John Edwards

excerpts from the Iowa Daily Report

May 2003

 … Edwards creates major flare-up in South Carolina – an early primary state – by saying in fundraising letter that he’s a product of the New South, not the “Old South” of GOP Sen. Trent Lott and former GOP Sen. Strom Thurmond, the 100-year-old Carolina legend who served as guv and retired from the U. S. Senate just last year. (5/1/2003)

… Also coming to Iowa: Bobbie and Wallace Edwards – parents of wannabe John – who are scheduled to represent their son in Davenport next Monday at union and political events.(5/1/2003)

… Headline from this morning’s NH Union Leader: “Lieberman leads in new national poll” Report says survey – released yesterday by Sacred Heart University in Connecticut – has Lieberman with 20.2% followed by Gephardt (16.7%) and Kerry in third with 10.7% -- followed by Dean (6.5%) and Edwards (4.2%). (5/2/2003)

… Edwards – who was born in South Carolina and became a North Carolina Sen – has “stepped on the first political landmine of the young Democratic presidential primary season by criticizing Strom Thurmond. Or he just might have boosted his own campaign.” according to The State newspaper in Columbia, SC. The State report yesterday by veteran political writer Lee Bandy said: “South Carolina Republicans – and some Democrats – pounced on the U.S. senator from North Carolina Wednesday for making what they said were insulting comments about Thurmond, who retired in January after 46 years in the Senate. House Speaker David Wilkins, R-Greenville, called the remarks ‘disrespectful.’ State Sen. Thomas Moore, D-Aiken, called on Edwards to apologize to the 100-year-old Republican. At issue were comments Edwards made in a recent fund-raising appeal to Southern Democrats in which he claimed to be a different kind of Southerner from Thurmond and Trent Lott, the former Senate majority leader from Mississippi …Edwards stood by his remarks …S.C. Democratic Party Chairman Dick Harpootlian defended Edwards. ‘Does anybody doubt that Thurmond ns his heyday was racially divisive?’ he said. Francis Marion University political science professor Neal Thigpen saw the remarks as a ‘calculated try to win the African-American vote’ in the state’s Feb. 3 Democratic presidential primary…Clemson University analyst Bruce Ransom said the comments could boost Edward’s stock outside the South …Few, however, thought that Edwards’ comments would have little, if any, impact on the outcome of the primary.”  (Iowa Pres Watch Note: For real trivia – Edwards was born 6/10/53 in Seneca, SC, about the time Thurmond was gearing up for a 1954 write-in bid for the U.S. Senate in SC.)(5/2/2003)

… For Lieberman, it’s too bad every state isn’t South Carolina – because he leads the Dem field in awareness, favorability and ballot preference among likely SC Dem voters. According to an American Research Group survey (conducted 4/24-29), almost half of the state’s Dem voters are still undecided (47%) – but Lieberman has nearly one-fifth (19%) the vote. Three wannabes are bunched together behind Lieberman – Gephardt 9%, Kerry 8% and Edwards (who was born in Seneca, SC) 7% with Sharpton at 3%. The 2% players are Dean and Graham, while Biden (who’s not an announced candidate), Hart (who’s not an announced candidate) and Moseley Braun (who is an announced candidate) register in with 1%. Bringing up the pack – Kucinich and Gen/CNN war analyst Clark with solid 0% showings.(5/2/2003)

… Two of the Dem wannabes – Graham and Lieberman – were among the missing when Senate Democrats blocked floor action on consideration of the Priscilla Owen judicial nomination. The vote: 52-44 with two Dems (Miller of GA, Nelson of NE) joining Republicans, but 60 votes are required to invoke cloture on the nomination. The other Dem senator-candidates, Edwards and Kerry, -- obviously – voted against the Owen nomination. Senate Dems indicated they plan to filibuster her nomination – meaning they would be running duel filibusters against both the Owen and Estrada nominations. Meanwhile, the Washington Times reported yesterday that Senate Republicans are studying strategies to break the filibusters. (5/3/2003)

… More from the ABC/Washington Post poll: ABCNews.com’s Langer also reports that Lieberman has now established a “statistically significant lead” over the other Dem wannabes. He notes that Lieberman is “likely the best-known Democratic candidate by dint of his exposure as Al Gore’s running mate on the 2000 ticket” – but that the ABC News/Washington Post showing is “numerically his best in any national media-sponsored poll this year.” The Big Three – the group that’s topped most recent polls – continued their dominance: Lieberman 29%, Gephardt 19%, Kerry 14%. All others in single digits, but the surprise is Moseley Braun in fourth with 6%. The rest: Edwards at 4%, three – Sharpton, Graham and Dean – at 3%, and Kucinich 2%. (5/4/2003)

… Pre-debate handicapping and analysis from yesterday’s Los Angeles Times: “Each candidate has begun to try to establish distinguishing characteristics: Kerry has sought to capitalize on his medal-winning service in the Vietnam War – where he served in a Navy unit in the Mekong Delta – to establish in voters’ mind his competence on national security issues. That could be a key in running against Bush’s record as a wartime leader …Dean, a strong critic of Bush’s policy toward Iraq, has received warm receptions from Democrats who opposed the war. The early support Kerry and Dean have attracted [was] likely to make them targets [during last night’s debate]. Edwards, an attorney before winning his Senate seat in 1998, raised more money than any of the candidates during the first three months of this year, with many of the contributions coming from trial lawyers. Lieberman, who was Al Gore’s vice presidential running mate in 2000, is seeking to appeal to party centrists. Gephardt has set out a detailed health-care proposal that aims to provide coverage for nearly all Americans – an issue dear to many Democrats. Graham, who was governor of Florida for eight years and is now serving his third Senate term, has touted himself as the most experienced candidate.” Times’ staff writers James Gerstenzang and Mark Z. Barabak concluded their report: “Braun, Sharpton and Kucinich are liberal underdogs in the race who are seeking to present themselves as realistic alternatives to the more prominent candidates.” (5/4/2003)

