W A S H I N G T O N, July 25 103 Days Until The Election....
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With the markets seemingly bouncing back, the corporate accountability bill due to arrive on his desk in the coming days, and White House advisers fanning out to wage their PR offensive on the economy, President Bush hits the road to (implicitly) address some 2004 matters, leaving his team fighting to get their arms around 2002 concerns back home.
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Bush's task at hand: a policy speech and yet another fundraiser for GOP Senate candidate Elizabeth Dole. But the chosen location and topic of his remarks today suggest that he has his own re-election equally if not more in mind.
The place: High Point, NC. The topic: medical malpractice liability reform, replete with a new HHS study and even Secretary Thompson along for the ride.
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The Note certainly is not omniscient, but given the location and the subject of Bush's remarks, we think this could fairly be called President Bush's second offensive play in a Democratic wannabe's state — the first being, of course, South Dakota.
The question is whether or not this represents the White House trying to build up personal injury lawyer-turned-Democratic Senator John Edwards as an opponent, like they did with Tom Daschle, with an eye toward then trying to tear him down.
"In a speech at High Point University this afternoon, Bush will ask Congress for a new law capping punitive judgments and other 'non-economic damages' in malpractice cases at about $250,000," the Greensboro News & Record reports. "The president also wants to shield hospitals and other medical providers from court action when they collaborate to improve services or troubleshoot a persistent medical error."
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"Bush's ideas drew a rebuke from U.S. Senator John Edwards, the North Carolina Democrat and trial lawyer who may be positioning himself for a presidential bid in two years."
Using the populist rhetoric for which he's becoming known in Democratic circles, as well as Democrats' anti-Big Business theme, Edwards said "Bush should help families that need affordable prescription drugs and greater patient rights 'instead of helping insurance companies and drug companies that don't need his help' … Before his Senate career, Edwards represented a number of plaintiffs who sued insurance companies."
Meanwhile, the White House clearly has kicked off its PR offensive on the economy, with good New York Times and Washington Post wrap-ups of all the evidence pointing to this — including, as Mike Allen notes, an effort to shift the focus away from people's "shrinking retirement accounts" and onto "the country's economic underpinnings."
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But the mustest must-read today (aside from any Jim Traficant story) comes from the Los Angeles Times ' Peter Gosselin, who definitively leads, "In interviews Wednesday, senior administration officials made clear the White House thinks it has done all it can — and should — to calm the markets and buoy the economy."
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"All that's left is to convince people the results are a victory, something Bush's economic team fanned out to do in a burst of speeches, interviews and TV appearances. 'Sound policy did the job that needed to be done,' declared Lawrence B. Lindsey, the president's chief economic adviser. 'Based on the evidence now before us, we've been successful in stabilizing the economy and returning it to growth.'"
"Asked about the recent upheaval in stock prices, which crumbled for four months before rising Wednesday, Lindsey would only say: 'The economy is doing well.'"
Gosselin makes this excellent point: while some financial analyists say the administration probably has done all it could do, "in arguing, in effect, that the steps he has already taken are enough, Bush runs the risk of appearing to be headed down the same path as his father, whose sky-high popularity after the Persian Gulf War vanished when the economy soured in the early 1990s."
Republican National Committee pollster Matthew Dowd told ABCNEWS' Moran yesterday that unlike in 1991, public anger regarding the corporate scandals is not being directed at Washington.
Capturing some of the tension between the White House and Republicans on the Hill whose jobs are on the line this fall, Bob Novak says that the mood at last weekend's GOP Senate retreat was "foreboding," as six Republican Senators "conveyed to about 200 of the party faithful that fear grips more than Wall Street this summer."
"Republicans worry that the stock market collapse may mean a calamitous midterm election unless the economic malaise is corrected. But what to do? While the senators at Greenbrier had no answers, the implication was that President Bush must do more. That Congress may be making matters worse was not suggested."
"If economic destabilization continues after Labor Day, say the GOP senators, Bush will begin to get blamed and can no longer put the responsibility on Bill Clinton. Participants at the Greenbrier came away saying, 'It's the economy, stupid!' — a message to the White House that preoccupation with the war against terrorism is no longer viable for the 2002 elections."
