|
 John
Kerry
excerpts
from
the Iowa Daily Report
October 1-15,
2003
…
Union Leader online article from the
Associated Press, “Dean tops Kerry, Clark in
NH poll”. Excerpts: “Howard Dean topped John
Kerry by 9 points in a new poll of likely New
Hampshire Democratic primary voters, with newcomer
Wesley Clark speeding past the other seven
Democratic presidential contenders. Dean was
the choice for 26 percent of voters, followed by
Kerry with 17 percent and Clark with 10
percent, according to the poll by WHDH-TV and
Suffolk University conducted between Sept.
26-28. The poll was released Monday. Sen. Joe
Lieberman of Connecticut had 7 percent and Sen.
John Edwards of North Carolina and Rep. Dick
Gephardt of Missouri were at 6 percent. The
remaining candidates were at 2 percent or fewer. A
Suffolk poll conducted in March showed Kerry leading
with 32 percent of the vote, Lieberman second with
17 percent and Dean third with 10 percent. The new
poll numbers are similar to a poll conducted Sept.
24-25 and released Friday by Zogby International
that showed Dean leading Kerry by a 10-point margin
and Clark in third with 10 percent of likely
Democratic primary voters. The latest poll shows
Dean has crossed an important bridge in his bid to
win New Hampshire, according to Suffolk
University adjunct professor and pollster David
Paleologos. "This is a wake-up call for John
Kerry," Paleologos said. "Kerry needs to reconnect
with the voters that once supported him." The
poll also found Dean's popularity strong, with a
favorable rating of 61 percent, while only 14
percent rated him unfavorably. Clark's strong
numbers despite his recent entrance into the race
shows the retired general has room to boost his
support as he continues to introduce himself to New
Hampshire voters, Paleologos said. In other results,
the poll of likely Democratic voters found 56
percent said it was not worth going to war in Iraq
and 64 percent opposed President Bush's request for
$87 billion to help rebuild Iraq. The poll of
400 New Hampshire Democrats who said they were
likely to cast a ballot on primary day, tentatively
scheduled for Jan. 27, 2004, had a margin of error
of plus or minus 4.9 percentage points. (10/01/2003)
…
Washington Post online article by Nedra
Pickler, “Hart Endorses Kerry’s White House Bid”.
Excerpts: “Gary Hart, the former Colorado senator
who sought the presidency twice in the 1980s,
announced Tuesday that he is backing Democrat John
Kerry's White House bid. Hart, who toyed with
running for president again this year but decided
against it in May, said Kerry is the best
qualified to be president in the field of 10
Democrats because of his experience in foreign
policy, budget negotiations and the military as a
Vietnam veteran. "It takes years of preparation
and we just don't hold our candidates to that
standard," Hart said. But while backing Kerry,
Hart said he told the presidential hopeful that he
doesn't think endorsements mean much in the
presidential race. Still, Kerry said Hart has "a
voice of consequence, of real weight" and
contributes unique expertise in national security
and grass-roots politics. Hart's first presidential
campaign was in 1984, the same year Kerry was
elected senator from Massachusetts. Kerry and
Hart served together for two years until Hart left
the Senate, but said they have known each other
since the early '70s. Hart served as George
McGovern's campaign manager in the 1972
Democratic nominee's unsuccessful bid for the
presidency. Hart was elected to the Senate in 1974.
Hart won the New Hampshire presidential primary in
1984, but lost the nomination to Walter Mondale. In
the warmup to the 1988 race, Hart was off to a fast
start but was forced out after stories surfaced of
his extramarital involvement with model Donna Rice.
During his 15 years out of politics, Hart has been
busy practicing law, writing more than a dozen books
- both fiction and nonfiction - and offering his
expertise on the military and national security. He
was co-chairman of the U.S. Commission on National
Security, which warned several months before the
Sept. 11 terrorist attacks that the United States
faced a clear threat of foreign attack on U.S. soil
that would kill thousands.
Democratic leaders in
Colorado have spoken with Hart about running next
year against Republican Sen. Ben Nighthorse
Campbell. Hart said he wants Democratic Rep. Mark
Udall to run. Asked what he would do if Udall
doesn't run, Hart said, "We'll have to see about
that." (10/01/2003)
… John Kerry adds another strategist to his
campaign entourage: Jill Alper.
