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And current problems with the latter are threatening to at least temporarily stall President Bush's progress on the former as he and his Administration attempt to rev up on economic and other domestic policy.
Even as Washington turns to bigger holiday questions such as "on-line shopping vs. mall traffic?," the scattered, separate soap operas (with real world implications) involving a certain incoming Senate majority leader, and a brassy-resumeed new economic team are competing in the headlines with Scuds, Iraq, and (horrors!) freezing rain.
Six days and three written statements after his remarks at Strom Thurmond's birthday party, Senator Lott's PR problem has escalated from a slow burn to a modest forest fire.
Still, apart from the Congressional Black Caucus, Al Gore, and the Democratic party leadership — by which we mean Gephardt, Pelosi, Daschle (after an apparent change of heart) and, as of this morning, DNC chairman Terry McAuliffe — we don't hear a widespread drumbeat.
The clubby Senate, including the Democratic wannabes, has been mostly quiet and accepting of Lott's apologies; there hasn't been a critical right-leaning website piece in what seems like a full news cycle; the party's (outgoing) sole African-American member has some good pro-Lott spin going; and this thing might just be lapsing into the more familiar "Democrats (and the media) vs. Republicans" dynamic that will serve to rally core support to Mr. Lott's side, just as Democrats hope it will rally African-Americans to theirs.
The Macker was due to add the following comments to his speech this morning at the Politics and Eggs breakfast in Bedford, NH: "Given this pattern [of repeat statements], it is simply not credible for Senator Lott to continue to assert that the comments he made last week in support of Senator Thurmond's segregationist campaign were anything more than a 'poor choice of words.' Sadly, it would rather appear that these comments reflect Senator Lott's true prejudices on race."
"The time has come for leaders of the Republican Party leaders to speak out against Senator Lott's remarks. I call on President George Bush and Marc Racicot, Chairman of the Republican Party, to denounce Senator Lott's comments … "
"Likewise, I join incoming Congressional Black Caucus Chair Representative Elijah Cummings in expressing concern with Senator Lott's fitness to serve as leader of the United States Senate."
Check out the Daily News' Michael Kramer's clever use of the phrase "Bushies" to make it SEEM that someone like Karl Rove said this: "Unofficially, the Bushies are beside themselves. 'We need this like a hole in the head,' says one. 'At a time when we're trying to reach out to black voters, Lott's an embarrassment. Gore's right on the substance and also on the politics. If he runs again, blacks are going to remember that Gore was the one who bashed Trent early, and I can easily see all those Democratic commercials replaying [Lott's] words ad nauseam.'"
LINK
But most of the print coverage of the criticism we see this morning focuses on the CBC — which, again, probably will serve to rally some of the Senator's supporters. (The Note accepts the difference between what "is" and what "ought to be" in all cases.)
The Washington Times focuses on the CBC's unhappiness with Daschle for his original statement, in which he gave Lott a pass.
LINK
The New York Times account has only "the president of the Family Research Council, Kenneth Conner" saying "Mr. Lott's remarks had done considerable damage," but no one from the home team calling for him to step down or being critical. LINK
Beyond the growing Democratic din, here are the real problems/outstanding issues we see for Lott in all of this:
First, this is a TV Nation, and while he has offered three written statements, he has yet to apologize or seek to explain his comments on the air. Until he does that, despite his wagon-circling press strategy and strategizers, we aren't sure he has put things to rest.
Quick: how many DC assignment editors know where Senator Lott is today, and what date do you have in your office pool on when and with whom the Good Leader will first address these matters under the glow of the TV lights?
Second, and related to that, Lott still hasn't really explained what he meant by his remarks — only vaguely explained what he did NOT mean.
And now, it turns out that he has uttered the very same comments before, a fact that is all over the place today, most influentially (per the norm) in the New York Times , which leads thusly: "Trent Lott, the Republican Senate leader who faces mounting criticism for his comment last week that the nation would have been better off had Strom Thurmond been elected president in 1948, expressed a nearly identical sentiment two decades ago."
