Howard Dean

excerpts from the Iowa Daily Report

April 2003

… Manchester (N. H.) Union Leader editorial pages: Yesterday – under the headline “Bumbling Dems: Dean, Kerry make some goofy slips” – the Union Leader opened an editorial with this question: “Can’t the Democrats get better Presidential candidates than these?” Editorial says Dean was “embarrassed into sending a letter of apology” to Edwards for inaccurately criticizing Edwards for hiding his pro-war stance during CA Dem state convention address. Editorial also highlighted Kerry comments – also at the California convention – indicating the Dems could win presidency without Southern support, forcing Kerry to hand out notes to Southern Dem sens assuring them he plans to campaign in their states. The Union Leader editorial concluded: “In New Hampshire, Kerry and Dean are the leading candidates for the Democratic Presidential nomination. Their behavior so far has made them look less than worthy of front-of-the-pack positions.” (4/1/2003)

… AP’s resident Iowa caucus-watcher, Mike Glover, writes about Dean’s unending effort to appeal to Iowans. Excerpt: “Somewhere between a Sioux City café and a Pottawattamie County [Council Bluffs] awards dinner, Howard Dean used the hours and miles of Iowa’s open highway to work the phones…A long shot candidate in a crowded Democratic field, Dean has no time to waste. Crisscrossing the state to visit the 20 most populous counties, Dean has made his pitch at kitchen tables in private homes, small-time political clubs and any place in Iowa where Democrats gather. His campaign, meanwhile, has assembled a list of activists to call and e-mail addresses to contact. And as the U.S.-led attack against Iraq rages on, Dean is finding that his anti-war message is connecting.” (4/2/2003)

… Dean campaign manager Rick Ridder will return home to Denver on 4/15 and press secretary Susan Allen will leave 4/8 to spend more time with her family. Both are expected to stay on the Dean campaign payroll as consultants. (Iowa Presidential Watch, 4/2/2003)

… Paul Harvey told his national broadcast audience yesterday that Dean and Lieberman have each raised $3 million, and Edwards and Kerry have reported $7 million in contributions – adding “early money is supposed to indicate something.” (4/4/2003)

… In an apparent continuation of his running verbal battle with rival Dem presidential candidate Dean, Kerry said he would appreciate it if those who criticize the military would keep quiet for a while. Kerry, a Vietnam war veteran: “War is tough. Trust the process for a few days. We’re achieving our goals, war is unpredictable.” (Iowa Presidential Watch, 4/4/2003)

…Is Dean trying to deflect attention – or redirect the agenda – away from his antiwar rhetoric and policies? Dean’s website this month emphasizes his commitment to human rights. From Dean’s website: “In April, members of the GLBT (Gays, Lesbians, Bisexuals, Transsexuals) community across the country will gather to celebrate the historic signing of Vermont’s civil unions bill.”  The website notes that Dean, as VT governor, signed “historic legislation” that guaranteed equal rights for same sex couples – but it was “so unpopular it nearly ended his political career.” So, he is now devoting April to his human rights initiative with “gala events celebrating equal rights for all Americans” and presenting opportunities to meet the wannabe -- him. The first gala: Next Sunday (4/6) in Miami. Other gala events scheduled later in April in San Francisco, Los Angeles and New York City. By the way, the next National Dean in 2004 Meetup Day is 33 days way – 5/7. (Iowa Presidential Watch, 4/4/2003)

… Dean attended the Georgia Democratic Party Jefferson-Jackson Day dinner, but the Atlanta Constitution said “he offered no opinion about Kerry’s latest [New Hampshire] statement.” By yesterday afternoon, Dean told AP he had “not criticized Senator Kerry for that, nor am I going to.  It certainly would be unusual for me to line up with Tom DeLay, and I don’t intend to start now.” (4/5/2003)

… The Constitution reported that in his Georgia remarks Dean blamed the Bush administration for generating “the largest deficit in the history of this country only two years after we switched presidents.” He added: “We’re not going to beat George Bush by being Bush lite.” Dean also promised the GA Dems, “I’m going to campaign in Georgia until I drop. We’re going to win the primary and carry the state in the fall.” (4/5/2003)

… AP’s resident caucus-watcher Mike Glover – who just last week was in Sioux City covering Dean – showed up in Cedar Rapids yesterday for Kerry appearances. Glover reports Kerry said “democracy affords rival Democrats the right to criticize President Bush even with the nation at war.” Kerry comment: “This is a democracy. We could be at war a year from now. Would we put the election on hold?” (Iowa Presidential Watch, 4/8/2003)

