W A S H I N G T O N, July 26 102 Days Until The Election....
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Your Friday ticker-less split screen: while the current President Bush and his father commemorate the 12th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act today at the White House, literally at the same time, former President Clinton and other Democratic party luminaries will be attending a memorial service for disability rights advocate Justin Dart.
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In case your head is spinning from the recent rush of legislative activity as President Bush and Congress try to rack up accomplishments to tout in the face of the looming a) August recess and b) midterm elections, here's your status report. The corporate accountability legislation is due to land on the president's desk next week, and fast-track trade authority, billed by the White House as another economic salve, might just make it there, too.
But a showdown is building over the homeland security legislation, with the debate seemingly being framed as Bush charging Democrats with wanting to weaken presidential authority in a time of war, versus Democrats charging Bush with possibly opposing his own new department for ideological reasons.
After Ari threw out the "v" word yesterday, the president himself issued a strongly worded call for "managerial flexibility" this morning.
Some Republicans have been itching for Bush to exercise veto power on something — anything. But veto the creation of his own proposed Homeland Security Department?
"Ari Fleischer, the White House spokesman, said Democrats had stripped the administration of the management flexibility necessary to run the department, making it harder to reward good employees or punish poor performers," the New York Times ' Firestone says. "But Democrats said they could not believe that a disagreement over personnel and union issues would truly drive the president to veto a department he proposed just last month."
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"The swirl of competing proposals today deepened the sense that a homeland security department, once seen as Washington's consensus response to the terrorist threat, had become hostage to the ideological goals of the two sides."
The Washington Post 's Miller and Eilperin note, "Bush hasn't publicly labeled the issue a deal-breaker. But he and Ridge have been pressing the issue in a series of recent meetings with Democrats and Republicans."
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The Note's sense is that after the president's steel flip-flop and signing of McCain-Feingold, the feeling has pretty much been dispelled that George W. Bush would do something that is not in his political interest. There's no concern among plotting lawmakers, like there was with Ronald Reagan, that this president might just do something which would be really politically nuts — like stand on principle at his own expense. And this arguably has diminished his leverage; legislators in both parties may feel they have his number.
Also today, the latest Gallup Poll shows Bush's job approval slipping below 70 percent for the first time since September 11, while "a higher percentage of Americans — 45% — say they are worse off financially than they were a year ago than in any survey since February 1992. At that time, Bush's father, the elder President Bush, was battling economic angst that contributed to his defeat for re-election that November. Only 32% say they are better off than a year ago."
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The Wall Street Journal 's two Gregs, Ip and Hitt, report on the White House's PR road show: "Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill … will carry the good-news message to local business groups in Portland, Ore., Seattle and Denver next month. Commerce Secretary Don Evans will speak to small investors in Minneapolis, Cincinnati and Phoenix. And White House officials are privately discussing having Mr. Bush lead a public forum on the economy, perhaps on Aug. 13, just ahead of a Securities and Exchange Commission deadline for companies to certify the accuracy of their financial statements."
"Whether all that talk will be able to restore confidence is another question. There is a growing sense among both Wall Street analysts and even some Main Street manufacturers that the administration has weakened its credibility and its pro-business credentials, with a series of precrisis protectionist trade decisions and its acquiescence this week to stiff regulations to police corporate behavior."
Then they gnaw on the already well-chewed bones of O'Neill. "Financial markets strongly suspect that when he speaks, he often doesn't represent the White House's position."
Some of the criticism of the Treasury Secretary "is unfair," the Gregs say. "[Robert] Rubin never had to serve during a bear market. And Mr. O'Neill does seek out Wall Street's views, most recently in meetings with executives, money managers and economists in New York Tuesday."
"Officials say that along with speaking tours by Messrs. O'Neill and Evans, Mr. Bush will be converting planned campaign-fund-raising appearances next month into opportunities to talk up the economy. Their presentations also are expected to focus on the need to protect pensions and the slow pace of Senate action on the issue, and continue to trumpet the investigations of corporate wrongdoers, such as the arrests this week of the founder of troubled Adelphia Communications Corp."
Speaking of Rubin, Slate's Tim Noah addresses the fact that Clinton's Treasury Secretary has been "airbrushed" out of the mainstream coverage of the Citigroup/Enron story. "Rubin's free ride won't last because Republicans won't allow it. The Republican National Committee today spammed a 'research briefing' to reporters headlined 'Rubin, Citibank & Enron' and Senate Minority Leader Trent Lott told reporters that the Governmental Affairs subcommittee, whose hearings this week prompted the Citicorp stories, 'may want to call in Mr. Rubin and others.'"