LINK
"After a fiery speech by Mr. Thurmond at a campaign rally in Mississippi for Ronald Reagan in November 1980, Mr. Lott, then a congressman, told a crowd in Jackson, 'You know, if we had elected this man 30 years ago, we wouldn't be in the mess we are today.'"
Live by the Drudge, die by the Drudge, as they say in your finer Pascagoula billiard halls.
Ari clearly tried to nip this in the bud at the press briefing yesterday: "[Lott] has apologized for his statement, and the president understands that that is the final word from Senator Lott in terms of the fact that he said something and has apologized for it … The president has confidence in him as the Republican leader, unquestionably."
Brilliant use of the word "final," but it's possible that not everyone sees it that way.
"The three dozen members of the caucus, all black Democrats in the House of Representatives, plan to consider options, which also appeared to include pushing for a Senate censure and even asking for Lott's resignation as Senate Republican leader," writes Reuters' Ferraro. "Lott did not seem to be in danger of being censured or losing his post. But the matter proved embarrassing for him as lawmakers prepare to convene the 108th Congress on Jan. 7."
LINK
One Mississippi lawmaker wants Lott to wash his mouth out with money: "U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., said Lott could make up for his statement by opening the door to legislation favored by the Black Caucus, pushing for a minimum wage increase, expanded affordable housing and a prescription drug benefit."
LINK
Speaking of the Clarion Ledger, it points out that "In Mississippi, Lott has never been a favorite of black organizations and has little black support. But Marty Wiseman, head of the Stennis Institute at Mississippi State University, said: 'Truth be known, Trent Lott is not known as a racist person in Mississippi.'"
Anyway, the Ledger's editorial page seeks to shame Lott for embarrassing the state as it struggles to shed its "painful past." LINK
The Baton Rouge Advocate calls Lott's comments "a discredit to the South, his state and the United States Senate." LINK
Another note: IF this builds to a point where Lott's stewardship of his caucus and of the Senate falls into jeopardy (and we would stress that we don't think we are anywhere near that), a less polarizing replacement like Dr./Sen/ Bill Frist might be worse for Democrats in the long run.
The other personality-driven story percolating out here today is the delay of Steve Friedman's appointment to replace Larry Lindsey and the chest-thumping among Norquist, Moore & Co., who get lots of credit in the papers today for dragging out the process over concern that the Temple of Tax Cuts might be defiled by infidels.
That said, many papers raise the possibility that the delay might be over Friedman's personal finances, and one or two suggest it may be for vaguely described medical reasons.
The New York Times ' Stevenson (who has worked a lifetime to cover this story) gets the biggest bite at the factual apple: " … the holdup had to do with personal issues, including selling off Mr. Friedman's extensive investments and a flare-up of a minor heart irregularity."
LINK
Switching to a touch of breathlessness in the next graph, Herr Stevenson writes: "Every hour that Mr. Friedman's fate remains in limbo, Republican strategists said, could make it more difficult for the White House to stand by him or for him to do the job effectively if he gets it."
And this one paragraph will probably do more to roil the waters than anything else out there today: "White House officials lashed out at critics of Mr. Friedman, including Stephen Moore, president of the Club for Growth, a conservative political action committee. They said Mr. Moore had no credibility with the administration. The White House also sought to shore up conservative support for Mr. Friedman … ."
The coda kicker: "People who know Mr. Friedman said that he was working on a plan to divest himself of investments estimated in the hundreds of millions of dollars and that he had expressed no inclination to withdraw."
The Los Angeles Times ' Gosselin, in a story in which Moore's Club for Growth gets the epithet "renegade," attributes the delay mainly to lobbying by conservatives "who charge that [Friedman] is insufficiently enthusiastic about tax cuts to serve in the Post ."