Associated Press coverage of last night’s debate: “No Democrat has carried South Carolina in a presidential race since Jimmy Carter of neighboring Georgia in 1976. Al Gore visited the state only once in 2000, but Graham and Edwards tout their southern roots as an advantage that can help them beat Bush.”(5/4/2003)

… Excerpt from New York Times coverage: “Nine Democratic candidates battled over the war in Iraq and over how to provide health care insurance for all Americans, in a debate that highlighted deep fissures in the party that several candidates warned could endanger its chances of winning back the White House.”…Gephardt’s health care plan – which calls for repeal of all Bush tax cuts and is the centerpiece of his campaign – came under attack by other wannabes. Edwards cautioned against a plan that would leave the decisions to “big corporate America and assume they do the right thing. That sounds like Reaganomics to me.” Lieberman said he opposed raising taxes for health coverage, adding, “We’re not going to solve these problems with the big-spending Democratic ideas of the past.” Gephardt said, however, the Bush tax cuts have been a failure and Dems must present issue options – “We can’t be Bush Light…We’ve got to give the people a choice.” (5/4/2003)

… More post-debate reaction: From AP’s Nedra Pickler – “Democrats pursuing the presidency emerged from their first primary debate with deep divisions over foreign policy, health care and tax cuts and no clear front-runner to challenge President Bush. After Saturday night’s 90-minute confrontation at the University of South Carolina, Democrats were left with a field of nine candidates who face a long, tough challenge to sell themselves as the best opponent to unseat the popular Republican incumbent. With eight months until the first nominating contest in Iowa, several among the nine have head starts in money, experience and organization.” Pickler says those four – all members of Congress – are Edwards, Kerry, Lieberman and Gephardt.  (5/5/2003)

… From yesterday’s “Best of Web” column by James Taranto on OpinionJournal.com (Wall Street Journal): “Two of the candidates – John Edwards and Bob Graham – seem likely to join Fritz Hollings, TOM HARKIN, Dick Lugar, Orrin Hatch and others in the Annals of Forgotten Senators’ Presidential Campaigns. Edwards’s only distinction is that he’s the prettiest of the nine candidates (OK, not much of a distinction in this crowd). He’s only a first-term senator, and hardly anyone outside of his home state other than political junkies has heard of him. Granted, he’s spent as much time in public office as George W. Bush had four years ago …Bob Graham is the one candidate we feel sorry for. He’s as unknown outside his home state as Edwards is, and he doesn’t have inexperience as an excuse. If anyone has paid his political dues, the 66-year-old has: elected governor of Florida in 1978, and to the Senate in 1986, where he’s been ever sense. When he opens his mouth, the reason for his obscurity becomes clear; to put it bluntly, he is one of the dullest men in American politics. To be sure, dullness also reflects good qualities -- responsibility, sobriety – but America is electing a president, not a designated driver.” (5/6/2003)

… More post-debate analysis: Washington Post’s Dan Balz – headline, “Debate Bares Democrats’ Great Divide” – wrote in yesterday morning’s editions: “Democrats are united in their determination to send President Bush back to Texas in November 2004, but the first debate of the presidential campaign exposed the limits of that unity and the near-total absence of consensus about how best to challenge the president in the general election. The president was barely a presence at Saturday’s 90-minute debate on the campus of the University of South Carolina, attacked from time to time for his tax cuts and record on the economy but hardly the main focus of the nine candidates on the stage. Instead, the Democrats turned on one another – in some cases to bare serious differences over the war in Iraq or how to expand health care coverage; in other cases to reveal personal animosities and to begin in earnest the jockeying for position in what now promises to be an especially tough battle for the nomination.” Balz noted that during the debate Kerry and Dean “attacked one another” …Edwards attacked Gephardt … Lieberman “attacked any number of his rivals” …Graham and Sharpton, at different points, “urged their fellow candidates to aim their fire at the president, rather than give the Republicans ammunition to use against the Democratic nominee – but to no avail.”(5/6/2003)

They haven’t exactly been acting like buddies over recent weeks – or during last Saturday night’s debate – but Dean and Kerry probably have more motivation this morning to escalate the two-wannabe exchange of charges and countercharges: A new New Hampshire poll shows them in a 23%-all deadlock. The Franklin Pierce College poll (conducted 4/27-5/1) indicates they have left the rest of the field in the political dust with Lieberman a distant third (9%) and Gephardt in fourth (8%). An indication of the overall situation – Dean and Kerry have 23% each and 31% are undecided, leaving the other nine wannabes (and potential wannabes) included in the poll to divide up the remaining 23%. Making the poll even stranger, two non-candidates – Hart and General Wesley Clark – are next, registering 2% each. Then, at 1% -- Edwards, Graham, Kucinich and Moseley Braun. Sharpton, as in most NH polls, registered a solid 0%. Two more notes: The number of undecideds dropped 7% -- from 38% a Franklin Pierce poll early last month.  Although most of the Dem candidates are not well-known in New Hampshire, six of the wannabes have higher unfavorable ratings than favorable impressions – Clark, Graham, Hart, Kucinich, Moseley-Braun and Sharpton. The worst unfavorable rating – Sharpton (60%) to a 5% favorable showing, followed by Hart (52% unfavorable, 23% favorable).(5/7/2003)

When Senate Republicans attempted – and failed -- for a fifth time to try to break the Democratic filibuster against judicial nominee Miguel A. Estrada, only one Dem wannabe voted against it: Edwards. That’s because the other three senator-wannabes – Graham, Kerry and Lieberman – were AWOL from the Senate on Monday. The vote was 52-39 on the Estrada filibuster this time, but 60 are required to proceed with the nomination. The Senate also confirmed – on a 66-25 vote – Ohio Supreme Court Justice Deborah Cook for the U. S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati. Same lineup – Edwards voted no with Graham, Kerry and Lieberman absent. (5/7/2003)