If it weren't for the following New York Times story, we'd play up Clinton budget director Leon Panetta's lines in Gosselin's LA Times story as the latest Clintonista to go on offense. But who can beat utterances from 42 himself.
The New York Times ' Halbfinger went to Little Rock and got this: "Former President Bill Clinton today hailed his own efforts to increase the oversight of corporate governance and criticized Republicans and Harvey L. Pitt, currently the chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission, saying they had frustrated Mr. Clinton's efforts at reform. He said Republicans thus deserved some of the blame for the current flight of foreign capital from United States markets."
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Clinton did not criticize Bush directly, nor did he voice an opinion on whether or not SEC chairman Harvey Pitt should resign.
Mike Allen caught up with Mitch Daniels yesterday and, as Gosselin did with Larry Lindsey, recorded some arguably surreal-sounding assertions. The White House budget director "told reporters that despite the gyrations on Wall Street, the broader economy — as reflected in such indicators as growth, home values, employment and inflation — 'is doing better than everybody predicted.'"
"'Imagine for a moment that the stock market had stood still for the last year and we weren't all paying such attention to it,' Daniels said. 'People would have to conclude that the economic policies of this administration were a tremendous success: The recession was shorter and shallower than anybody predicted.'"
Allen reminds us, "Administration officials are resisting calls from some Republican lawmakers for additional economic proposals, insisting that Congress must pass what is now on the table — including anti-fraud legislation, as well as trade, energy and insurance measures — before Bush considers anything else."
Bush "and Vice President Cheney plan to focus on economic security in August as they break up their month-long working vacations — Bush's in Crawford, Tex., and Cheney's in Jackson, Wyo. — with frequent forays into the nation's heartland," Allen adds.
(A well-briefed RNC spokesperson Mindy Tucker on CNN yesterday took after Democratic Gov. Parris Glendening for his criticism of the president's planned vacation.)
Treasury Secretary O'Neill and Commerce Secretary Evans were out on the speaking circuit earlier this morning. O'Neill told the National Association of Manufacturers that the economy is going to grow because the Fed cut interest rates and Bush cut taxes.
Aside from O'Neill's mention, as best we can tell, the White House advisers don't really seem to be talking up Bush's tax cut.
"Taken together, the White House moves are part of a strategy, albeit a defensive one, to contain fallout from the accounting scandals and the volatile stock market they have helped produce," says the New York Times ' Sanger and Rosenbaum. "The maneuvering appears to reflect a deepening anxiety within the White House and the Republican Party that candidates seeking election in November could be in peril in the wake of accusations that the party is too close to big business."
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"[I]t was telling that White House officials said that they, not the Treasury, strongly suggested to Mr. O'Neill on Tuesday night that he delay his trip to Latin America, which was to begin on Friday."
"Several Republicans running for Congress said in interviews that they were especially worried about polls showing that the public believed that the party was more concerned about giant corporations than ordinary voters."
"Representative Jim Leach of Iowa, a Republican in his 13th term who is in a tough race for re-election, said the issue could cost his party control of the House."
The GOP House campaign committee chairman, Tom Davis, says he won't start worrying unless Labor Day rolls around and the market is not recovering.
But House GOP Conference Chairman JC Watts, Jr. sent a memo far and wide yesterday backed up by GOP polling information and urging, as an aide summarized, "the need for House Republicans to talk in a positive way about our solutions for the economy/corporate accountability, homeland security, education and other topics during the August district work period."
Has anyone noticed lately how Republicans for the most part are back to advertising on Democratic issues — prescription drugs education — instead of focusing on the war against terrorism and homeland defense, or even the tax cut?
"In a final rush before the August recess, both parties are trying to draft a trade bill and fighting to claim credit for a prescription drug provision for Medicare," says the Boston Globe 's Kornblut and Kirchhoff. "In the House, Democrats are trying to force votes on pension and tax issues, hoping to seize the mantle of fiscal responsibility and worker protection as the November election draws near."
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"A strategist with ties to the White House said the financial woes could make a difference in a handful of House seats, which could decide which party is in control."