LINK
"The activists are particularly disturbed by Friedman's role as a director of the Concord Coalition, a bipartisan group that crusades against federal budget deficits."
"Opposition to the 63-year-old Friedman … appears to reflect growing conservative nervousness that Bush is tacking to the political center in dismissing Lindsey and tapping Snow for the top Treasury post."
"In addition, White House officials said privately Friedman was having trouble unwinding his complex personal finances in order to take public office, and there were reports that he is suffering from unspecified medical problems. Friedman has not commented."
USA Today 's McQuillan leads, "White House officials spent Tuesday trying to douse political brushfires sparked by conservatives' concerns that President Bush is putting together a new team of economic advisers who are more interested in balancing the budget than seeking the new round of tax cuts he plans to propose." Messrs. Moore and Norquist get big play with quotes about how they heard rumors that were all over the map.
LINK
Seriously folks, this whole thing has become such an incredible cluster**** that one paper, the Nation's Newspaper, has Moore acting like he's trying to stop President Bush from naming Lani Guinier the head of Justice's civil rights division, while the New York Post says Moore might replace Friedman if the pick is pulled!!!
The New York Post story about Friedman is so over the top, we aren't sure what to do but quote it at length and save you the 50 cents: "Stephen Friedman's nomination (sic) to become the chief economic adviser to the White House is in big trouble, and President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney are considering other candidates." LINK
"There's an increasing chance Friedman will not get the job, which could go instead to David Malpass, currently the chief global economist at Bear Stearns. But Malpass is also on the short list of candidates to become Deputy Treasury Secretary if Ken Dam steps down, as is widely expected."
"In that case, the new economic adviser could be Stephen Moore, the former fiscal policy director for the right-wing Cato Institute."
Ah, the word "could," as it would seem to us in this case they could have written, "In that case, the new economic adviser could be The Guy from the Dell Computer Ads."
This whole thing seems so loony (how could these outside agitators — who have already gotten more special White House briefings from the current occupants than Judy Lichtman and Ralph Neas got in eight years from the previous crowd — be on such a warpath against a President who is so committed to tax-cutting?) that we feel compelled to move onto policy …
In his Wall Street Journal column reminding the Chattering Class (which apparently, for some reason, requires constant reminding) that George W. Bush wanted to be president to change the country in conservative ways consistent with his vision of how to make things better, John Harwood hits on what seems to be shaping up to be the biggest political and substantive Big Casino fight of 2003, and probably beyond:
"And for those who fret about the long-term budget deficit, senior administration officials say his answer will be to impose budget discipline through Medicare and Social Security overhauls — which is politically risky."
The devil, as Dick Darman and Whitney Houston both know, will be in the details.
The Wall Street Journal ed board spends its lead piece arguing for supply-side economics, and making the straightforward case that tax cuts can/should lead to cuts in federal spending. It elliptically dings the president for the farm bill, but lets him off the hook completely for not advocating any cuts in the size of the federal government.
Why aren't Grover and Mr. Moore agitating about THAT?
Some pure stuff off the street for those who work in and cover politics and plum don't know what to think without a hit of smack — also known on this day as the latest The Wall Street Journal /NBC numbers.
Taking a moment away from disco ball-polishing and the rigors of parenthood, Mr. Harwood writes in measured tones: "President Bush enjoys a strong tail wind of public opinion as he begins the second half of his term with the twin challenges of reviving the economy and confronting Saddam Hussein's Iraq."
"A new The Wall Street Journal /NBC News poll shows that Americans favor aggressive action on both fronts. A 48% plurality says strengthening the economy should be the top priority for the president and Congress, underscoring the pressure that led Mr. Bush to replace the two leading players on his economic team in recent days … "
"With a 62% approval rating — which matches midterm ratings of his father and far exceeds those recorded by either President Reagan or President Clinton at the same point — Mr. Bush has completed the first two years of his presidency in a more robust political position than when he began it."
