|
 John
Edwards
 excerpts
from
the Iowa Daily Report
July
2003
…”Spouse of
Dem hopeful slashes Bush’s policies” –
Headline from yesterday’s Daily Iowan
(University of Iowa), reporting on Elizabeth
Edwards’ weekend stop at an Iowa City
law firm. The report by the DI’s Annie Shuppy:
“The wife of a 2004 presidential hopeful
told local Democratic activists Sunday morning
that their party needs a candidate who can
reach out to voters in what she called one of
the most important elections in recent years.
Elizabeth Edwards, who is married to Sen. John
Edwards, D-N.C., criticized President
Bush's tax plan, adding that the country's tax
burden will be carried by working people. In
order to reverse what has happened under
Bush's presidency, she said, the Democratic
Party needs to win back seats in Congress as
well as the White House. ‘Bush is honoring
wealth; we're trying to honor the hard work
that brings wealth,’ she said to a crowd of
55, many of whom said they believe John
Edwards has a shot at the White House.
‘The most selfish among us seem to be running
our government.’ The 53-year-old, who met
her husband in law school at the University of
North Carolina-Chapel Hill, said that when
their family decided whether he should run,
there were a number of candidates they could
have supported - including Rep. Richard
Gephardt, D-Mo. - but realized that her
husband has the potential to connect with a
wide voter constituency. The distinction
between her husband and President Bush, she
said, is comparable to the difference between
a real dollar bill and a counterfeit one. ‘You
don't realize it's counterfeit until you lay
it down next to a real dollar bill,’ she said
during the event at the Larew Law Office, part
of her third visit to Iowa. ‘That's what we
need to do in this election.’”(7/1/2003)
… “Edwards
blocks GI’s loan break” – Headline from
yesterday’s Washington Times. The Times’
Charles Hunt reports on efforts by Edwards
and his staff to initially deny his was
stalling the legislation. Excerpts from Hunt’s
report: “Sen. John Edwards, North Carolina
Democrat, is single-handedly blocking Senate
action on legislation all but unanimously
supported by the House to ease the
student-loan burden for soldiers fighting
overseas. In April, the House voted 421-1
to pass the HEROES Act, which essentially
would defer student loans for soldiers called
into action. The only dissenting vote was cast
accidentally by one of the bill's sponsors. The
bill is stalled in the Senate Health,
Education, Labor and Pensions Committee under
a ‘secret hold,’ said Sen. Judd Gregg, New
Hampshire Republican and chairman of the
committee. Senate tradition allows members to
lodge secret, or ‘anonymous,’ holds against a
bill and block it indefinitely. Supporters
of the bill, the Higher Education Relief
Opportunities for Students Act, were mystified
for months that anyone would hold up such
popular legislation, but couldn't pinpoint the
culprit. ‘It's frustrating when something
has such overwhelming support and then it gets
held up like this,’ said the bill's sponsor,
Rep. John Kline, Minnesota Republican. Mr.
Gregg and Sen. Lindsey Graham, South Carolina
Republican, became so frustrated that last
month they wrote a letter telling a colleague
that the bill ‘has been held up in the
Senate and is unlikely to pass’ in its current
form. In their letter to Sen. John W.
Warner, Virginia Republican, Mr. Gregg and Mr.
Graham asked that their HEROES proposal be
slipped into the defense spending bill in the
Armed Services Committee, which Mr. Warner
leads. Capitol Hill speculation about the
secret hold eventually centered on Mr.
Edwards, one of four senators seeking the
Democratic nomination for president. ‘Apparently,
presidential politics got involved,’ Mr.
Kline said. One Republican staffer on the
Senate education panel said Mr. Edwards is
holding up the bill so that he can take top
credit for passing it later. ‘Edwards
likes this issue and he wants to see his name
on it,’ the staffer said. Mr. Edwards and
his office initially denied responsibility for
blocking the bill at all. ‘I just talked
to Senator Edwards,’ Mr. Graham said as
he stepped off the Senate floor last week. ‘He
said if he has a hold on it, he didn't know
about it. He didn't even know about the
bill.’ Told last week that everyone involved
with the legislation adamantly said that Mr.
Edwards put the hold on it, Edwards
spokesman Mike Briggs replied, ‘They're
adamantly wrong.’ Yesterday, however, Mr.
Briggs acknowledged that his boss was stalling
the bill. ‘We support this bill, but Senator
Edwards wants his amendment voted on,’ he
said. ‘He wants to make a good bill better.’