The Washington Times ' Lambro leads with: "Republican leaders around the country say the stock market's long decline has sparked anxiety, fear and anger among voters," and reports that a "random survey … of Republican state chairmen found that many party leaders have been picking up increasing anxiety at the grass roots. For the first time, officials are saying they are worried about the effect the stock market's roller-coaster ride could have on their state races."
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"Still, party chairmen are hopeful that legislation to crack down on corporate accounting abuses … will restore investor confidence before the November elections."
As we asked yesterday, do voters really know what's in this bill, and will its passage assuage their fears about getting screwed by corporations? "Lawmakers hoped yesterday's dramatic rise in stock prices was a sign that the legislation will calm investors and persuade them that government is serious about cracking down on corporate fraud," the Washington Post 's VandeHei and Hilzenrath report. "Some lawmakers, however, cautioned that the legislation alone cannot solve all the financial markets' woes. 'One bill is not going to restore confidence in the stock market,' said House Majority Whip Tom DeLay (R-Tex.)."
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The duo implies that much of the political support by lawmakers for the bill is just that, political. "The new corporate accountability measures are so popular in Congress that an overwhelming majority of the 535 lawmakers are expected to vote for the conference committee report, a remarkable show of bipartisanship that belies concerns that some lawmakers, Republicans in particular, have privately expressed about various details."
"Republicans, who as recently as yesterday were provided private polling data showing that business scandals are eroding some of their support, have pushed hard for quick votes on legislation cracking down on corporations, especially as Democrats are trying to make the issue a central theme for this fall's House and Senate elections."
"After years of winning its way in Washington, the accounting industry met a force it couldn't overcome: stampeding politicians worried about this fall's elections," says USA Today 's Drinkard.
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The Post 's Weisman and Crenshaw tackle the bill's weak links, making it clear that the onus of actually bringing about any sort of corporate accountability will fall squarely on the shoulders of the SEC, then look at the rush to claim credit, noting that once Republicans grasped the steamrolling aspect of the bill, everyone tried to jump on board, from Rep. Mike Oxley to Paul O'Neill, to, well, "President Bush faced criticism for standing largely on the sidelines as Congress pushed the bill forward."
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"But after the final form of the bill emerged, the president sought his share of credit."
"Press Secretary Ari Fleischer used the word 'accomplishment' a dozen times in his regular briefing for reporters. He sought to link the White House to the work of Congress, while urging both houses to complete work on the measure before they begin their summer recess."
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The New York Daily News' Burger and DeFrank, helped by a perhaps overenthusiastic headline writer, cast it as a Bush flip-flop: "Bush moved quickly to embrace the final product after having warned Congress that he felt such legislation was too tough on Wall Street."
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House Minority Leader Dick Gephardt called the result "an unconditional surrender" by the GOP.
From the ABCNEWS London bureau: Most of Europe's stock markets rose sharply in early trading after the US markets enjoyed a strong recovery on Wednesday. But the German market slipped back on worries about dips in the United States when trading resumes on Thursday. Traders chose to ignore news that financial regulators are to investigate the accounts of the world's largest media group, AOL Time Warner. The FTSE 100 index of leading UK shares rose 3.6 percent in the first 15 minutes of trading, while France's Cac 40 rose 4 percent. Germany's Dax index gained 2.6 percent in early trading before slipping back to trade down 1 percent.
The New Republic goes a'gloating over Bush's Wall Street woes with two pieces suggesting serious structural problems for the White House over the near- and long-term. Ryan Lizza emphasizes the here and now, questioning whether the Post -Hughes communications team is up to the job of managing an arguably inarticulate president; Dan Bartlett's problem, the author finds an anonymous "Republican close to the White House" to say, is that he lacks the stature or inclination to tell Bush he's wrong: "He's a fan, not a peer. Karen was a peer."
And the long-term problem for Bush and the GOP is outlined in a long article worth curling up to read in entirety. Adapted from their forthcoming book, "The Emerging Democratic Majority," authors John Judis and Ruy Teixeira say that Karl Rove is "dead wrong" with his predictions of an ascendant GOP. Seismic shifts in demographics and the economy mean that Democrats — "increasingly a party of professionals, women, and minorities, rather than blue-collar workers" — have put the suburbs in play and could turn the whole nation into California — out of play for national Republicans.