"Yet the difficult challenges ahead suggest that his political position is far from secure as his strategists begin looking ahead to his 2004 re-election campaign … As many Americans believe the country is headed on the 'wrong track' as think it is 'headed in the right direction … '"
"The good news for the White House is the general support the public expresses for his top priorities. On the economy, the poll shows, Democrats will have an uphill fight opposing the administration's forthcoming tax-cut package with arguments that it will increase the budget deficit. By a solid 56%-24% margin, Americans say 'stimulating the economy' should take precedence over 'controlling the federal budget deficit … '"
The New York Times leads their daily "whither the Democrats?" drumbeat with Steny Hoyer semi-directly criticizing Richard A. Gephardt and the rest of the party leadership for not having a clear enough message differentiated from President Bush's in the last election.
LINK
The counterattack to this seemingly innocuous piece from many Democrats, including Team Hoyer, is flying at us at this hour. Rest assured: many Democrats don't think this piece is fair or accurate or reasonable.
Adds Hoyer: ""It's unfortunate that the New York Times story mischaracterized my comments as criticizing our leadership team. There is a disconnect between the headline and my comments in the story, which make clear that i believe our leadership team did the best job it could when the country was focused on national security. "
Apart from his comments on Lott, Terry McAuliffe in Bedford, NH this morning, in his first big public speech since the election, said he is encouraged by his party's victories in red states in 2002. Still, "McAuliffe acknowledged in comments prepared for delivery Wednesday to business and community leaders in Bedford, N.H., that the president and the Republicans ran an effective campaign in 2002 that outmaneuvered Democrats," reports the AP's Lester.
LINK
"And he suggested the Republican Party gave Democrats an opportunity when it 'made a sharp swerve to the right' after the midterm elections, during which they had promised action on issues like prescription drug coverage, Social Security and education."
"'The good news is we have six or seven talented Democratic leaders poised to do just that in a race for the White House,' McAuliffe said."
We're totally enchanted by the Forrest Gump-like lead of Walter Shapiro's column today: "It was not the usual breakfast meeting that you would expect a Republican business leader to have the day before George W. Bush nominated him as the new chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission. But Monday morning at the University Club in New York, William Donaldson sat down for an hour with Vermont Gov. Howard Dean, who's running for the 2004 Democratic presidential nomination."
LINK
"As Dean recounted Tuesday, Donaldson revealed early in the long-planned breakfast that he was up for a senior post in the Bush administration and asked that it remain confidential. (Dean was appropriately tight-lipped; he did not hint about Donaldson's new role when I met with the governor immediately after the Monday breakfast.) Dean explained that Donaldson is a longtime family friend, and they mainly discussed the lessons this Wall Street titan derived from his service in the State Department during the Nixon and Ford administrations."
"'I can't say enough good things about Bill Donaldson,' he said after the SEC selection was announced. 'The president picked a really good person with a high sense of integrity.' Dean, who has become a credible Democratic long shot with his blunt talk about the failings of the Bush administration, doesn't often hand out endorsements like this."
Bypassing the personal finances/medical possibilities, Walter calls it "intriguing that the expected announcement of Stephen Friedman as Lindsey's successor has been mysteriously delayed amid a chorus of conservative complaints that the former Goldman Sachs co-chairman is more concerned about deficits than tax cuts."
Reports The Hill: "Speaker J. Dennis Hastert's (R-Ill.) fury last week over a federal board's denial of loan guarantees to now-bankrupt United Airlines helped seal the abrupt departure of Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill from President Bush's Cabinet, The Hill has learned."
LINK
"The sequence of events made it evident that the White House took Hastert's disappointment seriously, a senior House leadership aide said. The aide added: '[White House Chief of Staff] Andy Card is a smart enough guy to figure it out.'"
"The aide suggested that O'Neill's retention would have imperiled the status of President Bush's economic policies, which the Treasury Department chief is expected to defend on Capitol Hill."
