ABC News' The Note: First Source for Political News
W A S H I N G T O N, July 23, 2004—
-- NOTED NOW
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3 days until the Democratic convention38 days until the Republican convention102 days until election day
NEWS SUMMARY:
With three signature events today — the president in Detroit at the Urban League, Sens. Kerry and Edwards kicking off the Road to Boston in Colorado, and the Bush daughters chatting online — the ABC News Political Unit has . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . NOTES FOR EVERYONE!!!!!
Notes to the media:
1. When packing for Boston, ask yourself "WWAMD?" ("What would Andrea Mitchell do?" — the woman has done conventions, summits, you name it, and she knows what she's doing.)
2. That big, ugly blob in government center actually is City Hall. Just accept it and move on.
3. It's easy to get Mayor Menino to say something controversial — too easy, in fact. Think of him as the Chuck Hagel of mayors.
4. The Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary exists to serve your ocular and auditory medical problems. Use it as needed.
5. Watch closely to see whether there's any tug of war between speechgivers and the Kerry campaign over content.
6. Try — at least try — to not use the phrase "close the deal" in every story you write next week.
7. You are going to want to read the transcript of Peter Jennings' interview with John Kerry curtain raising the convention. There's a lot of great stuff in here. LINK
Notes to Delta Airlines:
1. We warned you we were coming through your tiny little temporary Boston shuttle terminal. Be ready.
2. The greater the threat of thunderstorms, the more competent and vocal the customer service representatives you need in the departure areas of Washington and New York.
Notes to the Kerry campaign:
1. If you are looking for your senior staff Sunday evening, we suggest checking Fenway Park.
2. It's possible that at some point Elizabeth Edwards will collect a bad press clip, but if there's an office pool, bet later than sooner.
3. Thank your lucky stars that the 9/11 commission cleared the decks before your convention.
4. Can you get Brad Woodhouse to cut back on the e-mails next week?
Notes to the Bush campaign/RNC:
1. Make sure you don't get the expectations of your top surrogates too high.
2. After the convention, if the race is tied OR Kerry is up 15, Matthew Dowd was right!!!!
3. Jim Dyke has the prettiest Republican smile since Lauren Maddox.
4. Just because the Boston Police Department doesn't seem to care for Mayor Menino doesn't mean they won't ticket your rental cars like crazy.
Notes to Note readers:
1. We will publish The Note on both days this weekend, to bring you all the convention curtain-raising you could ever dream of.
2. We reserve the right to continue to end sentences with prepositions, even though some of you have warned us that that is something up with which you will not put.
3. Please, for the love of heaven, stop asking us where the best parties are in Boston.
4. For the best gavel-to-gavel coverage of the convention in Boston, on your PC, cable system, or wireless device, turn to ABC News Now. Full details here. LINK
5. And for up-to-the-minute news that answers the political and musical question "what's going on?" check out Noted Now at its new Internet home — anytime around the clock. LINK
Heading into the weekend before the Democratic convention, the Sens. John today kick off their national tour in the birthplace of Sen. Kerry, the Fitzsimmons Army Hospital in Aurora/Denver, Colo. After a tour of the hospital, Kerry is joined by Sen. Edwards for a 2:30 pm ET rally. The two then separate; Edwards heads to Milwaukee for an 8:15 pm ET fundraiser and Kerry stays in Denver for the evening before heading to Iowa tomorrow for a Sioux City rally. On Sunday Kerry is in Columbus and on Monday he is in Cape Canaveral, Fla.
Tomorrow Edwards is in Milwaukee, and Sunday he is in San Antonio before flying into Raleigh.
President Bush today is in Detroit, speaking to the Urban League Conference at 10:05 am ET, before heading down to Crawford to raise money for the RNC and spend the weekend at his ranch.
Vice President Dick Cheney is in Myrtle Beach today for a 6:30 pm ET fundraiser for U.S. Senate candidate Jim DeMint. Lynne Cheney is in the west, speaking at a Washington state Republican fundraiser in Seattle and visiting the Oregon Trail Interpretive in Oregon City.
And don't forget Jenna and Barbara Bush, who host a Web chat at LINKat 5:30 pm ET.
Congress begins its six-week summer recess today.
The politics of the 9/11 commission:
This morning's newspapers and morning TV shows were filled to bustin' with analysis of the final 9/11 commission report.