Also in Davenport yesterday – along with Kucinich at the Iowa convention of the National Assn. of Letter Carriers – were Edwards’ parents, making their first trip to support their son’s presidential candidacy. Edwards’ mother, Bobbie, had been a postal worker for a decade in her hometown of Robbins, N.C. The Quad-City Times reported that Wallace Edwards, who worked in textile mills for 36 years, said “their son has a strong work ethic and wants to provide young people with more opportunities and a better world …The Edwards said the Davenport trip was their first, although a number of reporters have visited their North Carolina home.”  (5/7/2003)

Questions about Edwards campaign contributions continue to linger. The Hill – headline, “Donations to Sen. Edwards questioned” – reported that “Edwards’ presidential campaign finance documents show a pattern of giving by low-level employees at law firms, a number of whom appear to have limited financial resources and no prior record of political donations.” The lengthy – and very thorough – report by Sam Dealey said: “Records submitted to the Federal Election Commission (FEC) show these individuals have often given $2,000 to the North Carolina Democrat, the maximum permitted by law. In some instances, all of the checks from a given firm arrived on the same day – from partners, attorneys and other support staff. Some of these support staff have not voted in the past, and those who have voted included registered Republicans, according to public records on file in various county registrars of voting.” Late last month, the Justice Department’s Criminal Division launched an investigation into contributions to the Edwards campaign from employees of a prominent Little Rock law firm. (5/8/2003)

Item from caucus column by the Des Moines Register’s Thomas Beaumont: Subhead – “A Grand Old Poll” Beaumont wrote: “A poll conducted by a Republican firm out of Davenport and released last week shed little light on the caucus race, with former caucus winner Gephardt of Missouri leading. Lieberman, Kerry, Dean and Edwards followed Gephardt, according to a poll released by Victory Enterprises, the political consulting firm run by former Republican Party Chairman Steve Grubbs. Gephardt has almost 30 percent, Lieberman had about 12 percent and Kerry had 10.6. But the results were based on responses from only 150 Democrats contacted for the poll, in which 400 people were asked to rate their approval of President Bush. It provides a look at the race so far, but from a sample hardly large enough to get an accurate picture of the candidates’ real support.” (5/9/2003)

Headline from the weekend, Atlanta Journal Constitution online – “Edwards visits Georgia early for votes later” The report by Matthew C. Quinn said that Edwards “got an early start on Georgia’s presidential primary Friday by doing what he does best: talking to small groups. The veteran trial lawyer, who made his fortune convincing juries, is seeking the Democratic nomination. He swept through town in a series of appearances, meeting with students at a Midtown Atlanta high school, courting political bigwigs and potential donors and addressing fellow trial lawyers, his chief source of donations …Edwards, one of nine declared candidates, for the Democratic nomination, was the first to make high-profile campaign appearances in Georgia. The state doesn’t hold its primary until March 2, weeks after the first votes in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina. But Edwards is putting down his marker now in hopes of locking up support for at least one victory on the first Tuesday in March, when nine states hold primaries.” (Iowa Pres Watch Note: There’s a line to savor – and remember – in the months ahead: That Edwards is hoping to win at least one of nine contested states on the first Tuesday next March, which by then should provide him with the needed breakthrough and momentum to secure the Dem nomination.) (5/12/2003)

The AP reported that Edwards addressed a dinner sponsored by the Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest gay and lesbian organization in Atlanta on Saturday night – quotes Edwards as saying: “Discrimination goes against everything I believe in. We as Southerners have a special responsibility when it comes to protecting the civil rights, the human rights of every individual in America” & “I support gays and lesbians adopting children and same-sex adoption laws. The suitability of straight and gay parents should be decided on a case-by-case basis – not by politicians and the government.” (5/12/2003)

Lieberman was one of three senators to miss the latest cloture votes to end the filibusters against the judicial nominations of Miguel A. Estrada and Priscilla Richman Owen. The other three Dem senator-wannabes – Edwards, Graham and Kerry – were present and voted against ending the filibusters. Lieberman also was the only Dem presidential candidates missing when the Senate voted 96-0 to add seven eastern European nations to NATO – Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia. (5/12/2003)

From Paul Bedard’s  “Washington Whispers” column in U.S. News & World Report – Subhead: “Who’s on first?” Column item – “The White House is closely following the Democratic presidential race but so far hasn’t dubbed a front-runner. ‘Nobody’s made it to first yet,’ says a key Bushie. Their concern: A moderate emerges with a positive, economically focused message. Who most fits that Clinton model, they suggest? North Carolina Sen. John Edwards.”  (5/13/2003)

Veteran Washington Times political ace Donald Lambro – under the headline, “Kerry gets high liberal marks on defense” – reported: “Sen. John Kerry has the most liberal voting record on defense legislation of all of his Senate rivals for the Democratic presidential nomination, according to several advocacy groups that rate lawmakers’ votes. The Americans for Democratic Action, one of the nation’s oldest and most liberal advocacy organizations, gives the Massachusetts senator a stellar 93 percent score for the votes he has cast on national security amendments and bills during his Senate career – from questioning antimissile defense systems to supporting nuclear test-ban treaties. His grade is by far the most liberal among the top tier of Senate Democratic candidates seeking their party’s nomination for president in 2004.” Lambro wrote that the ADA ratings indicated Edwards was Kerry’s nearest rival with a grade of 71.5 percent, followed by Lieberman (51%) and Graham (48%). The report noted three of the senators supported the resolution approving use of military force in Iraq with Graham opposed.(5/13/2003)

A headline from yesterday on Los Angeles Times online – “Sen. John Edwards Catering to Gay Voters” – is somewhat deceiving since the Associated Press coverage details activities by several Dem wannabes to attract – and solicit – the gay vote. Excerpts: “During his keynote address at a black-tie dinner here Saturday, U.S. Sen. John Edwards voiced his support for adoptions by gay parents. The North Carolina, one of nine Democrats seeking the party’s presidential nomination, isn’t the only one courting gay voters. Former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean has touted a law he signed allowing civil unions for gays and lesbians. U.S. Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts, a decorated Vietnam veteran, has said gays should be allowed to serve in the military. Bill Clinton made history in 1992 by openly courting gay voters en route to the White House. Eleven years later, the courting of gays is under way like never before. ‘In a crowded race or a close race, an energized and mobilized constituency can make a real difference,’ said Dave Noble, executive director of the National Stonewall Democrats, a group that promotes the agenda of gays within the party (5/13/2003)