Well, rock our world, hush our puppies, and re-set the paradigm machine.
If you don't know why David Shribman becoming the executive editor of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette starting in February is the Invisible Primary news of the day, well, you probably don't know who Chet and Natalie are, either.
Noting that Senator Tom Daschle will probably announce his future plans by the end of next month, the Argus Register's Mike Madden tries to put Daschle's decision-making into context.
"Analysts and political observers suggested that the next two years could pose a management challenge for Daschle even if he opts out of the race. But Daschle, in a brief conversation on the topic, said he hoped the 2004 campaign might spur lawmakers to break through the gridlock that doomed many legislative initiatives last year. Aides said Democrats could be only stronger if several different party spokesmen are criticizing the Bush administration."
LINK
USA Today runs a brief along the same lines.
Mr. Todd of the Hotline argues persuasively that despite all the build-up about a Gore announcement, Daschle is the one who could well hold the key to the Democratic nominating puzzle, holding great sway over the Iowa caucuses, the money race, the staff and consultant musical chairs, and message overall.
Even better, we thought, than Walter Shapiro meets Howard Dean meets William Donaldson: Page Six reports "DICK Morris had some plain-spoken advice for Al Gore at the opening night intermission of 'Dance of the Vampires.' The political strategist told Gore: 'If you want any chance in 2004, you've got to ditch Clinton now.' Observers guessed Morris meant getting rid of Bill Clinton loyalist Terry McAuliffe as chairman of the Democratic National Committee."
LINK
When The Note goes to graduate school, we are thinking of doing our master's thesis on "the Gore-Morris Alliance: Modes of Dysfunctionality, 1995-1996."
The only problem with this, says Gore sidekick Jano Cabrera (once again hoisting his e-mail device in some comedy show green room to write in that thumby style that only those of us who spend our days corresponding with Blackberriers would recognize), "He didn't see him. Piece is 100 percent wrong."
Cabrera confirmed that the FVPOTUS DID attend the show (and didn't much care for it).
Said one Gore intimate with whom we checked: "It was an evening of ghouls, ghosts, and bloodsuckers, but oddly enough, no Dick Morris."
Addressing the North Carolina Farm Bureau yesterday, "U.S. Senator John Edwards pledged … that one of his top priorities when Congress reconvenes next month will be working with incoming U.S. Senator Elizabeth Dole on bipartisan legislation to buy out tobacco growers and quota-holders."
LINK
"The promise comes as Edwards is seriously considering a 2004 White House bid, and predominantly Republican critics are accusing him of giving North Carolina issues short shrift."
"Edwards also used the speech to highlight issues facing rural areas, including access to health care, that have been a theme in his national political travels."
Edwards hosted a reception for retiring North Carolina Rep. Eva Clayton at his home last night.
LINK
Democratic Nominee Fealty Test 423: when confronted with the demands of Iowa farmers that you promise to end the U.S. embargo, do you a) listen to them carefully, nod your head, and jut out your dimpled chin and promise to pray about it; b) conclude that Cuban Americans in Florida will never vote for you anyway, and accept the promise; or c) reiterate your strong support for ethanol subsidies.
LINK
The Boston Globe goes all meta and uncharacteristically unprovincial by looking at the Kerry media boomlet and giving it a clear-eyed thumbs up (it's been awhile since we have mixed a metaphor so thoroughly in need of a little paper umbrella). LINK
Personages as august as Chuck Todd, Tim Russert, David Broder, and Fred Barnes all bless how things are going, and the Globe has the temerity to say that Professor Broder is "not given to hyperbole."
A Clay Constantinou-organized fundraiser netted Senator John Kerry $175,000 for his presidential exploratory account last night and managed to attract a few high-profile Jersey lawmakers.
LINK and LINK
Liberal? Anyone want a liberal?
