|
 John
Edwards
 excerpts
from
the Iowa Daily Report
January
16-31, 2004
Race up for grabs
In a tight race anything can
happen and usually does. However, an organization
that has been identifying which voters are
favorable to the candidate and turnout of those
voters is everything at this point. The polls are
probably underestimating the Gephardt and Dean
support. Many of Dean’s supporters have cell
phones and are not being called in the polling
numbers we are seeing. The other group that is
probably under-represented are the union members
supporting Gephardt. Contrary to popular belief,
many of these people are not registered as
Democrats, and therefore not called in polling
endeavors.
In the latest three-day tracking
poll, Kerry gained two percentage points to 24
percent, with Howard Dean and Richard Gephardt
each dropped two points to 19 percent. John
Edwards is holding steady at 17 percent. "Any one
of the four can win this one," pollster John Zogby
said.
Reports are that lots of
undecided voters are showing up at all of the
candidates’ visits. Clearly Iowa Caucuses could
see a very large turnout and the buyers are hot to
decide.
It will be interesting to see
how well the old industrial unions deliver for
Gephardt. They are in the fight of their life to
maintain top influence over the service unions,
who have endorsed Howard Dean. How well they
perform in the Iowa contest has great consequences
for them within the union movement.
Kerry continues to surprise and
impress people with his late push to the front of
what is a statistical dead even race within
polling margins of error. Iowa’s First Lady
Christie Vilsack seems to be providing a flood of
women joining the Kerry campaign. And Kerry’s
personal performance seems to be catching on with
some voters. He is giving 20-minute stump speeches
that focuses on issues -- corporate
responsibility, foreign policy, taxes and health
care. He verbally slaps around President Bush and
does not say a word about any of his Democratic
opponents. His close is:
"As
Democrats, we cannot just offer anger," he said.
"We've got to offer solutions." He ends by urging
people to caucus for him and to "go there not just
to send a message, but to send America a
president."
A big part of the issue in
campaigning is how the Democrats run against Bush.
If a candidate goes to the middle, they will
depress their base vote turnout. President Bush’s
political advisor Karl Rove complained about the
millions of Christian Right that sat out the last
election, for example. The debate at hand in the
Democrat Party right now is the core of the
question of electability among Democrat
candidates. Here is what the Post quotes Dean’s
campaign manager Joe Trippi saying:
In an
interview, Trippi said, "The established way is to
go after the middle, even if it means depressing
your base." He said that swing voters will look at
large issues -- the war and the budget -- but that
policy positions are secondary to the larger mood
and promise Dean conveys. (1/16/2004)
Edwards on fire
John Edwards is on fire in his
campaign:
“We
have five days to change this country," the North
Carolina senator told a noisy, packed ballroom at
a Des Moines hotel. "I can't do it alone but you
and I can do it together. There is so much energy
and excitement around this campaign ... it is
everywhere."
"You
give me a shot at (President) George Bush. I'm
gonna give you the White House!" Said Edwards.
Elizabeth Edwards, 54, is
campaigning in Iowa for her husband and the
NY Times does a story about this bankruptcy
lawyering and how her support is in sharp contrast
to rival candidate Howard Dean’s wife. Elizabeth
says she has a hard time with everyone saying her
husband is so young:
"Truth
is, my hair is more like yours," Mrs. Edwards said
with characteristic bluntness at a restaurant in
rural Marshalltown, Iowa, the other day. "But I
don't want to walk around and hear people say,
`Oh, look, there's
John Edwards with his mother.' "
She often participates in the
campaign's daily conference call, in which
strategy and tactics are discussed. She likes to
make sure the staff doesn’t mislead her husband:
"Sometimes when they're talking about planning a
message, some of the folks will get full of
themselves sometimes and they'll start being more
negative than John would be," she said in an
interview. "Sometimes he'll let them talk on — I
don't know why he does that — but I won't let them
talk on. I'll say, `O.K., that's all fine, but
that's not the way John thinks about it.' "
The story also covers the effect
of the loss of their son Wade, who was killed in
an automobile accident at the age of 16.
(1/16/2004)
-
"My campaign has always
been about a positive, optimistic, unifying vision
for America ... I will not change over the next
five days. I am reaching out and lifting up this
country,"
John
Edwards said. (1/16/2004)
It’s a wild race
"I think its organization," Iowa
Gov. Tom Vilsack said Friday in an interview with
The Des Moines Register. "But even more than that,
it's the sophistication of the people at the
caucuses to persuade uncommitted Democrats."
Four candidates are bunched at
the top in the first Democrat Presidential contest
in Iowa. The campaigns that built solid staffs and
recruited volunteers now have the best opportunity
of gaining the advantage over their opponents.
Des Moines has become the “Spin
City” of the world. This is the time of playing
the expectations spin game. In restaurants all
over Des Moines, senior Gephardt, Kerry, Dean, and
Edwards campaign officials dined with major league
reporters to spin the media on what to think about
their candidate’s performance in the Iowa
Caucuses. The goal is to convince reporters and
pundits that their candidate is going to do
terrible and if they do better than that then
their candidate is clearly the one with the
momentum coming out of Iowa. The buzzwords they’re
trying hardest to plant in reporters’ minds are:
‘strong third’ or ‘strong fourth’ and ‘momentum.’
