Sen. Joe
Lieberman of Connecticut talks about
his efforts as a student during the 1960s
civil rights movement. Sen. John Kerry
of Massachusetts has discussed race and its
role in his Vietnam service. ‘What he said
last night was divisive and divisive is
exactly what we're trying to overcome. He's
right about one thing, politicians should talk
about civil rights wherever they go. And in
the future, I hope he leads by example instead
of by attack,’ Edwards said in a
telephone interview. ‘Sen. Lieberman
marched with Martin Luther King. Sen. Kerry
talks about his experience in Vietnam. I grew
up in the segregated South. Fighting for civil
rights is part of who I am which is why I
talked about it in front of every audience and
whoever I'm with,’ he said. The North
Carolina lawmaker had avoided attacking his
rivals until Wednesday, but his criticism
is another sign that Dean's eight rivals are
throwing elbows at the front-runner in an
effort to force their way to the front. In
previous appearances together, the
candidates have looked more like a ragtag team
of underdogs hankering to make the big leagues
and take on President Bush. The sharpest barbs
have been aimed at the president, while the
candidates largely have avoided challenging
each other by name. Not so Tuesday night at
a debate sponsored by the Congressional Black
Caucus. Some of the sharpest exchanges were
between front-runner Dean and Lieberman, the
Democratic vice presidential nominee in 2000.”
… Kucinich
may have some explaining to do back in Ohio on
abortion change when his presidential
adventure ends. Under the subhead “A
cautionary tale” in the “Inside Politics”
column in yesterday’s Washington Times,
Jennifer Harper wrote: “What happens if
Rep. Dennis J. Kucinich fails to win the
Democratic nomination for president? He
may have some explaining to do. A lifelong
Catholic, Mr. Kucinich has consistently
opposed abortion during his four terms in
office, and counts on Catholics for support as
he also seeks a fifth term in Congress. But
18 months ago, the Ohio Democrat abandoned his
position and now supports a woman's right to
choose, according to yesterday's Des
Moines (Iowa) Register. ‘It's just thrown
everybody into total confusion over where he
is,’ said Molly Smith of Cleveland Right to
Life. ‘He's really damaged himself on this
particular issue.’ Mr. Kucinich
said his views have ‘evolved,’ but have
nothing to do with his presidential
aspirations. ‘It became clear to me that this
wasn't only about the right to choose, that
this was about a woman's equality in society,’
he said. ‘The years of discussion that I had
with women in Congress, with women in my own
life, suddenly began to click.’ Mr.
Kucinich was praised by the local Planned
Parenthood center. But Jim Trakas, Republican
Party chairman in Cleveland and a state
lawmaker, doesn't buy it. Mr. Kucinich's
switch, he said, was a ‘blatantly political
move.’”
… “Senator
Quagmire”
– subhead in yesterday’s “Best of the Web
Today” column on OpinionJournal.com. James
Taranto wrote:
“Although Sen. John Kerry voted last
October to authorize the president to use
force in Iraq, as soon as it became clear that
the president was actually going to act on
that authority, Kerry joined his party's
defeatist chorus. During yesterday's
debate, journalist Ed Gordon asked Kerry
to explain his vote in light of his subsequent
opposition to liberating Iraq. Here is his
answer, in full: ‘The vote is the vote. I
voted to authorize. It was the right vote, and
the reason I mentioned the threat is that we
gave the--we had to give life to the threat.
If there wasn't a legitimate threat,
Saddam Hussein was not going to allow
inspectors in. Now, let me make two points if
I may. Ed [Gordon] questioned my answer.
The reason I can't tell you to a certainty
whether the president misled us is because I
don't have any clue what he really knew about
it, or whether he was just reading what was
put in front of him. And I have no knowledge
whether or not this president was in depth--I
just don't know that. And that's an honest
answer, and there are serious suspicions about
the level to which this president really was
involved in asking the questions that he
should've. With respect to the question of,
you know, the vote--let's remember where we
were. If there hadn't been a vote, we would
never have had inspectors. And if we hadn't
voted the way we voted, we would not have been
able to have a chance of going to the United
Nations and stopping the president, in effect,
who already had the votes, and who was
obviously asking serious questions about
whether or not the Congress was going to be
there to enforce the effort to create a
threat. So I think we did the right thing.
