W A S H I N G T O N, September 27 39 Days Until The Election....
—The Note never wishes to minimize, or sound superficial about, the life-and-death importance of war.
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The Agenda: Click here for The ABCNEWS Political Unit's exclusive major futures calendar and today's daybook.
As we've said before, though, our early morning mission is to root out the political implications of the grave debate that is taking place.
So despite the leadership roles of Tom Daschle and Dick Gephardt, we can't help but Note that the faces of the Democratic party on the war in this news cycle, and possibly carrying us into the weekend, are/will be Bill Clinton, Ted Kennedy, Al Gore, and Barbra Streisand, and that Republicans have got to be loving that.
Clinton did all three morning shows from Capetown; Kennedy will serve up a big speech opposing a war with Iraq later this morning; Barbra's memo to Gephardt earlier this week opposing the war and saying that Democrats have been on the defensive is generating buzz all over town; and Gore's speech at a fundraiser in Wilmington, DE yesterday shows up in some papers today, while the fallout from his Monday speech continues to (after)glow.
Yesterday, "Mr. Gore accused the administration of failing to heed intelligence signals that the FBI and the CIA had picked up in the months before the September 11 attacks. Mr. Gore also said Mr. Bush's Justice Department and the FBI had spent more time and resources investigating a suspected brothel in New Orleans than monitoring bin Laden and his terrorist network … Mr. Gore also accused the administration and the Justice Department of violating the civil liberties of Americans in the move to round up terror suspects and said 'highly questionable' decisions have been made under Attorney General John Ashcroft."
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"Ironically, while Mr. Gore was escalating his attacks on the administration, former President Bill Clinton was planning to attend a Labor Party conference in Great Britain to help Prime Minister Tony Blair persuade skeptical party members to support Mr. Blair and Mr. Bush in taking military action against Iraq."
We think that event is Tuesday, which means another day of Bill Clinton in the news on the war next week.
Nothing the Republican party likes more than the media's obsession with Clinton-Gore disagreement.
And the Los Angeles Times ' Wright and Hook predict, "Democratic ranks will begin to break today, when Senator Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.) will give a speech announcing his opposition to the use of force in Iraq because it will 'inevitably undermine the global war on terrorism.'"
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With the likelihood that Congress will vote within the next two weeks on a resolution supporting the president's military goals in Iraq, those Democrats led by Daschle and Gephardt — i.e., those who support quick action in order to carve out a window for turning back to domestic issues — seem to be carrying the procedural day, despite the distractions of Gore's San Francisco speech and Daschle's blow-up.
(This is our "to be sure graph:) To be sure, it's possible that this "vote yes, vote now" strategy will work, and the election will wind up being fought out on domestic issues, to Democrats' benefit.
(This is our nut graph, for those of you who couldn't otherwise tell:) But in this news cycle, with only 39 days to go, not only will today be another day in which Washington is focused on the war (and not the economy), but Kennedy and Clinton are taking center-stage, and Gephardt has an op-ed in the New York Times attacking the president on the war (while Senator Trent Lott goes after Daschle in a Washington Times op-ed, which could draw out that spat … ).
Gephardt takes out brass knuckles harder than day-old toasted ravioli: "[N]ow there's no denying it. President Bush himself has decided to play politics with the safety and security of the American people."
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For some reason, he goes back to the (dry) well of Vice President Cheney's Kansas remarks, and pretty much calls some Republicans "immoral."
So we'll say it again: Every day that the Democrats are fighting with the war-burnished, popular President about national security matters is a day to make the White House happy (even if they get prickly over what Democrats actually are saying about them).
And while Gephardt and Daschle's engaging in this fight pleases some Democratic lawmakers and party donors, they will be overshadowed today, and possibly heading into the weekend, by Clinton, Kennedy, and Streisand — who will star at a fundraiser hosted by Gephardt for the Democratic House campaign committee on Sunday night in Los Angeles.
At 8:03 am ET this morning, Senator Kennedy previewed his speech on Good Morning America, and Today was simultaneously replaying a soundbite from its Clinton interview, and if those West Wing monitors weren't always set on "Fox and Friends," there would have been real-time high-fiving in the White House, which presumably may take place now that they have read this sentence.
If Karl Rove could, he would probably call a snap election for right now, just to leverage off of these images.
Don't forget in trying to figure out Bill Clinton's position on this possible conflict with Iraq what the then-Arkansas governor classically said about Congress' vote on the American war against that same country in 1991: "'I guess I would have voted with the majority if it was a close vote. But I agree with the arguments the minority made.'"
Which is to say: we watched him this morning (including when he took a pass on commenting on Gore's speech) and we can't really tell you where he stands on all this.