San Francisco Chronicle
is carrying the story. Excerpts: “Democratic
strategist Jill Alper is joining John Kerry's
campaign full-time to help plan and implement
strategy. "Jill's portfolio is extremely broad,
but it's best described as strategic planning and
driving the implementation of that strategy," said
campaign manager Jim Jordan. "She's enormously
talented and experienced, and John Kerry feels
himself very fortunate to have her play a major role
in this campaign." Alper has informally advised
Kerry and his staff for more than two years. Her
full-time status signals that Kerry is broadening
his campaign team as next year's primaries approach.
Alper, 38, worked for then-Vice President Al Gore's
2000 presidential campaign and is a former top
strategist at the Democratic National Committee.
(10/02/2003)
… The Democratic National Committee meeting in
Washington D.C. proved to be easy ground for the
2004 presidential candidates. According to an
article in the
Des Moines Register, by Jane Norman,
candidates Wesley Clark, John Kerry, Joe
Lieberman, Howard Dean, Dennis Kucinich and Carol
Moseley Braun took aim at President Bush – and
also each other…Wesley Clark said he is
pro-affirmative action, pro-choice, pro-environment,
pro-education and pro-health care. "If that
ain't a Democrat, I must be at the wrong meeting,"
he said. "There was only one place for me, and I
want to tell you, it is great to be home." Sen.
John Kerry said that his opposition to Bush
"is not a commitment I made in the last few weeks or
last year, or that I stumbled across in the course
of this campaign" and that he "stood against"
both presidents Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan.
Kerry also said he and the "Democratic wing of the
Democratic Party" opposed the Contract With America
and former GOP Speaker Newt Gingrich in 1994,
appropriating a phrase often used by Dean. Sen.
Joe Lieberman of Connecticut said Republicans once
were the party of Abraham Lincoln and Dwight
Eisenhower, but "today they are the party of Rush
Limbaugh and Arnold Schwarzenegger." "That's the
party of values?" said Lieberman. Howard Dean
said he wants a president "who's going to appeal to
the very best in us and not the very worst," and
that "we have been silent too long." Democrats are
out of power in the White House and Congress because
"we didn't stand up for what we believed in," Dean
said. Rep. Dennis Kucinich of Ohio said he led
opposition to the war among House Democrats, in
defiance of a leadership that includes Gephardt.
"I believe we truly represented the feelings of
millions of Americans," Kucinich said. "It is time
to bring the troops home." Former Illinois Sen.
Carol Moseley Braun said the voters "are ready to
embrace a clear alternative to George Bush."
(10/04/2003)
… Presidential candidate John Kerry has found
more dirt – radioactive dirt -- to fling at
rival Howard Dean. This time, Kerry says Dean
showed “environmental and ethnic insensitivity”
during his tenure as governor of Vermont.
According to a
Des Moines Register article by Thomas
Beaumont, Kerry is pointing to a 1993
agreement by the state of Vermont to send its
nuclear waste material to Texas town Sierra Blanca –
a town whose population is predominately Hispanic.
Howard Dean’s response? According to the article,
Dean says he was just following orders – federal
orders that require disposal of nuclear waste.
Dean says Vermont didn’t choose the site, Texas did.
Meanwhile, Kerry is pointing his finger at Dean and
declaring Dean should have objected to the site’s
location. BY THE WAY -- as it turned out, the
nuclear dumpsite was never built in Sierra Blanca.
The permit to build was tossed out by the Texas
Natural Resource Conservation Commission due to
“geological instability.” Where did the Vermont
nuclear waste end up? South Carolina.