New York Times : LINK
The Washington Post : LINK
USA Today on the 9/11 report and: the commission's expectations LINK; the FBI LINK; the intelligence power structure LINK; and ties between al Qaeda and Iran LINK
Wallsten and Gold of the Los Angeles Times explore the commission's report as a political football. LINK
The Chicago Tribune: LINK
Knight Ridder: LINK
The Washington Times : LINK
Todd Purdum's New York Times news analysis: LINK
The Washington Post 's Dana Priest and Walter Pincus write up the report's recommendations. LINK
The Washington Post 's R. Jeffrey Smith looks at the section dealing with the relationship between Saddam Hussein and al Qaeda — and the memo by the counterterrorism director that argued it didn't exist. LINK
The Washington Post 's grand David von Drehle turns in an examination of the "humbled America" described in the 567 pages of the 9/11 commission report. LINK
Bush and Kerry see the report through different lenses. LINK
The New York Post 's Deborah Orin (with a little help from a traveling Stefan Friedman) Notes the president's lack of an endorsement for an intelligence czar. LINK
Orin also columnizes on the political fallout and writes that it "could be limited" due to the commission providing enough bipartisan blame to go around. LINK
The Washington Post 's Ceci Connolly Notes "even before they could digest the book-length report by the commission investigating the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, relatives of the victims began pressing Congress and President Bush to implement its raft of recommendations." LINK
The Washington Times ' Brian DeBose reports that congressional leaders don't expect to deal with any of the changes suggested in the 9/11 commission report until after the November elections. LINK
The Washington Post 's Linton Weeks reports brisk sales of the 9/11 report in Washington bookstores.LINK
ABC News Vote 2004: Kerry-Edwards '04:
Dr. Ron Brownstein of the Los Angeles Times is on poll duty for today's edition and we don't anticipate another Dowd/Pinkus flurry of activity. The horserace has Kerry two statistically insignificant points ahead of the president with or without Nader in the mix. LINK
Brownstein goes on to predict a traditional post-convention bounce could be in the offing for Sen. Kerry because about a third of those polled by the Times said they didn't know enough about John Kerry.
So, as always, poll numbers will continue to drive the narrative in this contest, which gives way to two possible scenarios for John Kerry when he boats, planes, trains, choppers out of Boston.
1. The Kerry bounce is significant enough for journalists to write stories about those wrong track folks who didn't know enough about John Kerry prior to the convention, learning what they needed to learn and deciding he is a viable alternative. However, will they stay with him through the Republican National Convention and the debates? Well, we have to have something to talk about between now and November.
2. The bounce isn't large enough to prevent leads such as this one from Ron Brownstein's write up of the Los Angeles Times poll, begetting August stories focused on why John Kerry appears unable to (just getting this out of our system . . . ) close the deal. (Yes, we know the election isn't until November.)
"Despite dissatisfaction with the country's direction and the administration's principal policies, the presidential race remains a virtual dead heat," writes Brownstein.
And be sure to check out the Florida (tied) and Pennsylvania (Kerry leading by 9 points among likely voters) poll numbers. Brownstein's write-up of these battleground state poll numbers begs a Sunday Styles piece on the difference between Keystone State women and their Sunshine State sisters. LINK
The Los Angeles Times' Matea Gold was able to get a whole story out of John Kerry's musings on abortion from his talk with Peter Jennings. LINK
Here are excerpts from USA Today 's interview with Kerry. LINK
The AP's Nedra Pickler Notes next week's focus on Kerry "The Man." We guarantee, though, that at least one person at KE'04 will cringe when reading this line: "Kerry's campaign has been more about what President Bush has done wrong and which policies Kerry would implement to do better." LINK
The Washington Post 's Jim VandeHei Notes Sen. Kerry "on Thursday promised new government spending to combat gang violence and rising unemployment in urban areas." LINK
USA Today 's Kasindorf writes that Kerry's speech to the National Urban League ="was an attempt to one-up President Bush with predominantly African-American organizations for a second time in two weeks." LINK
The New York Post writes up Kerry's Urban League remarks about gang violence and his blame on the Bush Administration for not doing enough to end it. LINK
The Washington Times ' Charles Hurt reports that during his visit to the National Urban League in Detroit on Thursday, Sen. Kerry agreed to debate President Bush on civil rights in a forum sponsored by the group. LINK
The Washington Post 's Howard Kurtz analyzes John Kerry's ads. LINK
Athletic presidential candidates need athletic Secret Service agents by their side. The Los Angeles Times has the story. LINK
Knight Ridder's Steven Thomma writes about how Democrats are united behind Kerry to defeat Bush, but they are still divided on a number of issues. LINK
The New York Times ' Stanley reviews two Kerry biopics you'll see on cable this weekend when you're not watching the World Series of Poker. LINK
USA Today shines the spotlight on Nantucket Island, and has a little insight on how residents feel about Kerry's presence there. LINK
Yes, ladies and gentlemen, according to he Boston Globe 's Donovan Slack, a Kerry impersonator has emerged. Did you know if political impersonators are good (and the guy they're impersonating wins) they can make $20,000 a year?! LINK
Franklin Foer — writing in the New Republic — is the latest smart person to delve into the mind, career, and influence of Bob Shrum, and, as the Hotline Noted yesterday, it is a bit more negative than positive.