Momentum and lower expectations
are diametrically opposed to each other. The
NY Times has story about momentum:
"It is
kind of a double-edged sword," said Mr. Bartels,
the Princeton professor. "On the one hand, you
want to build up expectations. But you don't want
to build them up so high that come caucus night,
people are disappointed."
Tonight on the 10:00 news the
last Des Moines Register Iowa Poll numbers will be
reported. Its meaning will be much debated. With
the level of intensity and organization on the
ground, Monday night will be the only thing that
really counts from here on in.
The
NY Times
covers this new approach from Dean and Gephardt,
and the
NY Times covers Gephardt’s new approach to his
stump speech:
But as
the Iowa caucuses near, Mr. Gephardt has turned up
the fire on a stump speech that once conveyed more
plain-spoken sincerity than flash or flair. Locked
in a four-way battle for Iowa caucus voters, Mr.
Gephardt is working hard to engage his audience.
The
Des Moines Register points out in their caucus
coverage that Kerry’s statement is an
exaggeration:
Kerry's claim that there were more bureaucrats
than farmers was a bit of an overstatement. The
USDA, which has 110,000 employees, counted more
than 1.9 million farms in its 1997 census.
Kerry’s statement also required
Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Patty Judge to come
to Kerry’s defense:
"I
would never support a candidate for president of
the United States who would harm Iowa's family
farmers," she said in a prepared statement. "There
is certainly nothing wrong in calling for
government accountability. . . . He showed his
leadership when he called for an overhaul of the
Agriculture Department, and he will show
leadership as president to continue to fight for
family farmers."
Kerry continues to try to bring
new participants to the caucuses by focusing on
Iowa’s veterans. Former Georgia Senator Max
Cleland, an amputee veteran of Vietnam, was in
Sioux City drumming up support and enthusiasm with
fellow vets:
"There
is only one man who could get me to leave the warm
climate of Georgia for the cold of Iowa in
January. That person is John Kerry," Cleland said.
Gephardt is as confident as
anyone. His campaign has assembled with union
support -- the best traditional organization in
the state’s history. "This has been an
organizational force in the state that has never
been seen before by anybody, Democrats or
Republicans," claimed Gephardt campaign spokesman
Bill Burton. "It's going to be remembered for a
long time."
Edwards remains hopeful about
his campaign. "This is like night and day. I'd
have events like this a month ago, and we'd have
40 to 50 people. Now you can't get people into the
room. It's something to see," Edwards told
reporters as he prepared to leave for Council
Bluffs for another six rallies fitted into the
day. Edwards also believes that his organization
is up to the task of converting this new
enthusiasm for his candidacy into caucus
delegates. (1/17/2004)
Spending reaches $90 a person
The Democratic presidential
campaigns are spending about $90 per expected
caucus-goer on broadcast television advertising,
according to a Wisconsin-based organization that
tracks political advertising. Nearly $9 million
has been spent on television ads in Iowa,
according to the Wisconsin Advertising Project.
The caucuses are expected to attract 100,000
people on Monday night.
The advertising project says
$8.7 million had been spent on television ads in
Iowa through Jan. 9, with former Vermont Gov.
Howard Dean leading the pack at $2.6 million. U.S.
Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., was second in spending
at $2.1 million and U.S. Rep. Richard Gephardt,
D-Mo., was third at $1.9 million. The Cedar Rapids
media market has been the recipient of the
greatest number of ads with more than 1,100 ads
aired there between Jan. 1 and Jan. 9, for an
average of 125 per day. (1/17/2004)
-
"I wish I could reach out
and grab you and take you" to a caucus,”
John Edwards
said.
-
"Let me say something in
language that everyone will understand,"
John Edwards
said. "This democracy, your government, it
does not belong to that crowd of insiders in
Washington, D.C. We should restore the power of
this democracy to you."
-
Republican
Chairman Ed Gillespie called John Edwards
"a very smooth-talking trial lawyer and a handsome
devil, I've got to say."
(1/19/2004)
John Edwards
Sen. John Edwards, who was at 23
percent in the most recent poll, kept pushing his
comprehensive plans to help the working Americans
and hit the theme of electability and the need to
win Southern states.
"The South is not George Bush's
back yard," Edwards said, "it's my back yard. I
will beat George Bush for president in my back
yard." Another constant quote on the trail was,
"It's time to do away with the two-class system,"
he said. "There are the privileged and powerful,
and the America for everyone else."
(1/19/2004)
Who's next?
The nomination process will
turn to the real focus of ‘who gets knocked off
next?’ It is a foregone conclusion that Sen. Joe
Lieberman’s campaign is the walking dead. The
fight will be between Kerry, Edwards and Clark.
Clark will, by the very nature of Kerry and
Edwards’ support, have to fight a two-front
campaign. Clark has the advantage of timing -- New
Hampshire is Jan. 27 and South Carolina is Feb. 3.
This will enable him to hold off on South Carolina
until after New Hampshire, where Kerry has the
regional advantage. But timing will also enable
Edwards to concentrate on South Carolina -- his
must win state -- more heavily. It is a deadly
triangle that will witness the eventual demise of
one of the three.
