ABC News' The Note: First Source for Political News

ByABC News
July 8, 2004, 9:59 AM

W A S H I N G T O N, July 8, 2004&#151;<br> -- NOTED NOW

TODAY SCHEDULE (all times ET)

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Morning Show Wrap

Evening Newscasts Wrap

NEWS SUMMARY

The world of political reporters cleaves neatly into two groups: those who wonder about the short term and those who wonder about the long term.

On this day, the short-term questions include:

-- What song will John Mellencamp play at the big Kerry-Edwards Radio City Music Hall event tonight?

-- Will the dominant media coverage of the Ken Lay indictment have a pro-Bush or anti-Bush tinge?

-- Is Deborah Orin right about the return of the word "liberal"?

-- To how many states, besides the Tar Heel one, does the selection of Edwards extend the TV ad war battle?

-- In the first round of reputable polling, will the presidential-led effort to suggest that John Edwards isn't ready to be the commander in chief move the needle?

-- Will the Kerrys remember to wear bibs tonight during their Larry King taping?

-- Will we soon start to see any impact on the presidential race of bad news from Iraq having receded from the headlines dramatically for quite some time? (Surely, you've Noticed . . .)

-- How much touching will the Senators John do on camera during their "60 Minutes" taping?

-- Which presidential campaign is seeing more polling not done or paid for by them on what impact, if any, the Edwards pick is having on the race?

-- Have Pataki and Giuliani talked to Al D'Amato this week?

-- Will someone who loves John Kerry make him watch video of himself telling those jokes on the stump yesterday?

-- Does the cover of Time and the feature in People magazine mean that veep rollout will indeed last two weeks?

-- Will the Senate gay marriage amendment debate and vote bring floor speeches from either Kerry or Edwards (who is very pro-gay)?

-- What will John Edwards' campaign schedule look like once the ticket mates go their separate ways? How about Elizabeth Edwards?

The longer term questions include:

-- Who will marry Jack Edwards?

-- How will the moderator of the Cheney-Edwards debate divide the time between domestic and foreign policy questions?

-- In his introductory on camera shot during that debate, how broadly will Mr. Cheney smile, as compared to the instructions he has been given about how broadly to smile?

-- By election day, how many Nexis and Google News hits will the search "Kerry Edwards overshadow" yield, as compared to the number of times any actual voters think about the concept?

The Labor Department reports a steep decline in jobless claims last week, marking the lowest level of people applying for unemployment since October 2000. According to the jobless report 310,000 workers applied for unemployment for the first time, 39,000 fewer than the week prior. LINK

AP's Jennifer Aversa points out that the decline could be exaggerated by adjustment problems stemming from seasonal auto plant closings. In addition, the number of people who remained on state unemployment after collecting benefits for a week fell to 2.87 million at the end of June.

Sens. Kerry and Edwards continue their rollout with a 11:00 am ET rally in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. before traveling to New York City for a gala fundraiser tonight with Dave Matthews, Paul Newman, Wyclef Jean, Meryl Streep, and many others. Sen. Kerry and his wife Teresa Heinz Kerry also appear on CNN's "Larry King Live" on tape.

President Bush meets with the king of Morocco in the Oval Office at 11:25 am ET and addresses the LULAC convention via satellite at 2:10 pm ET.

This morning, CIA Director George Tenet gives his farewell address to intelligence employees.

Vice President Cheney gives pool reporters a tour of the updated Homeland Security operations center at 2:00 pm ET (They will take no questions, we're told.).

And the Senate continues debating the class action lawsuits bill.

ABC News Vote 2004: Kerry-Edwards '04:

The Washington Post's Jim VandeHei hit the road with the Kerry-Edwards team Wednesday, and Notes the focus on economics and closing the gap in Edwards' "Two Americas," despite the prominence of Iraq and the war on terror in the campaign. Edwards will be the voice of the ticket's economic message, and Kerry will talk about national security issues, VandeHei reports. LINK

"In picking Senator John Edwards as his running mate, Senator John Kerry signaled that he would renew emphasis on economic anxieties and try to refute President Bush's assertion that good times have returned," writes the New York Times' Edmund Andrews. LINK

The New York Times' Jodi Wilgoren wraps Sens. Kerry's and Edwards' jaunt through Ohio Wednesday, borrowing "phrases from each other's stump speeches to heap praise on each other as they promised to help hard-pressed Americans and promote the values of "faith, family, opportunity and responsibility.''" LINK

Note to Jodi: what's so great about being blond?