The Edwards amendment would waive
interest accrued by soldiers while engaged in
military action and would cost about $10
million per deployment, Mr. Briggs said.”(7/2/2003)
… Somebody
had to do it and it appears that Greg Pierce –
in yesterday’s “Inside Politics” column in the
Washington Times – did. Under the subhead
“Last-minute appeals,” Pierce did a
postmortem on the frantic efforts by the
various wannabes to inspire contributors
during the final hours before Monday’s FEC
deadline. Pierce’s report: “Several
presidential hopefuls in the nine-member
Democratic field sent out urgent pleas for
last-minute cash as the second quarter's close
approached Monday. ‘Only a Few Hours
Left,’ said a campaign e-mail from Rep. Dick
Gephardt of Missouri. ‘The clock is
ticking,’ North Carolina Sen. John Edwards
told prospective donors in another online
pitch. ‘There are only 12 hours left before
the critical June 30 fund-raising deadline,’
Joe Lieberman, a Connecticut senator,
wrote in an e-mail message. ‘Before 12
midnight (Central Time), please visit my Web
site and make a contribution to my campaign.’
Howard Dean, the former Vermont governor,
posted real-time totals every half hour on the
Internet and urged donors to ‘hit a grand slam
for Dean.’ Mr. Dean's overall total
of about $7.1 million for the second quarter
topped early estimates from other Democratic
candidates. Officials with the campaigns of
Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry and Mr.
Edwards said they expected
second-quarter totals of about $5 million.
Added to their first-quarter figures of more
than $7 million, they could still lead the
early Democratic money race overall. Mr.
Gephardt was aiming for $5 million in
the second quarter, Mr. Lieberman hoped
for $4 million and Sen. Bob Graham of
Florida expected to report $2 million to $3
million in contributions, officials with those
campaigns told AP. Former Illinois Sen. Carol
Moseley Braun said she raised about
$150,000 during the quarter. Al Sharpton and
Rep. Dennis Kucinich of Ohio did not provide
estimates.” (Iowa Pres Watch Note:
Other reports have indicated that Kucinich
expected to report “about $1 million” for the
second quarter while Sharpton
supporters said he would report receiving
about $100,000 in contributions.)
(7/3/2003)
… Edwards –
apparently unaware that soldiers, their
families and veterans vote in caucuses and
primaries – continues drawing political fire
from colleagues and veterans for stalling
student loan program for U. S. troops.
Headline from Thursday’s Washington Times: “Edwards
urged to let Heroes Act see vote” The
Times’ Charles Hunt reported: “Lawmakers
and veterans urged Democratic presidential
hopeful Sen. John Edwards to stop blocking
legislation aimed at easing student loan
burdens for soldiers fighting overseas. ‘It's
shameful that the members of our armed
services are being held captive by
political tactics," said Rep. Howard P.
"Buck" McKeon, California Republican and
chairman of the House subcommittee that
engineered the Higher Education Relief
Opportunities for Students (Heroes) Act. The
bill — which in effect would defer student
loan payments for soldiers engaged in military
operations — overwhelmingly passed the House
in April just seven days after it was
introduced. Ever since, it has been stuck
in the Senate Health, Education, Labor and
Pensions Committee, of which Mr. Edwards,
North Carolina Democrat, is a member. The
presidential candidate opposed allowing a
committee vote on the bill until an amendment
he authored — which would be more generous to
soldiers — was considered. ‘Our troops
deserve more than political infighting and
stalling tactics,’ said Rep. John A. Boehner,
Ohio Republican and chairman of the House
Education and the Workforce Committee. ‘We
have an opportunity to prevent financial
hardships for our men and women serving
overseas by approving the Heroes legislation,
and the fact that it is being held up for any
reason, especially a desire to take personal
credit, is unconscionable.’ North Carolina
veterans also have reacted angrily. ‘He's
out to make a name for himself to be
president,’ said Edward Parungo, commander of
a Veterans of Foreign Wars post in Mr.
Edwards' hometown of Raleigh. ‘He doesn't
care who he has to step on to do it.’…’If
this is his policy towards our men and women
in the military, then I'm deeply scared of
what he'd be like as president,’ said
Conway Brooks, a disabled Army veteran from
Raleigh. A spokesman for Mr. Edwards
denied any political motivation for his
actions, except that the senator supported the
bill and wanted to improve it.”(7/5/2003)
... under the
headline “Candidates
Edwards, Dean rap Bush on economy” in
Friday’s Union Leader – the Associated Press
reported: “Democrats are trying to place the
blame for high unemployment on President Bush,
and they see economic woes as key to turning
voters against him in next year’s election.
Within an hour of yesterday morning’s
announcement that July’s unemployment numbers
had increased to a nine-year high of 6.4
percent, Democrats began assailing President
Bush’s economic policies. ‘It’s a shame
that so many Americans still can’t find jobs,
and it’s a shame that President Bush doesn’t
have a clue about how to make things better,’
said North Carolina Sen. John Edwards,
a candidate for the White House. ‘It’s clear
that the President’s tax cuts for the wealthy
are failing the rest of the country.’
(7/6/2003) …
Adventures with Edwards: NC wannabe buys
Japanese-made jogging shoes before promising
to put priority on interests of U. S. workers.