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(Again, as noted before, can a party committee really spam a well-researched "background only" brief to a crowd of reporters who'll all be talking about it and expect that it won't get mentioned somehow, somewhere?)
Noah "chalks it up not to liberal media bias, but rather to Rubin's membership in the bipartisan Society of Media Darlings, whose other members include James Baker and John McCain."
The Washington Times editorial page says, "If Senate Democrats were truly interested in getting to the bottom of the Enron debacle, they would invite former Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin, who is now a Citigroup director and the chairman of its executive committee, to testify."
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Meanwhile, Republicans are challenging 42's assertions, reported yesterday in the New York Times , that "Republicans in Congress stymied his efforts to protect investors and increase government oversight of corporations."
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Dr. Rudy Giuliani on Good Morning, America today said the corporate accountability bill is probably something of an overreaction, but offered good mass psychoanalysis of why the rush to pass it.
USA Today 's Drinkard looks at further possible efforts by Washington to instill financial reforms.
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The New York Times ' Oppel zeroes in on pension reform.
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Jackie Calmes writes in The Wall Street Journal , "Republicans talk of expanding tax breaks for stock-market losses. But with working-class voters hurting, 'We've got to be careful not to look like we're bailing out investors,' cautions GOP Senator Grassley. Lawmakers expect more rhetoric than action on tax changes. But the outlook improves for a top business priority, terrorism insurance, as House and Senate negotiators try to resolve differences."
One of those Bush economic measures already on the table: fast track, which could get passed by both the House and the Senate before they leave for recess.
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The conference committee deal is big news for Bush and for House Republicans — Bush, because it represents his successful coddling and cajoling to win provisions he's been advocating since the election, and House Republicans because those who don't live in heavily union or textile-dependent districts can point to something else they are doing for the economy.
Which brings us to this Los Angeles Times must-read by Hook and Simon.
"Congress, increasingly jittery about the stock market and the economy, are about to head home for their summer break to confront a political landscape abruptly transformed — to their distinct disadvantage."
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"It's a striking shift in the political winds from just a few weeks ago, when Republicans seemed to be sitting pretty. Bush's approval ratings remained sky high and the congressional agenda was dominated by the issues that polls show voters think Republicans handle best: security at home and abroad."
"Republicans appeared on course to avoid the losses that the president's party usually suffer in mid-term elections. GOP leaders were confident they would hold-and perhaps slightly expand-their slim House majority. The party's focus was on overcoming the one-seat Democratic margin in the Senate."
Hook and Simon point out that the traditional Republican cure-all for an ailing economy, tax cuts, won't work in this climate: "Republicans have been slow to resort to their traditional salve for an ailing economy: tax cuts. That's because growing federal budget deficits have made Democrats — and even some Republicans — wary of draining revenue. A few GOP lawmakers would like to see action on capital gains tax cuts, but party leaders are wary of proposing measures that Democrats would surely attack as a sop to the rich."
Paul Krugman takes after Bush's continued support, reaffirmed on Wednesday, for partially privatizing Social Security, noting that for those who are nearing retirement age and whose retirement savings have dwindled in value, "Social Security will be all that's left."
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Krugman connects a bunch of dots, and possibly overreaches, in looking at why Bush is standing firm. "One reason is ideology: hard-line conservatives are determined to build a bridge back to the 1920's. Another is Mr. Bush's infallibility complex: to back off on privatization would be to admit, at least implicitly, to a mistake — and this administration never, ever does that."
But Krugman also suggests that another reason why Bush continues to press the issue is that "it's likely that a privatization scheme would require individuals to invest with one of a handful of designated private investment funds," which "would mean enormous commissions for the managers of those funds," who give lots of money to Bush.
As for us, we're just still scratching our heads a bit over what the White House's goals might have been for the president's trip to North Carolina yesterday.
Perhaps the president's call for medical malpractice tort reform in Senator John Edwards' home state was simply meant to be a shot across the bow at a possible 2004 Democratic opponent on an issue which Bush has a long track record of supporting. Perhaps it also was meant to throw a bone to business at a time when they're feeling quite beaten up. As well as demonstrate sensitivity to the issue of rising health care costs. We've forgotten, in the recent economic era of good feeling when costs went down a bit, the emotional and polarizing power of this issue on both sides.
And perhaps it's overthinking matters to suspect the White House's intentions went any further toward trying to ding up Edwards.