Look for Clark’s black ops
communication director Chris Lehane to begin to
put out dirt on Kerry and Edwards around Thursday
and Friday of this week. The purpose is to put
some drag on their Iowa boost… even more than the
President’s State of the Union Message tonight.
Nothing like putting a campaign on the defensive…
(1/20/2004)
Kerry & Edwards riding rockets
into NH
Kerry and Edwards didn’t get
a tail wind out of Iowa. Instead, they are riding
rockets into New Hampshire. The question will be
whether they can control the direction of their
campaign boost in order to get the most good from
their Iowa boost.
Kerry acknowledged that he
has come back from the abyss in his victory speech
last night: “Not so long ago, this campaign was
written off… You stood with me," Kerry told
supporters, "so that we can take on George Bush
and the special interests and literally give
America back its future and its soul."
Wesley Clark was quick to
challenge Kerry and fired the first shot before
Kerry arrived in New Hampshire. "He's got military
background, but nobody in this race has got the
kind of background I've got," said Clark.
Edwards’ campaign is
energized and for the first time is being taken
seriously. Upon landing in New Hampshire last
night Edwards was greeted by a jubilant crowd.
"Can you feel it? The people of New Hampshire are
going to feel it a week from tonight. We're going
to sweep across the country and we're going to do
it without the negative politics of cynicism,"
said Edwards.
The
Associated Press offers this analysis:
Ultimately, however, Iowans backed a candidate who
voted in favor of Bush's decision to go to war —
but criticizes the president's prosecution of it —
and who wants to eliminate the Bush tax cuts going
to the richest Americans, but keep the rest of the
tax-cut package.
The other key factor that
spurred Kerry and Edwards ahead was the belief
that they have a good chance of beating President
Bush. The poll numbers of those who thought Dean
could beat Bush were much lower than those who
thought Kerry or Edwards could.
Look for Edwards to emphasize
that the South is his backyard and that no
Democrat has won the White House without winning
five Southern states. This, of course, puts him in
a big showdown with Wesley Clark in South Carolina
on Feb. 3.
The balance of time,
organization and message between the Jan. 27th New
Hampshire race and the Feb. 3rd round of states
will be especially critical to these three. Dean’s
money and radical movement can keep him in the
race, but of these three the only thing that will
suffice is that they are the Dean alternative.
That cannot be all three of them. In the end,
there can be only one. (1/20/2004)
State of the campaigns
One day after the Iowa Caucuses
President Bush had his say to the nation in the
traditional State of the Union Message. The
divided and partisan nature of this campaign year
was evident in the split between Democrats’ and
Republicans’ reactions to the speech -- Democrats
were frequently visible in their lack of applause
to the President’s speech.
In New Hampshire according to
New Hampshire Politics.com the Democrats were
unanimous in their Bush bashing.
Sen. John Edwards continued in
his class warfare attack on the President:
"Tonight, the president said that 'the state of
our Union is confident and strong.' The first
question you and I need to ask is, 'Which union
Mr. President.' His America - the country where
the Washington lobbyists, special interests and
his CEO friends get what they want, when they want
it-is doing just fine. But in our America, the
state of working Americans is a struggle every
single day..."
"What
this president fails to understand is that we
still live in two different Americas," Edwards
said in a released statement.
"Instead of proposing ideas that would help heal
our great divides," the North Carolina senator
said, "he is dividing us even further and believes
that compassionate language and empty slogans will
make working Americans forget the burdens they
face every day." (1/21/2004)
Edwards on two Americas
Senator John Edwards offered his
vision for an America that works for all of us at
Manchester City Library:
"When
the president says, 'The state of our union is
strong,' you need to ask 'which union Mr.
President?'" Edwards said. "Because the state of
George Bush's union-the America of the Washington
lobbyists, special interests and his CEO
friends-is doing just fine. They get what they
want, whenever they want.
"But
in our America, the union for working Americans is
a struggle every single day. Almost 3 million
private sector jobs gone, including 22,000
manufacturing jobs in New Hampshire, more than
300,000 Americans gave up looking for work last
month alone, 3 million more Americans are living
in poverty, almost 4 million have lost their
health insurance. Health care premiums are up 50
percent, and your incomes are down. Bankruptcies
and credit card debt are at all time highs.
Housing costs and college tuition are soaring."
Edwards said that today in this country there are
two Americas: one for the privileged who get
everything they want, and one for everyone else
who struggle for the things they need. As
president, Edwards will make America that works
for all of us by:
·
Creating 5 Million Jobs and
Helping Middle Class Families Save Again.
Edwards' jobs plan will create tax breaks for
companies that create jobs here. He will help
families build savings again by offering tax cuts
to buy a first home, save for college, or build a
retirement nest egg.
·
Creating Tax Code That Rewards
Work, Not Wealth. Edwards will roll back the
Bush tax cuts for those making more than $200,000,
preserve the middle-class tax cuts and offer new
tax relief to the working poor and middle class.
·
Giving Every Child the Chance to
Succeed. Edwards will fix and fund No Child
Left Behind; raise pay for teachers, particularly
at our toughest schools; and offer scholarships to
bring great teachers to our toughest schools.