And now comes one of the toughest challenges of being an Iowan – no off-color jokes, please – as most Americans can’t even name a Dem presidential candidate while they become household names (and café visitors) in places like Eldon, Strawberry Point and North Buena Vista. CBSNews.com reported last night that the most common response to a question about whether respondents could name “any Democratic presidential candidates” was a resounding 66% that answered, “No, cannot recall any.” That means 34% -- presumably residents of IA, NH, SC and the candidate’s respective home states – could name at least one Dem wannabe. The numbers: 9% know Lieberman is running for the Dem nomination followed by Kerry (7%) and Gephardt (6%). The order – Graham at 3%, Edwards and Sharpton at 2%, Dean at 1% and the others with a combined 4%. (Iowa Pres Watch Note: Watch out – Graham, who just announced a week ago, obviously has captured the momentum while Lieberman continues to build on his 2000 V.P. run. That, by the way, is Sharpton moving up on the outside. Yes, it really is too bad Hillary’s not in the field – yet – because she’d show the wannabes bow to create headlines, not to mention that she’s already well known for various reasons.)(5/14/2003)

From Lee Bandy’s column in The State on Sunday, follow-up on Edwards’ actions during debate and events in South Carolina the previous weekend. Veteran political watcher Bandy wrote that Edwards “arrived late for the Jefferson-Jackson Dinner on Friday night a week ago. He shook hands, engaged delegates in one-on-one discussions, and left before the meal was served. The U.S. senator from North Carolina headed straight for U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn’s fish fry, arriving three hours ahead of the other presidential hopefuls. Again, he worked the crowd, spoke to the folks he wanted to see and left before his competitors arrived on the scene. It was all by design. Supporters of U.S. Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts were ecstatic. They thought they had something. They collared reporters and suggested they write stories saying that Edwards had written off South Carolina. Of course, that’s not true. Edwards believes it is in his best interest to separate himself from the pack, most of whom have served in Washington for decades. They are career politicians. Edwards, serving his first term as a senator, is not. Many see that as one of his strong suits in the primary campaign. He doesn’t want the baggage associated with being a career politician.”  (5/14/2003)

Under the headline “Edwards an early target,” the News & Observer of Raleigh reported that a “conservative pro-business group is taking whacks at U.S. Sen. John Edwards, both at home in North Carolina and on the presidential campaign trail.”  The Raleigh newspaper’s DC correspondent, John Wagner, reported yesterday that “Americans for Job Security sponsored a full-page ad in The News & Observer on Tuesday suggesting the politically ambitious Edwards had sold out to trial lawyers and forgotten the people he’s supposed to be serving back home. The group, with headquarters in Alexandria, Va., is also paying for billboards near the largest airports” in Iowa and New Hampshire. Wagner wrote that the billboards – which are scheduled to be posted for several months – will “portray Edwards as an obstacle to tort reform …As a senator, Edwards has endorsed some legal reforms, including screening medical malpractice cases to cut down on frivolous cases. Unlike President Bush, however, Edwards opposes capping jury awards in malpractice cases.” Associated Press reported the Job Security initiative also will sponsor “a TV ad the group hopes to air in Charlotte and Raleigh. All of them skewer Edwards, a Democrat presidential candidate, for his ties to trial lawyers and his opposition to placing caps on jury awards …[The TV ad] also criticizes Edwards for buying a $3.8 million house in Georgetown, voting with liberal Sens. Ted Kennedy and Hillary Clinton, and opposing President Bush’s tax cuts.” AP also reported that Americans for Job Security was founded by the American Insurance Assn.  (5/15/2003)

The Quad-City Times reported yesterday – under the headline, “Edwards accuses EPA of secret talks” – that Edwards said leading livestock producing states like Iowa “will suffer if the Bush administration is successful in rolling air-quality regulations for livestock confinements …Edwards is accusing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, or EPA, of secretly negotiating with the hog industry to protect large factory farms from air-quality regulations.” The Times report said Edwards alleged the EPA is set to grant immunity to large-scale livestock producers from Clean Air Act regulations if they agree to be part of an air-quality monitoring effort. Reporter Charlotte Eby reported Edwards based his accusations on recent New York Times reports and that, in a conference call with Iowa reporters, he said: “What they’re doing is cutting secret deals in the middle of the night that threaten the air and also the health of thousands of people in rural Iowa and rural North Carolina.” He is a U.S. Sen from NC – the home, like IA, of a major pork production industry. (5/15/2003)

Edwards apparently was the first to voice support for Lieberman’s proposal that the wannabes debate on a monthly basis, starting in July. The News & Observer of Raleigh quoted Edwards spokeswoman Jennifer Palmieri as saying: “We think it’s a great idea, and we’d be happy to work with the other campaigns to make them happen.” The newspaper’s DC guy, John Wagner, added “such debates would help Edwards, among the lesser-known of the major candidates, broaden his exposure during an important phase of the campaign.” (Iowa Pres Watch Note: So, if that’s the case, what’s it make Sharpton – one of the better known of the minor candidates?)(5/17/2003)

After weeks of attacking each other and spending the past week or so pretending to be universal health care experts, the Dem wannabes in Des Moines yesterday shifted their focus to red meat politics – attacking GWB. Associated Press Iowa watcher Mike Glover reported that virtually all of the Dem contenders “charged that Bush is pushing tax cuts for the rich as the nation’s economy staggers and budget deficits swell.” Quote from Edwards: “They honor wealth; we honor the work that creates wealth. The president says he wants a debate about values. We’re going to give him that debate.” (5/18/2003)

