The Note
W A S H I N G T O N, March 11—<br> -- TODAY SCHEDULE (all times ET)
FUTURES CALENDAR
NEWS SUMMARY
The only way to get The Note written on time every morning is to give exquisitely precise instructions every evening to the 500 Googling monkeys working the overnight shift.
Last night, before we left, we told the Googlers to watch out for:
1. How the President's jobs speech played in Ohio.
2. If John Kerry would be punished for his major league, big time potty mouth.
3. How the New York media would curtain-raise the President's combo 9/11 memoralizing-fundraising jaunt to The Island. (And whether he would get a surprise endorsement from some Empire State first responders . . .)
4. Whether anyone got a simple tick-tock of the cancellation of the announcement of the Commerce Secretary manufacturing czar -- and whether Anthony F. Raimondo will ever be nominated.
5. How happy/lappy is John Kerry's Capitol Hill victory lap going to be -- and which side's Hill echo chamber is most geared up for maximum echo?
6. What Sen. Kerry will do to finesse the gay marriage debate in his Bay State home state today.
But, most of all, we reminded them that this phase of the campaign is about defining John Kerry for the American people, which means, focus on.
7. The expected new Bush/Cheney 04 campaign ads, including what we expect to be the first contrast spot, containing the word "Kerry."
President Bush is in New York to speak on the economy, attend a 9/11 memorial and a Bush-Cheney campaign fundraiser.
Vice President Cheney attends a fundraiser tonight in Potomac, Md.
Sen. Kerry is in Washington, D.C. with meetings galore, including various caucuses and the sonofameeealworker.
Rep. Kucinich is in Washington, D.C.
Rev. Sharpton is in New York.
Ralph Nader is in Washington, D.C.
J-O-B-S and outsourcing:
We can't possibly do justice here to all that went on yesterday from mid-afternoon through early evening on the Commerce manufacturing job czar storyline.
Trust us: both campaigns, the Hill, the White House, and every political reporter worth her salt were all over it for several hours.
The Washington Post's Allen and Weisman report after the Kerry campaign was tipped off to Bush's nomination of Anthony F. Raimondo to become the manufacturing czar, the campaign passed to reporters news that Raimondo's company had opened a factory in China. LINK
The AP's Martin Crutsinger reports that the Bush Administration postponed the announcement of announcing the manufacturing czar nominee because of "scheduling conflicts," according to the Commerce Department. LINK
The trade deficit reached record levels on a day when Kerry and Bush attacked each other over outsourcing. Reports the New York Timesin its breathless lead, "The new data . . . was slightly worse than economists had expected and intensified the battle over trade and jobs playing out in the 2004 presidential campaign." LINK
The economy:
Retail sales climbed by .6 percent, a development the AP calls a "hopeful sign for healthy economic growth in the current quarter." And the AP says "new claims for unemployment benefits dropped last week by a seasonally adjusted 6,000 to 341,000, a six-week low, the Labor Department said." LINK
The Washington Post's Greg Schneider reports that small manufacturers asked Congress for relief from rising steel prices, "which several said threaten to drive them out of business." LINK
The Los Angeles Times' Marshall and Iritani reports China's "chip design" is stirring some of the trade deficit pot. And Administration officials are paying attention. LINK
ABC News Vote 2004: Bush vs. Kerry:
The AP's Deb Reichman wraps yesterday's back and fourth jabs between Kerry and Bush on the economy. LINK
The Boston Herald's David Guarino and Noelle Straub report that President Bush would like an apology from Kerry for his "crooked" remarks. LINK
ABC News Vote 2004: Bush-Cheney re-elect:
President Bush took his economic message to Cleveland, Ohio yesterday -- a state that he has visited 15 times since taking office. Ohio Republican Party spokesman Jason Mauk told ABC News, "Nobody would argue that the economy is struggling here but we are also seeing positive numbers on state levels -- just not on employment directly. Part of the President's message is reaching Ohioans, especially the 4.4 million Ohioans that benefited from the President's tax cuts. Sen. Kerry has positions that would hurt the economy in Ohio and he would set us back."
