|
 Howard
Dean
 excerpts
from
the Iowa Daily Report
June
2003
Headline
from this morning’s New Hampshire Sunday
News: “Dean says Kerry acting like
‘Dean Lite’ AP coverage says “Dean,
noting that rival John Kerry has more money
and higher name recognition in critical New
Hampshire, accused the Massachusetts senator
on Saturday of stealing ideas and trying to
steal his thunder. ‘I appreciate Senator
Kerry saying we don’t need Bush Lite,
and we don’t.’ Dean told about
1,000 people attending a forum on rural issues
in Lake Placid (NY). ‘But, Senator Kerry,
we don’t want Dean Lite either.’ Early
in the campaign for the Democratic nomination
to run against President Bush, Dean often
introduced himself as representing ‘the
Democratic wing of the Democratic Party.’ Dean
told reporters he had heard reports about Kerry’s
earlier speech to the forum for Democratic
Presidential contenders and about the
Massachusetts senator’s warning that Democrats
had to stop acting like Republicans. ‘I
heard he did a great job giving my speech,’
Dean said.”
(6/1/2003)
The
Union Leader’s senior political reporter,
John DiStaso, reported that, “It’s
becoming classic Howard Dean. In one
fell swoop yesterday, the former Vermont
governor took on both President George W. Bush
and his Democratic primary rivals. The
venue was a health care forum before a
friendly, campaign-invited audience at the
quaint Kimball-Jenkins Estate. Dean detailed
the $88 billion plan he unveiled several weeks
ago in New York City. He also targeted the
$330 billion Bush tax cut, which the
Republican President signed into law on
Wednesday, calling it ‘irresponsible’ and
the product of a ‘borrow and spent credit
card President.’… ’This president is
running the federal government the same way
Enron was run,’ he said. ‘Money is coming
out of the Social Security Trust Fund in order
to give tax cuts to people who don’t need
them.’ In an interview, Dean blasted
those Democratic U. S. Senators running for
President who voted for the Bush tax cut and
other Bush plans. ‘I find that
Democrats in this country are almost as angry
at the Democrats as they are at the Republican
Party,’ he said.” (6/1/2003)
DSM Register headline –
“Dean touts wiping out tax cuts…
The Democratic candidate changes his mind; he
now wants a complete rollback.” Coverage by
the Register’s Thomas Beaumont – “Democratic
presidential candidate Howard Dean now
supports rolling back all of President
Bush’s tax cuts after saying for months he
would keep in place some of the cuts enacted
since Bush took office. ‘I’ve always
said I will change my position if facts demand
it,’ Dean said Friday. All nine
Democratic presidential candidates say they
oppose the Bush tax cuts, but differ on how
far they are willing to go to freeze or
reverse tax cuts that already have taken
effect. By calling for the repeal of all
tax cuts enacted since Bush took office, Dean
joins U.S. Rep. Dick Gephardt of Missouri, who
took the position first among the Democratic
presidential candidates.” (6/1/2003)
And
that makes three U.S. voters – Bill, Hillary
and Howard – supporting Hillary for
president. Headline from The Union Leader
online: “Dean urges Hillary to run
someday” Associated Press in a report
from Lake Placid, where Dems met over the
weekend to discuss rural issues, said: “One
of the current contenders for next year’s
Democratic nomination for president said
Friday he would like to see New York Sen.
Hillary Clinton someday run for the White
House herself. ‘I think she would be a
great candidate,’ former Vermont Gov. Howard
Dean said in a telephone interview. ‘I
think she would be a great president.’”
The AP report said Hillary does “not
plan to run for president in 2004, but has not
ruled out a run in 2008 should President Bush
be re-elected next year.” Update:
Headline from this morning’s Washington Post
online: “Sen. Clinton Nixes 2004 White
House Run” Excerpt: “When Democratic
voters are asked which politician they want as
president, one name consistently appears at
the top – Hillary Rodham Clinton. But
the New York senator couldn’t make it any
clearer that she isn’t running for the White
House. At least not in 2004.” (6/1/2003)
The
Union Leader – under the headline “Dean:
President is a divider, not a uniter”
– reported on Dean’s appearance
Friday in Keene: “Blasting President Bush
won former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean plenty of
applause from Keene Democrats yesterday.
‘We’ve lost a lot,’ under Bush, Dean said.
‘We’re lost two and a half million jobs
under this President. But worst of all,
we’ve lost our sense of community. He ran
on uniting us, but he’s a divider, not a
uniter. He finds the worst in us, and then
exploits it to win. But I want to appeal to
the best of us. I want a different country. I
want my country back.’”(6/1/2003)
The
New York Times magazine – under the headline
“Dr. No and the Yes Men” – did an
extensive profile on Dean: “For
months, while his rivals looked on with a
mixture of growing contempt and sheer
incredulity, Howard Dean went off on the
Democratic Party. Energized by the
reception to his antiwar stance, Vermont’s
former governor ran around Iowa and New
Hampshire, pounding his Democratic rivals for
their total lack of backbone – not just
on the war but on tax cuts and education, too.
They would say whatever they had to say to get
elected, Dean said, and for that reason he
dubbed them, collectively, ‘Bush Lite.’ His
signature line, borrowed from the late Paul
Wellstone, an icon of the left, drew
thunderous applause from liberal activists.
‘I’m Howard Dean,’ he shouted,
‘and I’m here to represent the Democratic
wing of the Democratic Party!’ It was
like a coded message that beaten-down liberals
could understand viscerally: it was time for
Democrats to stop being afraid to act like
Democrats. Dean, a doctor who
barely registered in polls last fall, closed
in on John Kerry in New Hampshire, and in
Iowa, he was clearly the king of every beige
ballroom he entered…Howard Dean is
the guy who has dictated the theme of this
early campaign season. Once written off as
a little man from a little state, Dean has
expertly framed the 2004 nomination flight as
a choice between white-hot liberal rage on one
side and the room-temperature promise of
‘electability’ on the other. ‘Democrats
are furious at their own party,’ Dean says.
‘They feel like the party’s leaders have
taken a pass.’…The bad news for
Dean’s rivals, however, is that Democratic
protest candidates have proved very effective
at indelibly soiling whatever image the party
is trying to convey at the moment.” (6/2/2003)
Headline from
yesterday’s The Union Leader: “Howard Dean
talks to 330,000-strong Calif. Union” AP
report from Los Angeles – “Democratic
presidential hopeful Howard Dean warmed
up a crowd of California public school
teachers Sunday by brandishing his own
short-lived teaching credential. ‘I can
personally say that I am the only person
running for the presidency of the United
States that knows what it’s like to stand up
without being able to go to the bathroom for
five hours,’ Dean said to hearty
applause. Dean, 54, longtime Vermont
governor and medical doctor, said he taught
eighth-grade social studies for three months.
But that was before Dean reinvented himself
as a presidential candidate.” More
excerpts: “’I disagree with President Bush
on virtually every policy,’ Dean told some
800 delegates of the 330,000-member California
Teachers Association, which will endorse a
candidate…Speaking to the teachers, he
offered a lesson plan for winning back the
White House in 2004. ‘The only way that this
party will be able to win is to standup and
act like real Democrats,’ he exhorted the
crowd…He said using taxpayer money to
support private schools through vouchers is
‘the real agenda of the president,’ adding,
‘public schools are the last institution where
everybody gets to meet everybody in America.’”
(6/3/2003)
… Headline
from this morning’s The Union Leader: “Dean
to pitch health plan during ‘house calls’”
AP coverage, datelined DC, said that “Dean
will begin making ‘house calls’ at homes,
hospitals and workplaces to sell his health
care plan. Dean, a former Vermont
governor and physician, outlined his plan to
bring health care costs under control by
reducing the burden on doctors and the cost of
prescription drugs. The cost containment
ideas are part of Dean’s Healthy America
initiative, which he says will be the
centerpiece of his campaign. Another part
of the initiative is his $88 billion plan to
expand health insurance, which he announced
last month. Dean planned to discuss his
cost containment plan at a Wednesday night
commencement address at the Einstein College
of Medicine in New York, where he got his
medical degree in 1978. He also outlined it in
a conference call with reporters…Dean’s
house calls will begin next week with stops in
Texas, South Carolina and New Hampshire,
according to his campaign.” (6/5/2003)
…
Outspoken New York Attorney General Eliot
Spitzer said that Dean is an
“unelectable” Democratic candidate for
president. The Plattsburgh (N.Y.)