Glen Johnson of the Boston Globe is two for two in his "cute moment of the day" two days in a row. His recap of yesterday's Kerry-Edwards barnstorming contains this Edwards kids' moment:

"Later, aboard Kerry's campaign plane, an aide laughed while recalling that Jack had said moments earlier, "'You know what I'm thinking about? Oreos.'" LINK

In their recap of yesterday's Kerry-Edwards roll-out, the Los Angeles Times' Gold and Barabak observe, "Any residual tensions from the two men's competition during the Democratic primaries seemed to have evaporated. From the moment they stepped before a bank of more than 50 cameras Wednesday morning, emerging from the elegant Pittsburgh-area estate of Kerry's wife, Teresa, Kerry and Edwards looked like a couple on a blind date that had gone unexpectedly well." LINK

Ron Brownstein of the Los Angeles Times asks and answers this question: "Does John F. Kerry plus John Edwards equal Al Gore?" LINK

The AP's Liz Sidoti observed that Sen. Edwards may have achieved exactly what Democrats wanted: he seemed to have lightened up the uptight John Kerry yesterday. LINK

Howard Kurtz highlights Kerry's $18 million ad blitz meant "to capitalize on the choice of Sen. John Edwards as his running mate." LINK

Kerry launched television ads in Republican-leaning North Carolina yesterday. The AP writes, "Edwards may help put his traditionally GOP state -- and its 15 electoral votes -- in play, along with other Southern venues." And saturating the airwaves in his home state won't hurt. LINK

In writing up the re-emergence of Sen. Edwards on the campaign trail, Raja Mishra of the Boston Globe Notes, "In the run-up to Kerry's vice presidential selection, many people speculated he would pass over Edwards for fear of looking dull in comparison. Indeed, Edwards garnered more applause than Kerry in Cleveland yesterday during his 11-minute address."LINK

The Chicago Tribune's Jeff Zeleny wraps the first day on the trail for the KE04 ticket, making sure to include President Bush's comparison of Vice President Cheney and Sen. Edwards and the polls by CNN/USA Today/Gallup and CBS News showing that voters say they're largely satisfied with the choice. LINK

Jill Lawrence details a day of "Kodak moments and gaffes" where Kerry-Edwards electrified Ohio, but may have lost the bald vote. And that new way for John Kerry to connect by playing the loving (grand)father to the adorable Jack and Emma Claire Edwards! LINK

The Washington Post's Mark Leibovich reads the body language and paints a picture with all the visual cues on the first day of the "Double-Date Tour." LINK

The Baltimore Sun's Julie Hirschfeld Davis describes the trail lovefest yesterday, harkening back to the picturesque first days on the trail for the Clinton-Gore ticket in '92. LINK

The Raleigh News & Observer's Rob Christensen follows the first big day, with lots of fun commentary by BC04's Reed Dickens. LINK

The New York Post's Marsha Kranes assesses the bounce that she calls a bump. LINK

Bob Novak says Edwards makes for a lopsided ticket, pairing two liberal candidates. "There is no sign Kerry was serious about reaching out to a more moderate running mate as John F. Kennedy, Ronald Reagan and Michael Dukakis did with mixed results. Nor do Kerry's advisers take seriously the notion that Edwards, who looked like a loser for re-election in his own state of North Carolina this year before he dropped out, can win Southern electoral votes against George W. Bush" LINK

The AP Notes, "Americans have a choice in November -- they can vote for millionaires John Kerry and John Edwards, or cast their ballot for millionaires George W. Bush and Dick Cheney." LINK

"Democrats Wednesday looked across the South and suddenly saw a land rich with possibilities, thanks to John Edwards," writes the Hartford Courant's David Lightman. LINK

They may not all be like tonight's concert at Radio City Music Hall, but "Concerts for Kerry has organized close to 40 concerts, including three at rock clubs in Boston. The organization's Web site, concertsforkerry.org, includes links to help bands set up pro-Kerry gigs. As of this week, Concerts for Kerry reported having raised $114,000." The Boston Globe Notes that musicians from Emmylou Harris to Lenny Kravitz have participated. LINK

The New York Daily News reports Kerry-Edwards and the Dems will rake in $5 million at the Radio City Music Hall fund-raiser tonight featuring Dave Matthews Band, Whoopi Goldberg, and Wyclef Jean. Expect the surrounding area to be virtually impassible as soon at 3:00 pm ET today when security preparations go full-throttle. LINK

The New York Times' Sheryl Gay Stolberg profiles Elizabeth Edwards. LINK

Airport worker Bryan Smith may not be married to a Fed chair, but some say he broke the Edwards story. LINK

Kerry-Edwards '04: Southern living?:

Anne Kornblut writes in the Boston Globe that Edwards' Southern appeal may not be such a help to the Democratic ticket in the South. Here's an anonymous quote from a senior Bush official saying that a Kerry attempt at the Southern vote "gives us a chance, when he pokes his head up, to say: 'You know, you're against the tax cut. You voted against the partial birth abortion ban. You voted against parental notification [on abortion]. You're wrong on the flag. You're a liberal, and you're from Massachusetts.'" LINK

USA Today's William Welch writes that "while more than a regional candidate, Sen. John Edwards' selection as Democrat John Kerry's running mate boosts his party in the Republican-leaning South, especially in Edwards' home state, North Carolina." LINK

Ivy-covered Jack Bass writes a poetic op-ed in the New York Times that claims "the choice of Mr. Edwards means that President Bush can no longer take the South for granted." LINK