The Note
W A S H I N G T O N, Jan. 30—<br> -- TODAY SCHEDULE AS OF 9:00 am (all times ET):
— 8:30 am: Rev. Al Sharpton speaks at Dreher High School, Columbia, S.C.— 8:30 am: Sen. John Edwards attends a community breakfast with Rep. Bill Clyburn at Shoney's Of Aiken, Aiken, S.C. — 8:45 am: Gen. Wesley Clark attends a "Conversation with Clark" at Benedict College, Columbia, S.C. — 9:00 am: Gov. Howard Dean attends a campaign event, Columbia, S.C. — 9:15 am: RNC Chairman Ed Gillespie, California Republican Party Chairman Duf Sundheim, and others speak at the RNC Winter meeting, Washington, D.C. — 9:30 am: Sen. John Kerry hosts a "Town Hall for America's Future" event with veterans at the University of South Carolina, Columbia, S.C. — 9:45 am: Off-camera press gaggle by White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan— 10:00 am: Sen. Joe Lieberman visits Bowlerama's senior bowling league, New Castle, Del. — 10:00 am: Internal Dean For America staff meeting to discuss campaign changes— 10:35 am: President Bush meets with economists, The White House— 11:00 am: Sens. Kerry and Edwards, Gov. Dean, Gen. Clark, Rev. Sharpton and Rep. Dennis Kucinich participate in the "People's Agenda for Economic Justice" forum sponsored by Community Change, Columbia, S.C. — 12:00 pm: BC '04 Campaign Manager Ken Mehlman speaks at the RNC Winter Meeting, Washington, D.C. — 12:30 pm: Sen. Lieberman visits with patrons at Spence's Bazaar, Dover, Del. — 12:30 pm: On-camera press briefing by Press Secretary McClellan — 1:00pm: Politics Live on ABCNews.com and AOL— 1:15 pm: President Bush meets with NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, The White House— 1:30 pm: Sen. Edwards attends a rally at Francis Marion University, Florence, S.C. — 1:30 pm: Rev. Sharpton and Tom Joyner attend a rally at Benedict College, Columbia, S.C. — 3:00 pm: Gov. Dean makes remarks on education at the Missouri History Museum, St. Louis, Mo. — 3:10 pm: Gen. Clark greets voters at the Mt. Zion Baptist Church, Tulsa, Okla. — 3:30 pm: Sen. Edwards attends a rally at Anderson Library, Sumter, S.C. — 3:30 pm: Rev. Sharpton attends a leadership luncheon at Benedict College, Columbia, S.C. — 5:45 pm: Sen. Kerry attends a rally at IBEW Local 313, Wilmington, Del. — 8:00 pm: Gen. Clark greets supporters at the Inn and Spa at Loretto, Santa Fe, N.M. — 8:30 pm: Sen. Edwards attends a concert by Hootie and the Blowfish at Jillian's, Columbia. S.C. — 9:00 pm: Gov. Dean attends a rally in Alburquerque, N.M. — 9:30 pm: Rev. Sharpton attends a fundraiser at Club Inzone, North Charleston, S.C. — 11:30 pm: Gen. Clark greets supporters at the Savoy Opera House, Tucson, Ariz. — 11:30 pm: Rev. Sharpton attends a fundraiser at Club V12, Columbia, S.C.
NEWS SUMMARY
If you are lucky enough not to have access to Mark Mellman's polling data from the Feb. 3 states, you know/think that the race for the Democratic presidential nomination is still far from settled.
Still, with President Bush much in the news, the Googling monkeys have shifted some of their collective work to trying to divine the contours of the general election.
43 is still #1 for re-election, according to the lads at Ladbroke, but among Democrats, there is a real feeling that just maybe they can win back the White House in November.
So: a Note quiz and contest.
Put the elements below in order from most-likely to least-likely to play a role in a possible Democratic win in November.
To make things more challenging, we have included three bogus elements that do not belong on the list.
Put those three at the bottom.
Send your entries to loop@washpost.com or In the Loop, The Washington Post, 1150 15th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20071. Don't forget to include home and work telephone numbers.
As always, congressional and administration staffers may enter on background. Winners will receive a coveted In the Loop mug or T-shirt. Deadline is this Tuesday, Feb. 3.
Here, then, in random order, are the possibles:
The Valerie Plame investigation.
John Kerry.
Ed Chen.
Manufacturing job loses in the Rust Belt.
John Edwards.
A slowing economy (Out this morning: GDP grew at a 4 percent pace in the 4th quarter, below expectations.)
Yucca Mountain.
"Mission Accomplished."
Drug re-importation.
Ed Rendell and Jennifer Granholm.
Don Evans' angry resignation and cooperation with the next Ron Suskind tell-all book.
Ellen Malcolm.
David Kay.
George Soros.
Karl Rove's failure to take full advantage of the benefits of incumbency.
The deficit.
Conservative unhappiness over spending.
Operation Area Code.
Teresa Heinz's pricey and independent defense of her husband's honor.
The inadequacy of the research and video files at the RNC and BC04.
Howard Dean.
Steel fallout.
"Change" versus "more of the same."
Harold Ickes.
Jobs, jobs, jobs.
The Federal Election Commission.
Opening schools in Baghdad and closing them here in the United States.
The National Guard year(s).
The President's failure to maintain his staggering support among Republicans.
Dana and Mike.
Jason and Tracy and Mike.
Don't forget health care.
Halliburton.
Fervent, constant, "bring it on" anti-Bush energy.
At 10 a.m. this morning, Roy Neel and other top Dean for America officials are expected to convene a staff meeting to discuss the potential for widespread changes to the campaign structure and function. We'll be waiting . . .
