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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
Monday,
September 15, 2003
Iowa Pres Watch Update: As the campaign
intensifies – and the Dem wannabes are
rounding the turn towards the homestretch in
Iowa at the four-month mark before the
caucuses – the www.iowapresidentialwatch.com will
launch an aggressive initiative to monitor,
challenge and expose the Democratic
candidates. Keep checking the Pres Watch
website for more details, make sure your
friends are aware of updated cartoon features
and the Daily Report – and
make a contribution
today to Iowa Presidential Watch. Your
interest in iowapresdentialwatch.com – and
continuing support – is essential for us to
accomplish our mission of holding the Dem
wannabes accountable.
"I haven't really
frankly paid a hell of a lot of attention
to it"
-- Cheney on the Dem candidates
"If I'm going to go up
against George Bush, I'm going to get much
worse from [White House senior adviser]
Karl Rove than I am from these guys."
--
Howard
Dean, regarding his Dem rivals’ attacks
"Is there going to be enough water? Will
the power be running? That's what they
want to know about,"
-- Bill Simon, who ran against
Gray Davis in the California
gubernatorial race last year, on Bill
Clinton’s California politicking
"I think we got
ourselves in a bind there."
Iowa Democrat, asking to remain
unidentified, regarding Dem 2004 prez
candidate Fern Penna
"Gephardt
appears to be working his way through a
thesaurus
of anger,"
-- Time magazine's Joe Klein
Iowa is
shaping up to be a Dean vs. Gephardt fight
--
New poll numbers
Howard
“The Mouth” Dean
goes for a Guinness World Record
Dean
rejects rival John Kerry’s challenge…
says critics’ attacks are “silly” and
“nitpicky”
Here’s a
novel approach to volunteer campaigning…
no candidate!
It’s Leap
Year for New Hampshire’s big
fishes
Dem
wannabe Joe plays it cool as “Liebermania”
goes door-to-door
Vice
President Cheney
says he’s “awful busy with his day job…”
Another
day, another fence straddle for Dem wannabe
John Kerry…
this time about former boss, Michael
Dukakis
It’s not
easy being the “party of inclusion…” in Iowa
Take the
John McCaslin/Inside the Beltway
Challenge and Name That [candidates’]
Tune All these stories below and more.
… Gephardt pulls even in
Iowa. If anyone is wondering whether the
attacks on Dean by other candidates or
Dean’s weapon of mass destruction, his
mouth, had any effect on his standing in
the race for the nomination, they can quit
wondering. An Iowa Associated Press story by
Mike Glover showed that in a recent
Iowa poll Dean, the former Vermont
governor, and Gephardt, the Missouri
congressman, each received 19 percent
support, with Sen. John Kerry of
Massachusetts at 10 percent. The
largest group in the poll at 36 percent are
those who have not made up their minds about
the nine candidates seeking the party's
nomination. Sen. John Edwards of North
Carolina and Sen. Joe Lieberman of
Connecticut each had 6 percent, while
the rest of the field was at 1 percent. The
poll was commissioned by Davenport, Iowa,
television station KWQC and the
Davenport-based newspaper chain Lee
Enterprises. The telephone survey,
conducted by PMR Inc., a Davenport
research firm and was taken Aug. 26-Sept. 6
among 400 registered Democrats and
independents who said they were likely to
attend precinct caucuses Jan. 19. The
Iowa Precinct Caucuses allow anyone who
registers as a Democrat the night of the
caucuses to participate. This means
that independents and even Republicans can
attend the Democrat caucuses. However
there is no history of any significant
participation by Independents or Republicans
in the past. Likely attendance at the Iowa
Democrat Precinct Caucuses is 100,000.
… Howard
Dean is going for the record. Phone record,
that is. In his quest to bravely go where
no man has gone before, Dean takes on the
Guiness Book of World Records. Here’s the
report, according to
WashingtonPost’s OnPolitics reporter
Brain Faler. Headline: “Dean’s next
frontier: the conference call?” Excerpts:
“Having demonstrated his mastery of the
Internet, Democratic presidential candidate
Howard Dean is taking on . . . the
conference call? His campaign announced last
week that it will try to break the world
record for the largest-ever conference call.