Press-Republican – under the headline, “Spitzer:
Dean unelectable…Vermonter lost chance
with dove stance, state AG says” – reported
that “in an interview with the
Press-Republican Editorial Board Thursday
afternoon, Spitzer said Dean will not win
the Democratic nomination to run for president
next year and that, even if he did, he could
not win the race. ‘The American people
will not elect somebody who opposed a war that
they supported,’ Spitzer said…Spitzer, one of
few Democrats who did support the war, said he
disagrees with Dean and that photos of
mass graves being dug up in Iraq prove his
point – and the point of many Americans. ‘I
do not support Dean, although I like him
enormously as a person. I would not support
somebody who was wrong on that fundamental
issue (war), and, secondly, because he is
unelectable. Howard Dean is unelectable…A
rising Democrat himself, Spitzer said he does
not see any one candidate taking the reins
just yet. “I don’t think there is any
resonance yet to the public at large, but I
don’t think the public has tuned in yet,
either,’ he said.” (6/7/2003)
… Update:
This morning’s The Union Leader online
headline – “Dean camp says war opposition
will help” AP coverage: “Former Vermont
Gov. Howard Dean’s opposition to the
war in Iraq will likely be validated by
history and should help – not hurt – his
presidential campaign, a spokesman said
Friday. ‘It’s becoming clearer every day that
the conventional wisdom of going to war with
Iraq may have been wrong,’ said Ethan Geto,
Dean’s New York campaign director. ‘We
are facing a possibly more unstable situation
in Iraq and throughout the Middle East, al-Qaida
is again on the warpath and American soldiers
are being killed almost every day in Iraq.’”(6/7/2003)
… Too good
to pass up. From CNN rough transcript of
Judy Woodruff’s interview on her “Page
Turners” segment yesterday with TIME
magazine’s Margaret Carlson. Woodruff asked
Carlson to put her “political hat” on, comment
on the nine wannabes and inquired about “what
kind of campaign are we in for?” Carlson’s
response: “At this point, it’s a bunch of
adolescents who really haven’t gotten to the
main
show yet, but they seem to be going after
each other in a very childish way. And
Howard Dean, who is a press favorite because
he’s the new anti-Washington person, he’s come
off badly in the first two big events, in that
he keeps scrapping with John Kerry in a way
that’s like, hey, you’re taking my baseball
bat and ball. Don’t you dare do that. And he
looks like Al Gore at his worst moments.
And I’m not sure Howard Dean, at this point,
is somebody we want in our living rooms every
night. And I think his star is fading.
John Kerry, who is the leader, looks
like the person who might be able to go up
against George Bush, having that Vietnam
experience, having all the money, having all
the hair, the teeth, the Kennedy look. The
money.” Carlson later noted, however, that
it’s “still very early.” By the way, Carlson –
the first female columnist in TIME’s history –
was on the CNN segment to promote her latest
book: “Anyone can Grow Up: How George Bush
and I made it to the White House.”
(6/7/2003)
Most news
organizations skipped standard coverage of
the “Take Back America” conference held in
DC late last week – in favor of general
stories about the growing divisions within
the Dem Party. Only a handful included
actual coverage (and quotes) by the Dem
wannabes, but Iowa Pres Watch has compiled
some of the coverage – and comments – from
the latest anti-GWB rally. Some of the
coverage and the wannabe’s comments:
DEAN
said: “I think the Democratic Party has
made a fundamental mistake in the last few
years thinking we are going to win by being
like Republicans. The way to get elected
in this country is not to be like the
Republicans, it’s to stand up against them
and fight.”…From the Los Angeles Times’ Ron
Brownstein: “Former Vermont Gov. Howard
Dean roused the left-leaning crowd with a
call to arms against centrist Democrats.”
(6/8/2003)
… Dems spend Sunday
afternoon bashing Bush at Guv Vilsack’s
family picnic in Mount Pleasant.
Excerpts from this morning’s coverage: …Dean,
sounding like a Watergate-era wannabe, raised
“questions about whether Bush withheld
information from Congress: ‘The question
now is going to become – What did the
president know, and when did he know it?’” (6/9/2003)
… Sidebar
from Mount Pleasant wannabe roundup.
Thomas Beaumont, in a sidebar in yesterday’s
Register, wrote: “Of the four Democratic
presidential candidates who attended
Vilsack’s picnic Sunday, only former
Vermont Gov. Howard Dean was among those
Vilsack placed in the top tier during an
interview he gave last month.” Gephardt
and Kerry were the others on the
guv’s top-tier list. Here, according to
Beaumont, is what the other three at the
Vilsack picnic said about the governor’s
observations: Graham: “We’re not
striving to reach the top tier. We’re striving
to reach No. 1.” Kucinich: “My emerging
campaign is going to be a comfort to the
governor.” Lieberman: “In Iowa, it’s
all about exceeding expectations. I told
Governor Vilsack, ‘Thank you for being so
generous.’”(6/10/2003)
… Deep In
the Heart Of Vermont? Under the headline “Presidential
hopeful rallies backers in Austin,” the
Austin American-Statesman’s Gary Susswein
reported yesterday that “Democratic
presidential hopeful Howard Dean hails from a
state that’s about as un-Texan as you can get.
Vermont is tiny. Vermont is cold. Vermonters
send a self-described socialist to Congress
every two years and talk French along the
border. But Dean swung through
Austin on Monday to convince voters that the
two states – and the whole country, for that
matter – need many of the same things, such as
fiscal responsibility and universal health
coverage. And that he’s the man who can help
bring them about. ‘My message is balance the
budget. My message is health insurance for
every American. I don’t see why that won’t
play here,’ the physician and former Vermont
governor said before speaking to about 200
members of the Austin literati at the home of
Texas Monthly Editor Evan Smith. ‘My message
is jobs. I think that’s a very reasonable
message.’ George W. Bush’s Texas might seem
like enemy territory for the man who legalized
gay civil unions in his state and for
any other Democratic candidates. But the state
still offers enough Democratic Convention
delegates (about 250 out of the 2,200 needed
to land the nomination) and enough money to
make it a must-visit state. Dean
said he hoped to raise $50,000 during his
half-day stop in Austin, which also included a
private fund-raiser and a public rally at
Plaza Saltillo in East Austin. The rally
attracted about 3,000 people, according to
organizers, which is unusually large for so
early in the campaign. And he wasn’t shy about
taking on the president in his back yard or
blasting the war in Iraq, deficit spending and
the latest round of Bush-backed tax cuts.”
(6/11/2003)
… New
Hampshire Notes: The Union Leader headline
this morning – “Dean making NH ‘house
calls’ this week” Report says “Dean,
capitalizing on the fact that he is not only
the former governor of Vermont, but also a
medical doctor, is touting his credentials in
a number of campaign ‘House Calls’ in New
Hampshire. Throughout the campaign and across
the country, Dean will be making house
calls to talk with families and health care
professionals about the problems they are
experiencing the health care system, his
proposed solutions, and his vision for the
nation’s health care…The Union Leader also
reports this morning that Gephardt is
due in NH tomorrow. Visit includes health care
roundtables in Manchester and Portsmouth…More
from today’s Union Leader – Dennis Murphy,
former executive director of the NH’s National
Education Association, yesterday endorsed
Dean. Excerpt says Murphy “cited Dean’s
firm stance against President George W. Bush’s
‘No Child Left Behind’ mandate, which Dean
maintains will increase property taxes and
decrease local control of education.” (6/11/2003)
… Under the
headline “Dean goes casual to tout health
plan” The Union Leader report from
Newmarket said: “Presidential hopeful Howard
Dean wore running shoes and a business
suit yesterday to run around the state
presenting his universal health care plan.
Dean, who said he
forgot his dress shoes
in Vermont, told workers at the
Lamprey Health Center his $88.3 billion health
care plan would give people access to the same
coverage as members of Congress. The
physician said his plan would help all
Americans to buy into the same health care
plan available to federal employees.”(6/13/2003)
… Dean to
be first to pull trigger on TV ad blitz.
