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NEWS SUMMARY:
The late-breaking news: the firefighters union appears headed for a deal with Mayor Menino at this writing, and last night's dramatic Red Sox win (complete with bench-clearing brawl) makes tonight's series finale even more of an Event than it already was.
The Democratic National Convention officially opens tomorrow, and this morning you can read to your hearts' content about the candidates' message, party unity, the Republican response -- even the lack of adequate bathroom facilities for the media at the FleetCenter (We'll spare you the details of that one.).
What we can tell you is that ABC News will be there for every minute of it.
Starting with this morning's "This Week with George Stephanopoulos," which you don't want to miss.
It will feature ABC's Cokie Roberts' interview Sen. John Edwards; George's sit-down with Sen. Ted Kennedy in Hyannisport: 9/11 Commissioners Bob Kerrey and John Lehman; the return of The Roundtable, with Cokie, Sam Donaldson, and George Will, plus ABC News Political Director Mark Halperin.
Tomorrow at noon ET, ABC News Now, our new, 24-hour news service, premiers on broadband, digital cable, and the Web. Join Peter Jennings and a gaggle of special guests for gavel-to-gavel coverage, and you will want to be there. ABC News Now is your all-access pass to the Democratic National Convention. For more information, click here: LINK
If for whatever reason you STILL don't understand how you can get ABC News Now, we recommend the exceedingly clear and entertaining Robert Krulwich streaming video piece that you can launch and watch from that page.
LINK
And if you want the best, up-to-the-minute convention news, tidbits, and insight, log on to Noted Now: LINK
Elsewise, we recommend that your first stop this morning be our convention quiz in the New York Times today. Scroll down to the bottom of the opinion page and click on "The Democrats Go to Boston." LINK
Sen. Kerry makes one of his "front porch" stops at the home of Jessie and Janet Aikens to discuss the Kerry-Edwards plan to help American workers and families at 1:15 pm ET in Columbus, Ohio. Following the event he heads to Cape Canaveral, Fla., where he overnights. On Monday, he'll attend a town hall meeting at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla.
Sen. Edwards is in San Antonio, Texas to raise money for the Kerry-Edwards campaign at Alcado's Mexican Cuisine at 2:30 pm ET and to participate in a youth town hall at the Antioch Baptist Church at 3:30 pm ET. He then heads to his home in Raleigh, N.C., where he overnights. On Monday, he campaigns in Raleigh and Greensboro, N.C.
President Bush spends the weekend at his Crawford Ranch with no scheduled events.
Democratic National Convention: Kerry-Edwards 2004:
The Los Angeles Times' Ron Brownstein rounds up the Kerry campaign's message strategy in the run-up to the convention ("'Seventy-five percent of this week is that he will keep you safe, and 25% is that he is a man of conviction,' one senior Kerry aide said.") -- viewed by many as his last chance to make a first impression with voters. LINK
The New York Times' Adam Nagourney got a pre-convention interview with Sen. Kerry, during which Kerry "says he will seek to persuade voters over the next three months that he would do a "better job than George Bush" in protecting the nation from terrorism, but he acknowledges that the president now holds an advantage on this pivotal issue." LINK
For the cover of Time magazine, Joe Klein turns in a must-read about the evolution of John Kerry as a politician and a candidate, offering and interview and loads of insight into the way Kerry thinks and the way he faces decisions from his vote on the $87 billion Iraq supplemental request to how he's approaching his nomination acceptance speech.