Headline from yesterday’s Union Leader: “The
Edwards message goes retail in Manchester”
Report by Union Leader senior political
reporter John DiStaso:
“Half
an hour after Democratic Presidential hopeful
John Edwards promised to put ‘the interest of
working Americans first’ with a new corporate
accountability plan, he spent $89.95 on a pair
of running shoes made in Japan.
In fairness, said Scott Sylvester, who was
working at Runner’s Alley on Hanover Street
when the North Carolina senator and a media
entourage stepped through the door, virtually
every running shoe is made overseas, and most
in Asia. New Balance, which were also
available at the store, is ‘about the only
brand’ made in the United States these days,
he said. Edwards spokesman Colin Van Ostern
said later he had no idea if Edwards knew the
shoe he bought, Asics, was a Japanese a brand.
For Edwards, the shoe purchase was one
of several downtown retail campaign stops he
made after his corporate accountability
speech. State university system board chairman
John Lynch escorted Edwards but said he
is uncommitted in the Presidential primary
campaign. Edwards said his old running
shoes were worn out and he needed new ones for
his intended run later in the day. While
purchasing the shoes, Edwards said he
usually runs ‘35 to 40 miles a week.’
Edwards’ campaign billed yesterday’s
20-minute speech before the Manchester Rotary
Club at the Chateau restaurant a major policy
address.” (7/9/2003)
…And from
the Washington Times: Under the subhead ‘Edwards'
plan,’
Greg Pierce reported yesterday in his ‘Inside
Politics’ column, “Democratic presidential
candidate John Edwards yesterday released a
plan he said was aimed at restoring integrity
to a corporate America buffeted by scandal
with the eventual goal of boosting the economy. Making
his appeal on populist terms, the senator from
North Carolina and former trial lawyer
proposed a series of business reforms, arguing
that ‘what's holding our economy down is
the callous view of a few at the top in
Washington and in the corporate world that the
values that got us here can now be left behind.’ Under
his corporate-accountability plan, Mr.
Edwards would require companies to count
stock options as expenses against their bottom
lines, the Associated Press reports. ‘The
abuse of stock options that are hidden from
balance sheets has been central to the
corporate scandals,’ he said in Manchester,
N.H. ‘This is about honest accounting. It is a
fundamental tenet of economic reform. If we're
going to restore values to our economy, we
need to do the right thing here.’ Mr.
Edwards' plan would strengthen laws that
require chief executive officers' pay to be
linked to performance, would eliminate tax
breaks for executive pensions that are
disproportionately larger than those for
rank-and-file workers and would give
shareholders greater control over corporate
boards. Mr. Edwards also would make it
harder for companies to hide their money in
tax shelters by requiring them to explain why
profits they report to the Internal Revenue
Service differ from the amount reported to
shareholders.” (7/9/2003)
… DON’T
MISS THIS ONE. Jesse Helms says of Edwards
“nobody’s saying that he has great ability to
analyze this or that…” Under the headline
“Helms not on board,” John Wagner
reported in yesterday’s News & Observer of
Raleigh: “No surprise here, but former U.S.
Sen. Jesse Helms isn't placing too much stock
in U.S. Sen. John Edwards' bid for the
Democratic presidential nomination.
Helms,
a five-term Republican senator from North
Carolina, told The National Journal that ‘it's
difficult for me to ascertain exactly what [Edwards]
hopes to accomplish with all the travel and
the votes he's missing.’ In the July 5
edition, Helms says he doesn't believe
Edwards has enough experience to be president.
Asked what's missing, Helms said: ‘Frankly,
everything that's going to be essential. ...
For all the glad-handing that occurs ...
nobody's saying that he has great ability to
analyze this or that or serve in this capacity.’
Helms added that he is ‘definitely certain
this young man will not run for re-election to
the Senate from North Carolina, because I
think he realizes even now he will probably
not be re-elected.’” (7/10/2003)
… Edwards
Follow-up – a different view of his latest New
Hampshire campaign visit. Headline from
Tuesday’s Concord Monitor online edition: “Edwards
puts value on his past…Candidate
emphasizes lessons of childhood” Report by the
Monitor’s Daniel Barrick: “Katie Wolff
sat and listened for more than an hour and a
half last night as U.S. Sen. John Edwards
fielded questions ranging from medical
marijuana to the merits of U.S. intervention
in Liberia. When she asked Edwards, a
Democratic presidential candidate, what
differentiates him from the eight Democrats
running against him, the senator referred to
the values he learned as the son of a mill
worker in North Carolina. For Wolff, that
story was nice, but not specific enough to
earn her vote. ‘I need the meat; I need
the talking points; I need the bang, bang,
bang,’ Wolff, a teacher from Londonderry, said
in an interview after the forum. In a town
hall-style meeting last night at Conant
Elementary School, Edwards gave a lesson in
biography, offering his life story as the
inspiration behind his campaign for the
presidency. But for Wolff, Edwards's
repeated references to his
up-by-the-bootstraps childhood wore thin by
the end of the evening. ‘Is that going to
make him electable?’ she asked. ‘Is that a
platform in itself? Will that help him beat
Bush?’ To Edwards, the answer to those
questions is an emphatic 'yes.' On nearly
every issue last night, he returned to his
roots as the child of blue-collar parents,
contrasting his hardscrabble upbringing with
that of the president. ‘I use my family as an
example; it's the way I see things,’ Edwards
said in response to one question. From tax
cuts to education, Edwards claimed,
President Bush favors the wealthy over the
working class. Instead, Edwards offered his
own life experience as more in touch with
middle class Americans and the American dream.