[EDITOR’S NOTE: wonder what John Edwards has to say
about that…] (10/04/2003)
… John Kerry was in Iowa yesterday, in a
long day of campaigning that included visits to
Council Bluffs, Dunlap and Buena Vista College in
Storm Lake. (article in today’s
Des Moines Register, by staff writer
Jonathan Roos) Taking aim at his No. 1 Rival,
Howard Dean, Kerry rubbed still more salt in the
Dean-Medicare sore. Dean’s sore spot is, as has
been infinitely reported by the nation’s
media, the ‘Dean is a Newt [Gingrich]’
taunt. For Howard Dean, that’s tantamount to calling
him a, well, traitor. Kerry’s Dean-esque scare
tactics were tossed at Iowa’s seniors yesterday. And
there’ll be more today – Kerry is campaigning in
Sioux City, Le Mars, Cherokee and Sheldon. Iowa’s
population is overwhelming elderly. And they hold
great sway in the nominating process, turning
out in the highest percentage to attend the caucuses
and vote. [EDITOR'S NOTE: Kerry is touting
his "Compact with America's Seniors" -- where he
outlines his stance on Medicare (he says he'll get
'real' RX prescription coverage, among other claims
aimed at making seniors take note and vote), Social
Security (he says the usual stuff to that pleases
any retiree), and extending long term healthcare
benefits. Sounds rosy, but when the rubber meets the
road... how will he deliver this Fairytale for
Seniors?] (10/06/2003)
…
John Kerry campaigned hard in Iowa yesterday –
with scant evidence thereof in the media.
However, a Sioux City, Iowa NBC affiliate {KTIV}
has reported Kerry was pushing his plan for seniors
in Sioux City. KTIV also says Kerry visited
Cherokee, LeMars, and Sheldon. As reported in
yesterday’s IPW News, Kerry is touting his “Compact
with America’s Seniors.” Kerry’s Iowa visit also
showed up in the Sioux City Journal who
reported that Kerry once again entered into his
attack on the wealthy. Chief executives of drug
companies, Kerry said, are earning multi-million
dollar salaries while average Americans are
struggling to pay their bills. He said President
George W. Bush and his administration are fighting
to protect those who are the most protected and
comfortable at the expense of everybody else. The
system is backwards, Kerry said, adding that he will
fight for the average person. Also during his
campaign stop Tuesday, Kerry criticized President
Bush's foreign policy, claiming that Bush is
creating terrorists in the current war on terro
(10/08/2003)
… What’s the latest joke in Campaign Land?
“How is John Kerry’s campaign like Noah’s Ark?
answer: Both of two of everything.”
Rimmmm shot!
OnPolitic’s story today, by Washington
Post staff writer Paul Farhi, states the facts
of the joke, err – case. Recounting Kerry’s
official announcement of his candidacy for president
of the United States (you know – the Bush copycat
one with the aircraft carrier), Team Kerry had not
one but two speeches prepared. As the Day of
Announcement arrived, the speech written by Jim
Jordan (campaign manager) and Chris Lehane (comm..
dir.) got a big Kerry thumbs down. But not to worry
– Kerry already had an alternate speech to use,
written by top adviser Bob Shrum. Excerpts from
Farhi’s article: “The rivalry and duplication may
also help explain the persistent criticism of Kerry
– both from Democratic Party operatives and from the
media – that his campaign lacks focus, speed and
discipline.” (10/09/2003)
… In a very well worded piece in today’s
Boston Globe, writer Patrick Healy takes
a long, hard look at courting of Iowa’s elderly
voters by Democratic hopefuls. The conclusion:
“to many elderly Iowans, who make up a powerful
voting bloc in the first-in-the-nation presidential
caucuses in January, the leading Democrats like
Kerry and Dean have so far been speaking in
abstractions: Save Medicare. Preserve Social
Security. Create a prescription drug benefit for the
elderly. [IPW NOTE: see IPW’s
Fairytales for Seniors] … Their
attacks on each other – especially Kerry’s and
Representative Richard A. Gephardt’s salvos that
Dean supported deep cuts in Medicare in 1995 –
are less persuasive, or relevant, than the day to
day, dollars and cents anxieties that keep many at
the Siouxland Senior Center awake at night….
Some elderly Iowans say they are bewildered
by recent criticism by Kerry and Gephardt of Dean’s
comments, in 1995, praising a congressional
Republican proposal to cut the growth of Medicare
spending…seniors say they are disappointed that
the debate over health care today seems to be
largely reduced to a Medicare battle eight years ago.”
Healy’s article focused on John Kerry, who was in
Iowa to talk to seniors about his health agenda.
(10/09/2003)
…
Who gets the bounty of staff left over from the Bob
Graham withdrawal from the Presidential Race?