Since the opposite arguably occurred.
The Washington Post 's Allen and Goldstein report, "The president's plan would create the first federal limits on lawsuits against doctors, hospitals and other providers of health care, thrusting the federal government into an arena of insurance regulation that traditionally has been the province of states. It seeks to inject momentum into an issue that has been a favorite of conservative Republicans since the House GOP drafted its 'Contract With America' in 1994."
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And they make this Notable point about this GOP president: "Although Republicans usually are proponents of states' rights, Bush called the malpractice system 'a national problem that needs a national solution.'"
Bush traveled to Edwards' "back yard" yesterday to make remarks on medical malpractive. "What we want is quality health care, not rich trial lawyers." Rich trial lawyer-turned-Senator Edwards' "response was swift. He called a teleconference with reporters and also made a speech on the Senate floor, where he said Bush again was taking sides with big corporations — insurance companies — against ordinary people hurt by bad medical care."
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"Edwards also introduced to reporters the parents of a baby born severely brain-damaged because of a medical error. In 1997, when the child was 3, Edwards secured a $23 million jury verdict in the case, an award cited as an example of plaintiffs winning 'the litigation lottery' in a Bush administration report released Thursday."
"Christopher Griffin, the father of the baby girl, who died a year-and-a-half ago, said he was angered by the characterization. Griffin's child, Bailey, could not walk, speak or eat normally, and required 24-hour-a-day care."
"'What I heard was in some ways we're considered to be lottery winners,' Griffin said. 'Every time I go to my daughter's grave, it's hard to feel that way.'"
Bush's fundraiser in North Carolina yesterday was his 36th of the year and his second for Elizabeth Dole.
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The Greensboro paper reports, "The president chose High Point as the setting for his remarks because he was visiting the region for a fund-raiser Thursday evening for U.S. Senate candidate Elizabeth Dole."
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In the same day the House and the Senate passed their tough new corporate accountability legislation and passed it to the president's desk, they gave the credit card industry a little something. "Senate and House negotiators last night cleared the way for final passage of an industry-backed bill to overhaul bankruptcy law by making it harder for consumers to wipe out debt, congressional sources said."
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Per the Post 's Kathleen Day, the compromise comes after months of conference where the major bone of contention was between Senator Chuck Schumer and Rep. Henry Hyde. At issue: the wording of a "provision to prevent people from using bankrupty laws to shield themselves from fines imposed for knowingly violating the law while protesting at abortion clinics."
The law, if eventually passed, will likely get a kinder reception from President Bush. Then-President Clinton vetoed similar legislation on the grounds that it was unfair to consumers.
Something else that might make its way to Bush's desk before Congress leaves for recess: a bill creating an independent commission to investigate the September 11 attacks, which passed the House yesterday, may come up for a Senate vote next week, and which Bush does not want. "The [House] vote represented a desire to go beyond the scope of Congress' ongoing investigation. It could set up the biggest clash to date between Congress and the White House over the war on terrorism," says USA Today 's Kiely.
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From the ABCNEWS London bureau: European shares today slumped again to within sight of five-year lows as US stock futures signaled more losses on Wall Street. At midday, London's FTSE 100 index of leading shares stood down almost 100 points, or about 2.4 percent, France's Cac index and Germany's Dax index both lost more than 100 points, or about 3.5 percent.
Israeli forces supported by tanks and bulldozers pushed into Gaza City, blowing up three buildings housing workshops where rockets were allegedly being made. Palestinian security officials said four Palestinians were wounded in the first Israeli incursion since an air strike on Tuesday in Gaza City killed 15 Palestinians. The army said Qassam rockets were being produced in the buildings and that dozens of mortar bombs and rockets had been fired at Israeli targets around the Gaza Strip in recent days.
The Russian government confirmed today that leaky torpedo fuel — and not a foreign submarine or a World War II land mine — caused the explosions that destroyed the Kursk nuclear submarine, killing all 118 men aboard in one of the country's worst post-Soviet disasters.
And lastly, but hardly least: thank you again, Mr. Harris.
Budget politics
The latest addition by the Senate Appropriations Committee: $8.6 billion more to President Bush's proposed highway programs budget. "White House budget officials declined comment."
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ABC 2004: The Invisible Primary
Former Vice President Gore went to Capitol Hill yesterday for the first time since he and 42 left the White House, and delighted the assembled young "21st Century Democrats" by attacking the Bush Administration not only on the economy and corporate responsibility — "The former vice president said his warnings about the Republicans being beholden to corporate interests had been dismissed in 2000 as 'over-the-top partisanship' but had been proven right. 'The Republican Party today is at the hands of an elite that embodies wealth and power'" — but what was new about the riff was his criticism of the Adminsitration for talking up a possible future invasion of Iraq.