‘We are a nation of people who believe there
is nothing we can't do,’ Edwards said.
He added: ‘I honor and respect hard work. I
honor and respect responsibility. I believe in
opportunity. . . . (Bush) is about building
barriers and closing doors. I'm about exactly
the opposite.’”(7/10/2003)
…
Elizabeth Edwards of Raleigh, NC, writes
letter to Des Moines Register. Headline
from yesterday’s letters to the editor
columns: “American values attacked by tax
cuts” An excerpt: “Campaigning for the
presidential campaign of my husband, Senator
John Edwards, in Waterloo this
past weekend, I had the opportunity to meet
Mike Tompkins, the coordinator for eastern
Iowa's ‘Masters of Disaster/Facing Fear’
AmeriCorps program. Tompkins is an incredible
individual who has invested long hours for
little pay building a program that teaches
kids, among other things, how to prepare
themselves and face their fears in the event
of a terrorist attack. The program,
currently on the chopping block, is
cost-effective and built into teachers'
curriculum - exactly the kind of preparation
our kids need in today's society. Tompkins
is hugely concerned that a program as
successful and relevant as his is facing
elimination, and I couldn't agree more. I
believe Americans would rather see more
resources given to programs like Tompkins' as
opposed to tax cuts benefiting only the
wealthiest Americans. Those are my
values, those are my husband's values, and
come November 2004, we need to send President
Bush a message that those are America's values.”
(7/11/2003)
… While
others talk Iraq and other issues, Edwards
promotes hog waste solutions that will
resonate with rural Iowans and
environmentalists. Headline from
yesterday’s Des Moines Register: “Edwards
pitches hog waste plan…The proposal,
called a good first step by farm groups, would
limit hydrogen sulfide and ammonia from big
livestock farms.” Register political ace
Thomas Beaumont reported: “Democratic
presidential candidate John Edwards Thursday
proposed limits on pollution from large hog
farms, a proposal he said would win support
among environmentalists and farmers in Iowa's
precinct caucuses. The plan drew measured
support from environmental and farm groups in
Iowa and nationally. They called it a good
first step. Edwards, a U.S. senator from
North Carolina, called air and water pollution
stemming from large-scale livestock
confinements ‘a crisis’ during a telephone
conference call with Iowa reporters. ‘My
fundamental belief is that something is wrong
when families are being moved from their homes
by hog waste and we have to do something about
it,’ he said. Edwards said he hopes to
reduce air pollution by establishing limits
for hydrogen sulfide and ammonia from large
livestock operations, which the bill defines
as confinements of 1,000 animals or more. Ed
Whittle, an attorney for Environmental Defense
in North Carolina, said the measure is
significant because it would include livestock
confinements under the Clean Air Act. ‘It
opens the door,’ Whittle said. ‘That's good,
but it doesn't go far enough.’ Whittle said he
would like to see lower limits on livestock
waste-borne air pollutants. Large-scale hog
confinements are a volatile issue in Iowa, the
nation's top pork producer.
Environmental and family farm groups have
tried to block large operations, accusing them
of being environmental nuisances and threats
to competition. The senator's bill would
mandate higher standards for disposing of
livestock manure and prohibit federal funding
to help build or expand large-scale farms.
Edwards' bill would also require tough
penalties for violators who would be subject
to fines and revocation of their licenses…Edwards
has faced criticism in Iowa for voting against
a provision in the 2002 farm bill that would
have banned meatpacking companies from owning
livestock. Supporters of a packer
ownership ban say it would help curb the
growing corporate control of agriculture.
Edwards has said that such a ban would
hurt farmers in his state, where the
relationship between small farmers and the
meatpacking companies is much closer.