·
Providing Health Care for Every
Child and Vulnerable Adults. While cutting
costs for everyone, Edwards' health plan will
guarantee insurance for every child in America and
provide insurance to millions of vulnerable
adults.
·
Making Washington Work for All of
Us. John Edwards has never taken a dime from
federal lobbyists or PACs, and he has the most
aggressive plan to clean up Washington.
"If
this crowd gets four more years, they will change
America forever," Edwards said. "But you and I
together are going to make sure that we change
America for the better. We can make sure that this
state of the union is George Bush's last."
(1/21/2004)
Kerry & Edwards in the money
One of the benefits of winning
or in this case beating expectations is that money
flows into your campaign. The Associated Press
reports that both Sen. John Edwards and Sen. John
Kerry hit the jackpot after their showings in
Iowa:
"I
need your help, and I need it immediately to
continue the surge in New Hampshire," Kerry wrote
Tuesday. "Please contribute today, as much as you
can afford."
Along
with his e-mail, Kerry challenged donors to help
him raise $365,000 over the Internet on Tuesday —
marking the 365 days left before the 2005
inauguration — and collected roughly $300,000 by
late afternoon.
Edwards brought in at least
$250,000 online between Monday and Tuesday
evenings, his campaign said.
Kerry also received good news in
the Wall Street Journal concerning a shift away
form the war to economics among the most important
issue of concern among Democrats:
"If
the Iowa trend holds, the lessening of the war as
a campaign issue will be good news for
Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry, the Iowa winner.
His biggest problem has been explaining to
Democratic loyalists why he voted in favor of the
congressional resolution that authorized the war
in Iraq... An economic focus may not be so good
for former Gen. Wesley Clark," whose "late entry
into the Democratic contest was based on his
standing as a former general and national-security
pro who opposed the Iraq war." (1/21/2004)
Organization in S. Carolina
The
State offers a view of the various campaigns
organizational strength in S. Carolina. Sen. John
Kerry is in a mad dash to bring his staff back
from Iowa to S. Carolina:
WESLEY CLARK
• Volunteers — 2,000
• Paid staff — 40
• Offices — Columbia,
Orangeburg, Charleston, Greenville, Florence
• Endorsements — More than 40
HOWARD DEAN
• Volunteers — More than 350
• Paid staff — More than 50
• Offices — Columbia (2),
Charleston, Greenville, Orangeburg, Florence
• Endorsements — 25
JOHN EDWARDS
• Volunteers — 400
• Paid staff — 9
• Offices — Columbia, North
Charleston, Greenville, Florence
• Endorsements — More than 75
JOHN KERRY
• Volunteers — 321
• Paid staff — 7
• Offices — Columbia, Charleston
• Endorsements — More than 30
DENNIS KUCINICH
• Volunteers — 210
• Paid staff — None
• Offices — Columbia
• Endorsements — About 10
JOE LIEBERMAN
• Volunteers — 500
• Paid staff — 8
• Offices — Columbia,
Charleston, Greenville
• Endorsements — About 60
AL SHARPTON
• Volunteers — About 200
• Paid staff — 4
• Offices — Columbia,
Spartanburg, Florence (2)
• Endorsements — Campaign could
not provide (1/21/2004)
Poll watching
A New Hampshire television poll
shows:
Released at 6p.m. Tuesday the
poll was taken from Jan. 17-19. It has a margin of
error of +/-5 percent.
Dean 33
Kerry 24
Clark 18
Edwards 8
Lieberman 5
Kucinich 3
Gephardt 3
Sharpton 0
Undecided 6
Check out the
Washington Posts’ breakdown of Iowa Caucus
attendees. (1/21/2004)
Edwards on Roe vs. Wade
Sen. John Edwards released the
following statement on the anniversary of Roe vs.
Wade:
"On the same day that we are
honoring the 31st anniversary of Roe v. Wade, we
are also fighting to save it. You and I know that
since the Supreme Court handed down this landmark
decision, forces have been hard at work trying to
overturn it. When it comes to a woman's right to
choose, there is no choice: I support it and will
protect it one hundred percent.
"The president and the
Republican Leadership have one goal in mind-to
over turn Roe v Wade-and we have a million reasons
and ways to stop them and we will start by taking
back the White House in 2004."
(1/23/2004)
Edwards has broken
spending limits law
Sen. John Edwards, according to
a story in the
Washington Times ,
has spent more in advertising than is allowable
under the Campaign Finance Law. Edwards has
accepted public financing of campaigns and the
requirement to comply with state spending caps.
Sen. John Kerry and Howard Dean have opted out of
the public funding program and are not subject to
the limits:
Between June 1 and Tuesday, Mr.
Edwards spent $950,915 in New Hampshire, just less
than the $966,285 spent by Mr. Kerry. That means
Mr. Edwards outspent both rivals who skipped Iowa
to concentrate on New Hampshire: Sen. Joe
Lieberman of Connecticut, who spent $827,223, and
Mr. Clark, who spent $717,748. Federal Election
Commission limits spending in New Hampshire to
$729,600.