"Senator Tom Harkin of Iowa plans a series of speeches in January designed to move the Democratic Party leftward after setbacks in last month's midterm elections, and establish himself as a leading liberal voice," the Des Moines Register reports.
He'll aim for minorities and low-wage workers, primarily. But is he too "polarizing?" And will anyone listen? LINK
Harkin says that one way to puff up the Democratic pie is to push for easier "access" to absentee ballots and same-day voter registration.
The Rev. Al Sharpton explained to the Washington Times in a recent interview that "he doesn't need the Democratic Party's support to capture its 2004 presidential nomination … 'We win or lose by our delegates. I think there will be an infrastructure that we build that will put us on the ballot.'"
LINK
The Boston Globe offers a pretty pro forma convention funding story: "A review of the complete list of the 64 private donors who have pledged $21 million to Boston's bid to host the Democratic National Convention reveals that many of the corporations and developers have interests before the administration of Mayor Thomas M. Menino, who is benefiting politically from the city's selection as host for the huge political gathering."
LINK
"In an interview with the Globe yesterday, Menino said his administration and the convention host committee will impose ethical guidelines to prevent favoritism, or its appearance, toward the donors. The mayor and his allies on the host committee are seeking additional donations, most of them in-kind services, from more companies in the weeks and months ahead."
"The list of donors — a who's who of Boston firms — includes nine developers awaiting project approvals, a law firm with a lucrative no-bid contract and one of the city's health care providers," says the Boston Herald.
LINK
Sometimes it is hard to know if Tom DeFrank is ahead of the curve or hopelessly behind it.
We guarantee you that there are things in his piece about whether New York is going to get the 2004 Republican convention that the Galileo crowd will find to be hopelessly wrong, and alternatively, stuff in there that those actually making the decision of NY-v-Tampa-v-New Orleans will wonder how he knew.
The Note is getting to the point on this pending decision (still due before the first 2002 airing of that Bing Crosby-David Bowie duet that makes us all existential in a good way) that we don't really want to break this story any more (Note to sources: we are engaged in hyperbole here; we STILL want to break it). We just want the announcement to be made, already.
Anyway, we can't tell the wheat from the chaff on this one, so we'll just roll it all out there: "New York City is close to winning the prize of the 2004 Republican National Convention, the Daily News has learned, despite White House concerns that Mayor Bloomberg is not enough of a team player."
LINK
"Several GOP sources said that while President Bush has not made up his mind, both Bush and chief political strategist Karl Rove are leaning toward New York's bid."
"'There's a general view among the president's political advisers that Bloomberg is a reluctant ally,' a key Bush source said, 'so it's a big bet to make. But I think New York is now in the pole position — in spite of the mayor's deciding he wants to tax everybody.'"
"Another well-placed source urged caution, noting that Tampa and New Orleans are still in the hunt. 'No decision has been made,' he said." (Note note: that's what we call a "major hedge" in the journalism dodge.)
"Rove recently told political allies that Bloomberg was an impediment to the city's winning its first Republican convention. He has a reputation around the White House for being 'not as cooperative as he should be,' one source alleged."
"But sources told The News that a secret meeting between Rove and Bloomberg last week in New York — also attended by Chelsea Piers chairman Roland Betts, one of Bush's closest friends — was designed to clear the air by addressing White House concerns that the mayor is a prickly one-man band."
Gov. Jeb Bush wants what's best for his brother and wants the 2004 GOP convention in Tampa. Those sentiments aren't entirely reconcilable. The St. Petersburg Times article reminds us about Thursday's site selection conference call and notes that a final decision might come over the Christmas holidays.
LINK
The Wall Street Journal op-ed has some unfunny, juvee piece about Senator John Kerry's hair as a metaphorical device to mock him generally.