Foer does manage to avoid insulting Stephanie Cutter, and he does rebut the Notion that the key to Shrummify anything is to simply add the word "fight" to a sentence. Yes, Shrum does it. But so does everyone else, because it works. Here's Foer's nut graph:
"In truth, Shrum's greatest weakness is not the ideological inflexibility for which he's often derided — even in private he did not urge Kerry to take more liberal positions on gay marriage and the Iraq war--but rather a strategic myopia. According to one consultant who has worked with Shrum, in the heat of a campaign, 'He's far more tuned into focus groups and polling data than moral arguments.' He has a gift for churning out pithy lines and spin that will win a newscycle but a harder time devising a grand message for the campaign. He may be an excellent tactician, but former congressman Tony Coelho, who chaired the Gore campaign, told me, 'My concern is how good of a strategist he is. In the campaign, Shrum against Karl Rove, I'm not sure that we end up with the long stick.' Indeed, during the Kerry campaign, Shrum hasn't produced anything comparable to the leitmotifs that Rove provided Bush in 2000. There's nothing akin to Bush's "compassionate conservatism" or his relentless emphasis on 'restoring honor and dignity to the Oval Office'-for, for that matter, to Edwards's 'two Americas.'": LINK
True, Mr. Shrum hasn't won a presidential election. But consultants do not win elections. Candidates lose them. (And, technically, whatever the heck Shrum did wrong with Gore in 2000, it netted the former vice president a majority of the popular vote.)
And if Shrum, by nature a gregarious courter of powerful candidates, makes the principal feel more comfortable, than his allegedly nefarious intramural politcking might not be a bad thing.
All in all, a fine edition to the collection of Shrum essays that someday will end up in a nicely leatherette-bound edition.
On the eve of the Democratic convention, Matt Bai delivers a Sunday New York Times Magazine must-read on the demise of the Democratic party and those wealthy individuals looking far beyond November investing in the future of the party.
Bai explores the electoral trends for the Democrats in recent decades and declares the party all but dead.
Here's a sneak preview of what will be tucked inside your Sunday New York Times : "As the old union bosses and factional leaders who dominated the Democratic Party in the 20th century file into the FleetCenter this week, waving signs and hooting for their heroes, be sure to take a long, last look. The Democratic Party of the machine age, so long dominant in American politics, could be holding its own Irish wake near Boston's North End. The power is already shifting — not just within the party, but away from it altogether."
ABC News Vote 2004: Bush-Cheney re-elect:
The conclusion of the 9/11 report that the U.S. is "safer today. But we are not safe," sounds familiar to anyone listening to the president's campaign stump speech lately — "Bush and his aides have been using the phrase in recent speeches, almost word for word in some cases," Note the Washington Post 's Milbank and Allen. LINK
The Chicago Tribune's Susan Kuczka writes up President Bush's visit to an Illinois police training school, where he talked about the importance of first responders. LINK
As President Bush heads to Detroit to address the Urban League today, Wayne Washington of the Boston Globe looks at his decision to skip the NAACP convention. LINK
The Washington Post 's Darryl Fears looks at the diplomacy governing the National Urban League's relationship with President Bush and the Republican Party. LINK
The AP reports that the RNC has asked Bush-backing Roman Catholics for copies of their parish directories to help with voter registration. LINK
And a brief encounter at the White House yesterday between Vice President Cheney and Sen. Patrick Leahy was less controversial than their meeting on the Senate floor last month. LINK
Democratic National Convention:
So, the BPPA has a contract thanks to an independent arbitrator (a four-year pay raise of 14.5 percent — they wanted 17, the city offered 11.9), but do you think that will stop them from picketing the Democratic National Convention? Of course not! The AP's Peter reports: LINK
The Boston Herald Notes the assistance Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney gave Boston's Mayor Menino in solving the BPPA crisis. The Herald's Donlan writes that without the Gov, "there would be no break in the Boston cops contract stalemate." LINK
The New York Times on the BPPA's raise: LINK
The Boston Globe 's Rick Klein writes, "The patrolmen's association is still planning to protest at the parties Menino will hold to welcome convention delegates on Sunday night and at other convention-week events. The union has backed off threats earlier this week to picket at the FleetCenter." LINK
A federal judge ruled against changing the less-than-appealing free-speech zone in Boston, despite referring to it as a "festering boil" in his opinion.