And since Senator Kennedy hasn't quite been totally replaced by Hillary Clinton as a quality GOP direct-mail and stump boogeyman, the White House will just LOVE Teddy becoming the (ruddy) face and voice of the anti-war opposition for at least a day.
Kennedy's speech will be a serious and substantive effort to fill the void of no sitting Democratic lawmakers speaking out against the unilateral course President Bush is taking.
In other words, as ABCNEWS' Douglass suggests, Kennedy will become the Senate's voice of opposition on the issue. A Kennedy source says the Senator talked to over a dozen US and international experts on Iraq, and attended a half-dozen Senate hearings.
So given all that, Knight Ridder's Thomma's lead today almost strikes us as a declaration, "Whether by design or coincidence, President Bush's drumbeat for war with Iraq has succeeded in dramatically changing the political landscape for this fall's midterm congressional elections in ways that could help his Republican Party."
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"War now overshadows the economy as the most urgent issue in the American mindset, and Americans tend to favor Republicans on questions of war."
And here is Steve's "to be sure" graph: "But if Bush has transformed the political playing field, he has not yet guaranteed who will win. Talk of war with Iraq has not yet permeated most congressional campaigns. It hasn't eroded the narrow lead held by Democrats in nationwide polling. It still might give way to pocketbook issues that favor Democrats. And it could even backfire by feeding public anxiety and thus skepticism about the party in power."
President Bush today will head from Crawford to Colorado and Arizona to raise money for Republican House and gubernatorial candidates and, of course, talk about the war.
Adam Clymer goes out on the limb big-time with this front-page New York Times lead: "With six weeks to go, Republicans appear to hold a slight edge in this year's fight for control of the House, according to interviews with politicians and analysts around the country and examinations of local polls."
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Clymer has a solid take on the CW of all this (which doesn't make it wrong): "But if race after race seems to depend on local circumstances and personalities, the single strand tying them together is the issue of control of the House."
(For you junkies: his anecdotal focus is Minnesota-02 and Maryland-08.)
Check out also in the hard copy the awesome clip-n-save "Cook vs. Rothenberg" graphic.
Beneath the homeland security fight, the Wall Street Journal 's Jackie Calmes gets to the politics in her chatty "Washington Wire," getting right at the hopes and fears of the White House: "As civil-service impasse threatens a bill for the new homeland-security department, Senate Democrats fret that Bush has 'a win-win position.' One says: He either gets the cabinet agency — and power to waive worker protections — or blames pro-union Democrats for killing the bill … . Democrats' solace: The fight energizes unions to get out anti-GOP votes on Nov. 5 … "
"Labor will skip protests when the International Monetary Fund's annual meeting starts in Washington Friday, expecting Iraq war foes to dominate. 'Post-Sept. 11, there's a lot of nervousness' about being tied to any antiwar movement, an AFL-CIO official says."
"President Bush yesterday slammed Senate Democrats for insisting on union protections for employees of the proposed homeland security department, saying 'the enemy doesn't care about these rules; the Senate does,'" says the Washington Times .
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Yesterday, the Democrats obtained a Republican e-mail that was part grassroots-stoking and part fundraising solicitation.
The text included an echo of the language the president used on Monday that Ari Fleischer refused to either repeat or repudiate.
Democrats, including Senator Reid on the floor, cried hypocrisy and said it is outrageous that the GOP is trying to raise money off of this kind of language: "but the Senate is more interested in special interests in Washington and not interested in the security of the American people."
Note the text said "not interested," rather than the more common (and apparently more acceptable) "less interested."
But the press has largely moved on from that story, largely owing to the president's soothing words and the media having an attention span roughly consistent with that of a really disciplined 4-year-old.
"Senate Republicans are insisting on a vote on the administration-backed homeland security bill, and said yesterday they will wait until Democrats agree to that … Mr. Daschle said yesterday he is considering setting aside the homeland security bill to move to a resolution authorizing use of force against Iraq."
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"The Senate will begin debate next week on a resolution authorizing President Bush to use force against Iraq even as Republicans and Democrats negotiated final wording of the document," per USA Today .
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Despite Daschle's continued upsetness, the New York Times says, "Republicans said they had believed that the political fight would slow negotiations and were surprised at the level of progress made on a draft resolution." LINK
A SAO after The Note's own heart, infused with the ethos of the Ghost of James A. Baker 3d, tells the New York Times : "A senior White House official said, 'Here's how I'd describe it: Progress has been made, and the talks are ongoing, and nothing is final until everything is final.'"
"Senator Joseph Biden (D-Del.), chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, said the Senate will approve war language only 'with some significant change in the resolution that has been sent to us and some clear specification as to what the president will be asking of us,'" says the Washington Post 's Allen and VandeHei. "Despite such comments, leaders from both parties said Congress will pass a version of the war resolution before adjourning in mid-October."