Once again, thank you, John Harris.
Several news organizations pick up Ari Fleischer's assertion yesterday that Bush continues to back Social Security privatization, or personal savings accounts, or whatever you are inclined to call it — but also note that Ari seemed to be talking a lot about "options" and not so much about investment return.
"House Republicans have distanced themselves from Bush's ideas — at least rhetorically — by passing a bill that promised not to 'privatize' the retirement system, although many in the party still favor what they now call 'individual investments.' House Democrats are trying to force a vote on the president's proposal, believing that a debate may prove politically advantageous during a season of investment losses and corporate scandals."
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In South Carolina, Democratic Gov. Jim Hodges is launching an ad attacking his GOP opponent, formner Rep. Mark Sanford, for "trying to privatize Social Security, giving our retirement to Wall Street. Sanford's plan would leave seniors without protection from companies like Enron and WorldCom. That's why Wall Street bankers are backing Sanford."
First victim of the president's veto pen? "Eager to look generous in an election year, House lawmakers yesterday approved a plan to give America's 1.7 million federal government workers a 4.1 percent pay hike," the New York Post says. "But President Bush wanted to give workers only a 2.6 percent pay raise, citing the tough budget times, and it's unclear whether the White House will use veto power to kill the pay hike" if it passes the Senate and lands on his desk.
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The Wall Street Journal 's Rogers notes in a look at the debate over offshore tax havens, "Anticorporate sentiment is resonating on the campaign trail heading into this fall's congressional races … It looks increasingly likely that House Republicans will have to allow a vote on some legislation to tighten the so-called inversion loophole — which permits the phantom relocations — before the November elections."
"From Connecticut — where toolmaker Stanley Works is flirting with moving its headquarters to Bermuda — to the shadows of WorldCom Inc.'s failure in Mississippi, the Democratic Party is working hard to paint Republicans as servants of big business. 'Chip Votes to Let Corporate Buddies Move Out of the Country to Avoid Paying Taxes,' declares a recent news release for Democratic Rep. Ronnie Shows, battling GOP Rep. Chip Pickering in a Mississippi redistricting showdown being watched nationally."
"In fact, Mr. Pickering says he would vote to close the inversion loophole. And after months of resistance, GOP leaders are feeling the pressure from their rank and file to allow a vote on the matter. 'I think inversion is an issue we have to deal with soon,' House Speaker Dennis Hastert said in an interview this week.
(Fighting against the grain, Rogers notes, Ways and Means chairman Thomas is pushing "to reorder about $82 billion of corporate taxes over the next 10 years.")
The Journal's editorial page thunders over Democrats, Cheney and Halliburton, "It's so much easier, three months from an election, to put 'Cheney' and 'SEC probe' in the same sentence and let them hang as innuendo in the public mind. Throw in the words 'highly paid executive' and you have the perfect election-summer 'scandal' … Once upon a time reporters tried to distinguish real crooks from political targets of opportunity."
The Washington Times , beating the Rubin drum, reports that "Senate Democrats investigating the collapse of Enron Corp.," particularly Senate Governmental Affairs chairman Joe Lieberman, "said yesterday that they have no plans to question former Clinton Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin, a top official at Citigroup Inc., over its role in hiding Enron's debt from investors."
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"Mr. Rubin, who enjoyed a stellar reputation as Treasury secretary, is chairman of Citigroup's executive committee. In November, he sought the Bush administration's help with Wall Street credit-rating agencies on behalf of Enron when those agencies were about to downgrade Enron's ratings."
"Citigroup is Enron's largest creditor and is one of the top contributors to Mr. Lieberman and his political network in the past five years."
The Note has been a little short-staffed this week, no offense to all our wonderful guest writers, whom we really appreciate. We offer this as an excuse for two things:
First, we failed to see and include a stellar Tom DeFrank New York Daily News story on Cheney's zipped lip (even better because it actually includes the word "nothingburger.") "Cheney, the administration's indispensable damage-control point man, has muzzled himself — with the reluctant approval of his boss."