According to an article in today’s
Des Moines Register, by Thomas Beaumont,
here is the situation so far…
-
Wesley Clark’s campaign:
Steve Bouchard, Graham’s New Hampshire campaign
director – HIRED in same capacity
Julie Stauch, Graham’s Iowa political director
– contacted
Sarah Benzing, Graham’s Iowa field director –
contacted
-
John Kerry’s campaign:
Julie Stauch, -- contacted
-
Howard Dean’s campaign:
Sarah Benzing –
contacted
-
John Edwards’ campaign:
Sarah Benzing --
contacted
… Following directly on the heals of last night’s
DNC-sponsored presidential debate in Arizona comes
the NAACP debate today in South Carolina. As
reported Wednesday in the IPW Daily Report, South
Carolina NAACP president James Gallman
objected to the lack of presidential candidates
responding to the cattle call to all, prompting a
hasty inclusion of more of the pack of nine. It
appears that there are still three holdout, however:
John Kerry, Wesley Clark and Howard Dean (whose
loyal web log ‘bloggers’ say should get legitimate
pass on this one – he promised his daughter he
would Clark (10/10/2003)
… Kid glove treatment was clearly over regarding
newcomer candidate Wesley Clark. Knocked off
the newcomer pedestal when Joe Lieberman
said he was “very disappointed” by Clark’s changing
positions on Iraq (the flip-flops of which began the
very day Clark entered the race), Clark responded by
saying, “I think it’s really embarrassing that a
group of candidates up here are working on changing
the leadership in this country and can’t get their
own story straight.” Wasn’t that what
Lieberman’s point? -- that Clark was not getting
his story straight? Political veteran Lieberman
flashed Clark a ‘Lieberman grin’ and replied,
“Wesley Clark… welcome to the Democratic
presidential race. None of us are above questioning.
That’s what this is all about.” Clark’s
inability to discern the negative from the valid was
evident, as he put in yet another amateur
performance. Clark has no prior experience running
for any political office. News articles abound
today, covering the debate from various angles. Here
is a hefty helping of them. Click away!
·
Des Moines Register (written by AP writer Nedra
Pickler)
·
NationalReview (written by Byron York)
·
BostonGlobe (written by Patrick Healy and Glen
Johnson)
·
WashingtonPost (a long article, written by Dan
Balz),
·
WashingtonTimes (by Stephen Dinan)
·
New York Times (this is a rather dry, excerpts
only article – missing a lot of comments)
·
New York Times, again (written by Katharine
Seelye and Jodi Wilgoren)
·
New Hampshire’s
The UnionLeader (using the AP story by Ron
Fournier)
·
CNN (who broadcasted the debate)
·
FoxNews (an early in the evening AP story)
·
and for those who really want to know…
the
complete transcript of the debate
(10/10/2003)
…
Kerry’s newest target – Wal-Mart. Kerry says Wat-Mart’s
treatment of its employees is ‘disgraceful.’ The
rhetoric aimed at the nation’s largest private
employer was used as Kerry pushed his health
insurance plan. The
Union Leader picks up the article as
Associated Press writer Holly Ramer offers the
details from Kerry’s visit to Newmarket, New
Hampshire: “The Massachusetts senator was
explaining his plan to workers at Russound when one
asked how he could help part-time employees of large
retail chains who are ineligible for benefits. Linda
Mariotti didn't mention a particular chain, but
Kerry did, accusing Wal-Mart Stores Inc. of luring
workers in with the promise of health insurance then
urging them to enroll in government health programs
for the poor. "They advertise Medicaid for their
workers rather than provide them absolutely with the
help. I think it's disgraceful, and I think we need
a president who's prepared to help shed light,"
Kerry said. "I think Wal-Mart's health care
practices are unconscionable, and the way they treat
employees is not fair." Wal-Mart and other
companies that employ such practices should be
punished by losing some of their tax deductions,
Kerry said. "They throw a lot of money around, they
get a lot of things happening, but it ain't
necessarily good for the community," he said. "We
need to stand up and demand they behave corporately
responsibly." A spokeswoman for Wal-Mart said
Kerry "simply does not know what he is talking
about. "It's irresponsible," said Mona Williams,
vice president for communications. "I don't know
where Sen. Kerry's getting his facts, but someone
better do their homework before he talks about
Wal-Mart again." (10/11/2003)
…
John Kerry, still in the come-from-behind
challenge category -- campaigned yesterday in New
Hampshire. The
Union Leader carries this report on the latest
Kerry effort: “EXETER
— Still trying to catch up with fellow New
Englander Howard Dean in the polls, Sen. John
Kerry yesterday emphasized his experience
during a Presidential campaign stop before a
historic backdrop. The Massachusetts Democrat,
speaking to more than 100 people, including a large
group of students from the nearby Phillips Exeter
Academy, on the grounds of the American Independence
Museum, said he alone among the field of nine
Democratic candidates had the right combination of
political, military, foreign policy and intelligence
skills to qualify him to serve as President — a
position that he called inappropriate for
“on-the-job training.” … Offering his own solutions
to an array of national problems, Kerry proposed:
-
Paying college students for
four years of in-state public tuition in exchange
for two years of service to the country upon
graduation.