… Kerry was blistered by a weekend editorial in a Laconia [N. H.] Citizen because he has “changed his criticism toward the war from that of honorable restraint to barbs that drip vitriol.” The editorial continued that Kerry is “perhaps feeling the heat from Dean and trying to attract the anti-war crowd that forms the base of the former Vermont governor’s support.” Noting that Kerry supported the Iraq initiative and “even joined the president to criticize ‘armchair generals’ who had been critical of the U. S. war plan,” the editorial added: “Fine words, but apparently hollow words that shift with the political winds. Another excerpt: “On diplomacy and the U. N., Kerry said, ‘I don’t think they’re going to trust this president, no matter what.’ And if Kerry were elected president, would the U. N. delegates trust a man who talks from both sides of his mouth?” (Iowa Presidential Watch, 4/8/2003)

“Dean, whose candidacy has gained support for his strong opposition to the war, was grudging about the success of U. S. and British forces in Iraq. ‘We’ve gotten rid of him. I suppose that’s a good thing,’ he said, referring to Iraqi president Saddam Hussein. But he said the money spent on reconstruction in Iraq would be better spent at home.” – Washington Post… ”He said the money could be better spent on ‘schools and kids.’” – Associated Press…”Even former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean abandoned his antiwar message and talked instead about building a ‘stable, self-sufficient and free’ Iraq in the postwar period.” – Washington Times…”Dean said he believes the war ‘opens a new, dangerous preemptive doctrine’ in foreign policy.” – Los Angeles Times.  4/9/2003

… Former Virginia Lt. Gov. – and multimillionaire automobile dealer – Donald S. Beyer Jr. announced this week he will not run for Congress, but will be national treasurer for the Dean presidential campaign. Beyer’s name had surfaced as a possible primary challenger against Dem Rep. James Moran – who got in hot water last month by saying Jewish influence pushed the nation toward war with Iraq. Beyer – who served two terms as VA’s Lt. Gov. -- said he agreed last Friday to join the Dean team as treasurer and added, “What I liked most about Howard is his unpretentiousness and his plain-talking, heart-of-the-message style. He’s very bright and seems to be fearless.” (Iowa Presidential Watch, 4/9/2003)

… From Ronald Brownstein’s coverage in yesterday’s Los Angeles Times of Dem candidate forum in Washington: “Dean, Kucinich, Sharpton, Braun and Graham said they continued to view the war with Iraq as unnecessary or counterproductive.” (4/11/2003)

… From Donald Lambro report in yesterday’s Washington Times: Dean outlined “a seven-point plan that called for major roles for a NATO coalition and the United Nations to help rebuild Iraq. Among his proposals, he called for a peacekeeping, NATO-led coalition to maintain order in the country. ‘A prolonged U. S. military occupation of Iraq would surely prompt misunderstanding, stir resentment, stimulate opposition and pose grave risks to our troops. We must not be seen as a new colonial power,’ he said.” (4/11/2003)

…Dean in Iowa City. from Quad-City Times coverage: “If the televised images of Iraqis celebrating their freedom this week gave Democratic presidential candidate Howard Dean any second thoughts about his opposition to the war, it did not show Friday.” Dean quote: “I’m delighted Saddam Hussein is gone. What I’m not in favor of is creating an American empire in the 21sr century.” (4/12/2003)

…Report on Dean’s campaign appearance in Cedar Falls – AP’s resident caucus-watcher Mike Glover writes Dean “said Friday that the U. S-led war against Iraq will remain a divisive issue for Democrats despite the collapse of Saddam Hussein’s regime.” Dean quote: “All these folks [other Dem candidates] who are crowing about their vote and the outcome are going to learn that the occupation [of Iraq] will be very difficult. That’s probably going to be the next lesson.” Glover reminds readers – and presumably IA Dems – about the four Dem wannabes who supported the Iraq resolution: Lieberman, Edwards, Kerry and Gephardt. . (Iowa Presidential Watch, 4/13/2003)