I'm convinced we did.’ There actually is a
simple explanation for Kerry's
behavior: In October he believed supporting
Iraq's liberation would be politically
expedient; by the spring, he realized that
opposing America's effort was much more
appealing to Democratic primary voters. He
can't just say he was changing his position
for political reasons, so he is making the
logically untenable claim that he's been
consistent all along. Thus when asked to
explain his thinking on the most important
issue of the day, the haughty, French-looking
Massachusetts Democrat, who by the way served
in Vietnam, is reduced to incoherent blather.
Poor John Kerry has sunk into a verbal
quagmire.”
… IOWA PRES
WATCH SIDEBAR: In yesterday’s News & Observer
of Raleigh, John Wagner reported that
U.S. Sen. John
Edwards will make his formal announcement for
president in front of a shuttered textile mill
in his boyhood home of Robbins.
The
North Carolina Democrat's announcement is
scheduled for Sept. 16. Edwards' father
formerly worked at the mill, owned by Milliken
& Company. The plant is also featured in a
campaign ad Edwards is airing. Besides
Edwards, those expected to appear on the
program in Robbins include North Carolina Gov.
Mike Easley, former North Carolina Gov. Jim
Hunt and former Charlotte Mayor Harvey Gantt.
… Service
Employees International delays decision as
Edwards gains – and Kerry stumbles – in the
endorsement derby. Excerpt from report by
AP’s Leigh Strope: “The largest union in
the AFL-CIO decided Wednesday to delay making
a presidential endorsement, although John
Edwards surged from unknown to contender while
John Kerry stumbled. Service Employees
International Union officials said members
weren't ready to commit to one of nine
Democrats vying to challenge President Bush
next year. An endorsement probably won't
come until November, said President Andy
Stern. Even so, the top contenders shuffled
slightly after 1,500 state and local union
leaders heard from the candidates Monday.
Edwards, the North Carolina senator,
catapulted into the top three, pushing out
Kerry, the Massachusetts senator. Former
Vermont governor Howard Dean and Rep. Dick
Gephardt of Missouri, the traditional labor
favorite, remained on the list, Stern said.
He would not disclose rankings and vote
totals…SEIU members before Monday didn't know
much about Edwards. But he
‘introduced himself powerfully, and moved from
having almost no support to being one of the
top three candidates that the members leaving
this conference are interested in,’ Stern
said. Several SEIU members said they liked
Edwards' populist message and his John F.
Kennedyesque good looks. In nearly every
speech he gives, and Monday's was no
different, he highlighted his working-class
background as the son of a mill worker.
Stern cautioned that Kerry, who has lost his
front-runner status to Dean, still had a lot
of support in the union, with the rankings
reflecting just the views of the 1,500 leaders
at this week's conference. Conference
participants were asked to rank their two
favorites before and after they heard the
candidates. Many arrived already
enthusiastic about Dean, and after hearing
him, ‘their enthusiasm is unabated,’ Stern
said. ‘I think Howard Dean is making a series
of statements that are very important and
powerful,’ he said. Gephardt, who
has been plagued with concerns about his
ability to excite Democratic voters,
increased his support, Stern said, noting that
members responded favorably to his fiery and
passionate speech. He too emphasizes his
blue-collar roots and his Teamster father in
his speeches. Gephardt has staked his
presidential ambition on support from
organized labor, and has received 12 union
endorsements so far. No other candidate has
won backing from an international union. But
Gephardt's support is mostly from trades and
industrial unions, reflecting the common
divide in organized labor between traditional,
blue-collar unions and public and service
sector unions. SEIU is the nation's
fastest growing union and among the most
liberal and racially diverse, making it an
enticing prize for Democrats seeking labor
support. Its members are janitors, nursing
home workers, home health care workers,
hospital nurses and government employees. Many
are Hispanic. Gephardt, who stumbled in
his 1988 bid, must convince leaders like Stern
that the lectern-pounding, red-faced,
emotional candidate of Monday is for real if
he is to have a shot at a laborwide, AFL-CIO
endorsement next month. It's a difficult
task made even tougher by Dean, who is wooing
labor leaders with the large crowds he has
attracted and his successful Internet
fund-raising. The wild card remains Wesley
Clark. Stern said his union would take a
serious look at the retired Army general who
has been flirting with a run. Clark
was invited to this week's conference, but was
unable to attend. SEIU leaders hope to meet
with him in the next week or two, Stern said.
Meanwhile, Clark has promised to reveal
his presidential plans by the end of next
week.”
… CNN report
noted that Gephardt faced two challenging
closed-door meeting in Washington yesterday.
