|
 John
Kerry
 excerpts
from
the Iowa Daily Report
August
17-31,
2003
… IOWA PRES
WATCH SIDEBAR: Under the subhead “What
a Prize,” James Tartanto wrote in Friday’s
“Best of the Web Today” – “’Win a day on the
campaign trail with John Kerry!’ proclaims the
Web site of the haughty, French-looking
Massachusetts Democrat, who by the way served
in Vietnam. What's second prize, a week with
Kerry?”(8/17/2003)
… Reinforcing the media
drumbeat, the Register’s Thomas Beaumont joins
the media parade of writers and columnists who
have reduced the Dem contest to a three-way
tussle. Headline from Saturday’s Register:
“Candidates try to widen base…The top
Democratic candidates look to broaden their
appeal.” Excerpt: “The three top
candidates in the race for the 2004 Iowa
Democratic presidential caucuses showed this
week they know their rivals' strengths - or at
least tried to de-emphasize their own
weaknesses. During a series of
multiple-candidate events with health care and
labor groups in Waterloo, Des Moines and
Cedar Rapids, former Vermont Gov. Howard
Dean, who has earned support from
social liberals, stressed practical
achievement over ideology. Likewise, U.S. Sen.
John Kerry, whose 19-year Senate career has
more foreign policy highlights than domestic,
went out of his way to stress fiscal
responsibility, a signature Dean theme.
And U.S. Rep. Dick Gephardt of Missouri,
described by even his own supporters as bland,
showed Iowa Democrats his passionate side.
‘I've never heard him so vehement,’ Drake
University political science professor Dennis
Goldford said after hearing Gephardt
Thursday at a health care forum on the Des
Moines college campus. ‘He has sounded
wooden and mechanical before. He's clearly
trying to show us Dick Gephardt, the man.’
The campaigns say their messages did not
change. However, as the campaign approaches
the Labor Day checkpoint, candidates are
tweaking their delivery in preparation for
the stretch run to Jan. 19, when the Iowa
caucuses launch the 2004 nominating season.
Gephardt punctuated a familiar line from
his stock speech at a Cedar Rapids
labor forum Friday by shouting and pounding
the podium with his fist…On Friday,
Gephardt's voice broke and a tear welled
in his eye as he elaborated on the story of
his son Matt's battle with childhood cancer.
Gephardt has told the story hundreds of
times publicly, but Friday, with more than
1,000 Iowa union activists and their families
listening, he seemed to go further to support
his call for universal health care…Gephardt
spokesman Erik Smith said his candidate has
shown passion in this, his second bid for the
Democratic nomination. Gephardt ran in 1988,
but exited the race early after winning in
Iowa. Gephardt and Dean have emerged as the
top two in Iowa, according to recent polls,
with Kerry within striking distance. Kerry and
Dean are locked in a tight race for the New
Hampshire primary, which follows the caucuses
by eight days. The two tangled over war
and tax policy early in the race and have
become the most heated rivals in the field of
nine candidates so far…Dean, whose
opposition to the war in Iraq earned him early
support from social liberals, accused his
rivals who support universal, government-paid
health care of ‘tilting at windmills’ and
vowed to avoid ‘an ideological crusade’ during
the health care forum at Drake on Thursday. "I
supported the first Gulf War," Dean
said. ‘I supported the invasion of Afghanistan
because they killed 3,000 of our people and I
thought that was a matter of national
defense.’ Likewise, Kerry, who stresses his
record during the Vietnam War and 19 years on
the Senate Foreign Relations Committee,
stressed balancing the budget and reducing the
federal debt during his remarks in Waterloo
and Cedar Rapids. Friday he added a line
crediting the Clinton administration's
economic record similar to one Dean
frequently uses. ‘If you liked Bill Clinton's
eight years, you're going to love John Kerry's
first term,’ Kerry said. Dean
routinely tells audiences: ‘People would
gladly pay the taxes they paid under Bill
Clinton, if only they could have the same
economy as they did under Bill Clinton.’”(8/17/2003)
… Blame Bush – Dem
hopefuls suggest that the president pulled the
plug on the northeastern United States.
With wannabes wandering IA, Associated Press’
caucus watcher Mike Glover decided to
highlight their reaction to the blackout.
Want to guess who they criticized? Excerpt
– datelined Cedar Rapids – from Glover
coverage: “The Democratic presidential
contenders blamed President Bush Friday for
the massive blackout in the northeastern
United States, saying the White House's
refusal to invest in the nation's
infrastructure caused the problem. ‘It
underscores a blackout in this administration
on energy policies,’ Massachusetts Sen. John
Kerry said. ‘They have ignored the
investment needs of our infrastructure in
favor of a tax cut for the wealthy.’
Northeastern cities from New York City across
to Toledo, Ohio, were gripped by a massive
blackout Thursday afternoon that left
officials scrambling to restore power and
searching for causes of the failure. While
no one has yet pinpointed a cause, Democrats
were quick to bash Bush. Missouri Rep.
Richard Gephardt argued that the
blackouts can be linked to flaws in Bush and
the Republican party's energy policy. ‘These
events illustrate how shortsighted the Bush
administration and Republican-controlled
Congress were in 2001 when they rejected
modernization of our nation's power grid,’
Gephardt said. Much of the criticism came
during a labor forum featuring six of the
Democratic presidential candidates. One of
the candidates, the Rev. Al Sharpton, was
forced to cancel because of jumbled air
schedules after the blackout. Florida Sen.
Bob Graham said Bush called for new
investment in electrical transmission systems
but Republicans blocked a Democratic effort to
do just that. ‘Just two years ago, he and his
allies in Congress blocked a Democratic
proposal to invest $350 million in upgrading
America's electrical grid system,’ Graham
said. ‘The blackout is further evidence that
America needs to invest in its
infrastructure.’ North Carolina Sen. John
Edwards chose not to immediately attack Bush.
‘I think we need to find out what
happened,’ Edwards said. Former Vermont
Gov. Howard Dean said the Bush
administration, through the Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission, tried to merge the New
England's electrical grid with New York's when
he still governor. ‘I raised hell and told
them they better get a lot of lawyers,’ he
said in a telephone interview. ‘The president
always sees bigger as being better and that's
not true. What we really need to do is let
local people take care of things. What we need
is good, strong regional grids. We do not need
huge mega-grids.’ Ohio Rep. Dennis Kucinich
said he has fought the big utilities since he
was the mayor of Cleveland and resisted
efforts to sell of the city's utilities. ‘I
stood to the Enrons of that day, and I'll
stand up to the Enrons of this day,’ Kucinich
said. Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman,
speaking earlier at the state fair, said the
blackouts, along with the latest virus attacks
on the Internet, have Americans feeling less
secure even though neither event has been
linked to terrorism. ‘Electricity is too
important to the quality of life to all of the
American people to allow it to become a gap in
homeland security,’ Lieberman said.”
(8/17/2003)
… Wannabes
– and Boston newspapers – waste little time
getting on Bush and Pentagon after report
about plans to cut pay of military in Iraq.
Headline from Friday’s Boston Herald:
“Dems attack Bush over military pay”
Excerpt from report with a DC dateline by
Herald’s Andrew Miga: “Opening a new
line of attack against President Bush, Sen.
John F. Kerry and fellow Democratic
presidential hopefuls yesterday accused the
administration of targeting U.S. troops in
Iraq for pay cuts. ‘We have 148,000 troops
in Iraq in 127-degree heat who are in danger
of losing their lives every day and the
Pentagon is talking about cutting their pay,’
Kerry said in Iowa. ‘It's a betrayal
of our troops,’ added Kerry. ‘If
it's part of a cruel game of Washington
budgeting, it's an abuse of our soldiers.’
The charges came as Bush toured Miramar Marine
Corps Air Station outside San Diego, former
home of the famed ‘Top Gun’ flight school.
The pay issue is a particularly sensitive one
for Bush, who made boosting military pay a
cornerstone of his 2000 White House campaign.
Seeking to turn the tables on Republicans who
have questioned the patriotism of some
Democratic White House hopefuls, Bush's
Democratic rivals charged that soldiers are
being shortchanged so the White House can pay
for its sweeping tax cut plan. ‘Because of
President Bush's budget-busting tax cuts for
the wealthy, we have no money left to fund
important priorities like giving our
servicemen and women a much-deserved pay
raise,’ said U.S. Rep. Richard Gephardt
(D-Mo.). ‘This is a disgrace and the most
egregious example yet of this president's
misplaced priorities,’ Connecticut Sen. Joseph
Lieberman said in a statement…Headline
from Friday’s Boston Globe: “Pentagon
promises combat troops it will make up for
expiring raises” Excerpt from report from
Des Moines by the Globe’s Glen
Johnson: “The Pentagon scrambled yesterday
to say that overall compensation would not be
cut for members of the armed forces serving in
Iraq and Afghanistan, after Democrats in
Congress and running for president complained
about planned reductions in combat and family
separation pay currently received by the
troops and their families. Senator John F.