Edwards’ expenditures do not
include money spent in Boston that goes against
his Massachusetts limits. Edwards has spent
$682,517 in Boston, where TV stations broadcast
into neighboring New Hampshire. It is likely that
the spending caps were broken in Iowa as well only
an audit that will occur much latter will show
whether that is true. (1/23/2004)
Edwards gets Gephardt staff
The Edwards for President
Campaign in South Carolina today announced that
Isaac "Ike" Williams, top aide to Congressman Jim
Clyburn and former state director for Rep. Dick
Gephardt's presidential campaign, has joined the
Edwards team.
"Ike
will be a tremendous asset to our campaign in
South Carolina," said Edwards. "His knowledge of
this state spans some four decades and his work
for Congressman Clyburn is unparalleled. Without
question, we have the team in place to bring home
a victory in South Carolina on February 3rd, and
I'm proud to have Ike Williams on board."
"I
have surveyed the field of remaining candidates,
and John Edwards' campaign exudes the kind of
comprehensive platform that best relates to issues
important to this state," said Williams. "His
emphasis on jobs, housing, healthcare, and
education clearly addresses South Carolina's
needs. He can win this state and he can beat
George Bush."
A
veteran of South Carolina politics for over 40
years, Williams ran Congressman Clyburn's first
campaign for the U.S. House of Representatives in
1992. Following that successful election bid,
Williams served as Clyburn's state district
liaison until 2003, when he joined the Gephardt
campaign as state director. Williams also served
as the South Carolina field director for the NAACP
from 1969 to 1983. (1/23/2004)
NH Debate
The Manchester Union Leader has
as part of its New Hampshire debate coverage a
fact-check concerning some of the things that were
said by the Democratic presidential candidates.
And low and behold… some of the statements made
during the debate do not line up with the facts.
One of those mis-statements was made by Sen. John
Edwards, complaining about President Clinton’s
signing of the defense of family act:
Sen.
John Edwards, voicing his objections to the
Defense of Marriage Act signed by President
Clinton in 1996, said it "took away the power of
states ... to be able to do what they chose to do"
about gay civil unions." He said, "I think these
are decisions that the states should have the
power to make."
States
have that option under the law. The act allows
states to refuse to honor same-sex unions
performed outside their boundaries, but also lets
them legalize the unions if they want. It
specifies that such unions would not be recognized
by the federal government.
Another mis-statement was made
by Wesley Clark, when asked when it was that he
knew he was a Democrat:
"I
voted for Bill Clinton and Al Gore," the retired
general said in a Democratic presidential debate
Thursday, then stopped there. He also has said
previously that he voted for Republicans including
Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan and the first George
Bush.
Clark was also asked about being
a superhuman President who would stop all future
9-11 attacks:
"…I
never used the word 'guarantee,’" he said.
However, here’s the actual quote
of Clark on the subject:
"If
I'm president of the United States, I'm going to
take care of the American people," Clark was
quoted by the Concord Monitor in New Hampshire
earlier this month. "We are not going to have one
of these incidents."
Maybe Clark just sort of means
it… kind of…
The Leader also accuses Sen.
John Kerry of demagogism on the issue of senior
health care:
Kerry
flatly accused President Bush of "pushing seniors
off of Medicare into HMOs."
The
new prescription drug program subsidizes costs for
low-income patients and encourages private
insurance companies to offer coverage for the
elderly willing to opt out of traditional
Medicare. Nothing in the law forces seniors off of
Medicare.
Overall, the debate was notable
for its lack of attacks upon each other and its
focus of attacks on President Bush. One of the
funniest moments came in an exchange from Al
Sharpton commenting on Howard Dean’s statement
about his hollering screaming speech in Iowa:
“I’m
not a perfect person,” Dean said. “I think a lot
of people have had fun at my expense over the Iowa
hooting and hollering.”
“I
wanted to say to Gov. Dean, don’t be hard on
yourself about the hootering and hollering,”
Sharpton said. “If I spent the money you did and
got 18 percent, I’d still be hollering to Iowa.
Don’t worry about it, Howard.”
“Thanks, reverend,” Dean replied.
Kerry is still having trouble
with some New Hampshire voters regarding his vote
to go to war. He has consistently offered the
following statement to get voters to support him:
“If
anybody in New Hampshire believes that John Kerry
would have gone to war as President Bush had done,
then they shouldn’t vote for me,” Kerry said.
There were no break-away
performances by any of the candidates. Sen. Joe
Lieberman offered a convincing performance that
kept him outside of the rest of the liberal
candidates seeking the nomination. There still are
no convincing events that suggest that he will
survive Tuesday’s election.
Clark failed to ignite the crowd
and looks to be sagging in New Hampshire voters’
minds when pitted against John Kerry. In addition,
Edwards might get a boost for just being himself.
"I think it's conceivable that
Edwards might go up in the polls beyond Clark in a
couple days as a result of his performance," Dean
Spiliotes, visiting politics professor at St.
Anselm College said. "Kerry seemed pretty even,
and I think it's going to be reasonably tight
between him and Dean," Spiliotes said.
In the spin room afterwards, the
Kerry campaign tried to turn down expectations for
Kerry according
to New Hampshire Politics.com:
Billy
Shaheen downplayed expectations for Sen. John
Kerry in the debate spin room. Shaheen, the state
chair of Kerry's campaign, said that he thinks
Kerry is still an underdog, despite Kerry's Iowa
victory and surge in the polls.