Headline from Boston Globe online – “Democratic
candidate buys first ads of presidential
campaigns” Headline from this morning’s
The Union Leader: “Dean to begin running
political ads in Iowa” Coverage by AP
political ace Ron Fournier – “Breaking the
political ice, Democratic presidential
candidate Howard Dean will air the first ad of
the 2004 presidential campaign next week,
party officials said Friday. The 30-second ad,
scheduled to run in most Iowa markets
beginning Tuesday and ending July 2, will cost
the campaign more than $300,000, according to
Democratic officials who spoke on the
condition of anonymity. It is an unusually
large ad campaign for this early in the
election cycle, a risky move for a
little-known, low-financed candidate trying to
seize the initiative. The ad features the
former Vermont governor looking into the
camera while he delivers an unabridged version
of his stump speech, including criticism of
President Bush’s foreign policies, a brief
description of his health care plan and his
assessment that the Democratic Party has
abandoned its traditional values, officials
said. The ad campaign coincides with Dean’s
formal announcement of his candidacy June 23
in Burlington, Vt. Both the ad and the
announcement are designed to create a sense of
momentum and help raise money before the
year’s second fund-raising period ends June 30…
The broadcast purchase is large enough to
ensure that the average Iowan will see Dean’s
ad nine times a week through July 2, officials
said, adding that the campaign may pour more
into the buy in the next two weeks. The
$300,000 is more than 10 percent on the $2.5
million he is allowed to spend in Iowa under
rules for candidates such as Dean who
plan to take public financing for the
primary.” (6/14/2003)
… Milwaukee
Journal Sentinel reports that Dem wannabes and
the DNC unhappy with Wisconsin straw poll.
Headline: “Democratic candidates voice
displeasure with straw poll” Excerpts from
report by Craig Gilbert from the WI Dem state
convention in Milwaukee in yesterday’s
Journal-Sentinel: “The straw poll of
convention delegates is the first of its kind
in the race for president, but it has drawn
the official disapproval of the Democratic
National Committee. The committee and the
party’s nine White House hopefuls signed a
letter to Wisconsin delegates, saying straw
polls are ‘potentially divisive’ and play into
a ‘media-dominated horserace culture.’
State Democratic Chairwoman Linda Honold said
past straw polls have been poor indicators…
The poll is being done by the Hotline daily
political bulletin, based in Washington, D.
C., and Wispolitics.com, a political Web site
based in Madison. Hotline editor Vaughn
Ververs called the committee’s letter ‘a
little silly,’ saying the poll isn’t meant
to predict the outcome of the state’s Feb. 17
presidential primary. ‘It’s a good feeling for
who’s spurring the grassroots, and it brings
attention to the state,’ Ververs said…In an
interview Friday, former Vermont Gov. Howard
Dean said the committee urged candidates not
to talk about the straw poll when they address
delegates. Dean is one of the candidates
appearing here. ‘We don’t generally
participate in straw polls,’ Dean said.
‘They take a lot of resources, and they don’t
mean much.’ Some delegates said Friday they
would shun the straw poll, citing the party’s
formal disapproval.’”(6/15/2003)
… Report from
yesterday’s Madison (Wis.) Capital Times –
headline, “Democrat stars come out…State
convention draws Kerry, Dean” – includes
an account of Kerry’s Harley ride in
Milwaukee. Aaron Nathans reports: “It
wasn’t George W. Bush’s ‘top gun’ landing on
an aircraft carrier, but U. S. Sen. John
Kerry’s Harley ride along Lake Michigan had
the Democratic presidential candidate looking
like ‘the Terminator.’ After giving a
speech before a few dozen veterans, Kerry,
of Massachusetts, stepped onto a borrowed
black and chrome Harley. ‘It’s cool out here,
I’m going to put a jacket on,’ Kerry
said, finding a good excuse on the
generally warm day to zip up his leather
bomber jacket. He donned shades, and
chatted with a campaign advance man who
shouted ‘Go!’ His caravan was preceded by
a top-down convertible with a camera crew.
Contrast that scene with the arrival of Howard
Dean, the former Vermont governor who is one
of Kerry’s rivals for the presidential
nomination. Dean waded into a sea
of several hundred supporters as a stereo
blared the Elvis remix of ‘A Little Less
Conversation.’ Stepping up to the podium,
Dean gave a rousing speech touching on the
price of U. S. imperialism and Republican tax
cuts. ‘You have the power to take this
country back!’ he shouted several times,
before grabbing the American flag behind him,
pole and all, and holding it behind his head.
‘This flag belongs to everyone,’ Dean
said. He and Kerry were the two
front-running candidates who paid a visit to
the Democratic State Convention Friday.
Also, there were fellow candidates Dennis
Kucinich and Al Sharpton, as well as all
of the state’s top Democrats except U. S. Sen.
Herb Kohl.” (6/15/2003)
… On
Wisconsin…Dem hopefuls, convention delegates
share new experience in Milwaukee. The
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Steve Walters – a
former IA political reporter – reports in
yesterday’s edition about the Dem state
convention. Excerpts: “Introducing
themselves to Wisconsin Democrats adjusting to
their new role of helping to pick their
party’s candidate against President Bush,
three Democratic presidential hopefuls railed
Friday against Bush’s foreign and domestic
policies… ’Saddam Hussein did not present
a danger to the United States,’ insisted
Dean, the former five-term Vermont
governor and a physician. Dean said Bush
wrongly led the nation to war in Iraq and now
it ‘can’t leave.’ The United Nations and
NATO should be asked to help America devise a
strategy to leave Iraq, he added…(6/15/2003)
… Although the
Pres Watch Morning report previously has noted
that Dean will start a TV blitz in Iowa
this week, the coverage goes on -- Headline in
this morning’s The Union Leader says, “Dean
taking message to TV screens in Iowa”
Coverage by Iowa AP’s caucus-watcher Mike
Glover: “Former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean
said he’s ‘throwing down a marker’
with a $300,000 television ad campaign
designed to set himself apart from the field
of Democratic presidential candidates. ‘I
think we’ve got a powerful message for Iowans,’
Dean said. ‘They need to hear it.’
Dean launches the first television
commercials of the presidential election cycle
Tuesday when he begins airing spots in
virtually all television markets in Iowa,
where precinct caucuses in January will launch
the presidential nominating season. The
commercials are straightforward and feature
Dean giving a condensed version of his
stump speech speaking directly into the
camera. Both President Bush and other
Democrats come in for criticism from Dean, who
has introduced himself around the country as
the candidate who represents ‘the Democratic
wing of the Democratic Party.’ In the ads,
he finds fault in what he sees as reticence of
other candidates to follow the party’s
traditional principles. Dean was making
those same points Saturday during campaign
stops in Iowa. ‘My message is very clear:
Democrats need to stand up and be proud to be
Democrats again,’ he said.”
(6/16/2003)
… “Dean
calls Graham lower-tier candidate” –
headline from this morning’s The Union Leader.
A report from Bedford, NH, says: “Former
Vermont Gov. Howard Dean said Monday he
regretted making a disparaging remark about
Democratic presidential rival Bob Graham’s
chances in the race for the White House.
Earlier in the day, Dean said at a
business leaders luncheon he is the only
major Democratic presidential hopeful with
experience appointing judges. Asked about
the approach he would use in appointing
justices to the U.S. Supreme Court, Dean
said, ‘I’m actually the only major candidate
who’s appointed a judge, and I do not believe
in litmus tests, although I do believe in
upholding the Constitution.’ Asked later
whether he misspoke, given that Graham
appointed judges as governor of Florida, Dean
said he doesn’t consider Graham a major
candidate. ‘Bob Graham is a
wonderful, decent human being, but at this
time he’s in single digits in all the states
you can’t be in single digits in,’ he said. ‘I
have enormous respect for Bob Graham, but
at this point he’s not one of the top-tier
candidates, I think that’s widely recognized.’
He added, “That’s not to say he couldn’t get
to be one.’ Later in a phone call to The
Associated Press, Dean apologized…’I’m
not sure why Dr. Dean thinks it’s in his
interest to pick fights with other Democratic
candidates, but he underestimates the former
governor of the fourth largest state at his
own peril,’ said Graham spokesman Jamal
Simmons. ‘With all due respect, Bob Graham
created twice as many jobs when he was
governor of Florida than there are people in
the state of Vermont.”(6/17/2003)
… New
Hampshire headline: “Dean: Gay rights
should be federal law” The Union Leader’s
senior political reporter John DiStaso
yesterday reported: “The federal government
should recognize gay and lesbian civil unions
by providing domestic partners with the same
rights and responsibilities afforded married
heterosexual couples, Democratic Presidential
hopeful Howard Dean said yesterday. In
2000, then-Vermont Gov. Dean signed
what is still the nation’s only civil unions
law. He predicted yesterday other states
will soon follow and said he’d carry his same
support for gay rights to the Oval Office…Dean
said the federal government does not have
a right to force states to recognize gay
marriages or civil unions. He said he has no
intention of proposing such a federal law.