Headline on CNN.com – “Graham, Edwards put Senate Democrats in bind …Possible replacements await decision” CNN.com featured a Reuters report that said Edwards and Graham “may be busy running for president, but their fellow Democrats back home are in limbo as they anxiously await word on the pair’s Senate re-election plans next year. Edwards, a freshman from North Carolina, and Graham, a three-term veteran from Florida, have left open the option of running for the Senate again next year if their presidential campaigns do not take off. The uncertainty has left the Senate races in both states in suspended animation and complicated Democratic hopes of recapturing a Senate majority next year …Neither Edwards not Graham have set a timetable to decide, although they might not know the fate of their presidential bids until February of next year.” (5/18/2003)

The News & Observer of Raleigh reported that Edwards is scheduled to return to Iowa next Wednesday to outline a rural policy statement that – according to his campaign -- will “emphasize the importance of rural America and outline his goals and ideas for rural communities in Iowa and across the country.” The News & Observer’s John Wagner wrote that “the speech comes amid a flurry of policy speeches by other Democrats on health care. Edwards, a North Carolina Democrat, plans to outline his views on that subject in coming weeks, aides said.”  (5/18/2003)

Headline from the New Hampshire Sunday News online yesterday: “George F. Will: His own state is problem for John Edwards in 2004” Excerpt from Will column – “John Edwards, North Carolina’s freshman Democratic senator and peripatetic presidential candidate, has a problem. It is North Carolina. His term expires next year. He must decide by the end of February whether to seek reelection to the Senate in addition to, or rather than, seeking his party’s presidential nomination. This timing is not the problem. The Democratic nominee may well be known by Feb. 27, or at any rate by then Edwards may know that he will not be the nominee. The problem is that the Democratic nominating electorate is heavily salted with liberal activists who are to the left of the party as a whole. The more Edwards courts this constituency, which strongly favors abortion rights, gay rights, gun control and racial preferences, the more apt he is to offend North Carolina Democrats, who are somewhat to the right of the national party’s center. And he, like all recent North Carolina senators, operates with a narrow margin of electoral support.”(5/19/2003)

Edwards said yesterday that President Bush’s proposals to rein in the cost of medical malpractice come “straight off the insurance companies’ wish list” and outlined an alternative set of proposed solutions. The former trial lawyer – and U.S. Sen from NC – presented his views in an op-ed piece in the Washington Post that reflected comments he’s made on the campaign trail. The Bush administration has proposed capping jury awards for pain and suffering at $250,000 – but Edwards wrote that such a limit would “harm the kinds of families I represented as a lawyer for near 20 years.” Edwards proposes cracking down on “price gouging” by the insurance industry, setting up screening mechanisms to prevent frivolous lawsuits and increasing disciplinary efforts against the small number of doctors who commit a large number of medical errors. (5/20/2003)

Speaking of Edwards, the News & Observer of Raleigh – which has a website section devoted to Edwards’ presidential candidacy – reports that a two-day campaign swing through New Hampshire (which starts Friday) will include a stop at a paper mill in Gorham to “highlight his own roots in the North Carolina mill town of Robbins, where his father worked in a textile mill.” (5/20/2003)

Both Gephardt and Edwards visited Ottumwa during the weekend. More Ottumwa Courier excerpts: “Both blamed President George W. Bush for what they see as the country going in the wrong direction. A favorite target was the tax cuts backed by Bush. Gephardt vowed to eliminate those cuts if elected. ‘The only thing he has in his head is tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans. When I’m in the White House, we’ll rescind all those tax cuts,’ he said …Edwards also said he would stop the tax cuts …He said such a step would save money, thereby making the country less likely to face budget deficits …Like Gephardt, Edwards said health care must be addressed.  The way to do that, he said, is controlling costs. Edwards blamed the spiraling costs on serial patenting by pharmaceutical companies and the power of lobbyists from the industry. ‘You can’t move in Washington without bumping into a group of lobbyists for these people,’ he said. ‘This president is married to the pharmaceutical industry.’ …Both [Gephardt and Edwards] backed trade agreements, though neither said the current forms are adequate. The problem, according to both candidates, is the lack of provisions in current trade deals for wages for foreign employees. Ending treaties such as NAFTA and GATT is not a realistic option, Edwards said. ‘It’s just not real world. It’s not going to happen,’ he said.” (5/20/2003)

IOWA DEM WANNABE POLL CITED. Under the headline, “Field of 9 down to leaders, longshots” – Donald Lambro reported in yesterday’s Washington Times: “The nine-member field of Democratic presidential candidates has been effectively whittled down to about three or four top contenders in the early nominating contests, with everyone else nearly off the radar screen. Democratic strategists say it will be difficult for anyone to catch up to Missouri Rep. Richard A. Gephardt in the Jan. 19 Iowa caucuses, where the former House Democratic leader has widened his lead to 25 percent or more. His closest rival, Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts, trails behind in second place with 13 points, according to pollster John Zogby. None of the other candidates is running even close to the two front-runners in the state. Former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean, who was catapulted into contention earlier this year as a result of his opposition to the war in Iraq, has fallen back in the caucus state, drawing around five points. Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut doesn’t fare much better than that. Freshman Sen. John R. Edwards of North Carolina is ‘barely on the radar screen’ in Iowa, Mr. Zogby said.” Lambro wrote the rest of the field – Moseley Braun, Sharpton, Kucinich and Graham – are “at 1 percent or 2 percent or register no support at all.” In making his case that the field is narrowing down, Lambro also noted that Kerry and Dean lead the Dems in New Hampshire with Gephardt and Lieberman following – and “the rest of the field registering 1 percent or less.” He noted, however, that Lieberman has been leading in national polls at 19 percent, followed by Gephardt (14%) and Kerry (12%).(5/22/2003)