-
Several health-care
initiatives, including allowing citizens to buy
into the same health insurance plan available to
senators and congressmen; providing insurance
coverage for every child; enabling those ages 55
to 65 to buy into Medicare; and setting up a
$35-billion federal fund to pay 75 percent of the
cost of catastrophic health care, which he said
would enable companies to lower their insurance
premiums and reduce individual copay requirements.
-
Renewing a national
commitment to “science and discovery” that he
contends would create jobs.
-
Shifting tax breaks away
from wealthier Americans to the middle class.
-
Earmarking $20 million for
an energy conservation trust fund to reduce
dependence on fossil fuels, foreign oil cartels
and private companies that control prices.
(10/11/2003)
James Taranto’s
Best of the Web column gives his take -- and
some others’ -- on the debate Thursday night in
Arizona. Excerpts:
“Yeah, we sat through last night's Democratic
debate, but somehow all the excitement is gone now
that Bob Graham has dropped out of the race.
Watching Graham was like watching a high-wire act;
despite his perfectly balanced persona, you knew
that at any minute he could stumble into saying
something totally insane.
Still, there were some highlights.
·
John Kerry, the haughty,
French-looking Massachusetts Democrat, who by the
way served in Vietnam, managed to cite his Vietnam
service in the course of a rare quintuple pander (to
two ethnic groups and three states): ‘Can I say
that when I was serving in Vietnam on a small
boat, the one thing I learned was nobody asked you
where you came from. Nobody worried about your
background. You fought together, you lived together
and you bled together. And I came back here to a
country where I saw a whole bunch of people who'd
served in Vietnam discriminated against, a
lot of them from Arizona, a lot of them from
New Mexico, Southern California,
because Latinos and African-Americans
I saw were drafted and on the front lines in far
greater numbers than my friends from Yale or other
people.’
Way to go, Senator.
·
Dick Gephardt, meanwhile, seemed to
be losing his mind. Here's what he had to say
about Iraq: ‘[The president] keeps saying we've got
30 countries helping us. Yes, Togo sent one soldier.
That isn't what we need. We need France, Germany,
Russia. There's only three countries in the world
that can give us both the financial and the military
help that we need.’
Only three countries? That's rather insulting to
Britain and Australia, is it not?
·
National Review's
Byron York nicely sums up another Gephardt
blooper. A woman in the audience who owns a
restaurant asked what Gephardt would do to ease the
tax burden on small businesses. Gephardt replied
that he would raise their taxes by repealing all the
Bush tax cuts, then promised that his health-care
plan would cover 60% of the cost of providing
insurance to her employees. "The problem was, almost
anybody watching could guess that Bobby C's Lounge
and Grille, like many small businesses, probably
didn't have a full-scale employee health-care plan,"
York writes. "Even John Kerry could figure that
one out." Ouch!
·
Wesley Clark provided more evidence
that he's not ready for prime time. The
Washington Post describes how he responded when
opponents faulted him for flip-flopping on Iraq:
Said Clark: "I think it's really embarrassing that a
group of candidates up here are working on changing
the leadership in this country and can't get their
own story straight." He noted that his position
has been "very, very clear" throughout the
debate over going to war. "I would never have voted
for war," he said. "The war was an unnecessary war,
it was an elective war, and it's been a huge
strategic mistake for this country."