But he said he would ‘ask Congress to
federally recognize civil unions or other
arrangements that states approve of.’ He
said Vermont’s civil unions law provided
‘about 325 rights’ to gays and lesbian
partners, but he said there are about 1,500
federal rights ‘you can only get if you get
married…I believe that everyone ought to be
equal under the law.’”(6/18/2003)
… Des Moines
Register columnist David Yepsen writes this
morning that
Dean
could be
this year’s Jimmy Carter – the unknown
governor who almost lived in Iowa in the
mid-70s and became president. Excerpts: “Like
Carter, Dean has worked himself into a
position where he could actually win the Iowa
caucuses. A Dean win? And upset of
front-runners Richard Gephardt and John
Kerry? Early polling in Iowa shows
Dean in third place and closing on those
rivals. No other candidate shows his kind
of forward motion. Polls show Dean
has come further in Iowa than any of his
rivals…Dean is also organizing gays and
lesbians, folks he energized when he signed a
bill authorizing civil unions in Vermont.
While Iowa’s gay and lesbian community may not
be all that large – Iowa has a way of running
off gays and lesbians – they will be a
factor in the precinct caucus fight where a
few hundred votes can make a difference.”(6/19/2003)
… Headline
from yesterday’s Daily Iowan (University of
Iowa): “Dean
demands probe of Bush”
Report by AP’s Iowa guy, Mike Glover,
datelined
Atlantic:
“Former
Vermont Gov. Howard Dean called Tuesday for an
independent probe of President Bush's
justification for launching an attack on Iraq,
arguing that Bush misled the country and
Congress can't be trusted to
find
the
truth.
‘I think the president owes this country an
explanation because what the president said
was not entirely truthful, and he needs to
explain why that was,’ said
Dean
in an interview with the Associated Press. He
pointed to a series of assertions made by
administration figures about the presence of
weapons of mass destruction in Iraq and the
danger that regime posed - claims, he said,
that were made knowing they weren't true. ‘We
need a thorough look at what really happened
going into Iraq,’ Dean said.
‘It appears to me that what the president did
was make a decision to go into Iraq sometime
in early 2002, or maybe even late 2001, and
then try to get the justification afterward.’
In
the interview, Dean argued that a Republican
Congress has not shown the will to challenge a
popular GOP president, and he said an
independent inquiry is needed. ‘No one is
going to trust a right-wing Congress to do
this,’ said Dean.
He was vague on how an independent inquiry
would be structured. ‘It's not clear to me;
the special-prosecutor statute has expired,’
he said.” (6/19/2003)
…
Aggressive
Internet campaign nets Dean over $1M this year.
A report by Todd Dorman in yesterday’s
Quad-City Times reported: “ As he hit Iowa’s
highways and TV airwaves Tuesday, Democratic
presidential hopeful Howard
Dean
said his aggressive Internet campaign push has
raised more than $1 million this year while
also helping attract thousands of volunteers
nationwide. ‘The difference between me and
the other Democratic candidates is they’re
using the traditional strategy of trying to
straddle an ever-smaller electorate,’ he
said while campaigning in western Iowa. He
also launched the first TV ads of the 2004
caucus campaign Tuesday. ‘What we’re
interested in doing is expanding that
electorate,’ said Dean, the former
governor of Vermont. ‘I think our strategy is
the only one that can beat George Bush.’
Dean’s campaign has used its Internet
presence as a rallying point for the creation
of small “Meetup” groups across the country.
So far, according to the campaign, more 34,000
people have joined the groups, creating an
unpaid legion of campaign supporters in many
states where Dean has no paid staff or
organization on the ground. Nearly 200 signed
up on Tuesday alone. Meetup groups gather
monthly to plan events, recruit supporters,
mount public service projects or plot other
strategies to help the campaign. More than
300 Iowans have signed up to join Meetup
groups, according to campaign staff.”(6/19/2003)
From the
Drudge Report:
Headline –
“Strength
of Dean Campaign Beginning To Concern
Congressional Dems”
The Drudge Report
yesterday said:
-
“Democratic
strategists have begun to express concern
about what they say is the
potentially
negative effect the former Vermont governor
could have on Senate and House races if he
becomes the party's nominee,’
ROLL CALL is reporting in Thursday's
edition.
-
"This line of
criticism underscores an approach to the
campaign Dean has employed to great effect
thus far, pitching himself as a
straight-talking outsider who will challenge
the political orthodoxy of the
inside-the-Beltway Democratic
establishment." Of most concern:
-
"Dean's
outspoken opposition to the war in Iraq and
his call for a complete rollback of
President Bush's tax cuts, positions that
some strategists argue makes him
unattractive - even potentially alienating -
to swing voters needed to win competitive
House and Senate seats."
-
"If Dean is the
nominee it will make 1972 look competitive,"
a Democratic strategist not "aligned with
any of the presidential campaigns" told the
newspaper. "Members and candidates in
marginal seats will be running for the
hills."
"The
growing momentum of the Dean campaign,
coupled with the geography of the
anticipated House and Senate playing field
in 2004, have set off alarm bells among many
strategists and consultants who closely
monitor these races."
-
In the Senate,
Democrats "need to pick up only three seats
in order to retake control of the chamber,
but many of their potential vulnerabilities
come in the South and other traditionally
conservative states where Dean's generally
liberal approach - especially on Iraq - to
the campaign thus far may not sell."
-
On the House
side, "there is little debate among party
insiders that the presence of Dean atop the
ticket would mean a struggle to stay within
striking distance of Republicans in 2004.”
(6/20/2003)
… Morning headlines: From the Des Moines
Register – “Dean cancels Iowa visit” &
From The Union Leader – “Dean’s son charged
with booze burglary” Associated Press
coverage from Montpelier, VT.: “Democratic
presidential candidate Howard Dean said Friday
that his 17-year-old son was cited in the
burglary of a Vermont country club with four
teenagers searching for liquor. Dean,
who canceled several campaign appearances,
said his son, Paul, and teammates on the high
school hockey team apparently were discovered
early Friday morning at the Burlington Country
Club by a police officer on routine patrol.
Dean said it was his understanding that
his son would be charged as an accessory. ‘Children
do stupid things and this is one of them,’
Dean said in a telephone interview with
The Associated Press from a Minnesota airport
where he was awaiting a flight back to
Vermont. ‘I'm cutting short my next two
days on the campaign trail to deal with a
family problem that I consider to be a serious
problem,’ he said. The exact circumstances
of the incident were not immediately clear…Dean
said it was his understanding a police
statement would be released; he encouraged
police to do so. The Democratic candidate and
former Vermont governor had been scheduled to
appear before a Democratic meeting in St.
Paul, Minn., and an event in Iowa on
Saturday.”(6/21/2003)
… Headline from yesterday’s The Union Leader:
“Ben & Jerry’s marks Dean campaign kickoff”
The AP dispatch
from Montpelier, Vt., reported that “Ben &
Jerry’s will be selling a special sundae on
Monday to honor former Gov. Howard Dean’s
formal kickoff of his presidential campaign.