"Gov.
Dean still has a great organization," Shaheen
said. "He has a lot of people that committed to
him and have not abandoned, and I think he'll be a
tough competitor."
[For transcripts of the debate,
use this
link.] (1/23/2004)
Edwards against Corporate America
Sen. John Edwards is following
in the footsteps of a long line of Presidential
contenders who have battled corporate America --
the most famous being Republican President
Theodore Roosevelt. Edwards has picked up the
pace, trying to forego the inevitable label of
“Trial Lawyer” and position himself as the
peoples’ champion against corporate America. The
Boston Globe reports on the scene in New
Hampshire:
Edwards has sung this tune before, standing before
average people and imploring them to do the right
thing, to make sure the wrongdoers are punished.
Now he's adapting the tactics that made him a
legend in the courtrooms of North Carolina to the
presidential campaign. He's approaching the New
Hampshire electorate as a giant jury, wooing it
with Southern charm and then insisting it make the
big corporations pay: He's become Bill Clinton
with vengeance.
Back in the state that he must
win, South Carolina, against Wesley Clark, Edwards
is having to play catch-up. Edwards spent a
disproportionate amount of time in Iowa, giving
Clark an advantage. However, the Charlotte
News Observer shows that his message can take
on a Southern flavor with a Yankee twist:
Edwards ticked off the number of unemployed, the
number of children without health care, the
growing poverty rate. He said that he would fight
for federal judges who would enforce civil rights
laws and that he backs affirmative action.
"I am
reminded of what John Kennedy said when he was
president," Edwards said. "He said, 'Here on
Earth, God's work must truly be our own.' Brothers
and sisters, we have important work to do in this
country."
Edwards also seems to be joining
those who want something approaching impeachment
proceedings against the President for misleading
Congress on the bill of particulars to go to war,
according to the
Reuters:
Asked
if he felt the Bush administration had misled
lawmakers when making its case for war, Edwards
said, "That's exactly why ... we need an
independent commission to get to the bottom of
this." (1/24/2004)
NH Primary Analysis
by Roger Wm. Hughes
Tomorrow’s results will once again
knock candidates out of the race. At this point
unless Clark improves his standing he will begin
to bleed the resources needed to win the
nomination. The big story is not the winners –
it’s the losers who cannot continue.
John Edwards
Sen. John Edwards… if he had money
he’d be the guy to beat. He keeps coming from the
back of the pack to be in the money position. I
wonder if he would take the V.P. spot if Howard
Dean offered it?
Then again, maybe Edwards is still
in the hunt for the number one spot.
New Hampshire Politics.com reports on an
Edwards rally where a woman was trying to
decide between Kerry and Edwards:
"I think we need someone who can go
in there and jump-start America again, get people
excited" said Beth Bellevue, a former Gephardt
supporter who is now trying to decide between
Edwards and Kerry, but is attracted to Edwards due
to his health care and anti-poverty platforms, as
well as his promise to bring the United Nations
into Iraq. (1/26/2004)
Edwards going for Tennessee
Senator John Edwards announced
Monday he has increased his staff in Tennessee to
compete in the state's February 10 primary. The
campaign now has representatives in Memphis,
Jackson, Nashville, Chattanooga, Knoxville and
Northeast Tennessee. Oliver Gottfried, is joining
the staff as state field director. In addition,
joining Edwards' Tennessee staff are: Jill Allen,
Memphis; Brian Brokaw, Middle Tennessee;
David
Cooling, Knoxville; Mike Edwards, West Tennessee;
Jason Hirsch, Chattanooga; Matt McGrath, Memphis; Jonathan Pahl, Middle Tennessee; Lee Porterfield, Northeast Tennessee; Ryan Ramsey, Middle Tennessee.
"I am
running a nationwide campaign and
am making
Tennessee a top priority," Edwards said. "I have
met with voters across Tennessee, I have listened
to their concerns and believe that together we can
change America."
The new staffers join State
Director John Winston, Political Director Kim
Sasser, and Outreach Director Jerry Maynard.
(1/26/2004)
Edwards negative?
It seems the Sen. John Edwards
isn’t always Mr. Nice.
ABC News reports Edwards knew more than he has
said about the negative efforts in the Iowa
Caucuses:
ABCNEWS has obtained an official "John Edwards for
President" precinct captain packet that includes
myriad personal attacks for Edwards caucus-goers
to make against his Democratic opponents, perhaps
belying this claim.
The
document — marked "CONFIDENTIAL AND PRIVILEDGED"
(sic) and "NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION" and signed by the
senator — encourages Edwards supporters to tell
undecided caucus-attendees that former Vermont
Gov. Howard Dean is a "Park Avenue elitist from
New York City" and say Sen. John Kerry of
Massachusetts has "the stale record of a
Washington insider" and "has been a part of the
failed Washington politics for too long."
(1/26/2004)
Poll watching
Sen. John Kerry leads Howard
Dean 31 percent to 28 percent In New Hampshire in
the newest poll. Sen. John Edwards jumped three
points to narrowly trail Wesley Clark for third
place, 13 percent to 12 percent. Sen. Joe
Lieberman remains static at 9 percent.