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"His handlers have alerted local Republican organizers that Cheney won't be holding any 'press avails' and have instructed his advance staff to make sure his movements don't bring him near the media."
"In the West Wing, Cheney continues to be involved in almost every aspect of policymaking. Aides said he has counseled his colleagues to take the long view of current woes, believing the administration is suffering through a short-term cycle that will turn before it does lasting damage."
The Birmingham News reported yesterday that after his visit to the state on Monday, "Cheney plans to return to Alabama this summer to campaign for Mike Rogers, the Republican running for the 3rd District congressional seat in east Alabama … No date, place or time has been announced for Cheney's next visit to Alabama. Cheney's press secretary, Jennifer Millerwise, said he would speak on Rogers' behalf later this summer, probably at a fund-raiser."
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And the Salt Lake Tribune reported, "Vice President Dick Cheney is expected to travel to Utah on Aug. 8 to raise money for Republican congressional hopeful John Swallow and the state GOP … Cheney's main thrust will be fund-raising for Swallow at a $250-per-plate dinner at the Little America Hotel in Salt Lake City. Organizers hope to raise $250,000 … The vice president also will be the featured speaker at a smaller gathering of Republican insiders, who will be asked to donate $1,000 per person for the state party."
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And second, it's also our excuse for doing an abbreviated Note on Friday, pleading fatigue.
Lastly but hardly to be missed, the New York Times follows up on its one-two punch yesterday with Pitt and Ashcroft with a report on "speculation from the Pentagon to Foggy Bottom that Secretary Powell might not last through President Bush's term." The story seems to be pegged to the administration's decision to pull its funding of UN family planning programs, the latest decision with which Powell does not agree.
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Homeland security
The The Wall Street Journal 's Calmes, looking at the chief bone of contention in the homeland security legislation, the president's push to waive civil service rules, notes that not only are Democrats and labor unions opposed, but so are "some GOP moderates with significant numbers of constituents who are union members or government employees."
Budget politics
The Washington Post 's Morgan reports on the Senate's continued upping of the president's proposed budget figures. Yesterday they added $1.2 billion for Amtrak, an institution which the president has not shown a terrible amount of enthusiasm for, having used the railroad's financial problems last month to push for its partial privatization. The Senate also added an amendment cutting funding for the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository, which the president has strongly supported.
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Without modifications by the conference committee, it's possible that Bush may well veto the new bill, especially given his stated opposition to the 4.1-percent federal worker pay raise. Bush has proposed something similar for the military, but not for civilians.
The AP reports from the National Conference of State Legislatures meeting in Denver, "States have used up two-thirds of their cash on hand and rainy-day funds trying to cope with budget crises and they want the federal government to help."
ABC 2004: The Invisible Primary
The Wall Street Journal editorial page takes after "Chainsaw Tom" Daschle for yesterday slipping into a spending bill language exempting South Dakota from environmental regulations and lawsuits, in order to allow logging in an effort to prevent forest fires.
But after criticizing Daschle's move yesterday, Republican lawmakers are now praising it and trying to secure such provisions for their own states.
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Vermont Gov. Howard Dean is in Charleston, SC today.
The Daily News shouts "exclusive" over their report that the "him" Al Sharpton refers to ('What I want to do is mention it to him, see what he wants to do, then put you together and let's go') in that videotape of Sharpton discussing a cocaine buy "was Daniel Pagano, a soldier in the Genovese crime family with links to the record industry and a longstanding relationship with Sharpton, the Daily News has learned."
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"Two sources familiar with the FBI's 1983 investigation of corruption in boxing that caught Sharpton on tape identified Pagano as the mystery man to whom Sharpton was referring."
"In an interview and in past statements, Sharpton has insisted he did not know at the time of the meeting that Pagano was a member of the Genovese Mafia family."
Sharpton yesterday filed a $1 billion lawsuit against HBO.
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Politics
The Hotline's Chuck Todd, keeping an eye firmly on 2002 themes and trends even as 2004 looms, smartly rounds up "three potential decliners to watch" — three much-touted statewide contenders whose stars seem to be fading: Lamar Alexander (R) in Tennessee, Andrew Cuomo in New York (D), and Janet Reno (D) in Florida.