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"African-Americans in Congress are emerging as a key center of opposition to President Bush's push for war with Iraq," says USA Today 's Drinkard. "Although it cannot stop congressional approval of a resolution paving the way for war, the 38-member Congressional Black Caucus issued a joint statement Thursday cautioning against what many members see as a headlong rush into the use of military force."
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The Los Angeles Times ' Hook surveys the California delegation.
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Trent Lott is "saddened" by Daschle's accusation that the White House is playing politics and owes Democrats an apology. "Just last month, the Democrats were insisting the president bring the debate to Congress. In August, Mr. Daschle said it would be a big mistake for the administration to act without Congress and without its involvement … The American people would prefer to see the majority leader focus his contempt and passion where it rightfully belongs."
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The Washington Post 's Dionne heads to South Bend, IN and the toss-up House race in Indiana's 2nd district to ask the question: "Are we at the point where differing with the president means opposing the interests of the nation? The administration's friends are prepared to shut down substantive debate by hurling not arguments but epithets at those — Al Gore, for one — who dare raise voices of dissent or even caution."
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"The brewing face-off with Iraq may have claimed its first casualty: more corporate reform legislation," says the Los Angeles Times . "The obstacles are looming larger as the November vote nears … Political analysts say the pressure on Congress to do more also has eased."
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If you care about the Big Casino budget wars (and you should), the Wall Street Journal 's David Rogers has nine paragraphs of good-as-gold must-read on the headline writer's best friend: the "stopgap" budget talks. You'll find that on A6, across from the picture of the young girl blowing bubbles.
Former Vice President Gore has been talking about civil liberties and the Bush Administration for months now, and he appears to have stuck to his usual script in Delaware yesterday, without necessarily advancing his critique.
But in an environment where people are listening to Gore, his rhetoric gets more attention, and thus is considered "new," in some fashion.
According to the AP, Gore called "what's going on in this country … disgraceful."
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Take away the politics and the reflexive anti-Gore feeling held by all-too-many members of the Chattering Class, and one must say: Gore is giving voice to sentiments that many Americans of all political stripes feel, but few are making in a prominent way.
The Grover Norquists of the world should take a look at Gore's statements from Delaware.
The former Veep heads from New York to Minneapolis this morning, where he will headline fundraisers for Democratic gubernatorial nominee Roger Moe, Rep. Bill Luther, Hubert Humphrey, and others before holding a fundraiser for his own PAC at a private home.
"A group of anti-war demonstrators are planning to gather today outside (Senator John) Edwards' Raleigh office to protest his hawkish stance toward Iraq," the Raleigh News & Observer's Wagner reports. "Edwards is among those calling for a U.S.-led regime change in Iraq, claiming Saddam Hussein poses a real threat to U.S. interests abroad."
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The State reminds us that "Two potential Democratic presidential hopefuls will head a list of VIPs at the Richland County Democratic Party's DemFest 2002 to be held Saturday at Martin Luther King Park in Five Points. North Carolina Senator John Edwards and Massachusetts Senator John Kerry will work the crowd and speak briefly. The combination picnic and rally will run from 5 to 7 p.m. in the community building at the park."
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"Edwards and Kerry are testing the presidential waters as they seek support in the state's 2004 presidential primary. Both recognize the abundance of Democratic voters in Richland County, and hope to become better known by spending time at the family event."
Wagner fills out Edwards' South Carolina itinerary: "Edwards is heading back to South Carolina this weekend with an eye on courting black voters … Earlier in the day (Saturday), Edwards has been invited as a special guest at a statewide gathering of black elected officials being pulled together by Rick Wade, the Democratic candidate for secretary of state in South Carolina. Edwards also plans to attend at least one black church service Sunday morning before leaving the Palmetto State, according to aides."
And, "Edwards and his family are relocating to a Georgetown address. The family made headlines with its $2.2 million purchase in late 1999 of a four-story red-brick mansion just off Embassy Row. That home, which backed up to that of Vernon Jordan, a confidant of President Clinton, has now been vacated and is about to be sold. It is unclear how soon Edwards, his wife, Elizabeth, and their children will get into the new place. It is apparently under contract but undergoing some renovations before the Edwards arrive. In the meantime, they are living in rental housing in the northwest section of the city."
The Charlotte Observer's Hurt leads: "The self-described 'people's senator' from North Carolina is trading in his Washington mansion for an even bigger one in a better neighborhood … Edwards and his wife have signed a contract on a $3.8 million home in Georgetown … 'This just feels like a family home,' said Elizabeth Edwards. 'There's a pool next door and you can hear the sounds of children playing.'"
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"The 8-bedroom, 6,672-square- foot home the Edwardses are buying has a storied past itself. The previous owners were Clayton and Polly Fritchey. He was an influential newspaper columnist and adviser to President Truman. She was a socialite and promoter of the arts in Washington, particularly the Kennedy Center and Folger Shakespeare Theatre."