The Sioux City Journal – under the headline “Edwards unveils rural economic revitalization plans” – reported yesterday that Edwards “unveiled his plans Wednesday for revitalizing the nation’s rural economy, including a $1 billion, five-year effort aimed at drawing venture capital dollars into the rural areas.” The coverage by Todd Dorman said Edwards “would seek to expand the use of renewable fuels, such as ethanol, help rural schools pay teachers more and cut off federal subsidies to farms that earn more than $1 million annually. He also vowed to aggressively enforce federal laws designed to protect farmers from corporate misdeeds. That drew charges of hypocrisy from Republicans, who pointed to Edwards’ votes against a ban on packer ownership of livestock. ‘We have a crisis in rural and small-town America. And it’s time we do something about it,’ said Edwards, who repeatedly referred to his rural North Carolina roots while speaking to about three-dozen supporters.” (Iowa Pres Watch Note: Some accused Edwards of political grandstanding – which probably isn’t anything new for Edwards – since he went to the Biomass Energy Conversion Center near Nevada to outline his rural package. It’s the same facility GWB visited during the 2000 campaign – with Edwards standing in the same spot where Bush stood.)  (5/22/2003)

In this morning’s Des Moines Register, the story – headlined “Edwards’ plan stops short of ban on packer ownership” – was buried below the fold in the Business section. Reporting from Nevada, Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards proposed a rural development plan in Iowa Wednesday, prompting mixed reviews from some of the state’s leading farm economy experts. Edwards called for stepped-up enforcement of existing laws to promote fair competition in the farm sector of the economy but did not call for a ban on packers owning livestock. Edwards voted against a ban against meatpacking companies owning livestock last year.”(5/22/2003)

The News & Observer of Raleigh yesterday reported that Edwards accused the Bush Administration of conducting a “confused and chaotic” policy in post-war Iraq, In a statement entered in the Senate record, Edwards said: “The American-led civil administration is understaffed, under-equipped and unprepared. Continuing on this path not only hurts the Iraqi people, who have suffered enough and deserve better, but it squanders all that our military achieved in Iraq, threatens our security and undermine our standing in the world.” He urged a NATO-led peacekeeping force to provide security and added “we have to do better at ensuring the Iraqi people, not some puppet government, will shape Iraq’s future.” The News & Observer’s John Wagner noted that Edwards supported the U. S. attack on Iraq “but has questioned the administration’s commitment to rebuilding the country.” (5/22/2003)

When the Senate voted Tuesday night (7:24 p.m. EDT) – by a 51-43 margin – to end a 10-year ban on research and development of low-yield nuclear weapons, only one of the Dem presidential candidates was present and voting: Lieberman. The other three Senate wannabes – Edwards, Graham and Kerry – were among six senators recorded as not voting. Lieberman (along with Harkin and Hillary) voted for a Democratic amendment to keep the ban. Grassley joined with Republicans and a couple Dems to end the 10-year restriction on nuclear arms R&D. Quote worth quoting: Ted Kennedy – “This issue is as clear as any issue ever gets. You’re either for nuclear war or you’re not. Either you want to make it easier to start using nuclear weapons or you don’t…If we build it, we’ll use it.” (5/22/2003)

Reports and headlines from the coverage of the EMILY’s List forum – which attracted seven of the nine Dem candidates – were included in yesterday’s Morning Report, but some of the comments and accusations against the Bush Administration should be noted and remembered: Edwards – “Every month this president is in the White House, a woman’s right to choose is in jeopardy.”  “These judges, some of these judges, that come out of the White House, they will take your rights away…If we as Democrats don’t show the backbone to stand up to that [the judges allegedly taking rights away] we don’t stand for anything.” (5/22/2003)

While most of the Iowa coverage yesterday focused on Edwards’ $1 billion rural development proposal, the Chicago Tribune’s Jeff Zeleny (a former DSM Register political reporter) captured a different angle. Under the headline “Edwards vows to help rural America …N.C. Democrat keys campaign to ‘regular people’,” Zeleny wrote that Edwards “scolded fellow Democrats for treating rural America as an afterthought, saying his party must not cede those regions to Republicans if they hope to defeat President Bush in 2004. ‘My party isn’t perfect by any means,’ Edwards said Wednesday. ‘Too many Democrats too often act like rural America is just some place to fly over between a fundraiser in Manhattan and a fundraiser in Beverly Hills.’…As the nine Democratic presidential hopefuls struggle to distinguish themselves, Edwards says he is the candidate who can best challenge Bush in traditionally strong Republican areas, including Southern and rural states where voters have been stung by a weak economy. He is one of two Southern candidates in the race. ‘The rural economy in America is in very bad shape,’ Edwards said in an interview from Iowa. ‘Families who live in small towns in rural America are looking for a president who focuses on their problems.’… Edwards said he has the fortitude to challenge Bush in states that have voted Republican in recent elections. ‘Just because you have yourself a new ranch and wear a big belt buckle doesn’t make you a friend of rural America,’ Edwards said, referring to the president’s ranch in Texas.” (5/23/2003)

Illinois poll revealed. Excerpt from coverage of the Dem candidates by Chicago Sun-Times Washington Bureau Chief Lynn Sweet: “In a poll of 1,000 Illinois Democratic Senate primary voters conducted by one of the Illinois U.S. Senate candidates from April 22-24, Braun and Rep. Dick Gephardt (D-Mo.) led the pack with each polling 17 percent.” Lieberman had 16%, Kerry 11%, Dean 5%, Edwards 4%, Sharpton 2%, and Graham 1%. The poll has 26% as undecided with a margin of error of 3.1%. More excerpts from the Sweet coverage: “For months, Edwards has been making trips to the Chicago area to woo local donors, fund-raisers and the political elite…an Illinois Senate campaign shared the poll with the Sun-Times on the condition that its name not be used because it did not want to get involved in presidential politics. The poll, in an oversight, forgot to include Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio). In looking at the bottom rungs of an April ABC News poll, Braun polled 6 percent to 4 percent for Edwards and 3 percent or less for Dean, Sharpton, Graham and Kucinich.”(5/23/2003)