… Coverage of Dean weekend visit to southeast IA: Report from yesterday’s Burlington Hawk Eye – under “Dean critical of ‘Bush light’ backers” headline – said “Presidential contender Howard Dean urged fellow Democrats to stand up for the party’s core values. Speaking to an Iowa Wesleyan College gathering [in Mount Pleasant] Saturday, the former Vermont governor said his views are only considered liberal because other leading candidates have moved so far to the right. ‘And I’m out here selling balanced budgets and a health care system that relies on the private sector,’ Dean said. Although he didn’t mention his rivals by name, he criticized fellow Democrats who voted with Republicans for a controversial tax cut package and backed President George Bush on the war in Iraq. ‘Bush lite is not going to cut it,’ Dean said.” The Hawk Eye reported that Dean spoke Saturday night at a Des Moines County Democratic Party event in Burlington and a dinner in Donnellson sponsored by the Lee County Democratic Party. (4/14/2003)

… From Dean’s weekend visit: The Muscatine Journal yesterday reported on Dean’s Saturday visit to Muscatine, where he participated in an Earth Day cleanup event. The Journal’s Cynthia Beaudette reported: “Prior to the cleanup Dean told supporters the way to beat President George W. Bush in the 2004 election would be to ‘say who you are, be proud of who we are and be very clear about our agenda.” He highlighted his support for a national medical coverage initiative and “concern for the environment.” Don Paulson, co-chair of the Muscatine County Democratic Party, was quoted as saying: “He was over at our house last year. I was pretty impressed with him then and that hasn’t changed. I like both his foreign policy and domestic policy positions.”  (Iowa Presidential Watch, 4/15/2003)

… From Greg Pierce’s “Inside Politics” column in yesterday’s Washington Times – under the subhead “A puzzling assertion” --  “’Democrats and Republicans alike were scratching their heads on Wednesday night when former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean appeared on MSNBC and claimed that he and Sen. Bob Graham had voted against the war on Iraq. But Dean has been out of office for months and didn’t have a vote.

Anywhere,’ the anonymous Prowler writes at www.spectator.org. ‘In the end, such false bravado probably no longer matters. Given that Dean built much of his early campaign on an antiwar stance, most political insiders say he’ll be lucky to survive through the New Hampshire primary.’” (Iowa News Watch New Update: Dean not only voted with Graham against Iraq war, but was co-inventor of the Internet with Al Gore.)  (4/15/2003)

several media outlets report on Dean’s income from last year as he joins GWB is releasing tax returns. Dean and physician-wife Judy reported adjusted gross income last year of $145,634. They paid $29,242 in federal income taxes on taxable income of $110,141. The total personal holdings for the Deans has been established at more than $4 million. (4/15/2003)

Fort Madison Daily Democrat online – reporting in Monday edition about Dean’s Saturday night visit to Lee County reported that he “said a better trade policy would bolster national defense. ‘We ought to be involved in nation building. Middle class countries don’t harbor groups like al-Qaeda.’ A Dean quote: “I don’t support the president in his war in Iraq, but that does not mean that I do not believe that the full force of our military should not be used when necessary. I think we need clear priorities when it comes to foreign policy.” (4/16/2003)

… Iowa Democratic Party Chairman Gordon Fischer quoted as telling AP Dean should not be pigeonholed the anti-war candidate. ‘That does him a disservice,’ Fischer said. ‘I think Governor Dean’s candidacy is about much more than the war. I think there is a feeling among Democrats who are most active that in the last election the Democrats suffered by not having more of a voice, not sticking up for their beliefs, and I think Governor Dean speaks to that.” The Associated Press story datelined Montpelier, VT by Christopher Graff – headline: “Dean’s Anti-War Talk Pleases Progressives” – said Dean “made significant gains among rank-and-file Democrats with his strong anti-war stance. Now comes the hard part: persuading the party faithful that his appeal does not end with the toppling of Saddam Hussein’s regime.” (4/16/2003)

… There’s no place like home – especially when it comes to fundraising – for Dem wannabes Kerry and Lieberman. That’s the main thrust of an Associated Press analysis of first-quarter fundraising that indicated their respective home states “accounted for more than $1 in every $5” they collected for the January-March reporting period. Dean collected more from CA and NY than from home state Vermont. (4/17/2003) 

… California Dreamin’ I: Although some numbers from The Field Poll (among registered Democrats) in California have been reported, Iowa Pres Watch notes that – as far as early observers are concerned – the field of Dem wannabes is breaking into three distinct factions. The Big Three with double-digit numbers: Lieberman (22%), Kerry (16%) and Gephardt (12%). The single-digit group: Dean (7%), Sharpton and Moseley Braun (both with 4%), Edwards (3%), Graham (2%) and Kucinich (1%). The third – and largest – faction: Undecided (29%).  (4/18/2003)