That record, according to the good people at
the Guinness Book of World Records, was
set in September 2000, when 3,310 people rang
into a call hosted by the British teen-pop
group S Club 7. Dean will host his call
Sept. 29 -- the day before the deadline
for reporting third-quarter fundraising totals
-- when he will chat with supporters
attending house parties for the candidate
across the country. Campaign manager Joe
Trippi declined to estimate how many
people might join the call. But he promised to
shatter the world record. "It's not even going
to be close," Trippi said, appropriately
enough, in a conference call. The only
problem? "What we don't know is whether we can
hit -- do all the calls we want to do --
because we're not sure that, technologically,
it's possible," he said.”
… Showcasing once
again his “verbal bull in a verbal china shop”
approach to campaigning, Howard Dean attempts
to shatter his opponents’ attacks as “silly”
and “nitpicky.” In an article in today’s
WashingtonPost’s OnPolitics by staff
writer Dan Balz, Dean fights back against a
week of attacks. Headline: “Dean Jabs
At Rivals, Says No to Kerry Debate.”
Kerry and other Democrats accused Dean
of being naïve on foreign policy, a
soul mate of former House speaker Newt
Gingrich (R-Ga.) in the Medicare budgetary
battles of the mid-1990s, changing his
views on trade, and arrogant in saying
he is the only white candidate in the
nomination battle to talk regularly about
racial issues. Sen. John F. Kerry
(Mass.), challenged Dean to a series of
one-on-one debates to air their
differences. Dean's campaign manager, Joe
Trippi, rejected the proposal, calling it
"presumptuous." Dean was dismissive
toward the attacks, calling them "silly" and
"nitpicky." He argued they will strengthen his
candidacy, not weaken it. "That's what you
have to go through," he said. "If I'm
going to go up against George Bush, I'm
going to get much worse from [White House
senior adviser] Karl Rove than I am
from these guys." Dean continues to be
criticized for saying the United States should
not take sides in the Israeli-Palestinian
conflict and for using the word
"soldiers," rather than terrorists, to
describe members of the Islamic Resistance
Movement, known as Hamas. Dean
said that in labeling Hamas members as
soldiers, he was justifying the Israeli
policy of assassinating Hamas leaders. Calling
for evenhandedness in the Middle East,
he said, was his way of saying that the United
States needs to win the trust of both sides to
bring about a peace agreement, and was not
intended to advocate abandoning Israel in some
way. His critics were engaging in a classic
Washington insiders' game, Dean said. He
said that Kerry has claimed he was
misled by Bush before the Iraq war,
adding, "I could see through that [Bush's
intentions]." … The candidate said the
criticism won't force him to change much. "I
concede that I would be better off -- well I
wouldn't necessarily be better off, I would be
less controversial, if I didn't make absolute
statements." But he said he also "would be
less appealing." "As we get into this I
have to find balance," Dean said, "but if
I become too much like a Washington
politician, then I am a Washington
politician. Why not let somebody else do
this?"
… How do you
run a campaign without a candidate? In
an article in today’s
WashingtonPost’s OnPolitics by staff
writer Jonathan Finer reports that
Wesley Clark supporters in New Hampshire
are keeping up the good fight -- alone.
Headline: “Clark's 'Troops' Stand By
For Orders on the Ground . N.H. Volunteers
Aren't Waiting for Official Word”.