But Clark
was attacked because on the day after he announced
his candidacy he told reporters that he "probably"
would have voted for the resolution. The next day,
he reversed himself and said he would not have
supported it.” (10/11/2003)
… John Kerry’s New Hampshire campaigning found
good reception in Warner. According to the
Union Leader today, Kerry is positioning
himself as ‘the steadfast Democrat among those
seeking the nomination.’ More excerpts: “I am
the only candidate running for this job of President
who brings 35 years of demonstrated experience and
willingness to stand up and fight for the values of
the Democratic Party — not a two-week commitment; 35
years of having stood up and fought,” Kerry said
… Kerry promised to scour the tax code if he were
elected President. “We are going to take out any
loophole or any tax incentive for anybody who takes
their company overseas at the expense of American
jobs.” Kerry cited Tyco as an example. “Just by
moving its address to Bermuda, (Tyco) can take $400
million off the tax code in the United States and
stick every single one of you with the bill,” Kerry
said. … He told the crowd he was a fiscal
conservative. … Some people questioned Kerry’s
commitment to the development of hybrid automobiles.
Kerry said he’d buy one if it were a domestic model.
Others challenged Kerry on his support in the fight
to stop the spread of AIDS worldwide. “He really
seems to know where he stands on the issues,” said
Robert Block of Concord. Block spoke with Kerry and
decided he would vote for him. …“This part of the
state doesn’t get a chance to see a lot of
candidates come through,” said Derek Lick of Sutton.
“You see them in Concord and Manchester, but he’s
taking an interest in the Kearsarge region,” Lick
said of Kerry. (10/12/2003)
… John Kerry continued to hammer on Dr. Dean,
saying the doctor-Governor tried to kick Vermont
seniors off their Rx drug plan. Today’s
WashingtonPost.com (OnPolitics) carries the
story, written by Ceci Connolly, headlined,
“Kerry Criticizes Dean’s ’02 Gambit.” Excerpts:
“In poker, it's called a bluff -- or at least that
is the way Howard Dean and some neutral observers
characterized his threats in early 2002 to kill a
prescription drug program for 3,000 senior citizens.
Presenting his final budget as governor of
Vermont, Dean proposed eliminating the discount
program to help close a budget gap. He says
it was a strategic maneuver aimed at forcing the
state legislature to adopt his proposed cigarette
tax increase. But Massachusetts Sen. John F. Kerry's
opposition research team has a different
interpretation. During a televised Democratic
presidential candidates debate in Phoenix late
Thursday, CNN moderator Judy Woodruff told Dean that
Kerry's campaign aides were distributing a flier
that accused him of trying to "kick Vermont seniors
off their prescription drug plan." "That's
silly, of course," Dean replied. "What I did try to
do was get a cigarette tax past the Republican
House. They wouldn't pass them. I told them if
they didn't pass a cigarette tax to pay for our
health care program, then they wouldn't be able to
fund seniors' prescriptions. "They passed the
cigarette tax, as I knew they would." Kerry brushed
off Dean's silliness claim, declaring: "It's what he
did. I mean, it's sad. But he in fact, in order to
balance his budget, terminated -- called for the
full termination of what was called the VScript
program." So who is right? Both, of course. …
Several Vermont newspapers said at the time that
Dean's intentions were obvious. "Dean's proposal
puts pressure on lawmakers to increase the cigarette
tax," wrote the Burlington Free Press, describing
the move as the "opening gambit in what will be a
fierce chess match between the governor and the
Legislature." But others pointed out that if the
legislature adopted his 2002 budget as submitted,
the program would have died. (10/12/2003)
… Ah, the secret alliances that form behind the
scenes of the Democratic presidential race! Often
said, and often true: Politics makes strange
bed fellows… Witness this report, published
yesterday in the
New York Times, headlined, “2 Dean Rivals
Unite Against Mutual Threat.” Excerpts: “Perhaps
it was not so surprising to see Representative
Richard A. Gephardt and Senator John Kerry arm in
arm, all smiles, whispering in each other's ears on
stage at the Democratic debate Thursday night in
Phoenix. These two presidential contenders, who for
months have been eclipsed by the surging campaign of
Howard Dean, have been fairly chummy of late — at
Dr. Dean's expense. At a debate two weeks ago in
New York, for example, when Mr. Gephardt questioned
Dr. Dean's support for Medicare, it was Mr. Kerry
who came to Mr. Gephardt's side, saying his tactic
was fair. Aides to both men say there is no overt
conspiracy, but they acknowledge that at least at a
staff level, the Gephardt and Kerry campaigns are
more than friendly: they are sharing information
about Dr. Dean that helps fuel each another's
attacks. On Sept. 30, for instance, both
campaigns fired off press releases within 18 minutes
of each other touting a column in The Boston
Globe critical of Dr. Dean. Shortly before,
according to Steve Elmendorf, Mr. Gephardt's chief
of staff, he and Jim Jordan, Mr. Kerry's campaign
manager, told each other of the column by e-mail.