The ‘Maple Powered Howard’ Sundae will be
sold in Ben & Jerry’s six company-owned stores
only on Monday
to coincide with Dean’s announcement in
downtown Burlington…The
concoction will consist of vanilla ice cream
topped with hot maple syrup, maple-flavored
whipped cream and walnuts. It will sell for
$3.”…Another headline from yesterday’s The
Union Leader: “Dean to make run official on
Monday” AP report – datelined from Des
Moines – by caucus coverage specialist
Mike Glover: “Former Vermont Gov. Howard
Dean will use Monday’s formal candidacy
announcement to broaden a campaign that’s
surprised many by moving into the top tier,
aides said yesterday. ‘Now, it’s time to tell
the whole story,’ said campaign manager Joe
Trippi. In addition, Trippi said campaign
aides are using the formal announcement as an
organizing tool, putting together 600 meetings
around the state that could lure up to 20,000
people. ‘It will be taking place throughout
the country,’ said Trippi. Dean, who
stepped down as governor this year, has been
campaigning for the Democratic Presidential
nomination for more than a year. He plans to
formally announce his campaign Monday in
Burlington, Vt. Dean, who is a
physician, initially entered the race because
of worries about the nation’s health care
system. ‘At that time he said he was entering
the race predominantly driven by his belief
that the country needed to do something about
health care,’ said Trippi. When conflict
with Iraq broke out, Dean was among the most
vocal of the Democratic contenders in opposing
the conflict. Trippi argued that as the
campaign has unfolded, it has become broader
than some of the specific issues that Dean has
taken on, and he wants to use the heavy
attention given his formal announcement to
make that point.”(6/21/2003)
… from yesterday’s “Chuck Muth’s
News & Views” online newsletter:
Subhead: “Go Dean, Go!” -- "'If
(Howard) Dean is the (Democrat) nominee it
will make 1972 look competitive,' said one
Democratic strategist not aligned with any of
the presidential campaigns, referring to the
resounding defeat of Sen. George McGovern
(D-SD) by President Richard Nixon. 'Members
and candidates in marginal seats will be
running for the hills.'" - Chris Cillizza,
Roll Call, 6/19/03. (6/21/2003)
… Can’t the
wannabes be trusted to play fair? Charges of
vote-rigging already plague Dem Internet
presidential primary. Headline from
Friday’s The Union Leader online that was
saved for today’s most-read update – “Internet
presidential primary set for next week,” which
is now this week. Report by AP’s
Nedra Pickler: “More than a million
Internet users will be invited to vote in a
virtual Democratic primary [this] week, but
this most modern of elections is facing
age-old allegations of vote-rigging. Howard
Dean, who has built an extensive network of
Internet-savvy supporters, is expected to get
the most votes in the MoveOn.org primary.
Organizers of the site say any advantage for
the former Vermont governor is due to his
appeal among their members, and not any
misdeeds in their process or because one of
their employees worked on his campaign.
The primary begins Tuesday and voting runs for
48 hours. If one candidate gets more
than 50 percent, MoveOn.org will endorse the
campaign and ask its 1.4 million members to
donate. Last year, MoveOn.org members
contributed $4.1 million to the congressional
candidates highlighted on the site, said Wes
Boyd, one of two former Silicon Valley
entrepreneurs who started it five years ago.
The Democratic presidential campaigns have
sent e-mail messages to their supporters,
asking them to register at MoveOn.org and vote.
Officials in Dick Gephardt's campaign
said they were surprised when their supporters
who registered got an e-mail encouraging them
to vote for Dean. Gephardt's team
considered pulling out of the primary but
decided to stay in with reservations. ‘We
are not going to change our participation at
this point, but we are concerned that the
process seems to be rigged,’ said Erik Smith,
a spokesman for the presidential campaign of
the Missouri lawmaker. ‘We think there is a
legitimate role for MoveOn to organize
grass-roots support for candidates, but we are
worried that it appears they are playing
favorites.’ Boyd said everyone registered on
the site got the Dean e-mail Wednesday
because he finished in the top three in a poll
conducted by the campaign last month. The
other top finishers also got to send a message
- Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry's was
sent Thursday; Ohio Rep. Dennis Kucinich
[was scheduled to] send his Friday. Other
campaigns have written pitches that are posted
on MoveOn.org, but not e-mailed to its
members. The messages are a reward for
finishing at the top of the poll, and the
other campaigns were told that they would be
sent in a memo describing the endorsement
process, Boyd said. ‘You want to give
everyone a soap box, but different size soap
boxes in a sense,’ Boyd said.”(6/22/2003)
…
Minneapolis Wannabe Roundup: In addition
to the general coverage (above), the Star
Tribune also posted online summaries of the
comments by the respective wannabes. The
summary headlines follow: “Howard Dean: Not
willing to concede issues to GOP…Dick
Gephardt: He’d shift from tax cutting to
health-care funding…John Kerry: Not
willing to take back seat on patriotism…Dennis
Kucinich: One of first to step up against
Iraq resolution…Joe Lieberman: Wants
another shot at Bush…Rev. Al Sharpton:
Brings levity along with passion”
(6/22/2003)
…
Dean vs. Kerry, Round 115½: Headline
from yesterday’s The Union Leader: “Stolid
Kerry tries to ignore dynamic Dean” AP
political ace Ron Fournier files report from
Lebanon, NH: “Try as he might to focus
solely on President Bush, highlight his own
record of valor in Vietnam and polish his
prose, Democratic presidential candidate John
Kerry can't escape his closest rival in the
first primary state. Howard Dean's anti-war,
Internet-driven insurgent campaign is a
constant challenge for the New Hampshire
front-runner. At times, the battle between
the two has been personal; Kerry has
tried to move forward -- with limited success.
Consider this encounter with a Kerry
supporter. Bill Hayes chases the Massachusetts
senator down a ribbon of pavement at Colburn
Park, his blue "Kerry" sticker wet with
sweat. ‘Let me tell you about Howard Dean,’
the middle-aged Hayes tells Kerry as he
catches up. ‘He's arrogant. He's got a
temper. And he's too opinionated.’ The
senator chuckles, nods his head and says,
‘We've seen it all.’ It is a glancing blow
against Dean -- one off-the-cuff joke in two
days of stump speeches -- but Kerry realizes
the crack is not part of his campaign message
and, thus, he quickly retreats. ‘I'm
focused on George Bush,’ he tells Hayes, his
hand on the man's shoulder. ‘I want you to
focus on him, too.’ Kerry's strategy
is to use his service in Vietnam to neutralize
Bush's biggest advantage -- his stewardship of
the war on terrorism -- and expose the
president's main vulnerability -- the weak
economy. Kerry did not mention Dean again in
public -- except to express regret for
mentioning him at all.” (6/22/2003)
…
Best headline of the morning from today’s
Washington Post -- “Duh News: This Man
is Now a Candidate” The Post – apparently
– can’t resist opportunity to ridicule Dean.
Report by Mark Leibovich: “Howard
Dean is running for president, The Washington
Post has learned. The former Vermont governor
will announce his candidacy for the Democratic
nomination today in his home town of
Burlington.
In addition, The Post has learned that Dean
has in fact been running for president for
more than a year. This finding is based on
numerous statements from Dean, including ‘I'm
running for president,’ ‘I want to be
president,’ ‘I intend to be the nominee of
this party’ and ‘I'm going to beat George
Bush.’ Dean has made these statements at
gatherings that closely resemble campaign
events, dozens of which occurred in Iowa and
New Hampshire. But despite appearances,
Dean has not been running for president,
says Courtney O'Donnell, a spokeswoman for the
former governor. Rather, ‘he's been having
a dialogue with the American people,’ says
O'Donnell, one of about 70 staffers who have
been hired to help Dean have his dialogue with
the American people. She confirms that
Dean plans to formally announce his
candidacy today. Now that that's cleared
up, we will stop picking on Howard Dean.
He is merely engaging in the timeworn ritual
of candidates who are obviously running for
president making a formal announcement that
they are ‘officially’ running for president --
and getting massive attention for it. Close
to 80 members of the media are expected to be
in Burlington today to get ‘news’ of Dean's
candidacy firsthand.”
(6/23/2003)
… Headline from this morning’s The Union
Leader online: “Dean says son will face
consequences of arrest” AP report from
Burlington, VT: “Former Gov. Howard Dean
says his son Paul will have to face the
consequences of his arrest last week on
burglary charges. Speaking on the NBC News
program Meet the Press, Dean, who is
running for president, said that children
sometimes do foolish things. ‘He is going
to have to pay the price,’ Howard Dean
said. ‘If you do things and make mistakes
you have to pay the price.’ The
17-year-old Paul Dean was cited into
court early Friday as part of a group of
teenagers who were caught trying to steal beer
from the Burlington Country Club. Candidate
Dean cut short a campaign trip to the West
Coast to return to Burlington to be with his
family. Dean said it was a difficult
weekend for his family. Dean said his
son would be held accountable for his actions.
‘He's going to have to go through the judicial
system and they are going to figure out what
to do about him and his friends,’ Dean
said. Meanwhile, Dean is still planning
to hold his formal campaign kickoff on Monday
in Burlington.”
(Iowa Pres Watch Note: Save this item for
future reference – for discussion of the
educational system in Vermont in case Dean,
a former VT guv, becomes the Dem nominee. The
above account says Dean cut short a
“trip to the West Coast” to return to Vermont.
Dean was in Minneapolis-St. Paul when
he decided to return home – and headed for the
Newton forum in IA. It appears that in
Vermont they believe the folks in Council
Bluffs and Sioux City spend their
time watching for high-tide warnings.)