"Part of the lure of the 1820 mansion for the Edwardses was the home's history. Proud of his humble beginnings as the son of a Baltimore & Ohio Railroad engineer, Clayton Fritchey used his columns to fight for the little guy."
"One of [Elizabeth Edwards'] favorite features is the backyard garden of boxwoods. It was designed by Perry Wheeler, who drew the plans for the White House Rose Garden for Jackie Kennedy."
Senator Daschle gets whacked in two separate Wall Street Journal editorials — one on the president's Charity, Aid, Recovery, and Empowerment bill, the other on homeland security and unions
Today, Vermont Gov. Howard Dean wakes up in the Granite State and addresses high school students in Manchester before heading to Maine for more events, including a fundraising reception with Democratic Senate candidate Chellie Pingree. On Saturday Dean will be in San Antonio, campaigning with a longshot Democratic congressional candidate and addressing a gay voters' get-out-the-vote event.
Sunday, Dean will do "Face the Nation" and attend an event in Austin.
Jake Tapper sure knows how to draw up, and find the foibles in, the Democratic candidates. LINK p>
"The Federal Election Commission yesterday carved out a broad exemption for religious and charitable groups from the electioneering provisions of the McCain-Feingold campaign finance bill," says the Washington Post 's Edsall.
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The Quad City Times continues its blockbuster work, in a must-read for those interested in this yarn, under the byline of Kathie Obradovich (who references herself in the third person in the fourth paragraph, following a "we just love it when local law enforcement conducts their investigation through the media" moment):
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And for the first time, there's a link to the audio files to hear the now-famous meeting yourself! White House Political Director Ken Mehlman starts on Track 3.
"A Des Moines Democrat who publicly supported U.S. Senator Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, has asked for immunity from prosecution before he talks to police about allegations that he taped a closed-door meeting of Republican U.S. Rep. Greg Ganske's Senate campaign."
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"Des Moines police Detective Bill Boggs confirmed Thursday that police are investigating allegations that Brian Conley of Des Moines was the person who claimed responsibility for the taping in an anonymous statement released Wednesday by a Des Moines attorney."
"'What I'm getting so far is that he does not wish to talk unless he's guaranteed immunity, which, if he doesn't think he's committed the crime, what does he need immunity for?' Boggs said."
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"Police also asked Quad-City Times Des Moines Bureau Chief Kathie Obradovich for a copy of the audio CD that Harkin staffers have acknowledged supplying. The digital audio files of the meeting have been posted at LINK … "
"Harkin cancelled his regularly scheduled weekly conference call with reporters. His campaign has retained an attorney to investigate the matter. David Wiggins, the campaign's lawyer, released a statement Thursday evening saying the campaign staff member involved in the matter has resigned from the campaign. The campaign has not released the name of that staff member … "
"Dr. Kenneth Schultheis, a physician from Des Moines said he sat next to Conley during the meeting, which he estimated was an hour long."
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"Schultheis said he walked in, shook Conley's hand and sat down next to him. 'I'd never met him before,' he said."
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"He struck up a conversation and asked if Conley was related to the people who used to run a funeral home in Des Moines. Conley said he was, that it was his father. They engaged in 'casual chit-chat,' Schultheis said, until the meeting began."
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"He said he saw no recording device."
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"Conley wore a suit and tie, he said. He said that Conley did not appear nervous or excited and that he did not ask any questions or say anything during the meeting."
The Des Moines Register says: "West Des Moines lawyer David Wiggins said the campaign staff member who leaked the tape and transcript of the Sept. 3 meeting to a newspaper reporter has resigned. Wiggins added that other Harkin staffers have retained lawyers, making his work more difficult."
"'I have experienced problems in getting the facts,' Wiggins' said in a prepared statement, as 'individuals with knowledge hired lawyers and those lawyers have not consented to let me talk to them.'"
One Republican wag observes to The Note: "Looks like those guys are more lawyered up than the Sopranos!"
A separate Register story quotes some, um, national and Iowa experts to suggest that Harkin might be in some trouble: "Faster than a reel of tape unwinding, political experts' view of the race for U.S. Senate in Iowa has taken a dramatic shift in recent days." LINK
"Experts in Iowa and elsewhere say that Democrat Tom Harkin's campaign has suffered severe damage from revelations that a staff member distributed copies of a secretly taped meeting of rival Rep. Greg Ganske. Even worse are accusations from Republicans that Harkin's campaign engineered the taping, which the senator and his staff have denied."
"The question is how deep the damage will go — and how quickly Harkin will recover with six weeks to go until Election Day. His apology for a staff member's distribution of the tape is not enough, experts said."