Edwards has spent more time than most
candidates on farm issues.” (7/12/2003)
…
Well, Edwards probably will take another
Waukee stop off his schedule for the balance
of the caucus campaign – primarily since he
was invited to leave Iowa. Headline from
yesterday’s Quad-City Times: “Edwards
defends hog-lot proposal; Senator visits Iowa
to stump for presidential bid.” Excerpts
from report from Waukee by the Times’
Kathie Obradovich: “A John Deere tractor
pulled up across the street as North Carolina
Sen. John Edwards, a Democrat, stood in a
nearby gazebo, talking about his presidential
campaign to a few dozen supporters and
townspeople. ‘This is perfect,’ Edwards
said, gesturing to the tractor, raising his
voice to be heard as the engine cut into his
comments about preserving America’s
‘small-town, rural way of life.’ It turned
out a local farmer was intent on attracting
Edwards’ attention with more than just
machinery. Jerry Burger, a farmer and
livestock producer, stopped the candidate as
he headed over to the local café to raise his
objections to the environmental policy Edwards
introduced last week in Congress. ‘I
think you need to go back to North Carolina,’
Burger said. ‘All you want is more regulations
on livestock.’ Burger, who says he ‘votes
Republican most of the time,’ said he’s also
concerned about urban sprawl. Waukee is a
suburb west of Des Moines with about
5,100 residents. ‘This is some of the best
land in the world, and it’s getting bulldozed
and just turned into malls and all kinds of
development.’ Edwards, who paused
briefly, responded, ‘We’re actually working
very hard to protect farmland. I’ve worked
hard on it in North Carolina.’ He added, ‘I
think what I’m doing is actually for the
farmers’ as he broke away from the
conversation and went into the café.
Edwards proposed legislation last week to
require the Environmental Protection
Administration to limit air and water
pollution from large livestock-confinement
operations. ‘I would just respectfully
disagree with him,’ Edwards told
reporters a few minutes later. ‘I think it is
important for us to manage the environmental
impact in this big, corporate farms.’ He said
he wants to ‘keep our farmers in business,’
but said the expansion of big, corporate hog
farms ‘can do enormous damage to the water and
the air.’” In AP coverage of the Edwards-Burger
episode, it was reported that Burger, who
raises hogs and crops on 2,000 acres near
Waukee, said Edwards was “as far left
as you can get” on the environment.
(7/15/2003)
… “If
you’re upset about something I’ve said or
done, or if you want me to clarify a position,
now is your chance.” – Edwards at his
second town meeting in New Hampshire. An
excerpt from AP coverage of Edwards’
appearance in Portsmouth: “Democratic
presidential hopeful John Edwards met
friend and foe alike during the second of 12
scheduled town hall style meetings his
campaign has planned for New Hampshire voters
this summer. More than 200 people attended the
two-hour event Tuesday night, which the North
Carolina senator said he hopes will give
voters a fuller picture of who he is. ‘There
are no limits to what you can ask me here
tonight,’ Edwards said. ‘Anything goes.
If you're upset about something I've said or
done, or if you want me to clarify a position,
now is your chance,’ he said. The crowd for
the most part was enthusiastic and applauded
frequently, although many began to trickle
away as the sunlight faded and mosquitoes
swarmed in at Prescott Park. Applause was
noticeably absent when Edwards defended his
support for the war in Iraq. He scarcely
missed a chance during the evening to note
that his father was a lifelong mill worker,
and that despite his success as a lawyer, he
knew what ordinary peoples' lives were like.
Edwards painted his potential adversary,
President Bush as a man out of touch with the
everyday struggles of most people. ‘I hope
we still live in a country where we can
believe the son of a mill worker can beat the
son of a president,’ he said. Edwards
did not mention any of the other eight
contenders for the Democratic nomination by
name, but outlined differences on health care,
prescription drug prices, and the war in Iraq.”(7/17/2003)
… Edwards,
in New Hampshire, says he supports tax cuts –
but not the same cuts the Bush White House
wants. Headline from yesterday’s Union
Leader: “Edwards calls for new national tax
policy” Excerpt from Milford report by
Union Leader correspondent Gil Bliss: “U.S.
Sen. John Edwards said he isn’t like other
Democrats in that he believes in tax cuts —
just not the cuts for the wealthy championed
by the Bush White House. Speaking to
high-tech workers at Cirtronics in Milford
yesterday, the Presidential hopeful from North
Carolina said his kind of cuts would go to
bolstering working class people, ensuring they
have the same opportunities he had growing up
in a mill worker’s family. ‘We’ve lost
millions of jobs over the last couple of
years,’ Edwards said, ‘including more
than 100,000 in textiles alone in North
Carolina’…’Instead of having loopholes in the
tax rolls for corporations that go overseas
and move jobs overseas, we should shut those
down, cut off those benefits and give tax cuts
and benefits to companies that keep jobs in
America,’ Edwards said. ‘We need to
keep jobs here and keep the tax code so that
companies keep jobs here,’ he said, calling
for ‘a change in national policy on taxes.’…’There
seems to be a move away from taxation on
wealth and unearned income on wealth, such as
estate taxes, capital gains and dividends tax,
and a shift of the tax burden to people like
you,’ Edwards said…Edwards
said his tax-cut plan helps working people,
such as a $5,000 refundable tax credit for
down payment on a first home; a tax cut for
those able to invest in a business for the
first time; matching savings for middle income
families ‘dollar for dollar, up to $1,000 a
year.’ He also proposed a 10 percent tax
cut for companies that keep jobs in the U.S.,
paid for by repealing corporate tax breaks.”