(6/23/2003)
… On day
Dean officially announces his candidacy, New
Hampshire poll shows he’s already dropped
behind Kerry by 9 points. Headline from
the Concord Monitor online: “Kerry leads
Democratic candidates…Poll: Dean
running second; state’s voters prefer Bush”
Report by the Monitor’s Daniel Barrick:
“The latest Monitor poll has good news for
Sen. John Kerry – but even better news for
President Bush. Kerry, a
Massachusetts senator, has increased his lead
over the field of Democrats running for the
2004 presidential nomination, according to the
poll. All the Democrats, however, lag far
behind the president in potential match-ups.
Kerry was the choice of 30 percent of the
likely New Hampshire Democratic primary voters
surveyed. Former Vermont governor Howard
Dean was next, at 21 percent. The two New
Englanders have shared the lead for much of
the race. But the Monitor poll echoes the
results of other recent surveys that have
found Kerry widening his lead. Rep.
Dick Gephardt of Missouri (11 percent)
and Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut
(10 percent) followed in third and fourth
place. The poll also matched the four top
Democrats against Bush in head-to-head races.
A mix of 600 Republican, Democratic and
independent voters were asked which candidate
they would choose in a general election.
Bush defeated each of the Democrats by similar
double-digit margins. Bush polled between
57 and 59 percent in each hypothetical race
while the Democrats polled between 28 and 32
percent. Lieberman fared the best against the
president, winning 32 percent. The Democratic
primary poll, which questioned 400 likely
voters between Tuesday and Thursday, was
conducted by Research 2000 of Rockville, Md.…Of
the remaining candidates, Sen. John Edwards of
North Carolina was the choice of 3 percent,
Sen. Bob Graham of Florida and retired general
Wesley Clark each took 2 percent, and the Rev.
Al Sharpton, former Illinois senator Carol
Moseley-Braun and Ohio Rep. Dennis Kucinich
were at 1 percent each.” The polls margin
of error is plus or minus 5 percentage points.
(6/24/2003)
… Under the
subhead “Targeting Dean,” Greg Pierce
reports today in his “Inside Politics” in the
Washington Times: “Gun-control advocates
yesterday taunted presidential candidate
Howard Dean, calling him an extremist and not
their kind of Democrat. ‘Former Vermont
Governor Dean says he's from the
Democrat wing of the Democratic party. As
far as gun-safety advocates are concerned,
give us a Democrat from some other wing of the
Democratic Party, please,’ the Brady
Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence said in a
press release. Mr. Dean believes that
gun laws should not be a federal issue;
individual states should determine what, if
any, restrictions to impose.
‘Perhaps Dean
will have success in convincing criminals to
promise not to carry their guns across state
lines, and convincing gun traffickers not to
buy or sell them across state lines.
Governor, guns cross state borders. Maybe
it's you who should stay at the state level,’
the Brady group said. Said Mary Leigh Blek,
president emeritus of the Million Mom March: ‘Hey,
Howard: We don't need a pro-NRA president.
We've already got one. Americans who care
about getting guns off our streets need to
know there is virtually no difference between
Governor Dean and President Bush.’
The Brady Campaign to
Prevent Gun Violence, united with the Million
Mom March, said: ‘An e-mail alert will go out
to all Brady members nationwide today,
educating them about Dean's wrongheaded
view of gun-safety policy, and advocates of
reasonable gun-safety laws will be encouraged
to attend Governor Dean's campaign
appearances and tell supporters about his
extreme views on gun issues.’” (6/24/2003)
…
Breaking News: Dean announces he will run
for Dem presidential nomination –and Iowans
thought he was just hanging around the state
to become the first non-politician to visit
all 99 counties. Headline from today’s
Boston Herald online: “Dean formally
announces candidacy, redefines presidential
campaign” AP coverage from Burlington, VT:
“Democratic presidential hopeful Howard
Dean sought to redefine and broaden his
liberal, anti-war campaign in formally
announcing his candidacy Monday, telling
disenchanted American voters, ‘You have the
power!’ to oust President Bush and rid
Washington of special interests. With at least
2,500 supporters crammed into a brick-lined
town square, the steeple of a Unitarian church
behind him, the former Vermont governor
pledged to speak ‘for a new American century
and a new generation of Americans.’ Dean
pledged to fight conservative Republicans,
docile Democrats and the rest of the
Washington establishment - all of whom he
holds responsible for turning Americans away
from the political system. ‘You have the
power to take our country back!’ he shouted.
‘You have the power! You have the power! You
have the power!’ He accused Bush of
dividing Americans, creating a ‘chain of
insurmountable debt’ and promoting tax cuts
‘designed to destroy Social Security,
Medicare, our public schools and our public
services through starvation and privatization.’
The president's foreign policies, Dean
argued, have alienated allies much like the
ancient Roman empire once did. ‘Every American
president must and will take up arms in the
defense of our nation. It is a solemn oath
that cannot and will not be compromised,’ said
Dean, knowing he faces questions about
his lack of foreign policy experience. ‘But
there is a fundamental difference between the
defense of our nation and the doctrine of
pre-emptive war espoused by this
administration,’ Dean said. ‘The
president's group of narrow-minded ideological
advisers are undermining our nation's
greatness in the world.’ Dean, 54, a
20-year veteran of Vermont politics, actually
began his campaign months ago. But he
staged a formal announcement to draw attention
and money to his long-shot bid.”(6/24/2003)
… Dean says
he’s trying to break into the Democratic
country club. Headline from this morning’s
The Union Leader online: “Dean regrets quip
about club break-In” Associated Press
report from Burlington, VT: “Presidential
candidate Howard Dean is berating himself for
saying he wanted to break into the country
club of Democratic Party insiders. The
remark to Vermont reporters Monday came
several days after Dean's 17-year-old
son, Paul, was charged with aiding in a
burglary at the Burlington Country Club…Dean
made the country club comment Monday just
before formally kicking off his campaign for
the presidency. Dean was asked how he
would win support of Democratic Party leaders
given his frequent criticism of them and he
responded that the leaders would come around
once they got to know him. ‘It is a bit of
a club down there,’ he said. ‘The Democratic
Party, all the candidates from Washington,
they all know each other, they all move in the
same circles, and what I'm doing is breaking
into the country club.’ Paul Dean is
accused of driving the car while three friends
broke into an outbuilding at the country club
to steal beer. On Monday, Dean winced
when he heard his own words. ‘That was an
incredibly unfortunate phrase,’ he said.
‘Why do I say these things?’ Dean asked a
press aide. Paul Dean did not appear at
his father's campaign kickoff with his mother
and sister. Dean said his son was
working at a soccer camp and had never
intended to appear at Monday's campaign
event.”(6/25/2003)
… The
virtual presidential primary on MoveOn.org
continues, Dean website features counterattack
against Gephardt’s unfairness claims.
Headline from Dean’s campaign website:
“Statement rebutting Gephardt campaign
accusation that MoveOn primary is rigged”
The Dean statement: “MoveOn has
done more to get people involved and to give
them a voice in the political process than any
other organization in recent memory. To
question the integrity of MoveOn and its 1.4
million members is outrageous and only serves
to further erode the American people's belief
that their voices matter. People in Washington
wonder why so many have been turning away from
the political process. This type of
baseless accusation only gives them one more
reason to tune out. My campaign will
continue to stand for one thing: citizen
participation. We must not allow Washington
cynicism to erode the fundamental belief that
people at the grassroots can make a difference
in their government. Join me, and let's move
on."(6/25/2003)
… Headline
from the Washington Post’s “Reliable Sources”
column yesterday: “Dean Campaign Cover-Up”
Columnist Lloyd Grove reports: “Democratic
presidential candidate Howard Dean has had a
rough couple of days. First came news
reports that his 17-year-old son had been
mixed up in some high jinks requiring the
involvement of the cops. Then the
media-political complex gave the former
Vermont governor two thumbs down for his shaky
performance on Sunday's ‘Meet The Press.’
Finally, folks who watched Dean's formal
announcement in Burlington, Vt., yesterday on
C-SPAN were treated to a raging war of
campaign visuals, right behind the candidate's
right shoulder, between a man holding a big
Ralph Nader sign and Dean supporters trying to
use their smaller signs to cover the Nader
sign up. It was a mystery as to how the
Nader supporter obtained his prime position.