Excerpt from report – headlined, “When we
get behind closed doors…” – by John
Mercurio of the CNN political unit: “Thousands
of closed-door meetings will take place in
Washington today, but Dick Gephardt cares
mostly about two of them. One power powwow
this morning on Capitol Hill will help decide
how much money Gephardt raises by a key
September 30 deadline. The other, a few hours
later in Dupont Circle, will determine whether
the '04 Dem continues to amass union backing
or loses a key labor battle to Howard Dean.
Unfortunately for us reporters, neither of
these meetings is expected to yield major news
-- at least not today. Which may not be bad
news for Gephardt…Meeting No. 1: At 8
a.m. EDT, Gephardt plans to huddle
with most of the 31 House Democrats backing
his '04 bid to ask for more fund-raising help.
(One notable no-show: Minority Leader Nancy
Pelosi, a strong supporter, who apparently has
a scheduling conflict.) The meeting is
going down at the Dutko Group's headquarters
on Capitol Hill. Gephardt's campaign
chief of staff, Steve Elmendorf, downplayed
the immediate impact of the meeting. He said
Gephardt meets with House colleagues
periodically to talk about the '04 race and
get updates on the battle for the House.
It's hard to deny, though, that this
mid-September meeting has special significance
for Gephardt, given how crucial his
third-quarter fund-raising report will be…Meeting
No. 2: The second meeting that
Gephardt's watching is scheduled to occur
early this afternoon at the Washington Hilton
and Towers in upper Dupont Circle, where the
Service Employees International Union (SEIU)
is wrapping up its four-day political
conference. The influential union's
60-plus-member executive board will then
convene to decide whether to get behind an '04
Dem and, if so, whom. ‘Whom’ is looking
increasingly like either Gephardt or Dean. But
‘whom’ is not likely to be decided this week,
according to '04 Dem sources bold enough to
predict the thinking of SEIU board members and
their president, Andy Stern, considered one of
the union movement's least autocratic leaders.
The union's expected decision to delay their
endorsement for a month is good news for
Gephardt, given the strong showing Dean
made before the SEIU on Monday. If Dean
grabs the SEIU's nod, it would hurt
Gephardt more than any other '04 Dem.
In other words, it's much better for Gephardt
to hear nothing this week than to learn that
one of the biggest and most influential unions
is siding with Dean. But Elmendorf said
the former Vermont governor faces a key
problem with the SEIU and, ultimately, the
Democratic primary base. His campaign,
Elmendorf said, is too white. ‘The biggest
problem Dean has with that union is that they
are very sensitive to a candidate's Latino and
African-American support. I think they're
concerned about his overwhelmingly white
support,’ Elmendorf said.”
… “Taking a
risk, Lieberman takes on Howard Dean” –
headline from yesterday’s The Union Leader.
Analysis by AP’s Ron Fournier, an excerpt: “Sen.
Joe Lieberman has finally found his voice, and
he's raising it against Howard Dean.
Lieberman, the party's 2000 vice presidential
candidate, reached up from the second tier of
a nine-candidate Democratic field and
criticized the front-runner's policies on Iraq
and the Middle East during the Tuesday night
debate. He was almost alone in attacking
Dean. While the others still fear
backlash from negative tactics, Lieberman
is embracing the bash-Dean strategy to
distinguish himself from the crowded field.
‘I think in many respects he's helping
himself,’ said Michael Coleman, Democratic
mayor of Columbus, Ohio. ‘He came across as a
man who believes what he's saying and doesn't
mind who he takes on to say it.’ But
several other Democrats said Lieberman's
performance illustrates why his rivals shied
away from attacking Dean, even at the risk of
allowing Dean to build on his momentum. ‘It
basically sounded shrill to me,’ said Joe
Shanahan, veteran Democratic activist in Iowa.
‘Lieberman didn't make his point well, and
Dean responded strongly.’ One thing
Democrats agreed upon: Dean smoothly
fielded Lieberman's blows and faced few
others, thus he left the debate as he arrived
-- unscathed and still the front-runner.
The sparks flew midway through the debate when
Lieberman criticized Dean for telling
supporters last week that there are an
‘enormous number’ of Israeli settlements that
must go. ‘It's not our place to take sides
in the conflict,’ Dean said.
Lieberman, who is Jewish, said Tuesday
night that Dean's comments ‘break a
50-year record in which presidents,
Republicans and Democrats, members of Congress
of both parties have supported our
relationship with Israel.’ Dean
compared his record to former President Bill
Clinton and told Lieberman: ‘It doesn't
help...to demagogue this issue.’ Democrats
said they noticed Dean didn't rise to
Lieberman's bait and flash his self-admitted
temper. In fact, Dean seemed to relish the
exchange with Lieberman.”
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