The AP: "But he entirely rejected the lawsuit brought by the Black Tea Society and other groups, saying it was 'irretrievably sad' that precautions such as those at the demonstration zone were necessary, citing how protests have become increasing violent and terrorism has grown into a new threat since Sept. 11, 2001." LINK
In the same sitting but different suit, he ruled against the city blocking a protesting permit for a march down Causeway Street in front of the FleetCenter on Sunday afternoon.
The Boston Globe 's Saltzman explains the area clearly, at 25,800 square feet (smaller than originally expected), "It is a rectangle bordered by cement barriers, a double row of chain-line fencing, heavy black netting, and tightly woven plastic mesh. Coils of razor wire line the train tracks, which slope downward to 5 feet, 9 inches above the ground." LINK
The Boston Globe 's Flint writes up the emergence of police at MBTA stops in the Boston area to search for explosives. LINK
The Boston Globe Notes a few Democratic candidates for the Senate who will not be joining their party in Boston. LINK
Nick Anderson leads his Los Angeles Times look at the foreign journalists covering the convention with Al Jazeera's skybox. LINK
USA Today has some interesting information about optical scanning at Boston's Nine Zero Hotel and chocolate donkeys at Finale Desserterie & Bakery. LINK
The Boston Globe 's gossip-y page lists the names of some of those attending the hot, hot, hot GQ party on Tuesday night. LINK
Speaking of gossip pages, let The Note tell you something about Cindy Adams' convention party list yesterday, kiddies. The clothing designer Kenneth Cole will NOT, we repeat for the sake of the poor congressional office communications director, will NOT, be hosting a brunch for Rep. Dick Gephardt next week. However, GM's executive Ken W. Cole is co-hosting one. Sounds much more Gephardt to us . . . looks like someone needs to start reading invitations more clearly.
Only in the New York Post , kiddies, only in the New York Post .
Ken Bazinet spoke with Howard Dean and got his reporting into Rush and Molloy. The former Vermont governor claims he knows of no joint appearance with Michael Moore in Cambridge on Tuesday. We wonder if the folks at Campaign for America's Future will see this item and revise their schedule. LINK
Buttons are bursting all over Boston as Bean towers well up with pride for the hometown boy. LINK
The Philadelphia Inquirer reports why Gov. Rendell thinks he may have been given a prime time spot at the conventions (despite his past transgressions). "Comic relief. I may be one of the few people in this business who has a sense of humor." LINK
In the Chicago Tribune, Curtis Gans accuses networks of abandoning voters by devoting so little primetime coverage to the convention. LINK
The Associated Press reports that Columbus, Ohio Mayor Michael Coleman has been invited to give one of the nominating speeches at the Convention next week. Coleman, an early supporter of Gen. Wesley Clark in the primaries, is being wooed because his "city is key to both Kerry and President Bush's chances of winning Ohio." LINK
Perhaps they didn't get the message that their candidate isn't running anymore, but Maine's Kucinich supporters are hopping mad that the Democratic Party awarded them only six delegates — instead of what they view as their rightful seven — to next week's convention. LINK
Bostonians want nothing to do with the convention, in case you didn't Notice that yet. The Boston Globe 's Lewis Notes, "Cruise ships departing the Port of Boston this weekend are jam-packed, pet-sitters are overbooked, and tourism officials in New Hampshire are grinning." LINK
With some Boston residents rushing to get out of their beloved city before the DNC, Manchester Airport in New Hampshire expects a significant increase in traffic this weekend. LINK
"I'll be by the pool," said an Exeter resident, describing what he will do when the Downeaster train service he uses to get to work shuts down for a week during the DNC. LINK
ABC News Vote 2004: Bush-Cheney v. Kerry-Edwards:
"A new Wall Street Journal /NBC News poll shows the Massachusetts senator in a virtual dead heat with Mr. Bush as Democrats gather here to nominate him as their presidential candidate in the Nov. 2 election. Not since Ronald Reagan's 1980 bid to oust President Carter, according to Gallup, has a challenger approached his nominating convention even with or ahead of a White House incumbent," the Wall Street Journal 's Harwood and Rogers report. LINK
"Yet the poll also shows that voters remain wary of Mr. Kerry on national security, the issue looming over the contest as U.S. troops remain in Iraq, and post-Sept. 11 fears of new terrorist attacks at home haven't faded."