… Part of what is going on, campaign workers say, is
the normal result of an information age in which
staff members are in constant communication by
personal e-mail devices and cell phones about
everything from agreeing to joint appearances by
their candidates to reacting to news coverage. …
For the two candidates, attacking Dr. Dean may be a
matter of survival, said Norman Ornstein, resident
scholar at the American Enterprise Institute in
Washington. "There is a great danger that Dean could
neutralize Gephardt in Iowa, and then neutralize
Kerry in New Hampshire, and then even if Dean
stumbles later on, they can't recover from that," he
said. "So it is manifestly in their interest to make
sure that the stumble occurs before Iowa and New
Hampshire." … "It's the Beltway boys hanging
out together," said Joe Trippi, Dr. Dean's campaign
manager. "This is the kind of inside Washington
politics that people are sick of." But Steve Murphy,
the Gephardt campaign manager, said Mr. Trippi was
being "totally hypocritical," adding: "Two weeks ago
he ran into me and some of my staffers at Dulles
airport and suggested that instead of attacking
Howard Dean on Medicare, we should help him and
Howard Dean attack Wesley Clark. This was a lengthy
conversation." (10/12/2003)
… The wannabe War of Words winds on. According to
the
WashingtonTimes.com today, the Dean campaign
has released numerous conflicting quotes by rival
candidate John Kerry regarding various Kerry
statements on Iraq. Excerpt from the article:
“Sen. John Kerry, Massachusetts Democrat, had
accused the president Sunday of failing to protect
U.S. troops in Iraq. Mr. Bush said GIs and other
Americans "remember the lessons of September the
11th, 2001. And so do I. It's something we should
never forget." His remarks came 24 hours after Mr.
Kerry, a presidential candidate, accused the White
House of treating the Iraq war like a political
"product," not a matter of life and death. "It's not
a product," Mr. Kerry said on ABC's "This Week."
"It's the lives of young Americans in uniform." He
said Mr. Bush had created a "mess" in which "young
Americans are dying by the day in Iraq." … "He ought
to be apologizing to the people of this country,
because what they've done now is launch a PR
campaign instead of a real policy," Mr. Kerry said.
"They rushed the war without a plan for the peace,
and we are paying an enormous price for that now,"
he added. "This is haphazard, shotgun,
shoot-from-the-hip diplomacy, and I think it's
causing us great risk." But it was Mr. Kerry who
was accused of shooting from the hip yesterday by
rival Democrat Howard Dean, a former Vermont
governor, whose presidential campaign released
numerous conflicting quotes by Mr. Kerry on the
subject of Iraq. For example, last month Mr.
Kerry said: "It was wrong to rush to war without
building a true international coalition — and with
no plan to win the peace." The campaign for Mr. Dean
said in a statement: "Perhaps the Senator should
re-read the resolution that he voted for." It then
cited the congressional authorization for Mr. Bush
to wage war: "The president is authorized to use the
Armed Forces of the United States as he determines
to be necessary and appropriate in order to defend
the national security of the United States against
the continuing threat posed by Iraq."