Kerry of Massachusetts, a Navy combat
veteran of the Vietnam War, said during a
campaign stop in Iowa: ‘If it's a cruel
game of Washington budgeting, then it's
completely inappropriate and an abuse of our
soldiers, and if it's not a cruel game of
Washington budgeting and it's serious, it's an
even worse abuse of our soldiers.’ Others
who quickly joined in included Representative
Nancy Pelosi of California, the House
Democratic leader, and presidential
candidates, including Senators John Edwards
of North Carolina, Joseph I. Lieberman
of Connecticut, and Bob Graham of
Florida. The San Francisco Chronicle
reported yesterday that 148,000 US troops in
Iraq, as well as 9,000 more in Afghanistan,
were scheduled to lose a $75 monthly increase
in ‘imminent danger’ pay and a $150 hike in
their ‘family separation allowance’ when the
federal budget year ends on Sept. 30,
despite protests by the troops, their
families, and the usually supportive Army
Times. In a hastily arranged news conference,
David Chu, the Defense Department's personnel
chief, said: ‘I would just like to very
quickly put to rest what I understand has been
a burgeoning rumor that somehow we are going
to reduce compensation for those serving in
Iraq and Afghanistan. That is not true. We are
not going to reduce that compensation.’”(8/17/2003)
… In his
irregular Internet “Caucus Notebook” column,
the Des Moines Register’s Thomas Beaumont –
under the subhead “Kerry ‘Gores’ Dean”
– wrote: “Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts
took another swing at Howard Dean last week, a
week after accusing the former Vermont
governor of supporting policy unbecoming of
‘real Democrats.’ The comedic timing was
admirable, but the jab left a reporter's
question unanswered. During a campaign stop in
Des Moines Monday, Kerry was
asked whether the Internet petition drive he
was announcing in protest of President Bush's
proposed overtime pay standards was in
response to a similar effort Dean had
launched a week earlier. Dean staffers had
stirred up the questions in advance of Kerry's
event with union members at a Des Moines
AFSCME office. ‘The Dean campaign
is saying you're kind of stealing their
thunder on this on-line petition,’ Dave Price,
a reporter for Des Moines-based WHO-TV
13, to which Kerry responded with a smirk:
‘Well, the last person I heard who claimed he
had invented the Internet didn't do so well.’
The response earned restrained yucks from the
gaggle of reporters. But Dean's staff
hadn't said they invented on-line petition
drives, and Kerry didn't refute that Dean's
drive started first.”(8/17/2003)
… Morning
newscasts across Iowa and today’s Des Moines
Register: IA Dem Congressman Boswell denies
Kerry endorsement. Report from this
morning’s Register: “The office of U.S.
Rep. Leonard Boswell on Monday denied a report
by the Boston Globe that the Iowa congressman
had endorsed U.S. Sen. John Kerry for
president. Globe reporter Glen Johnson
wrote the article from Des Moines,
saying the Massachusetts senator ‘plans to
tout a stable of political endorsements, which
in Iowa already include Rep. Leonard
Boswell, a Vietnam veteran like Kerry.’
But Eric Witte, a spokesman for Boswell,
said Boswell is listening to the viewpoints of
all nine Democratic presidential candidates
and has ‘no definite timetable’ on endorsing
any of them. Monday's article came three
days after Boswell, a Democrat who
represents Des Moines, appeared at the
Iowa State Fair with U.S. Sen. Joseph
Lieberman of Connecticut.” (Note: Original
Boston Globe report excerpted below.)
(8/19/2003)
… Kerry to
formally announce candidacy right after Labor
Day, but that’s not the really bad news: Four
of the nine – Edwards, Moseley Braun, Kucinich
and Sharpton – still haven’t made formal
candidacy announcements. It’s going to be a
long – and interesting – few weeks.
Excerpts from AP report in this morning’s The
Union Leader “He's been campaigning for
president for months, but Democratic Sen. John
Kerry will finally make it official in a
two-day campaign swing after Labor Day.
The Massachusetts senator will begin his
announcement on Sept. 2 with appearances in
Charleston, S.C., and Des Moines, Iowa, where
he plans to focus on his record as a decorated
Navy veteran who served in the Vietnam War.
Both stops will feature crew members who
served on the small gunboat Kerry commanded
during the war. On Sept. 3, Kerry
will shift his focus to jobs and the economy,
first in a swing through New Hampshire and
culminating in a rally at Boston's Faneuil
Hall. Besides Kerry, four of the nine
Democrats seeking the nomination have yet to
make official announcements. North
Carolina Sen. John Edwards will formally
launch his bid on Sept. 16 and former
Illinois Sen. Carol Moseley Braun also is
expected to announce in mid-September.
Ohio Rep. Dennis Kucinich has said he will
make his announcement in mid-October,
while Rev. Al Sharpton has not scheduled a
formal announcement. Retired Army Gen.
Wesley Clark, who says he is seriously
considering a run, said on CNN's ‘Late
Edition’ Sunday that he would make his
intentions known ‘in the next two or three
weeks.’” (Iowa Pres Watch Note: For
Kerry, this apparently is a new approach.
Just a few weeks ago, the announcement plan
was to do a major announcement on “Old
Ironsides” in Boston Harbor. Maybe his
campaign advisers decided it wasn’t the
best idea to draw attention to his
Massachusetts roots – not to mention the
failed prez aspirations of Ted Kennedy and
Michael Dukakis.) (8/19/2003)
… Kerry’s Optimism
I: Kerry and staff expect to
collect “bounty” during coming weeks,
highlight signs of progress and success on IA
campaign trail – but will he convince Moseley
Braun to drop out of the field and endorse his
candidacy? In fact, the report says Team Kerry
is pushing for Vilsack nod too. IA Dem
Congressman Boswell denies Kerry endorsement
which surfaced in the following article.
Headline from yesterday’s Boston Globe: “Kerry,
late to Iowa, sees chance to stand out”
Excerpt – datelined Des Moines – from
coverage by the Globe’s Glen Johnson: “Senator
John F. Kerry and his local campaign staff
believe their work in Iowa's political fields
-- like the corn in farm fields that stands
ready for harvest -- is about to generate a
bounty in his bid for the Democratic
presidential nomination. It would be an
achievement, given that at the start of the
year, he had yet to visit the nation's first
voting state as an official candidate. And
some of his rivals have perceived advantages.
Among labor leaders once thought to be sure
backers of Representative Richard A. Gephardt
of Missouri, some key players are throwing
their support Kerry's way, in part because
they believe the Massachusetts senator would
be a stronger candidate in a race against
President Bush. Those labor leaders include
the heads of the Cedar Rapids & Iowa
City Building Trades, who supported
Gephardt in his 1988 presidential
campaign, and the Hawkeye Labor Council.
State political leaders, some of whom were
given boosts in their own election campaigns
last year by the financial largesse of Senator
John Edwards of North Carolina, are steadily
signing up with the Kerry team. Last week
they included a state senator from the Central
Iowa district that covers a coveted group of
labor union members at the main Maytag
appliance manufacturing plant. And likely
voters, some of whom have been wowed by the
some 60 days that Howard Dean has spent
campaigning in Iowa this year, remain
open-minded about Kerry and Dean's other
rivals…Kerry was gratified on
Friday, as he wrapped up his 27th day of
campaigning this year in the state that
kicks off the presidential election with its
Jan. 19 caucuses. ‘I haven't been here as much
as these other guys -- God, almost 50 percent
less,’ the senator said in Iowa City,
before he got into his van to head to Cedar
Rapids for the final appearance in his
four-day, 1,000-mile tour of Iowa. ‘A lot of
people are only still coming to the table.
There's a lot of time here. I think it's early
still and we're where we want to be.’
Dean's first-place poll standing has
surpassed early concern about Gephardt
as the Kerry campaign's main worry in
Iowa. Gephardt had been expected to win
the state, given that he lives next door.
Now the Kerry campaign's disaster scenario is
to have Dean win in Iowa and then catapult
from that to victory in New Hampshire, which
will be the nation's first primary, on Jan. 27…A
week's worth of conversations with Kerry and
his aides makes it clear they believe they
have answers for these concerns, especially
Dean. In their eyes, he may have peaked
too early. They also believe he remains
vulnerable to scrutiny. Just last week,
Dean acknowledged he was considering
opting out of the public financing system for
the presidential election, as Bush did for the
2000 campaign, even though he had said
emphatically earlier this year that he would
campaign within the confines of the system.