‘We don't really have advance people,’ Dean
campaign communications director Tricia
Enright told us. ‘But if we did, they
would have been given a stern talking-to.’”(6/25/2003)
… Some
Iowans are just wild about Howie. KCCI-TV
(Des Moines) online head: “Iowa
Supporters Cheer Howard Dean’s Announcement”
TheIowaChannel.com report: “As former
Vermont Gov. Howard Dean officially entered
the presidential campaign, supporters cheered
while watching the announcement on television
at his Des Moines headquarters. Campaign
aides organized 23 meetings across Iowa
Monday and 600 nationwide as Dean made
his formal announcement from his home state.
Iowa's precinct caucuses launch the
presidential nominating season next January.
Dean has been trying to run the most
intense grassroots campaign of any of the
Democratic candidates. He has made more
visits to Iowa than the other candidates, and
is currently airing $300,000 in TV commercials.
Dean is also hoping to use the Internet
to help finance the ad campaign and strengthen
his efforts to win voters by caucus time.”(6/25/2003)
… “Bring
On Deano” – headline from Fred
Barnes commentary on The Weekly Standard
online. Barnes wrote: “Howard Dean
has fashioned a reputation as the
straightforward Democratic candidate for
president. And the media has bought the
idea. Joe Klein writes in this week's Time
that Dean, the former Vermont governor,
has already ‘won the Straight Talk primary.’
He did this chiefly by loudly and
unequivocally opposing the war in Iraq while
some of his Democratic rivals waffled. But
the press is wrong about Dean. He
appears to be no more straightforward or
candid than most national politicians and less
so than some. An hour-long grilling by Tim
Russert on ‘Meet the Press’ on Sunday should
put the rest any notion of Dean's
unique straightforwardness. Instead, he
waffled on numerous issues and made wild or
false statements on others. Would he vote
for the Medicare bill with a prescription drug
benefit that is likely to pass Congress soon?
Dean wouldn't say. Is he still for a
balanced budget amendment? He said only
that he's "tempted" to be for it. Should a
gay marriage in Canada be recognized in the
United States? He refused to give a
responsive answer. Would he name the
Democratic candidates who he said need a
‘backbone transplant’? No, he wouldn't.”(6/26/2003)
… “Dr. Dean gives himself a lethal
injection” – Headline from the Houston
Chronicle. Copyrighted commentary by the
Chronicle’s Cragg Hines, excerpt: “It
wasn't exactly the deer-in-the-headlights look
some candidates get when they realize that
running for president is unlike any other
political endeavor. But it was close -- as it
should have been. Watching Howard Dean,
the Democratic contender and former governor
of Vermont, worm his way through his evolving
support for the death penalty is not pretty.
Even if he's sincere (big gulp, please), he's
still wrong. This bit of political
sausage-making came into public view on
Sunday, a day on which Dean would have
profited from not getting out of bed.
Dean appeared on ‘Meet the Press.’
It was a disaster, in a league with
Teddy Kennedy's inability
during a 1980 television interview to quite
say why he wanted to be president. On Sunday,
‘Meet’ host Tim Russert was at his
prosecutorial best, gnawing and snarling at
Dean's inconsistencies, incongruities and
flip-flops. You could hear transcripts of
the NBC show pouring out of the printers at
the headquarters of gleeful Democratic rivals
before Russert even signed off. The White
House has probably had its copy bronzed.
Let's see. Dean spoke of ‘absolutely’
favoring a limit on increases in Medicare
spending. Try that in Florida, Dr. Dean.
He would "entertain" an increase in the Social
Security retirement age. Try that anywhere,
Howie. But the squirming was most
delectable -- and deservedly so -- when it
came to the death penalty, as Dean
becomes yet another Democrat to accommodate
(but only in very special high-minded
circumstances, you understand) this mad
national blood lust. It was gagging.
Throughout most of his political career,
Dean has opposed capital punishment…In
his interview Sunday, Dean said he began
‘rethinking’ the death penalty in 1994.”
(6/26/2003)
… “Give’em
hell, Howie” Headline from Fox News online
– “Dean: Anti-War Stance Doesn’t Mean Soft
Foreign Policy” Associated Press’
Ron Fournier reported: “Democratic
presidential candidate Howard Dean says his
opposition to the U.S.-led war in Iraq doesn't
mean he would be a weak commander in chief.
With a new TV ad and a major foreign policy
address, the former Vermont governor is
portraying his stance against President Bush
and the war as an act of political courage.
‘I do not accept that a candidate's national
security credentials should be considered
suspect for opposing the war in Iraq at the
time it was initiated with the limited level
of international support we had, the lack of
postwar planning that had been accomplished
and the failure to make the case that the
threat was imminent enough to justify’ war,
Dean said Wednesday in an address to the
Council on Foreign Relations in Washington ‘I
stood up to this administration and even when
70 percent of the American people supported
the war, I believed that the evidence was not
there and I refused to change my view. As it
turned out, I was right,’ Dean
said. While he and Sen. Bob Graham of
Florida opposed last fall's congressional war
resolution, Bush was backed by four other
major Democratic presidential hopefuls: Rep.
Dick Gephardt of Missouri and Sens.
John Kerry of Massachusetts, Joe
Lieberman of Connecticut and John
Edwards of North Carolina… Dean
compared himself to another Democratic icon
who assumed the presidency with little foreign
policy experience, President Harry S Truman.
‘Harry Truman had faith, as I have faith, and
as I believe the American people have faith,
that if we are wise enough and determined
enough in our opposition to hate and our
promotion of tolerance; in our opposition to
aggression and our fidelity to law; we will
have allies not only among governments about
among people everywhere,’ he said. The
address came as Dean is trying to broaden his
underdog candidacy after getting off to a
surprisingly strong start, largely due to his
opposition to the war. The stance excited
Democrats eager to attack Bush even as their
party leaders shied from confrontation on Iraq
and other issues. But Dean's position on
Iraq and lack of foreign policy experience
have raised questions about his ability to
convince voters that he could lead the U. S.
military.” Dean made the comments
during an address to the Council on Foreign
Relations in DC yesterday. (6/26/2003)
… Headline
from yesterday’s The Union Leader: “Dean
shifts message in Iowa campaign” From
Des Moines, AP’s Mike Glover reported:
“Former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean shifted his
message in television ads that began airing
Tuesday, still drawing contrasts with
President Bush but focusing on his own 12-year
record as governor. The format of the ad
is similar, with Dean speaking directly
into the camera in a relatively simple
production style. ‘As governor, I made sure
that every child in my state had health
insurance,’ said Dean. ‘We added jobs,
we raised the minimum wage and we balanced
budgets.’ The new 30-second commercials are
part of a $300,000 television campaign, the
first of this election cycle. Other
campaigns are considering ad campaigns as
early as next month. Dean aides
said the new message had been planned, and the
TV campaign is scheduled to run through July
2. Dean got a boost among activists
with his early opposition to the war in Iraq,
and he continues to hammer that theme in the
new spot. ‘I opposed the war with Iraq when
too many Democrats supported it,’ said Dean.
Some political onlookers question the use
of television in reaching activists who will
attend the Iowa precinct caucuses next
January, launching the presidential nominating
season. They say activists want to meet
candidates in person. Dean says he's
simply using the television campaign as a
supplement to a traditional heavy
organizational effort.”(6/26/2003)
… As next FEC filing
deadline approaches, it’s expected 4 of 9 Dem
wannabes will be bunched together.
Headline from yesterday’s The Union Leader: “Democratic
money leader has yet to emerge” AP’s
Sharon Theimer reported: “Democratic
presidential hopefuls have been racing to
amass campaign cash for nearly six months, but
with another fund-raising deadline looming,
a clear leader has yet to pull away from the
pack. At least four of the nine were
expected to be bunched between roughly $4
million and $6 million when they file their
second-quarter campaign finance reports with
the Federal Election Commission in mid-July,
according to early estimates from campaign
officials and Democratic strategists. The
second-quarter fund-raising period ends
Monday. President Bush, the only Republican
candidate, entered the race last month and was
expected to raise at least $20 million through
two weeks of fund-raisers. His total could be
significantly higher when donations through
the mail and Internet are added. The most
striking number on the Democratic side could
come from former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean,
whose campaign expected to raise at least $4.5
million from April through June, the period
covered in the next reports. That would
put him in the top tier in early Democratic
campaign cash. Dean raised about $600,000
in the roughly 48 hours after he formally
announced his entry into the race Monday,
campaign manager Joe Trippi said.” (6/27/2003)
…
Apparently, the Washington Post’s Linton
Weeks couldn’t resist the temptation –
hands out awards for a Dem event
attended by 7 of the 9 prez hopefuls.