(1/26/2004)
IPW Analysis: Money and organization
It is all about money and
organization now. Candidates will hardly be able
to get to states holding elections and caucuses
more than twice. The question is, who can play in
all of the states? And it looks like the answer
is, Howard Dean will. How many states and how much
money Sen. John Kerry can pony up will be a big
challenge.
Spending the money can be a
problem.
For example if you wanted to put
together three new TV ads -- one each for the
Midwest, South, and another for the Southwest --
it would require going to these states with the
candidate, putting together the taping crew,
editing the tapes, copying, shipping to the
stations, paying in advance and signing the forms.
It is about money and organization.
The following states are up next
Tuesday:
Feb. 3,
2004: Delaware presidential primary
Feb. 3,
2004: South Carolina Democratic presidential
primary
Feb. 3,
2004: Missouri presidential primary
Feb. 3,
2004: Arizona presidential primary
Feb. 3,
2004: New Mexico Democratic caucuses
Feb. 3,
2004: Virginia GOP caucuses
Feb. 3,
2004: Oklahoma presidential primary
Feb. 3,
2004: North Dakota Democratic caucuses
There was discussion in the Dean
camp about not fighting the war on all fronts.
Advisers urged Dean to concentrate on a few states
to conserve resources. But he vetoed the strategy,
insisting his campaign is muscular enough to
compete nationally according to the
Associated Press:
In an interview with the
Associated Press, Dean acknowledged that aides
urged him to skip South Carolina. "There was some
discussion about it," he said. "I never gave it
any thought."
Dean raised more than $200,000
in the 24 hours before the primary, but has been
spending money just as fast — and he will keep up
the pricey pace with his new strategy.
(1/28/2004)
Edwards says no VP
Clark is not the only one who
knows how to reject a suitor’s offer of second
place. Edwards was asked on NBC’s Today Show about
taking the number two spot behind Kerry. His reply
was, "No, no. Final. I don't want to be vice
president. I'm running for president."
"We've got a lot of energy and
momentum going right now. My job is to keep it
going," Edwards said.
How big can he win in South
Carolina will be the question. Can he come out
ahead in Virginia and third in another state?
Watch Edwards in Oklahoma. That would be about all
his money allows, and keep him alive for another
round. South Carolina will probably take out Clark
unless he wins a state. Then it is only one
Southerner standing. Tell us once again how those
Southern states don’t count, Kerry -- how much
money will you spend?
Edwards is running TV ads in
South Carolina, Oklahoma and New Mexico. Edwards
said contributions continued to flow into his
campaign based on his Iowa finish. Look for these
contributions to slow and financial reliance come
from the South. (1/28/2004)
Edwards supports 9-11 investigation
Siding with members of the
independent bipartisan commission probing the
September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, Senator
John Edwards on Wednesday called on the White
House to support giving the terror investigation
more time.
"If we are serious about
preventing another attack, then we need to be
serious about this investigation," Senator Edwards
said. "The American people have a right to know
what went wrong on 9/11, but that wont happen
until Congress and the Bush administration give
the commission the time and evidence it needs."
Members of the commission voiced
concerns that the current May 27 deadline would
prevent the probe from being as thorough as
possible. "We are telling the Congress and the
president what we need to do the best possible
job," said Thomas H. Kean, chairman of the panel.
"Much work remains, and some hard work in
finalizing our report."
Kean requested a deadline
extension from Congress, but the idea has already
met serious resistance by the White House and
Republican leaders on Capitol Hill.
The work of the 10-member panel
has been plagued by delays. For months the Bush
administration has bogged down the panels inquiry
by holding key documents and not committing to
public testimony from numerous White House
officials.
Senator Edwards supported
creation of the commission and said last year that
the deadline may need to be extended because of
Bush administration foot-dragging on turning over
information requested by the panel.
(1/29/2004)
Edwards boasts of wide support
Sen. John Edwards website boasts
of new support in New Mexico, Oklahoma, Tennessee,
N. Dakota, Michigan and Wisconsin Steel Workers
and Missouri. Edwards is trying to show that he is
viable in other states besides South Carolina,
which he must win.
Edwards could read the
Boston Globe to check in on the current
rhetoric concerning the class warfare issue and
read Robert Kuttner, who suggests that Democrats
should continue the policy of ‘take from the rich
and give to the poor.:’
There's nothing "antigrowth"
about insisting on a progressive tax system or a
public policy that balances drug company profits
against the public's health. In the glory years of
the post-World War II boom, well-to-do Americans
lived nicely with higher tax rates, and
corporations did just fine despite tougher
regulation. That regulation saved capitalism from
its own excesses. And Wall Street might have been
spared the carnage of 2000-2001 if tougher
financial, accounting, and securities regulations
hadn't been gutted in the 1990s (with Lieberman
cheering on the repeal). (1/29/2004)
Edwards says no reparations
Sen. John Edwards, who claims an
affinity with Black voters, today in Ssouth
Carolina said that he was not for “Slavery
Reparations.”