Republican Bob Beauprez's 121-vote victory on Colorado's 7th Congressional District makes the breakdown of the House in the 108th Congress 229 Republicans to 204 Democrats, with one independent and one vacancy. LINK
"The Federal Election Commission's auditing staff has proposed that the Bush 2000 campaign repay $723,176 to the U.S. Treasury, and that the Gore 2000 campaign repay $372,245, because of accounting and spending irregularities," says the Washington Post 's Edsall. "The recommendations, which involve allegations of inaccurate accounting, excessive shifting of costs to state parties and failure to pay charter rates for some corporate jets, are subject to review by the FEC when it meets tomorrow."
LINK
That referendum on a new design for Georgia's state flag might be postponed till 2006. The state constitution requires a two-thirds vote of the legislature "just to get things started." The measure could appear on the 2004 ballot, but the White House doesn't want President Bush associated with Republicans and the flag issue in Georgia, according to the Atlanta Journal Constitution. LINK
Kevin Griffis urges marriage counseling for Zell Miller and the Democratic party, writing that it could be beneficial to both. LINK
(Who, we wonder, would be the counselor? Sam Nunn? David Justice? Cynthia McKinney?)
The New York Times can't help but get aboard the George Pataki Futuremobile. LINK
—9:45 am, White House off-camera morning gaggle
—12:15 pm, White House on-camera briefing
—5:15 pm, President Bush attends the Diplomatic Corps Holiday Reception, Blair House
— 9:00 pm, Al Gore appears on "Hardball"
— Dec. 11: Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry's birthday
— Dec. 11: DNC Chair Terry McAuliffe speaks at "Politics and Eggs" Breakfast, Bedford Village Inn, Bedford, NH
— Dec. 13: Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack's birthday
— Dec. 15: Deadline for appointments to President council on 9/11 — Dec. 16: President Bush meets with Sultan of Brunei, Washington
— Dec. 16: Federal Accounting Standards Board meets for rulemaking, DC
— Dec. 18: President Bush meets with President Jose Maria Aznar of Spain, DC
— Dec. 19: U.S. officials hold Mideast Peace discussions with European ministers, DC
— Dec. 21-22: Muslim Public Affairs Council convention, Long Beach, California
— Dec. 26: California Gov. Gray Davis's birthday
— Dec. 31: Conference board release consumer confidence survey
— Jan, 1 2003: New federal individual contribution limits take effect (tentative) — Jan 1, 2003: Jennifer Granholm (D) sworn in as Michigan governor
— Jan 4, 2003: Special election to fill Hawaii's 2nd Congressional District seat
— Jan 6, 2003: Gov. Gray Davis (D) sworn in for second term as California governor
— Jan 7, 2003: Congress back in session — Jan.7, 2003: Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R) delivers state of the state address
— Jan 8, 2003: California Gov. Gray Davis (D) delivers state of the state address
— Jan 9, 2003: Craig Benson (R) sworn in as New Hampshire governor
— Jan 11, 2003: Continuing budget resolution expires
— Jan 13, 2003: pretrial hearing for ex-Enron CFO Andrew Fastow — Jan 13, 2003: Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee (R) delivers state of the state speech
— Jan 13, 2003: Iowa Legislature convenes
— Jan 13, 2003: Kathleen Sebelius (D) sworn in as governor of Kansas
— Jan 14, 2003: Sonny Perdue (R) sworn in as governor of Georgia
— Jan 14, 2004: Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack (D) delivers state of the state address
— Jan 15, 2003: Bob Ehrlich (R) sworn in as governor of Maryland
— Jan 15, 2003: Mark Sanford (R) sworn in as South Carolina governor
— Jan 17, 2003: Gov. Tom Vilsack (D) sworn in for second term as Iowa governor