The Los Angeles Times’ Ron Brownstein analyzes the impact – and goals -- of policy statements by Edwards and Lieberman. Headline – “On 2004 Trail, Edwards Offers Rural Development Initiative …The senator stakes a claim as the strongest Democrat in small-town America. Lieberman offers a plan for a health care research institute.” Excerpts from Brownstein’s report – “Sen. John Edwards (D-N. C.) on Wednesday opened a new front in his party’s 2004 presidential race with a plan to revitalize rural America, while Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman (D-Conn.) edged into the campaign debate already raging over health care. Edwards, campaigning in Nevada, Iowa, laid out a proposal to encourage more investment and technological developments in agricultural communities. In Washington, Lieberman proposed creating a new federal institute to intensify research against chronic diseases, such as diabetes and arthritis. The speeches continue the flurry of proposals that the nine contenders for the 2004 Democratic nomination are using to define themselves in a crowded race. Edwards’ focus on rural needs advances his effort to present himself as the most viable Democrat in small-town and Southern communities that voted overwhelmingly for President Bush in 2000. And Lieberman, by promising that his health-care proposals will be ‘practical and affordable,’ continued his attempt to identify himself as the contest’s most centrist and fiscally responsible contender.”  (5/23/2003)

The New Hampshire Sunday News reported that Edwards in Manchester  – wrapping up a two-day campaign swing in the state – “contrasted his own roots as the child of two millworkers with President Bush’s different background. ‘Our country desperately needs an economic plan that gives us a shot in the arm and restores real fiscal discipline,’ Edwards is quoted as saying in a press release distributed yesterday, ‘and that’s exactly what I’m offering. While this president is out of touch and without a solution, millions of Americans are getting left behind. The people who are being betrayed every day by the President are the people I have represented. This is my whole life, first as a lawyer, then as a senator.’…Edwards said that the group, The Americans for Job Security, is ‘about to put up billboards in New Hampshire and Iowa attacking me.’ Edwards pointed out that Republican Party activist Dave Carney, who lives in New Hampshire. ‘runs the group.’ ‘It’s a front group and they’re on the attack,’ Edwards said. ‘Here’s what I have to say to him: Bring it on!’…[Edwards spokesman Colin] Van Ostern, in a telephone interview, said the group is attacking only Edwards because ‘he is clearly the biggest threat to George W. Bush. He connects with voters.’ Criticism of the anti-Edwards billboard campaign must have been Edwards’ main message for the weekend since AP reported that in Nashua he said: “I will take this fight on every single day.” The Associated Press coverage also quoted Edwards as saying: “What I spent most of my adult life doing before I went to the United States Senate was fighting for kids and families against big insurance companies.” (5/26/2003)

Headline from today’s The Union Leader: “No front-runner, Democrats plot strategy for nomination” Analysis by AP’s veteran political reporter Ron Fournier: “The campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination will pit the tortoises against the hares, three patient plodders hoping to overtake three confident sprinters after the race’s first lap.” Fournier described Kerry, Gephardt and Dean as “the pacesetters. Following the traditional nomination path, they are seeking victories Jan. 19 in Iowa or eight days later in New Hampshire to build momentum for the first multistate showdown Feb. 3.” He wrote that three others – Lieberman, Edwards and Graham – are “betting their candidacies on a largely untested theory that they can wait until Feb. 3 or beyond for their first victories. They will need a lot of money and a bit of luck to pull it off. At least one of the slow-starters, Edwards, may air the campaign’s first ads early this summer to jump-start his bid.” Another excerpt: “Eight months before the first vote is cast, no front-runner has emerged in a campaign that may last just six weeks in early 2004, according to Democrats in key states and the candidates’ own strategists…After the Feb. 3 elections in Arizona, South Carolina, Delaware, Missouri, New Mexico and Oklahoma, eight more states plus the District of Columbia select delegates in the next three weeks. Then comes Super Tuesday on March 2, when California, New York and at least seven other states choose delegates. After that big day, more than half of the 2,161 delegates needed for the nomination will have been awarded.”  (5/26/2003)

Los Angeles Times headline from Sunday – “Democrats’ Plans Could Be Costly… Party analysts fear the presidential candidates’ spending proposals will undermine their economic argument against reelecting Bush.” Times political ace Ronald Brownstein writes – “Even with the federal government facing record budget deficits, many of the 2004 Democratic presidential contenders are advancing much larger spending programs than Al Gore was willing to risk as the party’s 2000 nominee. Some Democratic analysts are increasingly concerned that these substantial new proposals may threaten the party’s ability to challenge President Bush in next year’s election on what could become a major vulnerability: the federal budget’s sharp deterioration, from record surplus to massive deficits, during his presidency. ‘At some point, the Democrats will be called to task to see if their own programs meet the fiscal test they are holding up for the Bush administration,’ said Elaine Kamarck, senior policy advisor to Gore in 2000. Already, the spending proposals – especially for health care – are emerging as a key divide in the Democratic race. Three leading contenders – Sens. Joseph I. Lieberman of Connecticut, John Edwards of North Carolina and Bob Graham of Florida – are questioning whether health-care plans by three rivals – Sen. John F. Kerry of Massachusetts, former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean and, especially, Rep. Richard A. Gephardt of Missouri – are affordable, economically and politically. Yet the pressure to produce bold ideas attractive to Democratic primary voters may be triggering a spending competition that will make it difficult for all of the candidates to hold down the cost of their agendas. And that prospect has Republicans practically salivating at the opportunity to portray the Democrats as recidivist big spenders.” (5/26/2003)