California
On the day GOP gubernatorial nominee Bill Simon tried to make his business background a plus and turn the focus away from his tax returns and onto his charitable giving, "Gov. Gray Davis released a new television ad saying his Republican challenger had 'siphoned' money from a charitable foundation," the Los Angeles Times reports. "The ad … says Simon "siphoned excessive fees from his father's charitable foundation' and cannot be trusted to run a charity, much less California.'"
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New York
Democratic gubernatorial candidates Carl McCall and Andrew Cuomo are fighting over who can better lay claim to the corporate responsibility issue. "McCall belittled gubernatorial rival Andrew Cuomo yesterday for making corporate scandals and the swooning stock market a focus of the race, saying they are problems far beyond a governor's reach," the New York Daily News reports.
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State Comptroller "McCall said that as 'the largest investor in America,' he has credibility on such matters while Cuomo, a former federal housing secretary, does not. 'That's really been my issue,' McCall said."
Cuomo was at Tyco International yesterday, where he "hit McCall and [Gov. George] Pataki for taking contributions from executives whose companies do business with the state."
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Mayor Bloomberg said yesterday on WABC radio that now's a great time to buy general mutual funds.
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Florida
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Bill McBride called Gov. Jeb Bush's education system a "mirage" and an "illusion" yesterday, as he presented his own proposals. "McBride unveiled a plan to improve school performance, on the same day that the Florida Republican Party began broadcasting a TV ad that claims that neither he nor his Democratic opponent, Janet Reno, has taken a stand on grading schools or on the death penalty."
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Meanwhile, Reno is talking prescription drugs with seniors.
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Washington, DC
As previously suggested, but now confirmed by the city elections chief, Mayor Anthony Williams' petition problems are so pervasive that he may not be able to get onto the Democratic primary ballot. The hearings continue today.
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Texas
GOP Senate nominee John Cornyn continues to try to attack Democratic nominee Ron Kirk as being soft on terrorism. "After touring a metal fabrication facility that makes parts for military trucks, Cornyn repeated his criticism of Kirk for receiving the endorsement of the Council for a Livable World, an arms-control group that opposes continued funding of the F-22 Raptor fighter jet and the Marines' V-22 Osprey. Both military weapons are manufactured in Texas. "I call Kirk's remarkable position the Texas two-step," Cornyn said."
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Run under the headline, 'Race being made a campaign issue' (no kidding), the Dallas Morning News reports that Kirk is disgusted by Cornyn's "silent hand" in attempting to use his race against him. "Kirk charged that Mr. Cornyn should have repudiated Senator Phil Gramm in June, when the retiring Republican accused the Democrats of using a divisive tactic in creating their ethnically diverse 'dream ticket.' Mr. Kirk also said Republican groups have been using the Internet to spread nasty e-mails about his campaign."
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New Hampshire
Senate candidate and Gov. Jeanne Shaheen (D) focused on energy yesterday and played up how the president and Vice President both come from "oil industry backgrounds." The Nashua Telegraph reports that the Governor "vowed Wednesday to reduce the $3 billion in annual subsidies to oil and gas companies and give some of that to encourage alternative fuel and promote energy efficiency. 'I don't think we have an energy plan at the national level that makes sense,' Shaheen said."
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More corporate mayhem as GOP gubernatorial candidate Gordon Humphrey said he was unaware of the SEC's investigation and accusations of wrongdoing against the company on whose board he has sat, WR Grace. "The Securities Exchange Commission had accused the chemical and health care conglomerate of fraudulent accounting and financial reporting." So Humphrey "criticized Republican gubernatorial rival Craig Benson over his connection to Enterasys, the company created by the breakup of Cabletron, which Benson co-founded."
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South Dakota
Democratic Senator Tim Johnson will campaign with independent Senator Jim Jeffords on Saturday at two events "highlighting
education — the issue that drove Jeffords to switch parties, making Tom Daschle Majority Leader with control over the Senate and its priorities," the Johnson camp's release says.