So the questions now seem to be:
1. What will Conley say and when will he say it? Will he implicate Senator Harkin or anyone from the campaign in activities that Iowans might find distasteful?
2. How well do Conley and Harkin know each other? How recent has their contact been?
3. Just which high-powered Democratic strategists and communications experts are working with Harkin on damage control now, from Iowa and DC?
4. Is the Wiggins probe a serious investigation?
5. Will the Harkin staffer who allegedly resigned ever be publicly identified, and will he/she talk to law enforcement or the press?
6. Who are these other Harkin staffers who have allegedly hired attorneys? And about what are they worried?
7. Was attorney Rosenberg misled by his own client about why and how the tape was made?
8. How long will this story dominate coverage of the race?
9. When will Senator Harkin speak out about his relationship to Conley?
10. Will Democrats succeed (as they did a smidge in the Iowa press this cycle) in pushing back a bit on the facts surrounding the Ganske meeting, or in trying to get the race back to the issues and dynamics that left the incumbent with a decent-sized lead?
11. Will the blood in the water give Ganske the capacity to raise more money and get more NRSC help?
12. How does one explain Conley's apparent party-switching?
13. IF Conley starts to tell an incriminating story about the Harkin campaign, how will the campaign handle it?
14. Will more Harkin staffers have to be thrown from the sled to save the candidate and senior campaign staff?
The Iowa ed boards and columnists continue to kick up dirt that simply can't be helpful to Senator Harkin.
We haven't tracked him down yet, but various Democratic sources tell us that Dale Leibach, who has poetic experience toiling in the Torricelli operation and has worked in the past for Harkin, is now involved in damage control, maybe even on the ground in Iowa.
Leibach earned his DC stripes as a press flack for Harkin and for Jimmy Carter, and is a top inside-the-Beltway PR man. He's now the managing partner of Cassidy and Associates. A media watcher for years, he started his career as a reporter for the Kansas City Star. His wife, Kathy Patterson, is a DC council member.
C'mon Harkin folks: start returning those press calls. The silence is deafening.
Jackie Calmes' dynamic colleague at the Wall Street Journal , Jeanne Cummings, asks a pretty important question in a must-read on the fight for the votes of the investor class in 2002 and beyond: "As the stock market fell to its lowest level in four years this week, it also raised a burning political question: How will a whole class of voters — America's millions of new small investors — react in the congressional elections that lie just ahead?"
"Republican strategists have been delighted at the rise of the small investors as a political force, because of a traditional tendency of people who have money invested in the stock market to drift Republican in their voting patterns. But the prolonged market slump, punctuated by a new drop now — just six weeks before the election — raises the possibility that these investors will blame President Bush for their declining wealth and take it out on his GOP colleagues … "
And there's this lovely kicker: "Meanwhile, GOP leaders are eager to get out the word that they are worried about Main Street investors. They sent anxious House members home for the August recess equipped with a Power-Point presentation showing what they had done for small businesses and investors — a package that came complete with a slide showing a corporate chief executive in a striped shirt behind bars."
A Washington Times op-ed looks at the possible fate of the appropriations bills in a lame-duck session with a Jim Talent-forged GOP majority.
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Post-campaign finance reform, Senator John McCain isn't campaigning for as many Republican congressional candidates this cycle as last.
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Just when we thought Jake Tapper couldn't get any more vers-a-TILE, he goes very long on Salon on the Miss America pageant, and works in Senator Harry Reid (D), political ambition, abortion, and Yucca Mountain. LINK
It's like old times at the New York Times : under the favorite bylines of the Torricelli campaign (Golden and Kocieniewski), the paper leads: "Federal investigators found 'substantial corroborating evidence' for the claims of a wealthy political contributor who said he had given tens of thousands of dollars in cash and gifts to Senator Robert G. Torricelli, prosecutors said in a letter made public yesterday."
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"The prosecutors said they ultimately decided not to bring criminal charges against Senator Torricelli because the donor had seriously undermined his own credibility as a potential witness by making a series of false or erratic statements about his business dealings and other matters."
The story doesn't say it in so many words, but the tone, reminiscent of many Times stories on this particular Senator over the years, is reflective of the following sentiment: "Our reporters and many frustrated FBI agents think the guy is guilty, but those knucklehead prosecutors refused to indict him because (small point!) David Chang is a liar."
A write-in bid for ousted Senator Bob Smith? Unlikely, but you never know in New Hampshire … LINK
"Jimmy Carter, a Milford street person whose exuberance led him to once offer to buy George W. Bush a beer during a campaign stop, was found dead Wednesday evening on the edge of the Souhegan River, marking an end to the town's most colorful, if not always admirable, character."
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In a story about President Bush's fundraising speech for Attorney General John Cornyn (R), Democratic Senate nominee Ron Kirk comes off as oh-so eager to please.