… Headline from this morning’s The Union Leader reporting on Dean visit to University of New Hampshire yesterday: “Dean: U. S. is a bully around the world” He says if Dems want to win White House back they have to learn from GWB – define policies, then state them clearly and forcefully. The problem from Dean’s perspective is that the Bush policies are wrong… Dean: “We have engaged in a foreign policy in this country which is basically ‘get out of my way or I’ll see you in the parking lot after school.’” Coverage indicates Dean “drew loud applause” when he pointed to an American flag on his lapel and said he wears it “to say it is patriotic in the United States of America to disagree with the President’s policy.” (4/19-20/2003)

… Speaking of candidates visiting eastern Iowa, Dean has nearly taken up residence in that area of the state. He’s due back in IA later this week – Friday-Sunday – for a planned eight-county swing after hitting several southeast Iowa counties over the second weekend in April. The main event on Dean’s scheduled: a Clinton County Dem fundraiser at the Frontier Motel in Clinton. (Iowa Pres Watch Note: If the Dean campaign has seen the latest IA population updates, he may decide to just spend with rest of the caucus campaign in eastern sections of the state – with occasional trips into Des Moines and other central IA strongholds.) (4/21/2003)

… Over the weekend, Senior Political Reporter John DiStaso of The Union Leader and New Hampshire Sunday News wrote: “Five Democratic Presidential candidates spent $78,230 on salaries and consulting fees to 12 New Hampshire staffers and a local paid consultant between Jan. 1 and March 31.” DiStaso reported that Kerry “leads the New Hampshire staff salary parade with $30,772 spent on four Granite Staters.” Lieberman spent $16,906, Edwards $15,789, Dean $11,236 and Gephardt $3,527.(4/21/2003)

… Although the newspaper is located in Lieberman’s home state of Connecticut, the headline focused on the fortunes of another Dem presidential contender: “Dean Seeks Broader Support …Campaign by Democratic Presidential Candidate Looks Beyond War” The Monday report by Hartford Courant Washington Bureau Chief David Lightman said: “Howard Dean has soared to political fame as the most visible, most vocal anti-war presidential candidate for 2004. He still has momentum and now he has money, but he may also have a problem. Democrats are already wondering if his campaign has peaked, as his and other polls show the party’s defining issue is likely to be the economy, not war. Dean has built a coalition based on style as well as substance. His backers laud his fearless way of taking on President Bush in both detailed and in pithy, sound-bite-friendly terms. But there is a lingering sense among political pros that although Dean is a master of rallying political troops, he lacks the stature and the broad appeal needed to topple George Bush.” Another excerpt: “Even with the war’s end, Dean cannot be dismissed, and indications are he will survive for quite a while.” The Lightman report also noted “many Dean supporters were drawn to him by the war, and they are staying because he speaks more directly than others regardless of the subject.”  (4/23/2003)

… Edwards’ West Coast fundraising rampage continues. On the heels of a Monday Tacoma (WA) News Tribune report that Edwards was the leading Dem fundraiser in Washington state, the Portland Oregonian reported yesterday that Edwards received nearly $62,000 of the almost $100,000 the Dem wannabes raised in Oregon during the first quarter of the year. It also proved there are trial lawyers in Oregon – noting that “at least $33,000 of the nearly $62,000 he raised in Oregon came from trial lawyers or their spouses, according to reports filed last week with the Federal Election Commission.” As in Washington state, Dean was second in Oregon fundraising – with “just less than $25,000. Staunch opposition to the war in Iraq helped bring him to the attention of Democratic activists.” Others: Kerry, $8,050; Gephardt, $2,000; and Lieberman and Kucinich “received less than $4,000 from Oregon contributors.” Graham and Moseley Braun did not have any Oregon contributors and – as the New Hampshire media and Tacoma account have reported – Sharpton did not file a first-quarter FEC report. (4/23/2003)

… And Dean plays me-too politics, too. Dean, although he’s not a senator or elected anything anymore, also called on Santorum to resign his Senate leadership post. In a statement, Dean said: “Gay-bashing is not a legitimate public policy discussion; it is immoral. Rick Santorum’s failure to recognize that attacking people because of who they are is morally wrong and makes him unfit for a leadership position in the United States Senate.” As Vermont governor, Dean signed legislation allowing gay couples to enter into civil unions.  (4/24/2003)