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The Washington Times points out that House Minority Leader Gephardt has been "consulting" Ralph Nader on corporate accountability, and points out that earlier this week, Gephardt "sought the presence of several consumer-related groups to rally behind him at his own press conference," including "Mr. Nader's Citizens Works Advocates."
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The Raleigh News & Observer's Wagner reports, "U.S. Senator John Edwards' next trip to Iowa will include a gathering at a minor-league baseball game. Among those on hand for the event Aug. 18 will be several former Chicago Cubs stars, including Jody Davis, Fergie Jenkins, Keith Moreland and Lee Smith. The invitation promises the players will be 'ready to sign autographs or talk over a cold beverage.'"
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Vermont Gov. Howard Dean is in Atlanta today, and Florida tomorrow. Doctors at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston yesterday started nodding when Dean started talking about health care reform.
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Politics
The Republican chairman of the Federal Election Commission "has no qualms about defending" his agency's new campaign finance regulations, even though he told the Washington Times in an interview that "he believes that campaign contributions are a constitutionally protected form of free speech."
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California
Maybe Al Gore should pass him a note that more consultants does not necessarily a winning campaign make. Republican gubernatorial nominee Bill Simon has added more consultants to his campaign: Ed Rollins and Larry McCarthy.
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Attempting to steal Simon's thunder, "Gov. Gray Davis is moving quickly to tidy up some potential political problems" in California. "On Wednesday, Davis ordered state officials to launch a new child abduction notification system. A day later, he announced that the state is challenging a federal court ruling that declared the Pledge of Allegiance unconstitutional."
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Former Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan on Wednesday announced his endorsement of a November ballot initiative that would allow voters to register to vote on Election Day.
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The standoff in the California legislature over the state's budget has reached day 24, and "State Controller Kathleen Connell held a news conference to discuss who will get paid during the budget impasse."
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New Jersey
The Senate Ethics Committee may reach a decision on Senator Robert Torricelli before they break for recess next Friday, without calling upon David Chang to testify. The New York Times on what evidence the committee is weighing:
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Florida
Florida Attorney General Bob Butterworth (D) stunned both parties in Florida Thursday when he "qualified for the ballot — not for governor, as legions of desperate Democrats begged him to do, but for the Florida Senate … Democrats and Republicans alike called Butterworth's choice the most bizarre turn of events of the 2002 campaign so far. He is stepping down the political ladder from a high-profile, statewide office to one of 40 district Senate seats."
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Texas
No one gets an edge in this campaign finance snafu: campaigns of both of the top candidates in the Texas gubernatorial race announced they would return corporate campaign contributions prohibited under state law. "Campaign workers for Democrat Tony Sanchez and Republican Gov. Rick Perry said they would be returning the improper contributions, which total about $2,500 for Mr. Sanchez and at least $3,000 for Mr. Perry."
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"Now that they've rustled up some of the millions of dollars they need to run for U.S. Senate, John Cornyn and Ron Kirk are starting to focus on the millions of voters they'll need to win the November election," the Austin American-Statesman reports. Cornyn is launched a new strategy of focusing on a new issue each week, beginning with homeland defense, while Kirk focused on more local concerns like education this week.
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Building his tough-on-crime image, Cornyn said Thursday he plans to lobby the state legislature "to require the death penalty to be offered as an option in every case where a law officer is intentionally killed in the line of duty. Texas prosecutors criticized Cornyn's idea as an unconstitutional violation of the discretionary powers of the executive branch of government in dealing with criminal cases, and Democratic nominee Ron Kirk "accused his rival of playing politics."
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Washington, DC
Tuesday being the deadline for getting onto the primary ballot, Mayor Anthony Williams may make it on by default, since the hearings into his petiton issues are going so slowly. Even so, "[t]he mayor soon will begin planning for an independent campaign or a write-in bid as a Democrat and may withdraw from the legal fight — perhaps even before the election board makes its ruling, said several political advisers speaking on the condition of anonymity. These advisers said that Williams believes his time could be better used starting a new campaign than mounting an appeals court challenge if he loses at the board."
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Iowa
The Senate and gubernatorial campaigns are getting a "nasty, early start with TV ads," the Des Moines Register reports. "The ads began well before the June primary and haven't let up, an unusually early start, television executives agree. But it's their tone — slow-motion black-and-white images and foreboding narration usually reserved for horror movies — that has voters and political observers calling the campaigns shrill."