The Washington Times yesterday reported that Gephardt dominates while Graham and Kucinich lag in endorsement battle. Headline: “Gephardt takes early lead in ‘endorsement primary’” Coverage by Times’ Charles Hunt says Gephardt “leads the pack of presidential hopefuls in the so-called ‘endorsement primary.’ Earlier this month, Mr. Gephardt announced endorsements from 30 House colleagues, including Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, California Democrat, and Minority Whip Steny H. Hoyer, Maryland Democrat…Sen. Joe Lieberman, Connecticut Democrat, has the second-highest number of endorsements from congressional colleagues – 12 – from eight states, including fellow Connecticut Democratic Sen. Christopher J. Dodd.” The Times report continues to note that Edwards has “rounded up support from six congressmen from his state and one more from Texas,” Kerry has is supported by Sen. Edward Kennedy and three other members of Congress, Dean has endorsements from both Vermont senators and two House members, Moseley Braun has two congressional endorsements, and Sharpton announced last week that “he had the support of Rep. Jose E. Serrano, New York Democrat.” Graham and Kucinich haven’t listed any endorsements yet, but the Times noted “Mr. Graham’s office said he has not yet sought endorsements from fellow legislators.” The significance of the endorsement battle – outside of generating media coverage and showing a support base – is that members of Congress are voting super-delegates to the Democratic national convention. (5/28/2003)

Headline on Thomas Oliphant column, Boston Globe online: “Edwards can talk the small-town talk” Excerpts from yesterday’s Oliphant column: “In an accident at least of politics if not history, the rural town of Nevada, Iowa, has become a metaphor for the most neglected element of a stagnant economy – small town America. It was two years ago last week that green-behind-the-ears President Bush stopped here on the day he unveiled his production-fixated new energy bill, freshly fashioned from Vice President Cheney’s still-secret meetings with big shot producing interests. And it was two years and three days later that one of Bush’s Democratic challengers, Senator John Edwards, had the basic horse sense to go there, too, to throw the president’s unfulfilled promises back at him and become the first in his field to address a set of issues that normally don’t get attention in the country’s major media centers…What made his approach more interesting, however, was the extent to which he broadened his message into an attack on all the interests (the administration being only one) that threaten a way of life toward which all Americans feel an emotional tug…Let’s face it, Joe Lieberman or John Kerry cannot credibly say of Bush as Edwards did: ‘Just because you have yourself a new ranch and wear a big belt buckle doesn’t make you a friend of rural America.’ Dick Gephardt and Howard Dean would have trouble calling administration policies ‘all hat and no cattle.’…Unlike most of small town America, Nevada is still growing (6,600 people in the last census, with more than 600,000 within 50 miles). It is not very far from a fabulous university (Iowa State in Ames), and it has a deep commitment to economic planning. The conservatives have an obvious cultural connection and advantage, but Bush has blown the opportunity to cement the ties with good, attentive policies. If nothing else Edwards deserves credit for stepping into this void with a message his rivals would do well to emulate.”   (5/28/2003)

Item from New Hampshire’s The Union Leader online today says Edwards will release names of more than 70 Iowa Democratic activists endorsing his candidacy. Report says AP has secured a list of the Edwards IA supporters that includes Polk County (Des Moines) Sheriff Dennis Anderson, Cherokee County Democratic chairwoman Janet Melton and two members of the party’s state Central Committee. (5/29/2003)

More from the San Jose Mercury News coverage: “To campaign successful in the early caucuses and primaries in Iowa and New Hampshire, candidates must raise money in places like California and New York. They have been coming West for months, courting support from Silicon Valley, San Francisco, Hollywood and Los Angeles. Sens. John Kerry of Massachusetts and John Edwards of North Carolina have been two of the most successful. Each has raised more than $1 million in the state.” The report noted that Kerry, Gephardt and Lieberman were scheduled in CA this week, and Graham is due in next week. (5/29/2003)

Under the headline “Edwards argues his case in S.F., Lawyer-senator says Bush is out of touch with everyday people,” the San Francisco Chronicle’s Carla Marinucci wrote that Edwards “told a ballroom of fellow attorneys in San Francisco on Wednesday that President Bush ‘has not spent 30 seconds since he was elected’ thinking about the interests of average Americans. ‘I hope we can still believe the son of a mill worker can beat the son of the president of the United States,’ said Edwards – the son of a mill worker – during his speech to 500 people at the Bar Association of San Francisco. Even as he sounded a ‘people versus the powerful’ theme that echoed Democrat Al Gore’s 2000 campaign motto, Edwards – in a nod to his colleagues who packed the Hyatt Regency ballroom – proudly and vigorously defended his background as a trial attorney. ‘You’re looking at one of the few people who will stand on the floor of the United States Senate and defend what you do,” he told the lawyers…He saved his toughest criticism for what he called the ‘politically dangerous’ topic of the war on terrorism, saying to applause, ‘We cannot…let people like (Attorney General) John Ashcroft take away our rights, our freedom and our liberty’ under the guise of protecting American from attacks.”  (5/30/2003)

And more Chronicle coverage on the medical marijuana issue: The newspaper reported that Edwards – also campaigning in San Francisco – told reporters, “I wouldn’t change the (marijuana) law now, but I would set up a committee to see if pain relief is different with marijuana.” The Chronicle coverage added: “Edwards, however, showed little sympathy for people arrested for behavior that’s legal under California law. ‘It’s the job of the Justice Department to enforce the law as it presently exists,’ said Edwards, a lawyer. Former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean, a doctor, is another candidate who has called for a study of the medical use of marijuana. But he threatened to veto a measure that would have legalized that use in Vermont.”    (5/30/2003)

As expected, the Edwards campaign in Iowa yesterday released the names of “over 70 people from across the state” who have endorsed the North Carolina senator’s presidential candidacy. A news release posted on the campaign website quoted Edwards as saying he is “proud of the strong network of support I have in Iowa. I will continue to campaign vigorously in Iowa so I can tell caucus attendees about my plans to revitalize rural America, to get the economy growing again, and to make quality education for all a priority.” Two members of the Iowa Democratic Party State Central Committee – Sandra Dockendorff of Danville and Don Wanatee Sr. of Tama – were among those endorsing Edwards’ candidacy. Among other notables Polk County (Des Moines) Sheriff Dennis Anderson, former State Rep. Mike Moreland of Ottumwa, veteran Dem activist Bart Rule of Dennison, Cherokee County Dem chair Janet Melton of Cherokee, and Des Moines attorney Maggi Moss. (5/30/2003)

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