… Dean -- scheduled back in eastern Iowa today – reaction to Gephardt’s health care proposal: “What we don’t need is another pie-in-the-sky radical revamping of our health care system that has no chance of ever being passed.” Dean begins a three-day IA visit along Mississippi River. Main event: Clinton County Dem fundraiser in Clinton tonight.(4/25/2003)

The Drudge Report yesterday – citing a CNN interview with Wolf Blitzer – offered up another Dean quote: “Asked if the Iraqi people are better off now than they were under Saddam, Dean said, ‘We don’t know that yet. We don’t know that yet, Wolf. We still have a country whose city is mostly without electricity. We have tumultuous occasions in the south where there is no clear governance. We have a whole city without clear governance.” (4/25/2003)

… Before traveling to Iowa for a three-day campaign swing this weekend, Dean told a group of black mayors that the GOP practices racial politics. Coverage from yesterday’s Houston Chronicle: “Dean accused Republicans of using racism as a campaign tool in the South, fostering hatred while depriving black and white children of good schools and health care. ‘The Republicans always yell race, and never do anything for the schools,’ he said. ‘It’s not just black kids they don’t do anything for.’” Dean made the comments at a meeting of the National Conference of Black Mayors in Houston – where he shared the stage with Sharpton and Gephardt. (Iowa Pres Watch Note: Dean’s comments may be the most ignored – and under-reported – story of the week, primarily because they started with the 18th paragraph in the HoustonChronicle.com coverage. The main focus of the Chronicle report: Gephardt’s $200 billion-a-year health care plan. Dean’s comments not included in AP coverage.) (4/26/2003)

… Also from black mayors conference in Houston – More from yesterday’s Rachel Graves’ Chronicle coverage: “Three Democratic presidential candidates said in Houston on Thursday that if elected president they would scrap President Bush’s tax cuts in favor of more money for health and education…Sharpton attacked the president for spending U. S. money attacking and rebuilding Iraq instead of helping the poor and the middle class in his own country. Dean called Bush’s No Child Left Behind plan ‘No school board left standing.’ The plan allows students to leave unsatisfactory schools, taking their funding with them…Gephardt called Bush’s education plan a failure. Public schools, he said, need to adapt to modern times, when both parents often work and many children live in single-parent homes…Gephardt stopped short of calling for a moratorium on the death penalty but said the federal government should provide money to do a complete review of death penalty cases across the country. Sharpton railed against a ‘corrupt’ criminal justice system that, he said, fills prisons with black men while letting off corporate criminals…All three candidates arrived at least half an hour late to the forum, and chaos of the event included the lights completely going out during Sharpton’s speech.”(4/26/2003)

… Dean scheduled to be in Tipton, Fairfield and Peosta today – but this also is “National House Party Day” in the Dean campaign with rallies planned for gay Dean supporters and activists across the country. The purpose: According to the Dean campaign website – to “celebrate the 3rd anniversary of Governor Dean signing the Vermont Civil Union Law and his stand as a Democratic Presidential candidate for equal rights.” House parties scheduled in at least 50 locations today. Upcoming “Stand up for Dean” events – Monday in Los Angeles, Tuesday in San Francisco, Wednesday in New York. (4/26/2003)

… Related Dean coverage – under the headline, “Some Predict Backlash for Gay Support” – Associated Press’ Nedra Pickler: “Supporters of Howard Dean’s presidential campaign will be celebrating Saturday’s third anniversary of his signing of the nation’s only law giving gay partners the same legal rights as married couples. The loudest cheering, though, might come from Republicans. Dean, a former Vermont governor, is touting his signing of the civil unions law. His campaign is helping organize more than 50 fund-raisers at the homes of supporters across the country Saturday to celebrate the anniversary, with Dean making conference calls to the guests. Several of Dean’s rivals for the Democratic nomination also are speaking out in support of increased rights and acceptance of gays. But many Republicans say strong support for gays will backfire in the general election and help President Bush win more conservative and southern states.  Richard White, a Republican state senator from Mississippi, said any candidate talking about gay rights might as well not even visit his state.”  A quote from White: “The people down here, they are not going to put up with that kind of stuff.” (4/26/2003)