I'm not for reparations. What I'm
for is dealing with the root causes of the
disparity," Edwards said in Greenville, South
Carolina, where he was to debate the other
Democratic presidential candidates on Thursday
night.
Edwards will participate in the
debate tonight on MSNBC. (1/29/2004)
Poll Watching
Zogby's surveys, Kerry dominates in Missouri, with 45 percent.
Running a distant second in that state is North Carolina Sen.
John Edwards at 11 percent. If these numbers hold, Kerry could
sweep all 74 of Missouri's delegates.
Dean
was at 9 percent, Sen. Joseph Lieberman was at 4 percent,
Clark at 3 percent, Al Sharpton at 2 percent and Rep. Dennis
Kucinich at 1 percent.
In
Arizona, Kerry has 38 percent over Clark’s 17 percent, with
Dean at 12 percent, Edwards and Lieberman 6 percent, Kucinich
2 percent and Sharpton 1 percent.
Clark
was leading Kerry in Oklahoma 27 percent to 19 percent, with
Edwards right behind at 17 percent, Dean at 9 percent,
Lieberman at 5 percent and Sharpton and Kucinich at 1 percent.
(1/30/2004)
Edwards ‘fix’ for job losses
Speaking with families in Sumter, South Carolina, Senator John
Edwards today outlined his plan to help communities across the
country devastated by job loss. In particular, Edwards focused
on the need to create jobs in communities losing them, to
prevent more jobs from moving overseas, and to oppose military
base closings when communities do not get the help they need.
"I
understand how job loses impact small communities-they have a
domino affect on the entire community from the storeowners to
the barbers," Edwards said. "That is why it is so critical for
us to have a president who understands-whether it is fighting
for fair trade or opposing unfair military base closings-how
these decisions impact your lives."
Edwards today outlined his plan to reverse the devastating job
loss suffered under George W. Bush. Over the last three years,
our nation has lost 2.6 million manufacturing jobs, including
almost 46,000 in South Carolina. To help struggling
communities, Edwards will:
Overhaul
US Trade Policies. Edwards will
oppose any trade agreements that fail to include strong and
enforceable labor and environmental standards. He will end
China’s manipulation of the value of its currency, which
gives its industries an unfair advantage, and keep quotas on
textiles until China plays by the rules.
Fix the
Tax Code to Help American Businesses Compete.
Edwards will encourage corporations to create jobs here at
home by cutting taxes by 10 percent for companies that
produce goods and create jobs within the U.S. He will end
tax incentives that give deductions and other special tax
breaks to companies that build factories overseas.
Create
and Protect Jobs in Hard-Hit Communities.
Edwards has opposed new rounds of base closings-known as
BRAC (Base Realignment and Closing)-because government has
not done nearly enough to help towns devastated by base
closings. He will bring venture capital, small business
loans, and business expertise to create jobs in struggling
communities, and create a Training Works initiative with one
goal: to ensure that when people get job training, they are
getting training for jobs that exist in their communities.
Increase
U.S. Savings And Investment.
Edwards will increase national savings by helping regular
families save, invest, and get ahead, offering tax credits
to match the savings of working families and cut capital
gains and dividend taxes for 95 percent of Americans.
"For
me, the fight to save these communities is personal," Edwards
said. "These are types of towns that I grew up in, and the
kinds of towns where my parents still live. The people who
live in these communities are the kind of people I grew up
with. I will never give up because this is our fight
together." (1/30/2004)
Fattah Endorses Edwards
The
Edwards campaign announced today that Congressman Chaka Fattah
has officially endorsed Edwards. Fattah will serve as National
Honorary Co-Chair of Edwards for President and Senior Advisor
on Urban Policy. Congressman Chaka Fattah (D-PA), a national
leader on education policy, today endorsed Senator John
Edwards for president of the United States, citing his vision
of better schools and a better opportunity for every child.
(1/30/2004)
Grady Patterson endorses Edwards
John
Edwards has picked up another presidential endorsement – this
time from two-star general and SC State Treasurer Grady
Patterson. Excerpt from the press release:
"Senator Edwards has proven
that he can win the Democratic nomination," State Treasurer
Patterson said. "But most importantly, as a native of a South
Carolina mill town, he understands the plight of hard-working
South Carolinians. As president, I know he will be an advocate
for the working-class people in South Carolina, because those
are the people he grew up with, and those are the people he
cares about."
Patterson is a native of
Abbeville County, South Carolina, and has served as South
Carolina's State Treasurer for 35 years. Patterson is the
longest serving Democratic Constitutional officer in South
Carolina.
Patterson served America as a
fighter pilot in World War II, flying combat missions from Iwo
Jima. Patterson is a former Chief of the South Carolina Air
National Guard, receiving the Distinguished Service Medal from
the President of the United States for: "...exceptionally
meritorious service in a duty of Great Responsibility."
"State Treasurer Patterson's
record of service to his country and the people of South
Carolina is unparalleled," Edwards said. "He fought bravely
for his country in World War II and for the people of South
Carolina as Assistant Attorney State General and State
Treasurer. He understands what we as Americans can achieve,
and knows that to get there we must offer Americans an
optimistic vision for the future. I am honored to have him
supporting my campaign to create an America that works for all
of us." (1/30/2004)
Edwards
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