Dean has also drawn applause by accusing
his rivals of being duped by administration
claims of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq,
even though he said earlier this year that he,
too, believed Iraq probably had the weapons.
Kerry's plan in the coming weeks, both
locally and nationally, is to draw attention
to his candidacy with his announcement tour,
strong showings in five upcoming debates for
the Democratic field, a series of policy
speeches, and his first television ads in Iowa
and New Hampshire. Both Dean and
Edwards have advertised in Iowa. On the
stump, Kerry is also honing his message
against Bush, trying to streamline his
criticism and reach out to coveted independent
voters and disaffected Republicans by urging
them to drop their focus on party labels…In
addition, the senator plans to tout a stable
of political endorsements, which in Iowa
already include Representative Leonard
Boswell, a Vietnam veteran like Kerry.
Kerry is also hoping for support from
Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack, whose former
chief of staff serves as Kerry's state
campaign manager, and last week he met
privately with one of his nomination rivals,
Carol Moseley Braun, a former Illinois
senator, when their stays overlapped at a Des
Moines hotel. Moseley Braun,
a black and the only woman in the race, has
shown poorly in recent state and national
public opinion polls, and she is expected to
announce a decision about continuing her
candidacy in the coming weeks. An
endorsement of Kerry could help him among
blacks nationally, a group he has targeted
during his early campaigning. ‘I really
feel good about this right now,’ said John
Norris, Kerry's Iowa campaign manager.
‘We're picking up some really key
organizational figures around the state, tried
and true people who understand how to organize
for the caucuses.’”(8/19/2003)
… The Kings
of Political Plagiarism: Dean, Edwards, Kerry,
Lieberman, etc., etc. Headline from
Sunday’s Boston Globe: “Democrats recognize
a good line…Candidates recycle campaign
material” Excerpt – datelined Mason
City – from report by the Globe’s Glen
Johnson: “Senator Joseph I. Lieberman
was so angry that the White House had blocked
union protection for members of the new
Homeland Security Department that he let
President Bush have it last week as he sat
beside his rivals for the Democratic Party's
presidential nomination. ‘Did anybody ask the
firefighters and the police officers, all of
whom were union members, whether they thought
once about that before they went into those
burning buildings on Sept. 11 and risked their
lives, whether they were going to choose
between the unions and security? No way!’ the
Connecticut senator said in Philadelphia,
during a candidate forum arranged by the Sheet
Metal Workers International Association. A
few minutes later, Senator John F. Kerry of
Massachusetts expressed similar outrage.
‘This president is so quick to give speeches
about the heroes of New York City,’ Kerry
said. ‘Well, I look forward to reminding him
that every single one of those heroes that
went up those stairs and gave their lives so
that someone else might live was a member of
organized labor.’ To the audience, it may
have sounded like Kerry was lifting from
Lieberman, but in reality, it was Lieberman
who was clipping from Kerry. In a comical
game of ‘Whose Line Is It Anyway?’ candidates
for the Democratic presidential nomination are
stealing one another's best lines. Most
often, the crime takes place with little
notice, as the candidates stump separately
around the country. At other times, as in
Philadelphia, it occurs in full view of the
victim. No one's hands are completely
clean. Lieberman is not the only
offender, and Kerry is not the only
victim. So far, everyone is laughing about
it, for the most part, with no candidate
suffering serious repercussions. On Tuesday
in Mason City, Kerry ripped off Senator John
Edwards of North Carolina as he blasted Bush
for not supporting family farmers.
Kerry accused the president of being an
urban cowboy out of touch with average
Americans. ‘We need a president who
understands that connection to the land, for
whom it's not just a question of sashaying
around a ranch, recently bought, with a big
belt buckle,’ Kerry said. Edwards
lifted an eyebrow when told of the comment,
recalling what he said June 22 as he and
Kerry attended a candidate forum in
Newton. ‘This president is a complete,
unadulterated phony,’ Edwards said at
the time. ‘He believes that because he walks
around on that ranch down in Crawford with
that big belt buckle that he's standing for
working people.’ In an interview, Edwards
chuckled and said: ‘It's politics. Those kinds
of things happen.’ Representative Richard
A. Gephardt of Missouri deadpanned, ‘We
have filed copyright on 10 phrases.’ He
protested that the administration seems to
have claimed ownership of the phrase ‘shock
and awe’ after the bombing of Iraq, so ‘I'm
trying to come up with phrases I can
copyright.’ The candidates say the byplay
is the product of their frequent joint
appearances, already nearing a dozen for the
year, with five debates still on the way.
They also say it is natural to gravitate
toward similar types of criticism, given their
philosophical differences with Bush and the
Republican Party. In addition, many of the
candidates are seeking advice from the same
people, including former president Bill
Clinton. But the candidates also plead
guilty to a bit of political plagiarism.
Sometimes the loot is an effective turn of
phrase. Other times, it is political policy,
triggering protests from the candidates'
advisers and e-mail exchanges with charges and
countercharges of thievery. Both the
Kerry and Gephardt teams, for
example, have sniped as the candidates have
talked about achieving energy independence by
‘going to the moon here on Earth,’ in
Kerry's words, or through an ‘Apollo
Project’ in the United States, in
Gephardt's phrasing.”(8/19/2003)
…
Kerry’s
Optimism II:
Under the subhead “Waiting
For Kerry,”
Paul Bedard reported in his “Washington
Whispers” column that the
Bush Team
expects Kerry to move past Dean and take the
Dem nomination.
Excerpt from report in Bedard’s U. S. News &
World Report item: “President Bush and his
political staff don't buy the hype on
Democratic presidential primary front-runner
Howard Dean. ‘I'd be surprised if [Sen.
John] Kerry doesn't surge soon,’ says
an insider. In fact, many Bush aides expect
Dean to fade and Kerry to take the nomination.
There's another faction that doesn't think a
Washington insider can get it, leaving Dean
as the likely victor. But there is something
both sides agree on. ‘They all sound like
jerks,’ says a Bushie.”(8/19/2003)
… “Claims that
recall madness in California has sucked all
the oxygen out of national politics are
hooey. Thankfully, folks in Iowa are more
high-minded.” – Sentence from the
following account indicating that Wannabe
Madness continues in IA despite
distractions. Headline from Houston
Chronicle: “It’s Iowa, it’s almost time,
get over it” Excerpt from Sunday
commentary by the Chronicle’s Cragg Hines: “While you've
been fixating on the redistricting mess and
checking out those naked pictures of
‘Governor’ Schwarzenegger on the Internet,
I've been tramping through the tall corn in
Iowa to bring you the latest on the race for
the Democratic presidential nomination.
Claims that recall madness in California has
sucked all the oxygen out of national
politics are hooey. Thankfully, folks in
Iowa are more high-minded. The Democratic
race is for real, and no matter if you
insist on finishing a few more trashy novels
before Labor Day, conscientious
fellow-Americans in Iowa are hard at work
sorting out the candidates. Just five
months from Monday night, Iowa Democrats
will shiver and/or slog their way to
caucuses all over the state and start the
nominating process. Don't blink or you'll
miss the rest of it. Within six or seven
weeks (probably by the time that Texas as
well as California, New York and a bunch of
other states hold primaries on March 2) it
is likely to be all over. You have been
warned. Already six of the nine
Democratic candidates seem headed for
no-hope-ville. Iowa appears to be doing its
traditional job of winnowing the field --
perhaps with a vengeance this time around.
Judging by a sampling of candidate outings
last week, only former Vermont Gov. Howard
Dean, former House Democratic Leader
Dick Gephardt of Missouri and Sen.
John Kerry of Massachusetts have a
real shot. This is not wild speculation.