… The Clinton Herald yesterday reported that Dean “brought a strong message” and “a powerful keynote address” to the Clinton County Democrats Hall of Fame dinner Friday night. Based on the Herald’s coverage, it appeared to be Dean’s standard stump speech with some current themes mingled into the rhetoric. Some excerpts from Scott T. Holland’s coverage: “He also discussed failures of the current presidential administration and outlined a plan for successful reform in education, health care and economic development …Dean also criticized his fellow Democratic candidates. Presidential candidates serving in the United States Senate, Dean said, have moved too far to the right and are supporting the president with Capitol Hill votes …Invoking President Bill Clinton’s observation that Americans are inclined to vote for a candidate that is strong but wrong more than a weak but right entry, Dean began talking about a different kind of America, one that provides health care for its citizens and has integrity in its international economic policies.” (Iowa Pres Watch Note: Is this the start of Dean’s efforts to test out a new slogan? – “Howard Dean: Strong but Wrong.”) (4/27/2003)

… In Fairfield during second day of weekend IA visit, Dean told DSM Register’s Thomas Beaumont he will retain the support of anti-war Dems who rallied to his campaign. In weekend coverage – headline: “Dean: Lack of found weapons will haunt rivals” – he said congressional wannabes “who backed a resolution giving President Bush war-making power will lose credibility if the postwar cleanup in Iraq fails to uncover weapons of mass destruction.” A Dean quote from Beaumont’s coverage – “If they don’t find them [weapons], I think this administration’s credibility will be – not to mention the people running against me – will be severely undermined.” Another excerpt: “I’m willing to give them some more time to find the weapons. They (the administration) sure did claim they had them before.” And another Beaumont paragraph – “Dean has attracted attention among anti-war Democrats in Iowa, but supporters who came to hear him Saturday said their support extends beyond any single issue. Whether Dean broadens his support will be key to his Iowa caucus bid.” (4/28/2003)

… Donald Lambro reported in yesterday’s Washington Times – under the headline, “War gives Democrats ‘invisible primary’ – that the “Democratic presidential contest – so eclipsed by the U.S. war in Iraq that few Democrats can name any of their candidates – is being called the ‘invisible primary.’” Excerpts: “Interviews with Democratic officials confirmed that after several months of campaigning in the early primary states around the country, the contenders and their issues have received relatively little public attention on the national stage…There seems to be a growing consensus among party strategists who have not endorsed any of the candidates that Mr. Kerry is the clear front-runner, with Mr. Gephardt, Mr. Lieberman and former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean battling it out for second place. Despite having raised more money than any of his rivals, Mr. Edwards’ campaign has not caught on and his recognition remains in the low single digits in the early primary states of Iowa and New Hampshire.”  (4/29/2003)

… The on-going – and escalating – two-wannabe feud between Dean and Kerry moved to national defense issues yesterday after a Time magazine report quoted Dean as saying the U.S. should be planning for a time when its not the world’s greatest superpower. The Time article by Karen Tumulty quoted Dean as saying – while campaigning at a Stonyfield yogurt factory in New Hampshire two weeks ago – that: “We have to take a different approach [to diplomacy]. We won’t always have the strongest military.” That was enough to give Team Kerry an opening to go after Dean again – as the two New Englanders battle over New Hampshire primary voters. Associated Press coverage reported that Kerry’s campaign questioned Dean’s “capacity to lead the U.S. military in a sign of escalating tension” in the party’s race for the White House. Quad-City Times, in report by Ed Tibbetts this morning -- Kerry campaign spokesman Chris Lehane said: “Howard Dean’s stated belief that the United States won’t always have the strongest military raises serious questions about his capacity to serve as commander in chief. No serious candidate for the presidency has ever before suggested that he would compromise or tolerate an erosion of America’s military supremacy.” According to polls, the two wannabes are locked in a tight contest in New Hampshire – a state that borders their home states.(4/29/2003)

… Headline on poll in News & Observer of Raleigh online: “Uphill battle in his home state” which reported that Edwards would lose to GWB if the election were held now in North Carolina. The poll indicated that Bush would have a 58-39 win over Edwards. The News & Observer’s Washington correspondent, John Wagner, reported the “19-point margin is the largest since Edwards entered the race four months ago.” Wagner also wrote that the survey “showed a growing interest” in Dem wannabe Kerry among North Carolina voters. Edwards retained his home state dominance – 43% support for the Dem nomination, although that’s a drop from 51% in January. Kerry, on the other hand, had a 23% showing in the April poll – up 9% from the January sampling. All the other Democrats seeking the Dem nomination are in single digits in North Carolina – Lieberman 9%, Gephardt and Dean 7%, and Sharpton 6%. The rest did not even register 1% in the survey. (Iowa Pres Watch Note: Another possibility -- The North Carolina primary isn’t scheduled for more than a year – May 2004 – and Edwards and Kerry may be well-burnt political toast by then.)(4/29/2003)