Cornyn is loyal, Bush suggested.
Me too! Kirk responded. "I know Texans believed George Bush when he said he wanted to build a bipartisan coalition and do the same thing for America that we've done here in Texas."
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"When asked if he agreed with Daschle that Bush should apologize, Kirk said he agreed with Bush spokesman Ari Fleischer's suggestion that both sides need to take a deep breath. 'We have a common enemy, and it's not us,' Kirk said. 'It's the terrorists we're fighting, and we shouldn't lose sight of that.'"
The two gubernatorial nominees debated last night. Democrat Kathleen Kennedy Townsend's "advisers hoped she would present herself as an assertive, confident leader and put to rest concerns about her tendency to commit verbal flubs. For the most part, she avoided making memorable gaffes, although at one point she gave herself credit for 'being in charge of crime for the last eight years.'"
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Republican Bob Ehrlich "struggled to shift the focus away from his record in Congress, where he has served four terms, as Townsend rarely passed up an opportunity to slam him for his votes on education, health care, affirmative action and other issues."
Townsend yesterday released a detailed plan to manage the state's budget problems; the plan does not rule out the possibility of new taxes.
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"Minnesota's two U.S. senators deny an explosive but anonymous allegation, printed Thursday in the Washington Post , that Democrats are drafting a special resolution on Iraq to help re-elect Senator Paul Wellstone, D-Minn. The Post story, quoting a lone unidentified aide, said Democrats 'are so concerned that … Wellstone could lose his seat because he will likely vote against the Bush resolution that they are drafting an alternative resolution 'because he has to have something to give him cover,' a Democratic Senate aide said."
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We're not sure about the special resolution, but we do know Democrats who worry that Wellstone could lose ground if he doesn't proceed carefully on Iraq. On the other hand, there are those in Minnesota who sincerely believe that Wellstone could pull Green Party voters into his column by adopting a resolute anti-war position.
The Star-Tribune updates the allegations that a campaign manager for Rep. Bill Luther (D) helped a conservative-leaning candidate petition his away into the race in hopes that the third guy would take votes away from Luther's Republican opponent, John Kline. LINK
Arizonans get to see their President today, campaigning for Rep. Matt Salmon's gubernatorial bid and then for Rick Renzi's 1st district bid.
A Northern Arizona University poll of the district showed Renzi's race with Democrat George Cordova to be a dead heat.
Salmon's opponent, Democratic Attorney General Janet Napolitano, may see her Clean Elections money cap rise, and she plans to bring President Clinton for an October 31 visit.
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Gov. Jeb Bush (R) and attorney Bill McBride (D) will debate for the first time this evening in Jacksonville. A statewide audience will tune them in.
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Apparently, more GOP oppo research finds its way into the New York Post : "State Comptroller Carl McCall successfully sought a job for his daughter from a top Verizon exec — while reminding him in the same letter that the state pension fund owned millions of the firm's shares, The Post has learned."
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"After congratulating Bell Atlantic honcho Fred Salerno on the merger that created Verizon, McCall cited the state's $143 million in shares — then urged Salerno to consider his daughter as a job candidate."
"'Under separate cover, I am sending the résumé we discussed,' McCall wrote in the Aug. 19, 1997, letter on official state stationery."
"In another mailing, McCall sent Salerno a two-page résumé for Marci McCall, his daughter, who wrote that her goal is 'to obtain a position coordinating or directing special events and/or community relations.'"
"Marci McCall was hired by Verizon in November 1998 and worked in one of the company's customer-service centers as a 'specialist."
On the other hand, Shaila Dewan has an investigative piece of her own in the New York Times on Emily Pataki. LINK
"Last night, at a fundraising dinner in Houston, Bush made perhaps his most personal reference to the Iraqi plot to assassinate his father in 1993, shortly after George H.W. Bush left the presidency," the Washington Post 's Allen and VandeHei note. "'There's no doubt his hatred is mainly directed at us,' the president said of Hussein. 'There's no doubt he can't stand us. After all, this is a guy that tried to kill my dad at one time.'"
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The Wall Street Journal writes about Vice President Cheney: "The vice president is fund raising in Idaho Friday as a U.S. district court here takes up the General Accounting Office lawsuit to compel release of his 2001 energy-policy task force's records. GAO, acting for Congress, wants to know what private meetings Bush officials had with Enron and other firms while drafting an energy bill. Cheney says Congress doesn't oversee his office. Meanwhile, administration aides scramble in Congress to save their bill."
Vice President Dick Cheney braved the rain and win to help raise money for Tennessee Senate nominee Lamar Alexander … LINK
… and then went to Texas to give congressional candidate Jeb Hensarling a lift. LINK
A stray paragraph from that New York Times Clymer story on the House: "Former President George H. W. Bush said at a [House candidate John] Kline fund-raiser last Thursday that control of the House may depend on Minnesota, and it was very important to his son that Republicans hold on. He raised more than $100,000 at an event closed to the news media on White House orders."