Excerpts: “The office has all the usual
trappings of a campaign headquarters: a stable
of idealistic volunteers, red, white and blue
bunting and news articles tacked up on a
bulletin board. But the eight large
photographs that plaster the walls show the
graying visage of a man who has not yet
said he will run for president. Which
prompts a question for those already
crisscrossing New Hampshire on behalf of
retired Gen. Wesley Clark: How do you
run a campaign without a candidate? "We
can't contact him, and he's had no
communication with us, but we just want
him to know we are here with a structure when
he decides to enter the race," said Susan
Putney, the New Hampshire director for
Draft Clark 2004. "It is already
underway." On a recent Wednesday evening at
the office -- which opened in July on the
same Dover street as the front-running
campaigns of Sen. John F. Kerry
(D-Mass.) and former Vermont governor
Howard Dean. The speculation is that
Clark finally will make his announcement this
week, before a speech in Iowa on Friday.
But his New Hampshire volunteers aren't
waiting. …”
… The “Big
Fishes” in the little pond of New Hampshire
are getting their every-four-year’s worth of
attention as the 2004 race starts trolling in
earnest for endorsements. An article in
today’s
WashingtonPost’s OnPolitics by staff
writer Jonathan Finer highlights the
finer points of campaigning in New Hampshire.
Headline: Democrats Court Big Players
in a Small State. Veteran Politicos'
Endorsements and Advice Are Crucial.”
Excerpts: “MANCHESTER, N.H. -- As Rep.
Richard A. Gephardt (D-Mo.) moved from
table to table in Julien's Corner Kitchen,
chatting with voters over runny eggs and
blueberry pancakes, a man in a bright blue
collared shirt was never far from his side.
Gephardt's escort was Lou D'Allesandro,
a three-term state senator from Manchester,
New Hampshire's biggest city, and a
powerful player in this state's politics.
A grandmotherly woman approached the two as
they made their rounds and talked about health
policy and jobs. "Lou, it is always great to
see you," said Frieda Stephen. Then
shaking Gephardt's hand, she added: "I
just want you to know that you're okay with
me, you're here with my best friend."
Just like that, the would-be president was one
of them. Thanks to D'Allesandro, who
has yet to endorse a candidate in the state's
primary, Gephardt spent the next
half hour mingling and munching French toast
like a local. "God, we'd love to get Lou on
board," said Gephardt's state director, Erik
Greathouse. "But of course, so would everyone
else." D'Allesandro is one of several
dozen power brokers in New Hampshire
who vault from relative obscurity every four
years to be wooed by candidates long on
aspirations and short on local knowledge. In
an undersized state (population 1.3 million)
with an oversized say about who becomes
president, a local luminary can deliver votes
and advice on navigating what can be a
Byzantine political landscape. … With a
Republican in the White House, the focus this
year is on the Democratic power brokers.
"It's their turn on the hot seat," said Tom
Rath, a veteran GOP strategist
here. … For candidates, the stakes are high.
An endorsement from a known and trusted
politician can make a difference in a primary
in which getting 40,000 votes can mean a
landslide victory, and where many voters say
they intend to meet and evaluate each
candidate personally.”
… Low-key Joe
Lieberman does the door-to-door thing in
New Hampshire, according to a
UnionLeader.com article today by AP
writer Holly Ramer. Headline:
“Lieberman launches swing through NH.”
Excerpts: “CONCORD (AP) - When "Operation:
Liebermania" landed on her doorstep,
Kathleen Timbas was ready. Notified in
advance that Sen. Joe Lieberman would be
campaigning door-to-door Sunday, she
waited for the Democratic presidential hopeful
with a list of questions scrawled on a legal
pad. She squeezed in two - one about health
care and another about the environment
- before the senator moved on. "I found it
helpful," said Timbas, a financial
analyst who favors one of Lieberman's
rivals, former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean.
"I'm not sure I got an solution on the
environmental issues, but he helped lead me
to some ideas I wasn't familiar with."
Though billed as part of "an all-out campaign
blitz," Lieberman maintained his
thoughtful, low-key style as he knocked on
half a dozen doors in downtown Concord.
Often, his young sign-waving supporters
drowned him out with their cheer and chanting.
"Just another quiet day in the neighborhood,"
Lieberman joked….The latest poll of New
Hampshire Democrats showed Lieberman tied with
Rep. Gephardt at 7 percent, a distant third
behind Dean and Sen. John Kerry…Lieberman
also won praise from another Republican
he met, Cliff Hurst of Manchester.