LINK
The Chicago Tribune's JZs (Jill Zuckman and Jeff Zeleny) got their own Kerry interview too. LINK
Newsweek's Evan Thomas looks at Kerry's "enigmatic" character. "In the interview, his manner was not stiff or lordly; if anything, he seemed humble, even vulnerable." LINK
The Washington Post has a fantastic package of pieces, including Dan Balz's lead all look at Kerry's challenge to go beyond the unified party and the 50-50 tie LINK;
The Washington Post's David Von Drehle distills it all down to one idea: "... while the party is emphatically and energetically anti-Bush, Democrats are a bit fuzzier on the subject of what they support. That's where their candidate, Massachusetts Sen. John F. Kerry, comes in. His task this week, according to various party leaders, is to lay out a Democratic vision for the next four years -- or at least for the next four months." LINK;
David Broder observes that "the real advantage Kerry has is the lesson taught by Dukakis's defeat: Don't be passive in the face of Republican attacks." LINK;
Lois Romano and Jim VandeHei saw the KE04 message up close and personal in Wisconsin and Iowa on Saturday. LINK
The Boston Globe's Glen Johnson looks at Kerry's speech preparation. LINK
Mark Z. Barabak and Matea Gold of the Los Angeles Times round up both Kerry's day on the trail on Saturday and the settling-in dance being done on Saturday in Boston, throwing in at the end a Florida poll showing Kerry slightly ahead (but within the margin of error!). LINK
Time magazine's Michael Duffy writes up some startling numbers in his magazine's new poll. Despite a 52-percent wrong-track number and 53 percent saying it's time for a new President, just 46 percent of those surveyed say they favor Kerry (over 43 percent for President Bush). Duffy underscores the importance of this convention to Kerry defining himself: "While nearly 70% of voters say they know a great deal about Bush, only 29% say the same about the Senator." Duffy also Notes that Kerry falls short of the Hispanic and African-American support he needs. LINK
Kerry is maintaining his lead among younger voters, according to Newsweek's latest Genext poll. Under-30s prefer Kerry to Bush, 48 to 41, reflecting a 4-point gain for Kerry since May. LINK
Time magazine's Karen Tumulty writes her take on the Kerry's-expanding-group-of-advisers story -- including looks at Michael Whouley, Cam Kerry, David Thorne, his Senate staff and colleagues, and the Clintons. LINK
The Boston Globe's Pat Healy has Kerry staying positive in Sioux City while his wife, Teresa Heinz Kerry, "unfurled some new attack lines." LINK
The San Antonio Express writes up Edwards' trip to the Lone Star State under the header, "Onward! To Boston -- via S.A." LINK
The Raleigh News & Observer quotes Mandy Grunwald saying the chemistry between Kerry and Edwards is reminiscent of the chemistry between Clinton and Gore in 1992. "'We thought 1 & 1 = 10,' Grunwald said. 'That is what Kerry and Edwards are like. They are most powerful together. In almost every poll I have seen, Kerry-Edwards versus Bush-Cheney does a couple of points better than just Kerry versus Bush. It's a visceral thing. I like the picture of what it says about where the country is going. I like their energy.'" LINK
The Washington Post's Dale Russakoff writes a highly positive piece (dare we say "gushing?") detailing Sen. Kerry's life. LINK
The Los Angeles Times' Stephen Braun takes a look at Sen. Kerry's lifelong political ambition in his bio piece. LINK
The New York Daily News' Helen Kennedy writes, "John Kerry needs to make the sale." LINK
Time magazine's Karen Tumulty sits down with Teresa Heinz Kerry and Elizabeth Edwards about life in the political limelight. LINK
The New York Daily News' Celeste Katz profiles Mrs. Heinz Kerry. LINK
In a separate story, Katz writes about the campaign work of the Kerry and Heinz kids. LINK
Bill Weld, the former Massachusetts governor who lost a Senate race to Kerry in 1996, reveals Kerry's secret in Newsweek: he knows Americans like to be for, as well as against, things. Weld still predicts victory for Bush, however, on the basis of his personal warmth.
LINK
ABC News' Drew Milhon is on the trail with the Senator from Massachusetts, and sent us this dispatch from Ohio:
"Snoop Doggy Dog (the rapper), a Halloween costume convention, and presumptive the presumptive Democratic nominee are all sharing the same hotel. Rappers, Frankenstein, the Werewolf, and John Kerry are all under the roof of the Westin Columbus, Ohio. (Jerry Seinfeld also checked out last night, seriously.)"
"This may be the hottest hotel between L.A., New York and south of Boston. Monsters, Doggs, and famous Massachusetts politicians all sharing one hotel in fly over country!"
"Pat Shearns, the ground logistics coordinator for KE04 just claimed, "This is the craziest place I've ever been on this campaign!"
"P.S. Snoop Dogg was just sighted by this reporter leaving the hotel. The Wicked Witch of the West was just seen entering the same building."
"Make of it what you will."