It's what Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack and other
Democrats are saying, much to the chagrin of
the remainder of the field, especially
Sens. Bob Graham of Florida and John
Edwards of North Carolina, whose
aides have complained to Vilsack's
office. On a too infrequent trip to Iowa,
Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, only
the party's 2000 vice presidential
candidate, greeted Vilsack with: ‘Hi. I'm a
second-tier candidate.’ The protests
availeth not. ‘It's three. The perception
is correct,’ said David Nagle, former state
Democratic chairman. ‘The one thing that
separates the three is that Dean has
passion.’ Nagle recalled that Theodore White
said he knew John F. Kennedy was going to
win in 1960 when he saw girls along JFK's
motorcades jumping. ‘Dean's the only one
with girls jumping,’ Nagle said (speaking in
metaphor, you understand). The question
is, can Dean keep the girls (and
boys), many of whom are new to politics,
jumping for five months? The test is most
critical for Gephardt, who won the
Iowa caucuses in 1988 (only to crater when
contributions ran out not far down the
campaign trail). He cannot survive a
defeat in Iowa in January. Gephardt
basically acknowledges the daunting
scenario. ‘I'm going to win in Iowa,’ he
said shortly after loading about 100
inch-thick locally bred pork chops on a
medieval-looking grill at the State Fair in
Des Moines last week. Iowa Democrats,
even some who wish Gephardt all the
best, wonder, however, about his dedication
to what could be a political swan song.”(8/19/2003)
… Some people –
and governors – never learn: Despite criticism
of his tendency to handicap the Iowa wannabe
campaign, Guv Vilsack does it again – but now
he thinks Edwards might catch on with Dems
over the next couple months. He calls it a
Kerry-Gephardt-Dean race with Edwards as the
horse coming up on the outside over coming
weeks. Headline from today’s Boston Globe:
“Iowa governor sees 4-way race”
Excerpt of report from Indianapolis – where
the nation’s governors are meeting – by AP’s
Nedra Pickler: “Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack said
his state's Democratic presidential caucus is
a three-way race between John Kerry, Dick
Gephardt and Howard Dean. But he hasn't
completely counted out John Edwards yet.
Vilsack said Edwards could catch
on in coming weeks with new commercials airing
in the state and a unique message that could
appeal to Iowa voters. The North Carolina
senator is the only candidate with a
comprehensive plan to help parents pay for
college, Vilsack said. And while the other
three talk about overhauling the nation's
health care system, Edwards talks about
smaller steps like addressing the nursing
shortage. ‘Edwards is going to get
a second look by Iowans here,’ Vilsack
said during an interview at the National
Governors Association summer meeting.
‘We'll know more in the next 30 to 45 days.’
Vilsack said no candidate has taken
first place in Iowa yet, and the three
leading candidates all have challenges to
overcome…Gephardt, a congressman from
neighboring Missouri, was hurt by a
disappointing fifth-place fund-raising result
in the last quarter. His top priority must
be to convince labor leaders that he worked so
hard for them in Congress that he is a viable
candidate, Vilsack said. Right now, the
union leaders ‘are watching and waiting, which
must be frustrating to him,’ Vilsack
said…Kerry's campaign got off track because
of his surgery to remove a cancerous prostate
earlier this year. But Vilsack said he thinks
Kerry, a Massachusetts senator, is getting
back into the rhythm of the campaign. He
said Kerry can improve his standing if
he spends more time in Iowa and tells voters
about his experience as a decorated war
veteran and how that could make him an
effective world leader…Dean, the former
governor of Vermont, built loyalty in Iowa
because he spent so much time there early in
the race. But he must prove that he can
broaden his appeal beyond anti-war activists
and Internet users to win over moderates and
independents, Vilsack said. ‘I think the
threshold question for him nationally is, can
he be competitive against Bush?’ Vilsack
said. ‘I'm not sure that all the powers that
be believe that.’…Vilsack said he may
make an endorsement before Iowa's Jan. 19
caucus. He said he'll be looking for someone
who has a good chance to beat Bush, shows
‘passion and fire,’ and has a strong staff.”
(8/20/2003)
… Chicago Tribune:
Many Democrats beginning to believe Kerry
“might be the most electable” against Bush –
but express concern about the Mass Sen’s
“tone” and comments. Headline from
yesterday’s Trib – on report by Jeff Zeleny
from Iowa: “At times, quips cloud Kerry’s
message…His off-putting remarks often
surprise listeners, but the senator is honing
his presidential campaign skills during a
critical swing across Iowa.” Excerpt from
report datelined Klemme: “It was
shortly after lunchtime, and the next stop on
the presidential campaign trail for Sen. John
Kerry was a pig farm outside of town.
He was running late, but he teasingly
implored the audience to keep asking questions
to delay him, saying: ‘My hog-lot aromatic
experience awaits.’ The next day, before
delivering a speech at the Iowa State Fair,
the Massachusetts senator turned to the crowd
and declared into a microphone: ‘I came to
Iowa and I'm going to get a hay bale to stand
on!’ At a Democratic breakfast one day later,
John Norwood of West Des Moines told
Kerry that he, too, is a Boston native.
Kerry wondered aloud why Norwood chose Iowa as
his home, asking: ‘What happened to you?’
The three scenes illustrate a test facing
Kerry's campaign: Can he connect with
people and convince voters that he is genuine
without turning away potential supporters with
off-putting remarks on the campaign trail?
After a four-day tour of Iowa last week, his
most aggressive foray into the state where the
first voting in the presidential race comes
Jan. 19, many Democrats said they were
beginning to believe Kerry might be the most
electable of the nine candidates. In more
than two dozen interviews, voters cited his
standing as a war hero and his ability to
credibly challenge President Bush on national
security. But some of those same Democrats
who filled Kerry's audiences in bowling
alleys, cafes and union halls said the
senator's tone and a sprinkling of peculiar
remarks left them flat and unwilling to
immediately commit to his campaign. While
few said Kerry's comments alone would
drive them to consider other candidates, the
voters said they must be convinced of his
authenticity…Five months before the
presidential nominating season begins, the
Democratic candidates are in the courtship
phase, where a biography and a firm handshake
are often as important as a particular policy
position. With the exception of money and
a good resume, there are few more essential
ingredients than the ability to be likeable.
As Kerry prepares to formally announce
his candidacy Sept. 2, his aides are paying
special attention to his image. Perhaps no
other candidate carries the geographical
burden of Kerry-- a Northeast
liberal who shares the initials of John F.
Kennedy and must convince voters he doesn't
carry the baggage of other Massachusetts
Democrats, such as Sen. Edward Kennedy and
former Gov. Michael Dukakis.”(8/20/2003)
… Kerry abandons “Old
Ironsides” announcement scenario in effort to
protect southern flank – just in case things
go sour in Iowa and New Hampshire.
Headline from yesterday’s Boston Globe: “Kerry
to head south for announcement” Excerpt
from column by Globe’s Joan Vennochi: “Senator
John F. Kerry plans to make a Sept. 2 public
announcement that he is running for president.
That is not news. The news is where he plans
to tell us what we already know: not in
Massachusetts but in South Carolina. Last
month, after ‘two days of meetings with 21 top
political aides,’ Kerry discussed his
plans for a ‘formal announcement speech
possibly set against a backdrop of the USS
Constitution’ in Boston Harbor. The thinking
at the time, as reported on July 9 by the
Globe's Glen Johnson: ‘The backdrop of ‘Old
Ironsides,’ the Navy's oldest commissioned
warship, would not only pay tribute to the
region's history but the candidate's unique
Navy combat experience.’ So, why the change
of venue? ‘The logistics of that were just
too difficult to pull off -- crowd building,
busing supporters, etc. It just made much more
sense to do the big rally in a central
location right after work,’ said a Kerry
campaign aide who did not want to be named. A
Boston political consultant and Kerry
supporter who also did not want to be named
summed up the campaign strategy more honestly:
‘We're in this no matter what happens in Iowa
and New Hampshire. South Carolina, Michigan,
those places down the road might be the
salvation if we don't prevail in New
Hampshire.’ Kerry's plan calls for a
morning announcement speech in Charleston,
then off to a speech in Des Moines. The
next day Kerry is scheduled to fly to
Manchester, N.H. A Faneuil Hall rally that
evening will make Boston his last stop,
according to current plans. To political
junkies, Kerry's revised itinerary speaks
volumes. With all due respect for the usual
caveat about polls being snapshots at a moment
in time, current polling snapshots do not
paint a breezy political picture for the Kerry
presidential campaign in Iowa or New Hampshire…Dean
pulled ahead of Kerry in New Hampshire
for the first time in a monthly poll ranking
the Democratic candidates. Dean
received 28 percent in the August survey
conducted by the American Research Groups Inc.
of Manchester, N.H., compared with 21 percent
for Kerry. A similar poll in July
showed Kerry leading Dean 25
percent to 19. News of the New Hampshire
poll and the Kerry announcement itinerary
inspired the Massachusetts GOP to send out a
press release headlined, ‘Kerry heads South --
in polls and for his official campaign
announcement.’ In these fading August
days, there are murmurs about two fading
Boston-based campaigns -- the Boston Red Sox
in yet another pennant race and the Kerry
presidential campaign. But really, it is
too early to write off either. The Sox are
still in the American League wild card race,
and, on paper, Kerry is more than a wild
card in the race for the nomination. He is
still the Democrat with the broadest
experience and strongest credentials to take
on President Bush in 2004. Losing New
Hampshire would be serious for Kerry, but
would it be fatal to his campaign? Bill
Clinton lost the New Hampshire primary and
went on to beat the first President Bush.