(7/18/2003)
… Under the
subhead “Edwards vs. Russert,”
Robert Novak reported in his Chicago Sun-Times
column today that Edwards appears more eager
than his staff to return to site of past
fiasco – “Meet the Press.” Excerpt from
Novak’s column: “While Sen. John Edwards's
staffers indicate their boss will not return
to NBC's ‘Meet the Press’ after his dismal
appearance on the program May 5 of last year,
the Democratic presidential candidate himself
signals he wants to try again. On July 10,
Edwards sent this brief message to
moderator Tim Russert: ‘I'm looking forward to
finding the time to come to your show.
(signed) John.’ That message was sent three
days after Edwards spokeswoman Jennifer
Palmieri was quoted in The Washington Post as
saying the ‘great elite audience’ that watches
Meet the Press is ‘not the audience we need to
reach this summer.’ Edwards was riding
high before his grilling by Russert last year.
Since then, he has slipped out of the top tier
of Democratic candidates.”(7/20/2003)
… Even
Iowans try to get out of the state during the
mid-August heat and humidity, but for Edwards
it’s apparently the ideal time – and location
– for a six-day bus trip. Graham’s also
scheduled to vacation in IA next month, but
will he – like Edwards – also go to New
Hampshire for a bus tour? Report by News &
Observer’s John Wagner: “U.S. Sen. John
Edwards plans a pair of August bus trips to
boost the visibility of his presidential
campaign in Iowa and New Hampshire.
With
his wife and three children in tow, Edwards'
bus will travel around Iowa starting Aug. 13,
the campaign announced over the weekend.
Nearly two dozen stops are planned over the
course of six days.
The drill will be repeated starting Aug. 20 in
New Hampshire, the campaign said. Over six
days, Edwards will travel by bus between sites
of previously announced town-hall-style
meetings in the Granite State. Edwards has
lagged in the single digits in recent polls
from the two early nominating steps. In recent
weeks, he has devoted more of his time to
retail campaigning in both places.”(7/22/2003)
… Optimistic Edwards – apparently believing
he’ll still be around in Dem derby next
February – opens South Carolina headquarters
and rolls our standard rhetoric in Columbia.
Excerpts from coverage by The State’s
veteran political reporter Lee Bandy: “Democratic
presidential candidate John Edwards opened his
South Carolina campaign headquarters Tuesday
with a blistering attack on President Bush.
With his jacket off, sleeves rolled up and
collar loosened to combat the sweltering heat
in a tiny room packed with reporters and
supporters, the U.S. senator from North
Carolina lit into the president, saying he
lacks credibility, is clueless about the
economy and cares only about the wealthy.
‘He wants to make sure those who have it keep
it,’ Edwards said. But no one should be
surprised, he asserted. ‘This is the world
Bush comes from…a world where wealth is
inherited, not earned.’ Edwards drew a
sharp contrast between his candidacy and
Bush's. ‘George Bush believes that if you take
care of people at the top, the country does
better,’ he said. ‘I believe if you lift up
and give opportunities to all America, the
country does better.’…The campaign
headquarters, on Gervais Street across from
the old Confederate printing plant in downtown
Columbia, was overflowing with well-wishers
and supporters. ‘This is incredible. I had no
idea we'd get this kind of crowd in the
morning,’ an upbeat Edwards said.
The South Carolina Republican Party greeted
the Democrat with a handout, detailing the
number of staff changes in his campaign and
noting that he fell back to fourth place last
quarter in the all-important money chase. ‘The
only thing missing from his announcement today
is the ambulance waiting to try and
resuscitate his doomed campaign,’ state GOP
chairman Katon Dawson said. South Carolina
polls have consistently shown Edwards
in single digits, trailing far behind the
leaders in the middle of the nine-person
Democratic field. U.S. Rep. Dick Gephardt,
of Missouri, is the only other candidate to
have a state campaign headquarters. U.S. Sen.
John Kerry, of Massachusetts, hopes to
open an office soon.”(7/24/2003)
… The New York
numbers are in – Bush $3.1 million,
Kerry $1.7 million, Lieberman $1.4 million,
Edwards $1.2 million, Sharpton $14,010.
From DC, AP’s Devlin Barrett writes about NY
and related fundraising numbers: “New
Yorkers have given more than $6 million to
Democratic presidential contenders in the
first half of 2003, but home state candidate
Al Sharpton has received just $14,010.