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"Doug Gross promised Thursday to sign a budget-reform act, if he's elected governor, that would limit the state's ability to borrow from one-time sources, as the Legislature and Gov. Tom Vilsack have done."
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New Hampshire
Contributions from PACs linked to firms under investigation for accounting irregularities were a subject of debate among New Hampshire Senate candidates Thursday, with each candidate putting their own spin on the issue. Rep. John Sununu, who has accepted $25,000 of such checks since 1997, including $5,000 from WorldCom, said it would be wrong to penalize PACs made up of employees for the sins of corporate executives. "U.S. Senator Bob Smith has taken $8,000 from such companies in the past but would have turned down checks given to Sununu from WorldCom and Arthur Andersen, according to Lisa Harrison, Smith's press secretary. Democratic Gov. Jeanne Shaheen will review all checks on a case-by-case basis but turned down one for $2,000 from WorldCom."
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The Union-Leader also touches on this issue in a story about a conference call with reporters held by Sununu Thursday to express his support for the corporate responsibility legislation making its way through the House. "Asked if he planned on taking Political Action Committee money for his Senate campaign from companies whose executives have either been arrested in ongoing corporate scandals or have been implicated in those scandals, Sununu said he does not support barring employees of such companies from making contributions. When asked if he would accept PAC contributions from executives of such companies, Sununu said it would be 'wrong to suggest any CEO of any company should be looked at with suspicion.' In an effort to clarify his response, Sununu said he would 'exercise judgment on a case-by-case basis.'"
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South Dakota
Proving Social Security can still be an issue for this fall's elections, "South Dakota Democrats criticized Republican Rep. John Thune's vote last year to support a commission to look into the privatization of Social Security. Thune is challenging Democrat Tim Johnson for his Senate seat in the November election. Seeking to distance Thune from the 'P' word, Thune's communications director said the vote "did not support privatization but funded the study of different options for Social Security's future." LINK
"'There should not be a fight over what privatization is. Everyone in the world knows what it is,' Dan Pfeiffer, Johnson's communication director, said. 'John Thune supports privatization, and he shouldn't mislead South Dakota voters. You can't just make up a definition like that.' But Iverson said privatization is only when the federal government invests money from the Social Security trust fund."
South Carolina
Republican gubernatorial nominee Mark Sanford went "nose-to-nose" yesterday with Democratic consultant Kevin Geddings, whose chief client is Sanford's opponent, Gov. Jim Hodges. We simply can't imagine why Sanford was irked by the quiet and nonconfrontational Geddings' presence at his presser.
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Bush Administration strategy/personality
The Washington Post 's Kurtz writes up President Bush's granting "60 Minutes II" a September 11 exclusive. "The president will sit for two interviews, one in the Oval Office and the other on Air Force One … The White House has agreed to make other major players available to CBS, and they are likely to include Vice President Cheney, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, Secretary of State Colin Powell and national security adviser Condoleezza Rice."
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Critics are charging that Bush's choice to take over the State Department's visa operations "failed in a prior post to protect American children who have been kidnapped and taken to Saudi Arabia and other Muslim countries." The Post requires Senate confirmation.
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"The Senate last night broke its latest logjam over President Bush's judicial and administrative nominations, approving 15 of the nearly 90 nominees that had been held up in a dispute between Bush and Senator John McCain (R-Ariz.) over an appointment to the Federal Election Commission," the Washington Post reports. "The breakthrough came when the White House assured McCain that it will move as quickly as possible to ensure that a Democrat backed by the senator is seated on the FEC if she passes the necessary background checks."
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A Boston Globe editorial leads a look at how to approach substance abuse with Noelle Bush.
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— 9:00 am, House meets to complete action on homeland security bill
— 9:45 am, White House off-camera morning gaggle
— 9:55 am, Senate meets to debate generic drug bill
— 10:30 am, Senate Minority Leader Lott briefs
— 11:15 am, Senate Majority Leader Daschle, House Minority Leader Gephardt, House and Senate Democrats, and a former WorldCom employee hold press conference on pension reform
— 12:15 pm, White House on-camera briefing
— 1:45 pm, President Bush makes remarks commemorating the 12th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, East Room
— 2:00 pm, memorial service for Justin Dart, with former President Clinton, Democratic National Committee chairman Terry McAuliffe, and others in attendance
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 — Sept. 9: 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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