The headline: “Democratic
Candidates Chew Over Their Chances”
The report from yesterday’s Post:
“Only two of the Democratic hopefuls --
Sens. John Kerry and Joe Lieberman --
were missing last night at the
Democratic National Committee's
presidential candidates dinner at the
Mayflower Hotel. Everyone else was
there. More than 650 tickets were sold
for the event, which raised $1.7
million, according to DNC spokeswoman
Debra DeShong. The money will go into
a pot to be used by the candidate who
emerges from the primaries as the chosen
one. Last night, in the cramped
quarters of the hotel's Grand Ballroom,
it was kind of hard to tell just who
that frontrunner might be. DNC
Chairman Terry McAuliffe ran the show,
recalling days of Clintonian glory and
taking pokes at President Bush. ‘He has
put a big old For Sale sign on the U.S.
Capitol,’ McAuliffe said. With so many
candidates and so little time, McAuliffe
tried to hurry things along…he handed
out awards to big-dollar Democratic
donors like Haim Saban, creator of the
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. As each
candidate rose and gave a brief speech,
we, too, wanted to hand out awards…
• Best at Pointing Out Similarities:
Former governor Howard Dean of Vermont.
‘How nice it is to have all of my
opponents together in the same room,’ he
said. ‘So I can issue . . . a blanket
apology’ for anything that might happen
in the days to come. He said: ‘Any one
of us would be better than the guy we've
got now in the White House.’
(6/27/2003)
… “No
Candidate Wins Majority in MoveOn.Org PAC
First-Ever Democratic Online ‘Primary’ …No
endorsement now …Estimated $1.75 million
raised in pledges to Democratic contenders
…Most votes to Dean, followed by Kucinich,
Kerry” – Headline from MoveOn.Org PAC
website. From the website news release: “No
candidate won a majority in this week’s
first-ever Democratic online presidential
primary, therefore MoveOn.org PAC will not
make an endorsement at this time. Howard Dean
received the highest vote total with 43.87% of
the vote (139,360 votes); followed by
Dennis Kucinich with 23.93% (76,000
votes); and John Kerry with 15.73%
(49,973 votes). The rest of the field was in
single digits: John Edwards, 3.19%
(10,146 votes); Richard Gephardt, 2.44%
(7,755 votes); Bob Graham, 2.24% (7,113
votes); Carol Moseley Braun,
2.21% (7,021 votes); Joe Lieberman,
1.92% (6,095 votes); and Al Sharpton,
0.53% (1,677 votes). MoveOn.org PAC hailed
the primary as a tremendous kick-off for the
campaign to defeat George Bush next year:
317,639 votes were cast in the ‘primary,’
more than the 2000 New Hampshire Democratic
presidential primary, the Iowa and South
Carolina Democratic presidential caucuses,
combined …
54,370 voters pledged to volunteer for their
preferred Democratic contender …77,192 voters
authorized MoveOn.org PAC to give their e-mail
addresses to the candidate of their choice…
49,132 voters pledged to contribute money to
their candidate, for a total estimated at more
than $1.75 million ($35 average contribution
)…’This is only the beginning,’ continued
Boyd. ‘Our most important objectives have been
met: early Democratic grassroots involvement;
increased contributions and volunteer support
for each campaign; and mobilization of the
Democratic base to defeat George Bush.
We wanted
people to have a seat at the table, and they
have taken it.’(6/28/2003)
… Dean in Denver hits Bush
on energy policy. AP coverage from
yesterday’s The Union Leader: “The United
States should build more wind-powered electric
generators and make renewable energy a
national security issue, Democratic
presidential candidate Howard Dean said
Thursday. Speaking to about 200 supporters
at a luncheon, the former Vermont governor
said Denmark gets 20 percent of its electric
power from wind generators, and suggested the
United States should aim for 10 percent over
the next two decades. ‘The president has
put us far behind Europeans on renewable
energy,’ Dean said to a round of
applause. State Democratic Party officials
declined to say how much was raised at the
fund-raiser for Dean's presidential
campaign. Tickets to the luncheon ranged from
$100 to $1,000.”(6/28/2003)
…. Although this looks like a
standard Dean political hit on GWB, he
has escalated his attacks with some new themes
and rhetoric. Don’t pass this item by!
“Dean says Bush policies threaten nation,
troops” – Headline from yesterday’s The
Union Leader. Dean in San Diego, AP
report filed by Seth Hettena says:
“Democratic presidential hopeful Howard Dean
said Friday that the Bush administration's
energy and fiscal policies were putting U.S.
soldiers and the nation's security at risk.
‘This president, because of his economic
policies, is a threat to the security of the
United States of America,’ Dean said
during a campaign stop in San Diego. He said
Bush's economic policy was driving the nation
deeper in debt and weakening crucial programs.
‘Not only will we undercut Medicare and Social
Security, ultimately we will undercut our
ability to adequately defend ourselves if this
president's fiscal policies continue the way
they are,’ he said. Speaking before 500 people
at a City Club of San Diego luncheon, Dean
said that the American people may have been
misled by the president into going to war. He
said either the U.S. intelligence community
were mistaken about the existence of weapons
of mass destruction in Iraq, senior White
House advisers withheld information from the
president or Bush himself ‘did not tell us the
truth.’ ‘The truth is it's a good thing to
have Saddam gone. But the other truth is that
we went to war without knowing the facts, that
our service people are dying now because we
went to war without knowing the facts,’
Dean said before a largely partisan crowd.
The former Vermont governor said the lack of
evidence that Saddam's regime possessed deadly
weapons proves he was right to doubt Defense
Secretary's Donald Rumsfeld earlier assertions
about Iraq's weapons program. ‘Where are
those weapons, Mr. Secretary?’ Dean asked
during remarks that lasted about 15 minutes.
Dean also said the Bush administration's
oil policy of ‘drill, drill, drill’ was a
national security danger. ‘Our oil money
goes to the Middle East, where it's used to
fund Hamas and fund the teaching of small
children to hate Americans, Christians and
Jews,’ he said. When asked why Democratic
officials were so timid in challenging Bush,
Dean said the Democrats in Washington
wanted to ride the president's popularity by
sounding like him - and hoping that no one
noticed the difference. ‘The way to beat
this president is to stand up for who we are,’
he said. ‘We are not going to beat Bush with
Bush lite.'"(6/29/2003)
…
Dean says contributors – generating $6
million for the second quarter FEC filing –
have been “waiting for someone to say what
they’ve been thinking.” AP coverage from
DC in this morning’s Union Leader: “Democrat
Howard Dean's presidential campaign
said Sunday it has taken in $6 million in the
past three months, fund raising the former
Vermont governor attributed to support from
people not previously involved in politics. ‘We're
bringing in a ton of new people,’ he said
in a telephone interview with The Associated
Press between fund-raisers in New Hampshire.
Dean and the eight other Democrats
running for president in 2004 are racing to
show their fund-raising prowess in campaign
finance reports for the second quarter, which
closes Monday. ‘My guess is when you see
the report it will be a lot of small donors
... these are ordinary people who've been
waiting for someone to say what they've been
thinking," Dean said. President
Bush's re-election campaign is expected to
file finance reports showing $27 million to
$30 million for the three-month period.
That amount is certain to dwarf the totals of
the Democratic contenders, even though Bush
started months after his rivals. Dean
raised about $2.6 million in the first
quarter, lagging far behind then-money leaders
John Edwards and John Kerry.
They each took in about $7 million from
January through March.” (6/30/2003)
… Six Dem
wannabes go after the Latino vote in Phoenix.
Associated Press’ Mike Glover, usually
assigned to cover IA politics, reported from
Phoenix. Headline from yesterday’s The Union
Leader: “Six Democrats court Hispanic
voters in Ariz.” Glover’s report: “Six
rivals for the Democratic presidential
nomination, courting the large and growing
Hispanic community Saturday, promised to
overhaul the nation's immigration policy and
enlarge economic opportunities for newcomers.
‘We need to change our immigration laws so
that hardworking people who pay their taxes
and have no criminal record have a faster
track to citizenship,’ said former Vermont
Gov. Howard Dean. ‘Most importantly,
we need jobs and opportunity again, and that
will only come with a new president.’
(6/30/2003)
Dean
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