Demonstrating an ability to compete in the
South -- the base for another Democratic
presidential hopeful, North Carolina's Senator
John Edwards -- would be a great
advantage for Kerry. A Southern
strategy, illustrated by an announcement in
Charleston, shows some guts, even if it is
fueled by a certain desperation about
potential outcomes in Iowa and New Hampshire.
But to win the nomination, Kerry must
demonstrate guts about more than political
strategy. He has to show some heart and soul
and do it with more conviction and less
ponderous rhetoric. A little humility
wouldn't hurt, and neither would a sense of
humor, especially toward Dean and the
unexpected challenge he presents. He
should forget about theatrics like hopping on
motorcycles and offering hugs to mothers of
soldiers. With Kerry such tactics seem
contrived. Massachusetts knows Kerry.
As always, familiarity breeds a measure of
contempt, magnifying weaknesses. But
Massachusetts also knows its senator's
strengths. They include intelligence and
determination. Kerry must show that and
more. A candidate who is good only on paper
cannot defeat a flesh-and-blood president.
That is true in the South and everywhere.”(8/22/2003)
… “Kerry out for dough
as big kickoff nears” – Headline from
yesterday’s Boston Herald. Kerry – as
formal announcements nears – plans events to
qualify for federal matching funds and top
Dean as 9/30 finance reporting deadline nears.
Excerpt from coverage by the Herald’s
Andrew Miga: “Sen. John F. Kerry,
desperate to catch surging presidential rival
Howard Dean, next month plans a fund-raising
blitz of 25 events nationwide to coincide with
his formal campaign kickoff. Kerry
(D-Mass.) is organizing several large-scale
events of 800 or more donors to be held after
he formally announces his 2004 White House bid
with a four-day trip to key primary states
beginning Labor Day. ‘We will build on the
momentum of the announcement tour by holding a
series of larger events to grow our grassroots
supporters,’ said Kerry spokeswoman
Kelley Benander. ‘We're trying to generate
excitement along with the money, and crowds
help you do that.’ Events are set for New
York, Chicago, San Francisco, Houston and
Boston where tickets will range from $25 to
$250. There is a strategic bent to such
low-dollar events: all donations less than
$250 qualify for federal matching funds.
Kerry will also court more well-heeled
fund-raisers, beginning with a ‘Nantucket
Supporters Weekend’ Sept. 5-7 limited to
supporters pledging to raise $10,000 or more
for the senator's campaign. Participants
will be treated to a cocktail party at Teresa
Heinz Kerry's Nantucket mansion and a clambake
at the Kennedy compound in Hyannisport…’We
are using a combination of more traditional
methods as well as some creative new ways,
particularly on the Internet,’ said Benander,
citing a campaign Web site contest to spend a
day campaigning with Kerry. The Bay
State senator is tapping his broad national
network of financial backers in hopes of
eclipsing Dean for the third quarter
fund-raising period that ends Sept. 30.
Kerry, who also has a direct mail donor
list that is the envy of his rivals, has only
recently begun focusing on Internet
fund-raising. Once the presumed
front-runner, Kerry is seeking to revive his
slumping campaign as the traditional Labor Day
kickoff nears. Dean's emergence has
pushed Kerry back in the crowded pack,
raising questions about his message and his
ability to connect with average voters.”(8/22/2003)
… “Kerry,
Graham fault Bush in deadly Baghdad bombing”
– Headline from the Washington Times. Excerpt
from report by the Times’ Stephen Dinan:
“Yesterday's suicide bombing in Baghdad left
some Democrats calling for re-evaluating the
U.S. role in Iraq and blaming the Bush
administration for lacking foresight and
losing control of the situation in Iraq. ‘It
is becoming increasingly clear each day that
the administration misread the situation on
the ground in Iraq and lacks an adequate plan
to win the peace and protect our troops,’
said Sen. John Kerry, Massachusetts
Democrat and presidential candidate, calling
on President Bush to invite more troops from
other nations to help out…Sen. Bob Graham,
Florida Democrat and another presidential
candidate, said Mr. Bush bears some blame for
the bombing, by mistakenly pursuing the war in
Iraq. ‘Had the president pursued the war
on terrorism prior to initiating military
action against Saddam Hussein — as I advocated
last year — it is likely that al Qaeda and
other terrorist networks would not have been
able to take advantage of the chaos that now
exists in Baghdad and other parts of Iraq,’
Mr. Graham said. He also called on
Mr. Bush to admit ‘he misled Americans’ by
declaring three months ago that major combat
operations had ended in Iraq. Hours before
the bombing, Sen. John McCain, Arizona
Republican, said stabilizing postwar Iraq is
proving a more difficult task than anybody
thought, and said more American troops are
probably needed.”(8/22/2003)
… This is hardly
breaking news since Dean has been mopping the
political floor with Kerry, but here’s the
headline from Friday’s Washington Times
report: “Kerry loses early lead in polls to
rival Dean” Excerpt from report by Times
political ace Donald Lambro: “Sen. John
Kerry, once considered the front-runner for
the Democratic presidential nomination, is
falling behind his chief rivals in the
national polls and in key primary and caucus
states. The Massachusetts senator, who led
polls in neighboring New Hampshire for months,
has slipped badly there in the past few weeks.
Meanwhile, former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean
has surged into first place with a 7
percentage-point lead on a wave of TV ads and
the fierce support of liberal activists
opposed to the war in Iraq. Mr. Kerry runs
no better than third or fourth among Democrats
in Iowa and has dropped to fourth place
nationally. His support registers in
single digits in the national polls. Election
analysts say Mr. Kerry's decline is largely
the result of his inability to fashion a
strong political message that can overcome the
combative Mr. Dean's sharply partisan message
against Mr. Bush's handling of Iraq, the
economy and jobs. ‘It's message versus no
message,’ said pollster John Zogby. ‘Dean
is focused. His messages can fit on a bumper
sticker. They're clear. You know who he is
and you know where he stands...Kerry just
hasn't found a focus yet. He is all nuances.’…Democratic
strategists acknowledge that Mr. Kerry
has one of the best professional campaign
teams in the business. But they say he has not
been able to get any traction for his attacks
against Mr. Dean, who is in a dead heat
with Rep. Richard A. Gephardt of
Missouri for first among Iowa Democrats. In
some polls, Mr. Dean is slightly ahead of the
former House Democratic leader. Earlier
this month, Gallup found that support for Mr.
Kerry fell 3 percentage points
nationally in just 10 days. Mr. Kerry sank
behind Mr. Dean, Mr. Gephardt and Sen. Joe
Lieberman of Connecticut. Regionally, Mr.
Zogby's polling shows Mr. Kerry running
well behind his rivals in the East, South and
the Midwest. Mr. Kerry's third- or
fourth-place position in Iowa was bad enough,
but his decline in New Hampshire — now 21
percent to Mr. Dean's 28 percent — has
some rival campaigns forecasting the end of
Mr. Kerry's candidacy if he loses the
first 2004 primary.”(8/24/2003)
… Kerry –
the most outspoken critic of GWB’s aircraft
carrier landing – to announce in front of
aircraft carrier as part of his backup
Southern strategy, in case things go south in
IA and NH. Headline from Friday’s Boston
Globe: “Looking ahead, Kerry to use carrier
as campaign launch” Coverage – an excerpt
– by the Globe’s Glen Johnson: “Senator
John F. Kerry has decided to trade "Old
Ironsides" for the USS Yorktown, planning to
stand before the aircraft carrier on Sept. 2
to publicly declare his candidacy for
president. The Massachusetts Democrat had
considered using the USS Constitution in
Charlestown, the Navy's oldest commissioned
warship, as a backdrop for the announcement.
But campaign aides said Kerry decided
to change the location to the Yorktown, which
is docked off Charleston, S.C., both to gain
publicity in the politically important state
as well as to counter the trip President
Bush took to an aircraft carrier May 1 to
declare an end to major combat operations in
Iraq. In recent speeches, Kerry has
challenged Bush's supposed strength on
national security matters by highlighting his
stature as the only current presidential
candidate to have fought in a war. ‘I have
worked with aircraft carriers for real,’
Kerry has said, mocking the widely
photographed landing Bush made on the USS
Abraham Lincoln. South Carolina follows Iowa
and New Hampshire in the primary process. Bush
swept the South in the 2000 election, but
Kerry believes he can win in Louisiana,
Georgia, and perhaps Alabama by highlighting
his military service in Vietnam, as well
as his support for gun ownership and other
traditionally conservative positions. The
senator will be joined at his announcement by
most of the members of the two boat crews he
commanded while in Vietnam, his aides
said. He will be introduced by former US
senator Max Cleland, a Georgia Democrat who
lost both legs and an arm while fighting in
the war. Kerry plans to preview two
themes of his candidacy with major speeches
before his announcement tour. On Monday in San
Antonio, the senator will speak about national
security and veterans affairs before a
convention of the Veterans of Foreign Wars. On
Thursday, Kerry will deliver an
economics speech in New Hampshire. After his
speech in South Carolina, Kerry and his
entourage will travel to Iowa. On Sept. 3,
Kerry will speak again in New
Hampshire, before concluding his announcement
tour with a 6 p.m. public rally outside
Faneuil Hall.”(8/24/2003)
… Kerry’s
southern strategy – believing his military
record will appeal in southern states – hits
the group with SC headquarters opening.