— 9:00 am, Attorney General Ashcroft addresses corporate fraud conference, Washington Hilton
— 11:00 am, Sen. Ted Kennedy delivers speech on Iraq, Johns Hopkins, DC
—11:30 am, Senate Minority Leader Lott briefs
— 1:30 pm, President Bush headlines fundraiser for House candidate Bob Beauprez, Denver
— early afternoon TBD, Treasury Secretary O'Neill holds press conference
— 2:00 pm, Vice President Cheney headlines luncheon fundraiser for Gov. Dirk Kempthorne and Rep. Butch Otter, Boise, ID
— 4:55 pm, President Bush addresses welcome rally, Flagstaff, AZ
— 5:05 pm, Vice President Cheney takes part in Q&A with former Sen. Alan Simpson, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY
—8:10 pm, President Bush headlines fundraiser for gubernatorial nominee Matt Salmon, Phoenix — 11:40 pm, President Bush arrives at the Crawford ranch
— Sept. 27: Former Vice President Al Gore attends fundraiser for Carl McCall.
— Sept. 27: Florida gubernatorial candidates debate
— Sept. 27: Final 2nd Quarter GDP figure due — Sept. 27: Candidates for IL-19 debate, Mt. Vernon
— Sept. 27-29: California Republican Party convention
— Sept. 27-29: National Coalition Against Legalized Gambling convention, Dallas
— Sept. 28: Richland, County South Carolina "Dem Fest" with Sens. Kerry and Edwards in attendence — Sept. 28: Vermont Sen. Jim Jeffords (I) campaigns for Mary Landreiu, Louisiana — Sept. 27-30: Sen. Joseph Lieberman visits Florida
— Sept. 29: DCCC mega-fundraiser, hosted by Rep. Dick Gephardt and featuring Barbra Streisand, Los Angeles
— Sept. 29: Rudy Giuliani fundraises for gubernatorial candidate Jim Ryan (R), Illinois — Sept. 29: Vermont Gov. Howard Dean campaigns in Texas for Democratic candidates
— Sept. 30: Discovery ends in McCain-Feingold lawsuit (tentative).
— Sept. 30: Tennessee Senate candidates debate
— Sept. 30: 401(k) statements begin to roll out. — Sept. 30: Third quarter campaign finance period closes — Oct. 1: Fundraiser for Erskine Bowles in DC; discounted tickets for former Clinton administration officials — Oct. 1: Federal pre-general campaign finance period begins — Oct. 2: Sen. Patty Murray (D) and Sen. Bill Frist at National Press Club luncheon
— Oct. 3: Gov. Howard Dean address Empire State Pride annual dinner, NYC
— Oct. 4: Al Sharpton's birthday — Oct. 4: President Bush in Massachusetts
— Oct. 4: Former Vice President Al Gore in Massachusetts — Oct. 4: Employment data from September due
— Oct. 5: Tri-state's Largest Chili Cook-Off, Dubuque, Iowa
— Oct. 5: Sen. Chris Dodd keynotes Ohio Democratic Party dinner
— Oct. 5: President Bush travels to New Hampshire — Oct. 5: Iowa Democratic Party Jefferson/Jackson dinner, keynoted by Gov. Howard Dean, Sen. John Edwards, and Sen. John Kerry.
— Oct. 5: Colorado Senate candidates to debate — Oct. 6: Sen. Joseph Lieberman campaigns for Conn. Gov. candidate Bill Curry, NY Gov. candidate H. Carl McCall, and several Congressional candidates, Connecticut and New York
— Oct. 6: South Carolina Senate candidates debate, Charleston
—Oct; 6: 30 day residency requirement deadline for voters in many states
— Oct. 7: Michigan gubernatorial candidates debate
— Oct. 7: Illinois gubernatorial candidates debate
#151; Oct. 7: South Dakota Senate candidates debate
— Oct. 7: California gubernatorial candidates debate — Oct. 8: President Bush headlines fundraiser for gubernatorial candidate Rep. Van Hilleary, TN Oct. 8: Sen. Joseph Lieberman attends fundraiser for Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, MD
#151; Oct. 9: Democratic National Committee hosts Get-Out-The-Vote concert, with musicians and the Clintons in attendence, DC — Oct. 9: Texas gubernatorial candidates debate
— Oct. 11: Retail sales figure for September due
— Oct. 11: Congress target date for adjournment.