Hurst said he supports President Bush, but
admires Lieberman's strength of character.
"To me, that's the most important thing about
a candidate," Hurst said. "He seems of all the
Democratic candidates the most solid in his
positions."
… Associated Press’s
Jennifer C. Kerr writes in her “Primary
Notebook” column today (UnionLeader.com
) that VP Cheney’s not exactly
sweating the competition… excerpt: “Vice
President Dick Cheney isn't prepared to weigh
in on the crowded field of Democratic
candidates looking to evict him from the White
House. "I haven't really frankly paid a
hell of a lot of attention to it," Cheney
said Sunday on NBC's "Meet the Press"
program. "I'm awful busy with my normal day
job." But Cheney said he'll no
doubt be keeping tabs on the Democrats as the
2004 election draws closer. "I'll watch with
interest," he said. And he added: "Whoever
they nominate, we're ready to take them on."
… Kerry’s
on both sides of the fence… again. In an AP
article in today’s
UnionLeader.com, written by Lolita
C. Baldor, Dem wannabe John Kerry
attempts to identify and separate
himself from Michael Dukakis. Headline:
“Kerry draws contrasts with Michael
Dukakis”. Excerpts: “… John
Kerry knows Michael Dukakis. He worked
for Michael Dukakis. But he says he's no
Michael Dukakis. In a delicate balancing
act, Kerry said he's thrilled to have
the ultimate Massachusetts liberal - Sen.
Edward Kennedy - campaign by his side in
his race for the White House. But he carefully
distanced himself from Dukakis, the
last Bay Stater to seek - and lose - the
presidency.
…It’s not easy being
the “party of inclusion…” in Iowa. READ ON:
The report, written today by Charles Hurt/
WashingtonTimes.com, headlines:
“10th Democrat eyes Mars”.
Excerpts: “With
all the speculation that retired Gen.
Wesley Clark may soon step in and give
shape to the still-shapeless Democratic
presidential primary campaign, pundits are
wondering: Will he become "the 10th Democrat"
But there already are 10 Democrats running.
Just ask Fern Penna. "I've been running
longer than any of them," he said during a
brief weekend visit to the District. Wearing a
four-button suit, Mr. Penna stood in
front of the White House with his hands laced
neatly in front of him. "I will make it
into that White House in 2004," he vowed,
using his shoulder to point behind him.
Nearby, the perennial protesters in Lafayette
Park tended to their signs, paying little
attention to Mr. Penna. Though he was
not included in any of the three debates and
the Democratic National Committee generally
ignores him, Mr. Penna has been
aggressively courting Iowa voters as
long as any candidate campaigning. The Iowa
Democrats included him in several candidate
forums, but grew wary over some of his
platform positions. Take colonizing Mars,
for example. He promises to send humans to the
red planet within weeks of taking office and
says he will colonize it within years.
"It's really not about Mars," explained Mr.
Penna, swatting at two gnats hovering around
his face. "It's about technology and space
exploration." When Mr. Penna first
arrived in Iowa, he courted party
officials and talked about the vast fortune
he'd made. He said he was interested in buying
the party's electronic voter file, no small
purchase at $64,000. "At the beginning we
were very much open about it," said one Iowa
Democrat. "He claimed to be a multimillionaire
when we first met him," he said. "But every
time I see him he's wearing that same
four-button suit and brown hat." Asked
about his wealth, Mr. Penna (as he
often does) demurred. But he added that he
would be more than happy to partially
self-fund his campaign. Mr. Penna's Web
site biography says he "exhibited
leadership skills early in life. At age 7 Fern
Penna was given a chance to be
responsible for balancing the household
budget." The biography goes on to state, "his
success in business earned him his first
million dollars at the age of 19." Mr.