Democratic National Convention:
The Boston Herald's David Guarino and Andrew Miga write that the Clintons tonight "will kick-start the proceedings with high-profile appearances at a book-signing, an Avalon nightclub event to rally young voters and an exclusive party at the State Room." LINK
From near and far, delegates descend on "the Hub," the Boston Globe reports. LINK
The New York Times' Pam Belluck and John Kifner take a look at the concerns of Bostonians during convention week, "in the form of gridlock and job interruptions, inconveniencing commuters and businesses and generating less income for the city than hoped." LINK
The Orlando Sentinel looks at what the convention means for Florida delegates who will sit right in the middle of the Fleet Center's floor. The Sentinel also Notes Kerry's Monday visit to Florida's Kennedy Space Center. LINK
Democratic National Convention: protests:
Angry about being fenced in, many protestors are rejecting the "free-speech zone" and shifting their activities to the surrounding neighborhood, the Boston Globe reports. LINK
Democratic National Convention: labor disputes:
"The City of Boston and firefighter union officials last night were finalizing a contract settlement that would avert the prospect of pickets at tonight's delegation parties, a big breakthrough in the labor unrest that has plagued convention planners in the final frenzied weeks before the Democratic Party gathering," the Boston Globe reports. LINK
Democratic National Convention: security:
Because of security problems, several hundred reporters and crews spent up to two hours waiting to get into office space inside the zone, the Boston Globe reports. LINK
Democratic National Convention: the money:
The New York Times' Glenn Justice examines the "cut loose" corporate sponsors of the Democratic National Convention. LINK
Democratic National Convention: the opposition:
The Washington Post's Mike Allen outlines the Republicans' convention counter-programming plans -- i.e., the "Extreme Makeover," complete with "video clips, a daily 10 a.m. news conference, a new Web site and a stream of interviews with high-profile Republicans -- at least 90 for television and 112 for radio on Monday alone" to charge Kerry with portraying himself as a moderate when in fact he's a liberal. LINK
The Los Angeles Times' Ed Chen and Richard Simon look at how the BC04 folks plan to handle the Democratic nomination -- with a series of surrogates, led by Vice President Cheney, barnstorming the country and in Boston during the event and a tour by President Bush to Missouri, Michigan, Ohio, and Pennsylvania immediately after the convention wraps. LINK
The New York Times' Michael Oreskes takes a look at how much confidence and trust voters have in President Bush, in a great big historical context. LINK
Other must-reads:
Bob Kaiser in the Washington Post does his own version of on-the-one-hand-on-the-other-hand in looking at Bush v. Kerry. But he says Kerry has History on his side. LINK
The Washington Post's Jonathan Weisman turns in a great look at the vote last fall on the $87 billion supplemental to fund the war in Iraq, and reminds readers that "Republican lawmakers were some of the loudest skeptics" of the President's request. Contrary to the criticism of Sen. Kerry's vote against it -- i.e., it's a simple thing -- either fund body armor or not -- Weisman Notes that in fact the decision was a complicated one, and plenty of maneuvering was needed to keep members of the President's party in line. LINK
The Los Angeles Times' Geoff Boucher reports that "Bruce Springsteen, Neil Young, R.E.M., Pearl Jam and a deep roster of other rock stars will unite for politically minded concerts this fall that will give voice to dissatisfaction with the Bush administration," planned for October and aimed for battleground-state arenas. Because if you've been at a Springsteen show in the last couple of years, you might've missed that whole "dissatisfaction with the President" thing. LINK
The New York Times' Robin Toner Notes "most voters have already chosen sides -- sometimes angrily, often passionately. The swing voter and the independent, once thought to be the models of the modern voter, are harder to find this year, according to pollsters in both parties." LINK
A new poll by the Columbus Dispatch shows a tight race in Ohio. In a two-way race, Bush has 47, Kerry 45, Undecided 8. In a three-way race, Bush 47, Kerry 44, Nader 2, Undecided 7. LINK
A Des Moines Register poll shows another "nail-biter" in Iowa, with Bush at 46, Kerry at 45, Nader at 2, and undecided at 7. LINK
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports that Kerry's "tie" with Bush can be seen either as a sign of strength or as a sign of weakness, given all of the President's problems. LINK
Bush and Kerry will both be campaigning in Ohio next weekend, coming within 25 miles at one point, the Columbus Dispatch reports. LINK
TODAY'S SCHEDULE (all times ET):
—1:15 pm: Sen. Kerry talks with families and neighbors about the KE'04 plan to help American families and workers succeed at a private home, Columbus, Ohio
—2:00 pm: The DNCC kicks off their daily press briefings at their convention headquarters, Boston, Mass.
—2:30 pm: Sen. Edwards attends a KE'04 fundraising reception at Alcado's Mexican Cuisine, San Antonio, Texas
—3:30 pm: Sen. Edwards attends an youth town hall at Antioch Baptist Church, San Antonio, Texas
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