— Jan 18, 2003: Linn County, Iowa Third Annual sustaining banquet with guests to be announced. — Jan 21, 2003: Ed Rendell (D) sworn in as Pennsylvania governor
— Jan 23, 2003: Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) delivers state of the state address
— Jan 21-24, 2003: National Association of Homebuilders annual convention, Las Vegas
— Jan 21-24, 2003: American Federation of Teachers executive meeting, Hollywood, Florida
— Jan. 22, 2003: National March for Life, Washington, DC
— Jan. 22-24, 2003: U.S. Conference of Mayors, DC
— Jan 23-25, 2003: FamiliesUSA annual health care conference, DC
— Jan 26, 2003: Super Bowl, San Diego
— Jan. 28, 2003: President delivers State Of The Union address
— Jan. 30, 2003: Vice President Dick Cheney's birthday — Jan 30-Feb. 1, 2003: Conservative Political Action Conference, Crystal City, Virginia
— Jan. 31, 2003: Missouri Rep. Dick Gephardt's birthday — Jan. 31, 2003: Year end campaign finance reports due to FEC
— Feb. 1-4, 2003: National Automobile Dealers Association annual convention, San Francisco
—Feb. 1-5, 2003 Association of Trial Lawyers of America winter convention at the Hyatt Regency in Maui
— Feb, 13, 2003: New Hampshire Gov. Craig Benson delivers state of the state address
— Feb, 18-22, 2003: Service Employees International Union convention, Las Vegas
— February 20-22, 2003: Democratic National Committee winter meeting, DC
— Feb, 21-24, 2003: National Association of Secretaries of State Winter Meeting, DC
— Feb. 24, 2003: Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman's birthday
— Feb, 24, 2003: February 24, 2003 Democratic Governors Association annual Taste of America Gala at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, DC
— March 3-5, 2003: American Medical Association annual advocacy conference, DC
— March 7-11, 2003: National League of Cities holds annual congressional
city conference
— March 11, 2003: Georgia Gov. Roy Barnes's birthday
— March 23, 2003: The Oscars, Los Angeles
— March 28-April 1, 2003: March 28 - April 1, 2003 American Pharmaceutical Association's annual meeting and exposition at the Morial Convention Center in New Orleans
— March 31, 2003: Al Gore's birthday
— April 5-10, 2003: National Association of Broadcasters annual convention, Las Vegas
— May 19, 2003: Al and Tipper Gore's 33rd wedding anniversary
— May 20, 2003: Kentucky primary
— May 27, 2003: Jury selection begins in U.S. vs. Moussaoui
— June 15, 2003: Senate/House/key adviser personal financial disclosure forms due
— June 30, 2003: tentative start date for Moussaoui trial
— July 6, 2003: President Bush's birthday
— July 19-23, 2003: Association of Trial Lawyers of America convention, San Francisco
— July 23-26, 2003: National Conference of State Legislatures Annual Meeting, San Francisco
— July 25-29, 2003: National Association of Secretaries of State Summer Meeting, Portland, Maine
— July 27-Aug 1, 2003: United Food and Commercial Workers union annual meeting, San Francisco
— July 28, 2003: Bill Bradley's birthday.
— Aug. 8-12, 2003: American Bar Association annual meeting, San Francisco
— Aug. 14, 2003: Lynne Cheney's birthday
—Aug. 16-19,2003 National Governors Association summer meeting in Indianapolis
— Aug. 19, 2003: Bill Clinton's birthday
— Aug. 19, 2003: Tipper Gore's birthday
— Sept. 15-17, 2003: National Restaurant Association lobbying conference, DC
— Oct. 4, 2003: Louisiana primary
— Nov. 4, 2003: General elections in Kentucky and Mississippi
— Nov. 6-11, 2003: National Association of Realtors annual convention, San Francisco
— Jan. 19, 2004: Iowa Caucuses (tentative)
— Jan 27, 2004: New Hampshire Primary(tentative)
— Feb. 3, 2004: South Carolina Primary (tentative)
— July 26, 2004: Start of Democratic National Convention, Boston
— Aug. 14-29, 2004: 2004 Summer Olympic Games, Athens, Greece
— Nov. 2, 2004: United States holds general election
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