Penna dismisses polls, which register no
support whatsoever for him. "I'm the number
one candidate, as far as I'm concerned." He is
diplomatic in his criticism of his party for
not including him more. "I don't like to be
paraded around after nine other people," he
said. "I like to campaign on my own. Do my own
thing."But Iowa Democrats fret a little
over Mr. Penna and candidates like him.
"We can't tell you they can't run. We're the
party of inclusion," said the state Democrat,
who asked not to be identified saying anything
critical of Mr. Penna. "I think we got
ourselves in a bind there."
…
Inside the Beltway
by
syndicated columnist John McCaslin,
WashingtonTimes.com, writes it’s
“Name that tune” time. Excerpts: “When not
collectively ganging up on President Bush,
Democratic presidential hopefuls individually
are coming up with some unusual campaign
gimmicks to stand out from the rest of the
crowd. Take Sen. Bob Graham of Florida,
who is announcing the availability of a
signed limited edition die-cast replica of the
Craftsman Truck Series No. 50 "Bob
Graham for President" Ford F-150 truck
driven by racing phenomenon Jon Wood.
One can play with the nifty red and white toy
trucks for an $80 campaign contribution.
The die cast is signed by Mr. Wood, who
drove the F-150 to victory in its first race
at the O'Reilly Auto Parts 250 at Kansas
Speedway in July. It was the first vehicle
in a major NASCAR series to be sponsored by a
presidential candidate. Meanwhile, the
presidential campaign of Sen. Joe Lieberman
of Connecticut is telling Americans: "From
singing 'My Way' on the Tonight Show to the
Gore/Lieberman campaign song 'Don't Stop
Thinking About Tomorrow,' Joe has always loved
music. Here's your chance to tell us what
songs inspire you and remind you of Joe.
What songs would get you excited for Joe at
campaign events and rallies?" Boy, tough
question. Which means it's time for yet
another Inside the Beltway reader survey, when
our readers tell us which songs remind them of
Joe. Heck, let's not stop with Mr.
Lieberman. Send us the titles of songs
that remind you of any of the other
presidential hopefuls, President Bush
included. After all, we don't play
favorites in this column. Each submission,
sent by slow mail or to the e-mail address
below, should include the title of the song
and its artist, along with your name and
hometown. In the coming days we'll publish as
many campaign theme songs as space will
allow.” [EDITOR’S NOTE: Okay, IPW readers…
send in your suggestions. Here’s McCaslin’s
contact info: John
McCaslin, a nationally syndicated columnist,
can be reached at 202/636-3284 or
jmccaslin@washingtontimes.com.]
… Today’s title of
“Grumpiest Old Man” goes to Dem wannabe
Dick Gephardt. Here’s your proof: Jennifer
Harper,
WashingtonTimes.com / Inside Politics,
files this report titled, “Oo-la-la”.
Excerpts: “One lawmaker got to strut his stuff
over the French and their ideas about
postwar Iraq yesterday. "What France
wants to do is to have the Iraqis take
complete charge over there in 30 days. How
would you, today, deal with France on that
issue?" Fox News host Brit Hume asked
Rep. Richard A. Gephardt. The Missouri
Democrat and presidential hopeful got mighty
gutsy. "I would negotiate tough with
France. Look, the French are the French.
They're our friends, but they've always been
independent and somewhat difficult to deal
with," Mr. Gephardt said. "We
understand that. But they're our friends. So
we've got to get their help." "And if we
don't?" Mr. Hume asked. “I would
negotiate tough with them. Look, their
idea of turning this over to the Iraqis
immediately just is not a good idea, and we're
not going to do that," Mr. Gephardt
said. Could such bristling be calculated?
Time magazine's Joe Klein thinks so, noting in
today's edition that "Gephardt appears to be
working his way through a thesaurus of
anger," and becoming "the tortoise" who has
begun to stir. Recently, he used "a most
un-Gephardtian quality to drive his point
home: a flushed, sputtering anger," Mr.
Klein writes. "Gephardt's anger is an
utterly transparent industrial age process,
like a steam locomotive creaking out of a
station."
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