Bush Administration strategy/personality
The Wall Street Journal reports that on Friday, the administration "will seek to cut world-wide tariffs and end export subsidies for farm products despite congressional passage of massive new farm subsidies at home. The proposal to the World Trade Organization represents the Bush administration's opening bid in the global talks to liberalize trade in agriculture." US Trade Representative Zoellick will make an announcement today.
"[T]he U.S. move is at odds with a protectionist farm bill passed by Congress earlier this year. Indeed, Mr. Zoellick and Ms. Veneman may need to clean up their own house first, since Congress's farm bill ostensibly increased U.S. export subsidies to farmers."
Brian Faler in the Washington Post has a first look at a Brookings study to be released today, showing that "President Bush's executive branch appointees are waiting longer to get confirmed than those of recent administrations — and the Senate is largely to blame … "
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— 9:30 am, Senate meets to debate generic drug bill
— 9:30 am, Senate Commerce Committee hearing on airport security with Transportation Secretary Mineta
— 9:30 am, Senate Governmental Affairs Committee continues mark-up of the homeland security legislation
— 9:30 am, Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on nuclear arms treaty with Defense Secretary Rumsfeld
— 10:00 am, Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Justice Department oversight with Attorney General Ashcroft
— 10:00 am, joint intelliegence committee continues closed hearings on pre-September 11 intelligence failures
— 10:00 am, House meets to debate homeland security bill
— 10:15 am, Senate Majority Leader Daschle briefs
— 10:30 am, Vice President Cheney speaks at the Korean War Service Medal award ceremony, US Export-Import Bank, DC
— 10:30 am, House Minority Leader Gephardt briefs
— 1:00 pm, Zacarias Moussaoui arraignment, US District Court, Alexandria, VA
— 1:50 pm, President Bush visits High Point Regional Hospital, followed by remarks on medical malpractice at Millis Athletic Center, High Point, NC
— 6:00 pm, President Bush attends fundraiser for Elizabeth Dole, Grandover Resort, Greensboro, NC
— 8:30 pm, President Bush arrives back at the White House
Newly listed events are italicized.
— July 23-27: National Conference of State Legislatures annual meeting, Denver
— July 26-30: National Association of Secretaries of State annual meeting, Providence, RI
— July 28: Bill Bradley's birthday
— July 28-30: Democratic Leadership Council "National Conversation," NYC
— July 29-31: DNC 2004 convention site selection committee visits New York
— July 29: Former NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani slated to speak at fundraiser for Elizabeth Dole, Charlotte
— July 31: California campaign finance reports due
— Aug. 1: Tennessee primary
— Aug. 1: New York Stock Exchange vote on new corporate governance rules
— Aug. 1: King Abdullah of Jordan visits President Bush, DC
— Aug. 3: 5th Annual Iowa antique tractor hunt, Pomeroy, Iowa
— Aug. 3: 13th Chowderfest, Waterville Valley, New Hampshire
— Aug. 6: Michigan primary; Kansas primary; Missouri primary
— Aug. 6: President Bush physical examination expected
— Aug. 7: last day for Ohio ballot measures to be presented — Aug. 8: Vice President Cheney headlines fundraiser for House candidate John Swallow, Salt Lake City
— Aug. 8-10: International Association of Firefighters convention, Las Vegas
— Aug. 8-11: Democratic National Committee meets, Las Vegas
— Aug. 8-18: Iowa State Fair, Des Moines, Iowa
— Aug. 10: Sen. John Edwards keynotes Magnuson Dinner, Washington state
— Aug. 13: Colorado primary
— Aug. 13: Sen. Joe Lieberman addresses American Postal Workers Convention and headlines Sen. Paul Wellstone fundraiser, Minneapolis
— Aug. 13: Ex-UNC coach Dean Smith hosts birthday fundraiser for Erskine Bowles, Chapell Hill
— Aug. 14: Lynne Cheney's birthday.