ABC News' Ramona Schindelheim reports that in the 4th quarter of 2003, the economy grew by 4 percent -- a lower rate than expected, particularly in light of the 8.2 percent growth of the 3rd quarter.
It's another day of no obvious news in the Democratic nomination battle, and no signs of dynamic altering ads or rhetoric.
Will the little rosebud of a Dean line of attack on Kerry actually blossom into something that matters? As they say in TV news -- only time will tell.
All candidates except Sen. Lieberman participate in the "People's Agenda for Economic Justice" forum sponsored by Community Change at 11 am ET in Columbia, S.C. The candidates will appear one at a time.
Following the forum, Sen. John Kerry goes to Delaware. On Saturday Kerry will be in Missouri and Oklahoma; on Monday he is in North Dakota and New Mexico; and on Monday he is in New Mexico and Arizona.
Gov. Dean goes to St. Louis and Albuquerque this afternoon. He travels to Arizona and Washington on Saturday and to Wisconsin and Michigan on Sunday.
Sen. Edwards and Rev. Sharpton remain in South Carolina all day. Sen. Edwards travels to New Mexico and Oklahoma tomorrow and returns to South Carolina to campaign on Sunday and Monday. Rev. Sharpton travels to Delaware tomorrow and returns to South Carolina on Sunday to campaign through the primary.
Gen. Clark goes to Tulsa, Santa Fe, and Tucson after the forum. On Sunday he travels to South Carolina and Oklahoma and on Monday he is in Oklahoma, New Mexico, Arizona and Missouri.
Sen. Lieberman is in Delaware all day.
Rep. Dennis Kucinich is in Arizona tonight. He is in New Mexico and Arizona through Feb. 3.
President Bush meets with economists and the NATO Secretary General today.
Chairman Gillespie, campaign manager Mehlman, and Chairman Sundheim and others speak at the RNC Winter Meeting today.
The South Carolina debate:
David Broder and John Harris lead on The Washington Post's front page with Dean's questioning Kerry about his achievements in the Senate and Kerry's response that if Dean knew Congress better he would know that much work is unsigned, calling it one of the "more energetic moments" in the well-mannered debate. LINK
The Wall Street Journal's Jake Schlesinger Notes Dean's swipe at Kerry as well, and that it appears that attacking President Bush isn't enough anymore. "Mr. Dean's jab at the Massachusetts legislator highlighted the new message he plans to take into the next round of primaries," he writes.
Dan Balz writes that Kerry "may have become the front-runner in the Democratic presidential race at just the right moment" -- when his rivals (except Dean) aren't attacking him and he can focus on drawing a contrast with President Bush. LINK
The Washington Times' Brian DeBose leads with Kerry's statement that the Bush Administration has overstated the threats of terrorism. LINK
The Boston Globe's Anne Kornblut reports that Dean "seemed subdued" and that Kerry for the most part "gave no direct responses to Dean." LINK
The Boston Globe's Peter Canellos writes that Kerry was "only a little wet" after "his first debate in the frontrunner's dunking booth." LINK
The New York Times' Kit Seelye and David Halbfinger highlight the candidates' attacks on President Bush at last night's debate and Dean's questioning of Kerry. LINK
The New York Times takes excerpts from all the candidates. LINK
Joe Trippi, political strategist:
Exclusively, Deborah Norville managed to conduct an interview with Joe Trippi yesterday without asking about Kate O'Connor or Bob Rogan or budget authority or anything else.
Amusingly, MSNBC put up a picture of "Roy Neal."
Trippi cried twice. (Several in Burlington cried along with him as they watched it.)
Catch Trippi next on tonight's Hardball with Chris Matthews.
We spoke with Trippi last night. He's doing fine, he says, but needs a few days to decompress before he considers what to do next.
ABC 2004: The Democratic nomination fight:
Ron Brownstein of the Los Angeles Times reports that Dean reverted to a "combative style he muted while campaigning in New Hampshire." LINK
If you listen to the former governor, current senator, and retired General, you might think that Sen. Kerry is the only politician in the nomination race. The Los Angeles Times' Rainey and Slater report on the collective approach to attack Kerry as the ultimate insider. LINK
The Washington Post's Dana Milbank and Tom Edsall report that due to an FEC ruling, "endorsement" ads for candidates that feature President Bush may become a thing of the past. LINK
USA Today's Andrea Stone reports on the state of the campaigns' funds, Noting that Kerry looks to be in the best shape. LINK
USA Today's Lawrence and Welch write that Dean "drew attention by raising questions about Kerry's effectiveness -- a role reversal from the days when Dean was the front-runner and taking punches from all his rivals, including Kerry." LINK
In the Washington Post, Michael Kinsley has a good chuckle at politicians who "never say die." LINK
The Washington Post's E.J. Dionne thinks that the Republicans will soon be using this line: "Sen. John Kerry is the establishment candidate who derailed Howard Dean's brave insurgency on behalf of a frightened party leadership." LINK
The Wall Street Journal's June Kronholz turns in a thoroughly interesting look at the would-be first ladies, writing that "The role of the candidate's spouse is being rewritten as the campaign rolls on. But no one -- not the voters, not the press, and certainly not the spouses themselves -- can agree on the script."
The Washington Post's Jonathan Finer and Brian Faler truth squad Kerry and Dean on the South, Iraq, and Roy Neel. LINK
Leave it to PBS to go and try to keep the nomination fight interesting. Take a look at the just-launched Presidential Futures Market (http://www.presidentialmarket.org/) and track whether a candidate's stock is up or down, and buy or sell shares in the contenders. The winner, with the highest-valued portfolio, gets a trip to the inauguration. And even those who don't win get a little practice at the skills it'd take to manage their privatized Social Security accounts.