Excerpt from Friday AP report from Columbia:
“Richland County Council Chairwoman Bernice G.
Scott promises she’ll need a new pair of shoes
after months of knocking on doors telling
residents about Democratic Presidential
candidate John Kerry. Even though
it’s been more than three months since Kerry’s
last visit, Scott says elected officials like
her are the ones who will get voters to the
polls for the state’s first-in-the-South
primary Feb. 3. Those ‘who believe in him
have got to go out and carry his message,’
Scott said yesterday night among more than 80
people gathered to open Kerry’s state campaign
headquarters. Kerry, one of nine White
House hopefuls, missed the opening of his
headquarters here and made a phone call to the
crowd instead. The Massachusetts senator
peppered those in the crowd with gratitude,
but said the hard work was just beginning.
‘I’m really excited by everybody’s presence
there,’ he said. ‘We need to get to work.
Campaigns are won ... by the hard work of
talking to neighbors, getting on the phones,
getting out the message and building a really
strong national effort.’” (8/24/2003)
… Kerry, searching for
a niche to counter Dean, makes direct
challenge to Bush on national security front
and sets out to recruit active-duty armed
forces and veterans. Headline from
yesterday’s Boston Globe: “Kerry makes bid
for veterans” Coverage – an excerpt – from
Nashua by the Globe’s Glen Johnson: “Senator
John F. Kerry launched a direct challenge
yesterday to President Bush's perceived
strength in national security matters,
reaching out to active-duty and retired
members of the armed forces by questioning the
administration's decision making in Iraq and
its treatment of veterans. Against a backdrop
of a war memorial and standing before a group
of veterans from the Vietnam and Korean wars,
as well as the Persian Gulf War, the
Democratic presidential contender from
Massachusetts accused the administration of
underestimating the peacekeeping demands in
postwar Iraq, of subjecting veterans to long
waiting times for services, and of failing to
change a policy that deducts disability
payments to veterans from their standard
retirement pay. Kerry also sought
to highlight disagreements between the
military and civilian leadership in the
Pentagon. He recalled an occasion in the
spring when the former Army chief of staff,
now-retired General Eric K. Shinseki, drew the
wrath of Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld
for telling Congress he envisioned the need
for a force of several hundred thousand
soldiers in postwar Iraq. Rumsfeld said
publicly the estimate was ‘way off the mark,’
but some military analysts now say more than
the current force of 150,000 is needed to
quell attacks on coalition troops. About 65 US
soldiers have been killed in hostile incidents
since the president declared an end to major
combat May 1. ‘Where is the apology to
General Shinseki?’ Kerry demanded, as he
faced the Purple Heart Memorial in Deschenes
Park. ‘Where are the acknowledgements of
misjudging how much people would be deemed to
be liberators versus occupiers?…My friends, we
have read of those troops currently having
difficulty getting water, getting other
supplies. We've read of the requirements that
combat military people are now facing trying
to stand police duty and guard duty in a
postwar situation that was clearly
underestimated -- not by the military
personnel, but by the civilian leaders of the
military, by the administration itself.’ A
spokesman for the Republican National
Committee, which responds on behalf of the
White House to criticism by the Democratic
presidential candidates, did not immediately
return a call seeking comment. The speech
was a preview of remarks Kerry plans to
deliver tomorrow in San Antonio at the
national convention of the Veterans of Foreign
Wars. Also scheduled to address the group
are Rumsfeld and national security adviser
Condoleezza Rice. Kerry plans to
highlight his background as a combat veteran
of Vietnam, as well as the alleged neglect of
veterans, as he publicly kicks off his
campaign with speeches in South Carolina and
Iowa on Sept. 2. Veterans are an active
voting bloc, as Republican Senator John S.
McCain of Arizona showed with his 2000
presidential campaign, and many of them live
in the South, an area Bush swept over Democrat
Al Gore in the 2000 general election.”(8/25/2003)
… “Presidential
candidates hit Bush on economy” – headline
from this morning’s The Union Leader. It’s
beginning to look more like a political
feeding frenzy than a presidential nominating
competition. Coverage – an excerpt – by
the AP’s Will Lester: “President Bush's
Democratic rivals seized on projections of
record budget deficits Tuesday, arguing that
the numbers add up to a failed economic policy
that will hit future generations hard.
‘It's obvious this administration doesn't have
the slightest clue about how to get this
economy back on track, get Americans back to
work and get our nation's finances under
control,’ said Sen. John Kerry of
Massachusetts, who added, ‘it is time to
admit what millions of unemployed Americans
already know - that the economic policies of
George W. Bush are the worst in our nation's
history.’ Congressional budget analysts
said Tuesday that the government faces at
least eight more years of budget deficits,
including a record $480 billion shortfall in
2004. The analysts also warned that extending
Bush's tax cuts beyond their expiration
combined with other spending could increase
the $1.4 trillion deficit over the next decade
to $1.6 trillion. Those figures prompted
criticism from Democrats, such as Howard Dean,
who has called for a repeal of Bush's tax
cuts. ‘The president has not only
destroyed three million jobs, he is destroying
the financial future of our children with
these crazy tax cuts for the top 1 percent,’
the former Vermont governor said in a
telephone interview. Sen. Bob Graham of
Florida, in a variation of a line from John F.
Kennedy's inaugural address, said Bush ‘is
telling the world that Americans shall defer
any price, unload any burden on our children,
postpone any hardship for ourselves to give
tax cuts to the wealthiest Americans.’ Said
Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut: ‘The
tide of red ink is rising higher than ever
before. And the best George W. Bush can do is
ask the American people to hold their breath.
That's unfair to our kids and unacceptable for
our economic health.’ John Edwards, a
senator from North Carolina, said the record
deficits indicate it's time to say ‘enough of
the unaffordable tax breaks for corporations
and the wealthy ... and enough of pretending
that deficits just don't matter.’ Rep. Dick
Gephardt of Missouri, cited the deficits
as well as job losses as proof that the
president's "tax-cut economic policy is
failing, it's not helping ordinary taxpayers.’
Al Sharpton also faulted the tax cuts
for diverting money from education, health
care, job creation and housing. Carol
Moseley Braun called the deficits ‘part of
the economic shell game that this
administration has put over on the American
people.’ She added it was neither
‘compassionate’ not ‘conservative,’ a
reference to Bush's oft-repeated description
of himself. Republican National Committee
spokeswoman Christine Iverson countered that ‘winning
the war on terrorism is expensive, but
security is priceless. Balancing the
budget is important but so is creating jobs,
defeating our enemies and protecting our
homeland.’”(8/27/2003)
… Kerry – still
developing southern strategy to appeal to
active-military and veterans – gets loud
response for criticizing cuts in veteran
benefits. What else would he expect at a VFW
convention? Headline from yesterday’s San
Antonio Express-News: “Kerry blasts Bush
for postwar efforts in Iraq, Afghanistan”
Excerpt from report by political editor Jaime
Castillo: “Democratic presidential hopeful
John Kerry mounted a spirited attack
[Monday] against the Bush administration,
telling a gathering of veterans here that
postwar planning in Iraq and Afghanistan has
failed. The decorated Vietnam War veteran
questioned whether the commitment of troops
has been sufficient to restore order and
foster a democratic transition in either hot
spot.
‘I believe a lack of planning and the lack of
candor with the American people have placed
our men and women in uniform in increased
harm’s way,’ Kerry
said to thousands of veterans attending the
Veterans of Foreign Wars convention. The
Massachusetts senator, who is running in a
crowded field of Democratic hopefuls, received
several loud ovations as he criticized
budget cuts affecting military benefits and
pay while bemoaning the mixture of politics
with military strategy. ‘The interests of
the grunts on the ground comes before all
politics,” said Kerry, who interspersed
his comments with references to his service on
a gunboat in Vietnam. Kerry's speech
preceded those of several members of the Bush
administration, including Defense Secretary
Donald Rumsfeld and National Security
Adviser Condoleezza Rice. Both
officials preached patience in Iraq and
pledged to provide whatever level of support
is necessary to U.S. commanders. Calling the
administration stubborn, Kerry said not
enough has been done to get more nations
involved in the war effort in Iraq to get ‘the
targets taken off American soldiers' backs.