—Oct. 11-12: Christian Coalition's "God Bless America—One Nation Under God Road to Victory 2002" conference, DC
— Oct. 12: Sen. John McCain hosts Saturday Night Live, New York
— Oct. 13: Iowa State Hand-Cornhusking contest, Kimballton, Iowa
— Oct. 13: Tennessee Senate candidates debate
— Oct. 13: Illinois Senate candidates debate
— Oct. 14: Oregon gubernatorial candidate debate (tentative)
— (tentative) Oct. 14: Arkansas Senate candidates to debate — Oct. 14-15: Sen. Joseph Lieberman visits New Hampshire
— Oct. 15: Michigan gubernatorial candidates debate
— Oct: 15: Minnesota Senate candidate debate, Moorehead — Oct. 15-17: Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn) travels to Iowa
— Oct. 16: Federal pre-general campaign finance period ends
— Oct. 17: Minnesota Senate candidate debate, Rochester — Oct. 17: Rep. Tom Davis (R) and Rep. Nita Lowey (D) at National Press Club
— Oct. 18: New Mexico gubernatorial candidates debate — Oct. 18: Consumer Price Index figure for September due
— Oct. 18: South Carolina Senate candidates debate, Clemson — Oct. 18: New Hampshire Democratic Party Jefferson-Jackson Dinner, with Sen. John Edwards as host — Oct. 20: Sen. Joseph Lieberman visits Florida
— Oct. 20: South Carolina Senate candidates debate
— Oct. 20: Alabama gubernatorial candidates debate
— Oct. 20: Tennessee Senate candidates debate — Oct. 21: Index of leading economic indicators for September figure due
— Oct. 21: South Dakota Senate candidates debate
— Oct. 21: Minnesota Senate candidates debate, St. Cloud
— Oct. 22: Florida gubernatorial candidates debate — Oct. 23-24: FEC holds rule-making hearings on coordinated and independent expenditures
— Oct. 24: (tentative) Texas gubernatorial candidates debate
— Oct. 24: Pre-general campaign finance report due to FEC
— Oct. 24: Pennsylvania gubernatorial candidates debate
— Oct. 24: (tentative) Texas Senate candidates debate
— Oct. 24: (tentative) Missouri Senate candidates debate — Oct. 24-25: Sen. Joseph Lieberman visits Texas to campaign for Democratic candidates — Oct. 25: League of Conservation Voters — Oct. 25: Durable goods orders, new home sales and existing home sales figures due
— Oct. 25: South Carolina Senate candidates debate, Columbia
— Oct. 26: New York Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton's birthday — Oct. 26: Karl Rove headlines 2nd Annual Ronald Reagan dinner, Des Moines, Iowa
— Oct. 28: Minnesota Senate candidates debate — Oct. 30: (tenative) South Dakota Senate candidates debate
— Oct. 30: SpeakUp! Youth Forum with New York gubernatorial candidates
—Oct. 31: Early voting begins in Oklahoma — Oct. 31: Estimate of Third Quarter GDP is released — Nov. 1: Data for September employment, personal income and personal spending due — Nov. 3: New Mexico gubernatorial candidates debate
— Nov. 4: Laura Bush's birthday
— Nov. 4: Deadline for opening briefs, McCain-Feingold lawsuit (tentative). — Nov. 5: Election Day — Nov. 6: New FEC disclosure and soft money rules go into effect
— Nov. 8-9: Association of American Trial Lawyers Board of Governors meeting, Washington, D.C.
— Nov 10-15: National Congress of American Indians annual meeting, San Diego
— Nov. 17: Vermont Governor Howard Dean's birthday.
— Nov. 18: Deadline for opposition briefs, McCain-Feingold lawsuit (tentative).
— Nov. 18: Moussaoui trial: jury questionnaire distributed
— Nov. 20: Delaware Senator. Joseph Biden's birthday
— Nov. 21-23: Republican Governors Association annual meeting, Dana Point, California
— Dec. 4: Oral arguments begun in McCain-Feingold lawsuit. (tentative)
— Dec. 5: Strom Thurmond's 100th birthday
— Dec. 5: Post-general election campaign finance reports due.
— Dec. 9: South Dakota Senator Tom Daschle's birthday
— Dec. 9: Moussaoui trial voir dire: jury voir dire
— 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, 1 2003: New federal individual contribution limits take effect (tentative)
— Jan 6, 2003: Opening arguments (tenative) for Moussaoui trial
— 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. 24, 2003: Connecticut Senator Joe Lieberman's birthday
— March 11, 2003: Georgia Governor Roy Barnes's birthday
— March 31, 2003: Al Gore's birthday
— May 19, 2003: Al and Tipper Gore's 33rd wedding anniversary
— June 15, 2003: Senate/House/key adviser personal financial disclosure forms due
— July 6: President Bush's birthday
— July 28: Bill Bradley's birthday.
— Aug. 14: Lynne Cheney's birthday
— Aug. 19: Bill Clinton's birthday
— Aug 19: Tipper Gore's birthday
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