Nationally, Sharpton lags far behind
the big-name candidates in fund-raising, but
the disparity only grows within New York,
according to figures from the Center for
Responsive Politics (CRP). In the first half
of 2003, according to the CRP, Sen. John
Kerry led among New York Democratic donors
with $1.7 million, followed by Connecticut's
Sen. Joe Lieberman with $1.4 million,
and John Edwards of North Carolina with
$1.2 million. Coming in fourth was former
Vermont governor Howard Dean, with
$844,749 followed by Rep. Dick Gephardt
of Missouri with $804,501. Sen. Bob Graham
of Florida collected just under $100,000. New
York is a key fund-raising state for both
parties. President Bush has taken in nearly
$3.1 million, figures show. Sharpton's
relatively tiny $14,010 beats out only Carol
Moseley Braun, a former U.S. Senator from
Illinois who took in $5,750 from New Yorkers,
according to the CRP. The largest share of
Sharpton's money comes from Michigan,
specifically the Detroit area, which
contributed $36,000, followed by Pennsylvania
with $17,000. New York state is third on the
list, counting for just 11 percent of his
campaign money. He has raised a little more
than $184,000 nationwide. The activist's
campaign manager, Frank Watkins, said the
numbers show Sharpton ‘made the most
mileage with the least amount of fuel.’”(7/25/2003)
… SC Dems facing money woes as Feb. 3
primary date approaches, as an interesting
sidebar seems to be developing. Headline
from Friday’s Charlotte Observer: “Democrats
face fund-raising gap…party needs $500,000
to stage primary, but has only $30,000 so far”
Excerpt from report by Observer’s Jennifer
Talhelm: “The S.C. Democratic Party has six
months to come up with $500,000 to put on its
much-publicized, first-in-the-South
presidential primary, and so far, it is far
from that goal. Party Chairman Joe Erwin
said the Democrats have just $30,000 in the
bank and another $60,000 in pledges. But they
have a plan to come up with the rest,
including looking to former Gov. Jim Hodges
and even the presidential candidates
themselves. ‘It's starting to go pretty well,’
he said. ‘I know it's still going to be hard
work. We won't rest on our laurels or
celebrate.’ South Carolina's Feb. 3
presidential contest is the third in the
nation after New Hampshire and Iowa. It's
the first in a state with a significant black
population, and political experts say it'll
play a big role in determining which of the
nine hopefuls gets the nomination…U.S.
Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina
probably has the most at stake because he
needs to prove he has appeal in Southern
states. His campaign calls the primary ‘our
New Hampshire.’…[Erwin said he’s] looking
for help from the presidential candidates. He
won't ask for outright donations from the
candidates. But he may try to tap their
supporters, such as people who have maxed out
legal donations to the presidential candidates
but who might want to help the party.
Candidates U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman of
Connecticut and former Vermont Gov. Howard
Dean have already offered to help, Erwin
said. Edwards' campaign said Edwards
also would help.” IOWA PRES WATCH SIDEBAR:
The three wannabes – Edwards, Lieberman
and Dean – offering to help probably are
motivated more by their political self
interests than a concern about SC Dem Party
finances. Although Dean is a top-tier player
in Iowa and New Hampshire, the South Carolina
primary is a key contest for the other two.
Edwards has been looking at a “breakthrough”
in the first Southern primary while Lieberman
has been developing a late-strike strategy,
downplaying IA and NH, to gain momentum in SC,
AZ and other second-round states. Dean, on the
other hand, is probably looking at the
“momentum” possibilities – a solid SC showing
to cap his “top three” finish (and potential
win) in Iowa and anticipated first- or
second-place effort in NH. (7/27/2003)
… In Iowa,
Edwards blames Bush for “what is happening on
the ground” in Iraq. Headline from
yesterday’s Des Moines Register: “Edwards
criticizes president on Iraq” Excerpt from
coverage of Edwards visit to Clinton by
the Register’s Thomas Beaumont: “Democratic
presidential candidate John Edwards called the
Bush administration's postwar policy in Iraq
irresponsible Saturday, as four more U.S.
troops were reported killed by Iraqi
insurgents. But the North Carolina
senator, who voted last fall to give Bush
authority to order the invasion, stopped short
of saying he would vote differently today.
‘What I believe is this president is
responsible for what is happening on the
ground in Iraq right now,’ Edwards said
after a midday meeting with about 40 Democrats
in Clinton. Edwards, a member of the Senate
Intelligence Committee, also called on White
House officials to fully disclose their role
in the release of flawed intelligence reports
about Iraq's weapons capability prior to the
war. The White House has admitted Bush was
wrong when he said in his State of the Union
speech in January that Iraq tried to buy
nuclear material from an African nation to
build a nuclear device. A British report Bush
cited had been already determined to be based
on forged documents. Central Intelligence
Agency Director George Tenet took
responsibility for the error in the speech.
But Edwards said intelligence committee
hearings this month, during which Tenet
testified, left other questions unanswered.
‘Since the Tenet hearings, a lot of
information from the White House has come out.