Kerry, who is touting his military
service in an attempt to blunt Bush's standing
on national security, also chided Arab allies
for not sending troops into harm’s way. ‘It
would be nice to see some Arabs in uniform
sharing the burden of freedom,’ he said.
On the domestic front, Kerry said that
veterans' and active-duty benefits should be
restored to previous levels and not subject to
budget cuts. ‘If one day I have the
opportunity to make the decisions as commander
in chief,’ he said, ‘I will ensure that
America always is the best equipped, best
trained and most powerful fighting force in
the world.’”(8/27/2003)
… For months, the main
rivalry has been Dean vs. Kerry – but if Clark
enters the wannabe race it could shift to
Kerry vs. Clark on military record
comparisons. Boston Globe notes that
Kerry – now the only vet in race – could
face competition for military/veteran support.
Headline from yesterday’s Boston Herald: “Kerry
touts hero rep as Clark mulls run” Excerpt
from coverage by the Herald’s Noelle Straub: “Sen.
John F. Kerry yesterday played up his own
history as a combat hero as another candidate
with military background - retired four-star
Army Gen. Wesley Clark - mulled a presidential
run. Kerry, currently the only
veteran in the race, told the VFW convention
in Texas yesterday that as president he would
‘bring the perspective of someone who's fought
on the front lines.’…Jennifer Duffy, a
political analyst for The Cook Political
Report, noted the string of events and said
Clark - the former NATO supreme allied
commander - would ‘certainly’ compete with
Kerry on national security issues.
‘Obviously, Kerry is building on that
credential,’ she said. ‘I doubt it is entirely
or even halfway geared at Clark, but he
certainly is laying a marker down.’ But Larry
Sabato, director of the University of Virginia
Center for Politics, said Clark would have
difficulty launching a viable campaign because
he has no political organization and most
operatives already work for other campaigns.
Meanwhile, Clark backers said their
internal polling shows he would run fifth
among the Democrats in the race, boosted by
his military credentials.” (8/27/2003)
… Despite Bob
Novak’s contention that Gephardt has CWA
endorsement locked up, three wannabes – Kerry,
Kucinich plus Gephardt – show up for CWA forum
with Dean and Lieberman still to go.
Headline from yesterday’s Chicago Sun-Times: “Democratic
hopefuls blast Bush over Iraq” Coverage –
an excerpt – by the Sun-Times’ Curtis
Lawrence: “Three of the nine Democratic
presidential candidates came to Chicago on
Monday serenading union activists with
old-time labor songs and pointing to what they
call the sour notes of the Bush
administration, especially when it comes to
defense and labor policies. Rep. Richard
Gephardt (D-Mo.) was the first to
address the Communication Workers of America,
which brought 2,800 delegates, members and
supporters to Navy Pier for a convention this
week. Like Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio)
and Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.), who also
addressed the convention, Gephardt is trying
to win the coveted endorsement of the AFL-CIO
and its unions. ‘I think the president
needs to get to the UN, to get to NATO and to
get us help,’ Gephardt said, hammering
at Bush's Iraq strategy. ‘We have 150,000
troops there. We're stretched thin. If we had
a military problem somewhere in the world
today, we have no one to send there.’
Saying he presented the ‘sharpest contrast’ to
Bush, Kucinich reminded voters that he was one
of the few voices against the war in Iraq.
He also attacked the president and his aides
for deliberately overstating the threat posed
by the country. ‘This administration lied
to the American people, and we must challenge
them,’ Kucinich said. After his speech,
Kucinich told reporters that ‘only someone
who's ready to clearly distinguish themselves
from the president on what would be the basis
for war is going to be able to be successful.’
But Kucinich also hit hard on bread and
butter labor issues. He blasted labor
policies, including the North American Free
Trade Agreement, that he said were taking jobs
out of the country. He also criticized Bush
policies for undermining the right to
organize. ‘They want to take us back to
the day of 'Sixteen Tons,'’ Kucinich said,
humoring the crowd with a scratchy verse from
the rallying standard of American miners.
Kerry didn't sing, but he wooed the crowd with
one-liners, calling Bush's jobs record the
worst since Depression-era President Herbert
Hoover. He said that people were ‘just plain
tired of being trickled on’ by Bush's economic
policies and said he would scrap Bush's tax
breaks and ‘restore fairness to the work place
in America…Later Kerry sat at a picnic
table on Navy Pier for an informal chat with
about a half dozen veterans, two of whom
served on gun boats with him in the MeKong
Delta. While Sun-Times columnist Robert
Novak has reported that Gephardt has the
communication workers' endorsement pinned
down, Candice Johnson, a union spokeswoman,
said that while Gephardt is a friend of the
union, ‘we have not endorsed anybody yet.’
That will come in the fall, she said.”(8/27/2003)
… Kerry may soon
qualify for an “I’ve fallen and can’t get up”
commercial. While Dean bandwagon – including
lead in latest IA survey – rolls along, Kerry
goes with subpar economic proposal that
probably won’t attract one supporter anywhere.
Excerpt from New Hampshire report –
datelined Durham – by AP’s Holly Ramer: “Democratic
presidential hopeful John Kerry on Thursday
proposed sending $25 billion to states
struggling with budget deficits as part of a
broader plan to jump-start the economy and
spur job creation. The two-year ‘State Tax
Relief and Education’ fund would help states
that have had to cut education spending and
lay off police and firefighters under Bush
administration policies that have ‘brought
back the days of deficits, debt and doubt,’
Kerry said. ‘When it comes to creating
opportunity, restoring fiscal discipline,
putting values back into our economy, and
preparing for the jobs of the future, George
Bush hasn't lifted a finger. I intend to move
mountains,’ Kerry said at the University
of New Hampshire, where he outlined an
economic package that mixed new ideas with
some old proposals. ‘Let me put it plainly: If
Americans aren't working, America's not
working,’ the Massachusetts senator said.
The state fund was one of several short-term
proposals that Kerry would finance by
repealing President Bush's tax cuts for the
top 1 percent of income earners. Some of
his Democratic rivals - Rep. Dick Gephardt
of Missouri and former Vermont Gov. Howard
Dean - want to repeal the entire tax cut,
an idea Kerry continues to criticize.
‘Some in my own party are so angry at
George Bush and his unfair tax cuts that they
think the solution is to do the exact opposite,’
Kerry said. ‘They want to return to
rejected old-style policies that eliminate all
tax breaks, including those to working
people.’ Kerry said he would provide
tax relief to middle-class families by keeping
the child tax credit, reduced marriage penalty
and lower tax rates that were part of the Bush
package while lowering capital gains and
dividend taxes for the middle class. He also
proposed a new tax credit to help families
afford college. The credit would apply to
100 percent of the first $1,000 spent on
tuition and 50 percent of the rest, up to
$4,000. He also proposed a new tax credit to
encourage manufacturers to remain and expand
operations in the United States and promised
to hold weekly summits for the first six
months of his presidency to develop strategies
for creating jobs in key regions and
industries. Despite recent signs of economic
recovery, Kerry insisted the nation remains
in a ‘fight for our economic future.’ The
Commerce Department said Thursday that the
economy grew at a solid 3.1 percent annual
rate in the April to June quarter, a
better-than-expected showing. This week, the
nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said
the federal government faces at least eight
more years of budget deficits, including a
record $480 billion shortfall in 2004. If
elected president, Kerry promised to cut the
deficit at least in half in his first term.”
(8/29/2003)
… Washington Times
columnist Lambro uses three words to describe
Kerry’s campaign on the eve of his planned
announcement: Plummeting. Messageless.
Emotionless. Headline from yesterday’s
Washington Times: “That sinking feeling”
Excerpt from Lambro’s commentary: “Though
it's garnering little attention from the
political press corps, Massachusetts Sen. John
Kerry's presidential campaign has been
plummeting.
Once
the odds-on choice to win the Democratic
nomination and take on President Bush, Mr.
Kerry's emotionless, messageless campaign has
stalled.
All the momentum is rolling with feisty former
Vermont Gov. Howard Dean, whose
combative, ultraliberal, antiwar campaign is
surprising the pundits and rousing the
Democratic Party establishment. Arguably, Mr.