… Speaking of New Hampshire, a political headline from yesterday’s Union Leader: “Dean sees war as defining campaign events” The report, however, was coverage of Dean’s three-day campaign swing through eastern Iowa during the weekend. AP’s Glover interviewed Dean in Tipton: “In recent weeks, Dean has gotten heavy attention because he’s been among the leading Democrats opposing President Bush’s Iraq policies. Some have argued that an early end to hostilities and a quick ousting of Saddam Hussein would discredit critics of the war. Dean rejected that argument. ‘People asked me in the beginning that if the war went well would my candidacy be hurt because I’ve done so well because of the war,’ he said. …Dean said his views separated him from the other top-tier Democrat candidates. ‘I think I’m personally separated from the other four folks, the leading contenders, by these issues.” (4/29/2003)

… During “winners and losers” segment on CNN’s “Judy Woodruff’s Inside Politics” yesterday on Dem candidate conduct during the Iraq war, political analyst and syndicated columnist Robert Novak named two war losers – Kerry and Dean, who are rapidly becoming the Odd Couple of the Dem campaign. He said Kerry, who “a few weeks before the war looked like the front-runner,” made a “mistake” when he compared regime change in Washington to regime change in Iraq. Novak said the “Democratic people” watching Kerry are wondering if he has a “tin ear” and added that Kerry’s “status is hurt.” Novak added, however, that Dean is “the biggest loser of the war, politically.” He said the Iraq war ended too early to benefit Dean’s antiwar theme, adding that Dean is in “bad political trouble. And even John Kerry is attacking him for suggesting we might not always have a strong military.”   (4/30/2003)

DC political newspaper, The Hill report said documents filed with the FEC show that during the first quarter  Edwards raised $4,000 in IA, Kerry raised $11,000, Dean raised $7,750 and “even Rep. Dennis Kucinich (Ohio) took in $1,711 from Iowa supporters.”(4/30/2003)

… Dean’s Debate Challenge – Under the title “Field Test,” The New Republic’s Ryan Lizza focuses on the upcoming Dem wannabe debate in Columbia, SC this weekend: “The first postwar question that the Columbia debate will help answer is whether or not Dean remains a force. Until now, Dean has been the darling of Democratic beauty contests, hamming it up and basking in the glow of liberal interest group cheers… But, unlike most of the recent Democratic events, the South Carolina debate will be hosted by ABC News rather than an interest group on the liberal edge of the party. There will be a lot less time for pandering and applause lines. Dean may also find South Carolina is a little outside his comfort zone. Unlike Iowa and New Hampshire, where Dean has spent most of his time campaigning, South Carolina has a Democratic electorate that is 40 per cent African American – not a natural constituency for the ex-Vermont governor. The state’s white electorate, meanwhile, is far more conservative than the young volunteers Dean has recruited from the college towns of Iowa City and Hanover. And there’s a huge population of veterans – the state has a dozen military bases – who are presumably more certain than Dean that Saddam’s overthrow is good news.” (Iowa Presidential Watch, 4/30/2003)

… Did he have a crystal ball? Even before the latest dustup between Dean and Kerry on their support for maintaining the nation’s military superiority this week (see yesterday’s morning report for more), Ryan Lizza – in his New Republic commentary – didn’t just focus on Dean’s upcoming South Carolina adventure, but also highlighted the potential Dean-Kerry clash. Lizza’s commentary: “The other candidates, especially Lieberman and Edwards, neither of whom is expected to win in Iowa or New Hampshire, seem delighted by the prospect of a titanic battle between Dean and Kerry. ‘Dean could slay Kerry for us,’ says an aide to a rival campaign. Without the burden of having to win in the two early states, both Edwards and Lieberman are elbowing for advantage in what might be called the February 3 strategy. That’s the first primary day after New Hampshire, and, while it originally was monopolized by South Carolina, now Arizona and Missouri are also scheduled for that day, with Oklahoma, New Mexico and Tennessee preparing to move there as well.”(4/30/2003)

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