I still think there's some information that
needs to be known,’ he said. ‘What
happened at the White House? Who was
responsible? Who at the White House put the
language in the speech to begin with and who
signed off on it?’ Intelligence questions have
prompted some Democrats, including Edwards,
to question whether Bush manipulated reports
publicly to support a case for war…Edwards
also touted a proposal to add 100,000 nurses
nationwide. The proposal is part of a
health-care plan he plans to unveil Monday in
New Hampshire. ‘We have a serious nursing
shortage in this country. It's obvious. All
you have to do is go to a hospital, go to a
nursing home,’ Edwards said. The $3
billion nursing proposal would pay for about
1,000 nurses in Iowa.”(7/28/2003)
… Edwards,
faltering everywhere, stays on message in
Michigan with well-worn “values” attack on GWB.
Somewhere along the way at least one Edwards
supporter should point out to him that he
themes aren’t working – or inspiring Dems.
Headline from yesterday’s Detroit Free Press:
“Presidential hopeful blasts Bush during
Detroit visit” Excerpt from freed.com
report: President George W. Bush's
values are not ones shared by the majority of
Americans who have to work for a living, Sen.
John Edwards of North Carolina said
Saturday during a campaign stop in Michigan.
Edwards is one of nine Democrats who
have announced their bid for the party's 2004
presidential nomination. Touting a message
aimed at appealing to key Democratic
constituents such as blacks, working class
families and labor groups, Edwards stressed
that key issues confronting the United States
are a looming health care crisis, the economy
and the need to ensure access to a quality
education. Speaking to a small audience at
the New Providence Baptist Church in Detroit
that included U.S. Rep. John Conyers,
D-Detroit, Edwards said Bush has been
seeking a debate on values and that come 2004,
the request should be granted. ‘His values are
not our values, they're not the values most of
us grew up with, they're not the values that
make this country what it is today,’
Edwards, who spoke earlier in the day at a
steelworkers picnic, said of Bush.”(7/28/2003)
… “Edwards’
error: N. C. senator makes big strategic
mistake” – Headline on editorial in
yesterday’s The Union Leader. Editorial
excerpt: “Sen. John Edwards, by national
standards clearly a moderate Democrat, has
tried to breathe life into his flailing
Presidential campaign by tacking to the left.
What can he be thinking? In Nashua on Sunday,
Edwards, who by the way is a trial lawyer
worth about $14 million, said of President
Bush, ‘His values are not our values. They are
not the values of most Americans. What he
honors and respects is really only one thing:
wealth.’ Not content to leave after
uttering that absurdity, he went on. ‘Most
Democrats are against George Bush’s tax cuts
for the rich. That includes me.’ With
President Bush’s approval ratings still around
55 percent, Edwards says President
Bush’s values are not shared by most
Americans, and he hints that as President he
would raise taxes. This will go over with
most Americans, and with Edwards’ own
constituents in North Carolina, like sushi at
a pig-pickin’. Not only will rhetoric like
this fail to move the party’s leftist base
away from Howard Dean, with whom it is
hopelessly infatuated, but it will alienate
the moderates, Edwards’ core
constituency. Edwards needs a new strategy,
and he needs it immediately.” (7/30/2003)
… Edwards
outlines limited health care proposal aimed
primarily at requiring parents to ensure
children are covered. Headline from
yesterday’s Quad-City Times: “Edwards would
mandate health insurance for kids”
Excerpts from coverage by the Times’ Ed
Tibbetts: “All parents would be
required to get health insurance for their
children under a plan Democratic presidential
candidate John Edwards pitched Monday. Edwards,
a U.S. senator from North Carolina, is the
latest presidential hopeful to unveil a
health-care plan. Although his proposal is
less expensive than some of his rivals’ ideas,
it does not guarantee universal coverage,
except to children. Parents would have to
ensure coverage for children younger than 21.
‘For the first time in history, we’re going to
make sure every child in America has health
care, just like we do with education.’…
Edwards’ plan would cover 21 million people at
a cost of $53 billion a year. National
figures show that about 41 million people
nationwide do not have health insurance.
Edwards would spend $25 billion on tax
credits to ensure coverage of children.
Parents earning less than $100,000 a year
would be eligible for tax credits to help
defray the cost. They could use the credits to
pay for insurance provided through their
employers or buy into state/federal
health-care plans. About 12 million children
are uninsured, his campaign states. A family
of four earning about $60,000 annually would
get a $300 tax credit and would pay no more
than $365 a year for coverage, the campaign
states. A family of four with $36,000 in
annual income would have to pay no more than
about $110 a year. People would have to prove
on their income taxes that their children have
insurance. The plan would be paid for by
eliminating the Bush tax cuts, cutting the
federal government’s non-defense work force
and ending other subsidies. Former Vermont
Gov. Howard Dean, U.S. Rep. Richard
Gephardt, D-Mo., U.S. Rep. Dennis
Kucinich, D-Ohio, and U.S. Sen. John
Kerry, D-Mass., all have put forth
health-care plans.”(7/30/2003)
Edwards
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