Kerry has the sharpest campaign team in
the business, and the heaviest hitters. But
what Mr. Kerry may possess in senatorial
gravitas, he lacks in personality, bite and
soul. Mr. Dean, however, is all bite,
jabs and left hooks. His stump speeches
leave Democratic audiences pumped and ready to
sign up. ‘It's message vs. no message,’ says
independent pollster John Zogby. ‘Dean is
focused. His messages can fit on a bumper
sticker. They're clear. You know who he is and
where he stands. He reminds me of John McCain…The
result: Mr. Kerry's campaign is in a slump
and, at least for now, shows no signs
recovering…Nationally, most Democrats
either know little about Mr. Kerry or dislike
what he is selling. For months he was
ambivalent on the war in Iraq, but is now
trying to reinvent himself as a staunch critic
of Mr. Bush's postwar plans. Mr. Zogby has
Mr. Kerry doing no better than fourth
in his nationwide rankings with 9 percent,
running behind Mr. Dean, Mr.
Gephardt and Sen. Joe Lieberman of
Connecticut, who are locked in a three-way tie
with 12 percent each. With just four months
to go before the Iowa caucuses and New
Hampshire primary in January, Mr. Kerry is
shockingly weak in just about every region of
the country, according to Mr. Zogby. In
the Eastern states, Mr. Lieberman and Mr. Dean
were locked in first place with 13 percent
each. Mr. Kerry, a New Englander
who you would think would do best in the East,
is in the backfield with Mr. Gephardt
and Al Sharpton — barely drawing 4
percent. In the South, Mr. Kerry is tied
with Mr. Sharpton at 9 percent, trailing
Mr. Gephardt and Mr. Lieberman
with 15 percent and 11 percent,
respectively. Mr. Kerry trails badly in the
Central/Great Lakes region with 8 percent,
well behind Messrs. Gephardt, Dean and
Lieberman. His best regional showing is in
the West, where he runs 2 points behind
frontrunner Mr. Dean (17 percent).”
(8/29/2003)
… So, if
Kerry really is serious about appealing to
“all groups in the country,” why is he always
standing next to war monuments, campaigning in
VFW halls and talking about his Vietnam
record? Headline from Wednesday’s
Quad-City Times: “Kerry aims for support
beyond vets” Excerpt from coverage by the
Times’ Kathie Obradovich: “Standing at
Iowa’s Vietnam War memorial, U.S. Sen. John
Kerry said Tuesday that he is not pinning his
hopes in the Iowa Caucuses solely on the
support of veterans drawn by his decorated
military service. ‘No one should be left
out of this process. I’m not just reaching out
to veterans,’ Kerry, of Massachusetts,
said. ‘On every occasion I get, I’m reaching
out to all groups in the country.’ Kerry,
who won the Silver Star for valor and three
Purple Hearts for combat wounds as a gunboat
commander during the Vietnam War, said he
sees the issues facing veterans as a ‘metaphor
for the difficulties we’re facing in the
country today.’…’I mean, if veterans, who
are respected and who have done their duty for
the country and who carry with them the
nation’s gratitude, are having trouble getting
the money they need, think how tough it is for
kids in a community where they have no money
for their schools,’ he said. Rep. Steve
Warnstadt of Sioux City, a Gulf War veteran
and a major in the Iowa National Guard, said
he would work to get veterans to the caucuses
for Kerry in every Iowa county. ‘One of
the reasons I’m supporting Sen. Kerry
is not just because he’s a veteran, but
because he has a visceral commitment to
veterans’ issues,’ said Warnstadt, chairman of
the Iowa’s Veterans for Kerry Committee,
which includes 34 veterans serving as state
and county chairs and co-chairs. Kerry
said he was not aware of plans to turn out
veterans in every county, but was ‘gratified
to hear it — I mean, if he’s really going to
do that, I don’t see why not.’ Kerry
said he does not believe veterans make
military service a litmus test for choosing a
candidate. ‘I mean, veterans are very
independent-minded. Some will decide that
these issues are important to them and some
will decide otherwise,’ he said, noting
that he does not know how many of Iowa’s
290,000 veterans vote in the Democratic
caucuses. Kerry has argued that his
experience in the military and foreign affairs
makes him the Democrat who most effectively
can challenge Republican incumbent George W.
Bush on war issues.”(8/29/2003)
… Ted
Kennedy – a Kerry supporter – says that Dean
may be the summertime favorite, but Kerry will
move up during the fall months. Headline
from Friday’s Boston Herald: “Kennedy:
Dean’s hot, Kerry’s the one” Coverage by
the Herald’s Noelle Straub and Andrew Miga: “Howard
Dean is connecting with voters in his bid for
the White House, but John Kerry will surge in
the fall, Sen. Edward M. Kennedy predicted
yesterday. ‘There is no question that
Howard Dean has tapped into an energy
in the country which is enormously important
and which he deserves credit for,’ Kennedy
said in an interview with the Herald. Noting
that Dean appeals to voters concerned
about President Bush's handling of both
foreign and domestic policy, Kennedy added, ‘I
think that's been a very effective campaign.’
But Kennedy, who has endorsed his fellow
Bay State senator, predicted that as the
campaign season picks up after Labor Day and
the public begins to pay more attention to the
race, Kerry ‘will be in the strongest
position. I think he's best able to lead,’
Kennedy said. ‘I don't think there's any
candidate that is better qualified than John
Kerry. I think that kind of experience
and quality and leadership will best be
reflected in the time during the fall when
individuals are finally making up their
mind.’ Polls show that Dean, who
trailed Kerry earlier this year, now
leads in both Iowa and New Hampshire.”(8/31/2003)
… Union Leader
editorial credits Kerry with tax reduction
proposal, but criticizes him for returning
money to the states rather than the taxpayers.
Headline from Friday’s Union Leader: “A
Kerry economy: Somewhere between Dean, Edwards”
The editorial: “Sen. John Kerry released
his economic plan at the University of New
Hampshire yesterday, and our preliminary
analysis is: at least it’s not Howard Dean’s.
To his credit, Kerry recognizes the
economic benefits of tax reduction. He has
repeatedly criticized rival Presidential
candidates Howard Dean and Dick
Gephardt for wanting to repeal all of
President Bush’s tax cuts. Understanding, as
he does, the value of taking money from
government bureaucrats and returning it to the
people who earned it, Kerry disappoints by
proposing to stimulate the economy by giving
federal money to the states, instead of to the
people in the form of tax cuts. On
balance, Kerry’s plan would do little to
stimulate the economy in the short run and
would be less beneficial than Bush’s plans in
the long run. Compared to the plans offered
by Dean and Gephardt, Kerry’s is preferable.
But among the Democrats, John Edwards’ plan
still looks better. Combine Edwards’
spending reductions with some of Kerry’s
tax credits and the ‘pro-growth tax cuts’
called for by Joe Lieberman, and you’d
have the makings of a moderately conservative
economic plan that wouldn’t be half bad,
especially considering that Edwards has shown
more interest in cutting discretionary
spending than has the Bush administration.”
(8/31/2003)
… Des Moines
Register political ace David Yepsen warns
Kerry might not withstand a Dean win in Iowa,
says it may be time for Edwards and Graham to
get “gut checks” and notes that it’s “getting
pretty late” for Clark to join the fun.
Excerpt from column on CNN.com by “Inside
Politics” anchor Judy Woodruff: “David Yepsen,
veteran Des Moines Register reporter and
political watcher, appearing on Friday's CNN's
‘Inside Politics,’ told me that he sees
Dean building a slight lead over Gephardt.
Yepsen believes a Dean win in Iowa could
prove costly to another rival, Kerry, down the
road. ‘The candidate who wins Iowa
automatically gets a 8- to 10-point bump in
the state of New Hampshire, where Dean
is already leading Kerry by, in some
polls, double-digit margins,’ he said. ‘So
I don't know that Kerry could withstand Dean
winning here because it would just have a real
multiplier effect in New Hampshire.’
Yepsen also said that Sens. Bob Graham,
D-Florida, and John Edwards, D-North Carolina,
might be due for a ‘gut check’ after spending
considerable time and resources in the state,
but failing to register any movement the polls…And
what about a possible tenth member for the '04
Democratic field? Yepsen says it's still
possible for former NATO Supreme Allied
Commander Wesley Clark, who is weighing a run,
to throw his hat in the ring. ‘Fifteen
percent say they're undecided, so there's room
for General Clark to get an audience,
but it's getting pretty late.’ In a sign that
some Democrats can't let go of the regular
fall campaign marker, Kerry and
Edwards scheduled official campaign
‘announcements’ for September 2 and September
16 respectively. Some political traditions
never die.” (8/31/2003)
Kerry
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Kerry Aug. 1-15, 2003
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