(10/14/2003)
…
Howard Dean is rat-a-tat-attacking rival John Kerry
on his vacillating views on the important of his
service in Vietnam. Here are some excerpts from
the article in today’s
The Hill: “Howard Dean’s
presidential campaign sharply criticized Sen. John
Kerry (D-Mass.) yesterday for seemingly
flip-flopping on the importance of serving in
Vietnam in presidential politics. Kerry seeks to
distinguish himself from his White House rivals —
both Democratic and Republican — by drawing
attention to his war record. But this emphasis
stands in marked contrast to his past utterances
about service in Vietnam as a qualification for the
highest office. … On numerous occasions this
year, Kerry cited his distinguished war record as a
decisive factor in who should be the nominee.”
More excerpts:
Kerry now:
·
“There are some people in high
office today who pulled strings to get into the
National Guard.” President Bush served as a pilot in
the Air National Guard.”
·
“I think I stand here with a
broader base of experience, both in domestic affairs
and in foreign affairs, than any other person.”
·
“I am the only person running for
this job who has actually fought in a war.”
Kerry then
·
“I am saddened by the fact that
Vietnam has yet again been inserted into the
campaign, and that it has been inserted in what I
feel to be the worst possible way… What saddens me
most is that Democrats, above all those who shared
the agonies of that generation, should now be
re-fighting the many conflicts of Vietnam in order
to win the current political conflict of a
presidential primary.” Feb. 27, 1992 (during the
Bill Clinton-Bob Dole presidential battle)
·
“Is your desire to hold office
really so great that you would betray your own sense
of decency and fairness? Is your desperation now
really so great that you would adopt a conscious
strategy of reopening and pouring salt on some of
the most painful wounds that our nation has ever
expected? “You and I know that if service or
non-service in the war is to become a test of
qualification for high office, you would not have a
vice president, nor would you have a secretary of
defense, and our nation would never recover from the
divisions created by that war.”
Kerry again
defending Clinton from remarks by then-President
George H.W. Bush. (10/15/2003)
… New Hampshire’s undecided
voters remain at the same levels – about 30 percent
– as they were this summer. And their initial zeal
for newcomer candidate Wesley Clark appears to have
waned. Today’s
UnionLeader.com takes a look at the situation.
Excerpts: “Two prominent New Hampshire pollsters say
former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean, the front-runner
in the state’s leadoff primary race, is doing the
best job among the Democratic candidates attracting
independent voters. But, say Dick Bennett and
Rich Killion, the majority of independents remain
undecided. The pollsters say this group is largely
undecided not only about which of the Democratic
Presidential candidates they will vote for, but also
whether they will vote in the Democratic primary at
all. Both pollsters say retired Gen. Wesley
Clark, the newcomer to the race, has a resume that
may attract independent voters, especially moderates
who supported Republicans in other elections. But
they say he appears to have already lost momentum
generated by his entry into the race on Sept. 17.
…. In Bennett’s latest New Hampshire poll, issued
last Thursday, Dean was favored by 29 percent of
likely Democratic primary voters, while
Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry was favored by 19
percent. No other candidate was favored by more
than 6 percent of likely voters. The poll sample
included 413 Democrats, or 69 percent, and 187
independents, or 31 percent. …Killion said Dean’s
overall performance is especially strong “when you
consider that he has not been on the air
(advertising) for the past month. That hasn’t
affected his polling. He’s still the front-runner
and isn’t losing an inch on the ballot test.”
(10/15/2003)
… Senators Kerry and Edwards
have both given signals of ‘no’ votes, regarding the
requested $87 billion to rebuild Iraq. According
to a Thomas Beaumont article in today’s
Des Moines Register, Edwards says he’s
dissatisfied with the Bush administration’s current
plan. The article quotes Edwards as saying, “I
believe this is a vote where, if I vote yes, it
would be the equivalent of giving a stamp of
approval to what this president is doing now. And I
do not agree with what he’s doing now.”
Meanwhile, Kerry’s attempt to link a repeal of
income tax cuts (for the top brackets) failed,
prompting this response from Kerry, “As I said on
Sunday, unless this proposal is changed to better
protect taxpayer dollars and shares the burden and
risk of transforming Iraq with the United Nations
and the rest of the international community, then I
will oppose it.” The article goes on to say that
Senator Joe Lieberman planned to vote for the
measure. It is expected that the Senate will take a
vote on the proposed $87 billion for Iraq this
Friday, with the measure then heading into the House
of Representatives, where Gephardt is expected to
vote for it and Kucinich against. (10/15/2003)
Kerry
main page
|