— Aug. 14: SEC deadline for company heads to certify financial statements for 2002
— Aug.14-15: Sen. Joe Lieberman visits Iowa
— Aug. 16-18: Sen. John Edwards visits Iowa and Iowa State Fair
— Aug. 18: Sen. Joe Lieberman appears at Hillsborough County Democratic Picnic, Manchester, NH
— Aug. 19: Bill Clinton's birthday
— Aug 19: Tipper Gore's birthday
— Aug. 19: Sen. Joe Lieberman headlines fundraising events for Senate nominee Chellie Pingree and gubernatorial nominee John Baldacci in Maine
— Aug. 20: Georgia primary
— Aug. 21: New Hampshire campaign finance reports due
— Aug. 23-24: Florida Republican Party state executive committee meeting, Orlando
— Aug. 23-24: Michigan Republican Party state convention
— Aug. 24-25: Michigan Democratic Party state convention
— Aug. 25: Sen. Joe Lieberman headlines fundraiser for Rep. Eliot Engel, Westchester, NY
— Aug. 25-27: Southern Governors Association's 68th Annual Meeting, New Orleans
— Aug. 26: Jury selection begins in John Walker Lindh trial
— Aug. 27: Florida Democratic gubernatorial candidates debate
— Aug 27: Alaska primary; Oklahoma primary
— Aug 28. Saint Anselm college hosts American Political Science Association short course on the 2004 New Hampshire primary and The Invisible Primary
— Aug. 29-Sept. 1: American Political Science Association annual conference, Boston
— Aug. 29-Sept. 2: 13th Annual Midwest Polka Fest, Humboldt, Iowa
— Sept. 2: 6th Annual Rubber Ducky Regatta, North Woodstock, New Hampshire
— Sept. 3: Nevada primary
— Sept. 6: Congress meets for special session in New York City
— Sept. 7: Delaware primary — First Lady Laura Bush chairs Kennedy Center's "Concert for America," DC
— Sept. 10: Florida, New Hampshire, North Carolina and New York primaries (Florida: Democratic primary for governor; New Hampshire: Republican primary for Senate and primaries on both sides for governor; North Carolina: Democratic and Republican primaries for Senate; New York: Democratic primary for governor); Arizona primary; Connecticut primary; District of Columbia primary; Maryland primary; Minnesota primary; Rhode Island primary;
Vermont primary; Wisconsin primary
— Sept. 11-14: Congressional Black Caucus Foundation's 32nd Annual Legislative Conference, DC
— Sept. 22: 4th Annual Great North Woods Lumberjack Championships, Berlin, New Hampshire
— Sept. 17: Massachusetts primary (Democratic primary for governor)
— Sept. 27-29: California Republican Party convention
— Sept. 30: Jury selection begins for trial of Zacarias Moussaoui
— Sept. 30: Discovery ends in McCain-Feingold lawsuit (tentative).
— Oct. 4: Al Sharpton's birthday
— Oct. 5: Tri-state's Largest Chili Cook-Off, Dubuque, Iowa
— Oct. 5: Sen. Chris Dodd keynotes Ohio Democratic Party dinner
— Oct. 13: Iowa State Hand-Cornhusking contest, Kimballton, Iowa
— Oct. 15 (tentative): Zacarias Moussaoui trial begins
— October 26: New York Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton's birthday
— Nov. 4: Laura Bush's birthday
— Nov. 4: Deadline for opening briefs, McCain-Feingold lawsuit (tentative).
— Nov. 5: Election Day
— New SEC disclosure rules go into effect
— Nov. 17: Vermont Governor Howard Dean's birthday.
— Nov. 18: Deadline for opposition briefs, McCain-Feingold lawsuit (tentative).
— Nov. 20: Delaware Senator. Joseph Biden's birthday
— Dec. 4: Oral arguments begun in McCain-Feingold lawsuit. (tentative)
— Dec. 9: South Dakota Senator Tom Daschle's birthday
— Dec. 11: Massachusetts Senator John Kerry's birthday
— Dec. 13: Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack's birthday
— Dec. 26: California Governor. Gray Davis's birthday
— Jan. 30, 2003: Vice President Dick Cheney's birthday
— Jan. 31, 2003: Missouri Rep. Dick Gephardt's birthday
— Feb. 24, 2003: Connecticut Senator Joe Lieberman's birthday
— March 11, 2003: Georgia Governor Roy Barnes's birthday
— March 31, 2003: Al Gore's birthday
— June 15, 2003: Senate/House/key adviser personal financial disclosure forms due
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