Mark Naymick of the Cleveland Plain Dealer looks at the economic message President Bush conveyed yesterday there, "one in sharp contrast to the version told by Democrats" that campaigned in the state throughout the primaries.
"[U]nlike his Democratic rivals, Bush struck an optimistic tone, referring to the nation as 'vibrant' and declaring: 'We can prove the pessimists wrong again.'" LINK
The Washington Post's Amy Goldstein writes that President Bush's attacks on Kerry were an example of the Administration's attempts "to mold early, negative perceptions of his rival at a time when polls suggest Kerry holds a slight edge among registered voters." LINK
The Los Angeles Times' Reynolds Notes that the President didn't dwell on the dismal job-creation numbers in states like Ohio. "Instead, at greater length than in the past, he offered an explanation for the country's economic woes," repeating a theme that is used in the campaign's ads. LINK
President Bush "campaigned in Ohio today as though it were Labor Day instead of eight months before the election," Notes Stout of the New York Times. LINK
AP's Lindlaw writes "President Bush isn't backing down" on his message that his administration's response to the 9/11 attacks is a "centerpiece" of his re-election campaign, as he heads to Long Island for a dedication ceremony for a memorial. LINK
Under the foreboding headline "economic fears may threaten Bush's job," the Wall Street Journal's Harwood details President Bush's falling numbers in the latest WSJ/NBC News poll due to the economy and Notes that "That means Mr. Bush needs to shift the campaign dialogue to friendlier terrain."
From the WSJ/NBC News poll:
Forty-nine percent of those polled said that the country was heading on the wrong track while 41 percent agreed that the country was moving in the right direction.
Fifty-one percent said that they disapproved of the way President Bush was handling the economy but he does have a 50 percent overall job approval rating.
The Boston Globe's Washington looks at one potential problem for President Bush in the general election -- "women have been far less receptive to Bush's message." LINK
"Adding a prescription drug benefit and tightening school standards in his No Child Left Behind bill were supposed to burnish Bush's image as a leader with cross-party appeal who can draw major support from women."
"So far, however, that hasn't happened."
And another potential voting bloc worry for the BC04 campaign:
William Douglas of Knight Ridder profiles Bush's declining popularity among military voters. "Democrats sense an opportunity to chip away at what's been a mostly Republican base since the United States turned to an all-volunteer military in 1973."LINK
the AP reports that Bush's Medicare ad campaign is legal although "somewhat political," according to the General Accounting Office. LINK
The New York Times' Oppel, Jr., reports the Senate passed a measure that will require 60 votes for any tax cut -- a "surprising election-year rebuke" to the White House that reduces the chances of making President Bush's tax cuts permanent. LINK
The Wall Street Journal's Neil King Jr. and Glenn Simpson report the Pentagon's Halliburton probe has widened and Note the "broadening of the fuel inquiry, which one military official described as "highly significant," would give the investigation considerably more heft. Justice investigators have the power to indict and to press criminal fraud charges -- abilities denied the Pentagon's civilian watchdogs. They also can assess hefty penalties and seek additional damages, a power the Pentagon lacks, though its auditors can reject a contractor's billings as being too high and decline to pay."
These aren't your typical Long Island fundraisers. And three hours of cocktail party on a school night! Newsday's Michael Rothfeld reports on the "big-money donors that President George W. Bush is scheduled to greet at his fund-raising gala in East Meadow this afternoon" and says many of them are "unknown in local circles." Among those scheduled to be in attendance: Gov. George Pataki, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, former Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, Lt. Gov. Mary Donohue, and state Republican chairman Sandy Treadwell. LINK
The Kentucky Post on the Cheney cash dive for Sen. Jim Bunning, which is designed for two purposes: "It will add to Bunning's $4.2 million re-election war chest and send a political message: opponents beware, Bunning is a national player who has President Bush's stamp of approval." LINK
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