USA Today 's Martin Kasindorf and Jill Lawrence report, "On the eve of his convention, Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry said he's confident he can convince voters he is a strong leader — stronger than President Bush." LINK
More information than you know what to do with in this paragraph: "A new USA TODAY /CNN/Gallup poll shows only 33% of Americans think Kerry has a plan to handle Iraq, compared with 45% for Bush. The poll shows Kerry with many strengths, but trailing well behind Bush on who can better handle terrorism and who is a strong, decisive, consistent leader. The ratings correlate to criticisms in the $85 million Bush ad campaign against Kerry, despite an equally expensive counter-offensive by Kerry and tens of millions more spent by allied groups.
USA Today 's Susan Page and William Risser write up the new USA TODAY /CNN/Gallup Poll, Noting, "Kerry holds a decided advantage over Bush on the economy, health care and education." LINK
The Wall Street Journal 's John McKinnon writes that although "prospects faded for quick Congressional action to extend President Bush's middle-class tax breaks, but the measure is taking on new life as an issue for the fall elections."
Notes Jackie Calmes in the Wall Street Journal 's Washington Wire: "Just 9% fault Edwards for his success as a trial lawyer — Republicans' main attack thus far."
You'll want to read the entire Wire for tidbits like this: "IF IT'S THE ECONOMY: Voters, negative about the coming year, also sour slightly in their opinions about its health during the past year. They split three ways: The 37% who say the economy is better is down slightly from June's poll, while the number who say it is worse is up to 31% from 28%. Three out of 10 voters see no difference."
In case you missed them elsewhere, the Los Angeles Times provides a look at the Pew/Kaiser Latino poll numbers which show President Bush yet to make the inroads into that voting bloc that he had hoped he would. LINK
The Chicago Tribune's Oscar Avila includes a quick overview of the pertinent battleground states in his look at the Kerry and Bush efforts to woo Hispanic voters. LINK
New technology allows Kerry and Bush to "phone it in" on fundraising by linking to "hundreds or even thousands of homes into a single nationwide conference call — the candidates for president have been able to connect with supporters this year in a newly intimate way," the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. LINK
The politics of national security:
AP's Alan Fram reports that Congress approved the defense bill on Thursday, voting 96-0 in the Senate and 410-12 in the House for the $417.5 billion measure. The bill allocates an additional $25 billion for operations in Iraq and Afghanistan and 7 percent more for the rest of the Pentagon's programs. LINK
The politics of Sandy Berger:
The Washington Post 's modern-day Bernstein and Woodward (Mike Allen and John Harris) prove that Joe Lockhart is worth every penny he's paid — falling for his angle that the REAL story is "what did the White House know and when did they know it?" about the Berger matter. LINK
And the kicker — Bruce Lindsey emerging from hibernation to dispute the tick tock of an unnamed government official "claiming knowledge of the investigation" is priceless.
Deborah Orin of the New York Post reports the possibility of original documents missing from the National Archives as Congress prepares for its "socks docs" investigation. LINK
The New York Times ' editorial board believes that although Republicans are hyperventilating about Sandy Berger's wild and crazy archive adventure, Berger's mistakes can't be easily excused. LINK
The Washington Post 's ed board agrees: "whether it was a mistake or not, Mr. Berger's conduct, the subject of a criminal investigation by the FBI, was reprehensible, and he was right to resign as a Kerry adviser." LINK
ABC News Vote 2004: ad traffic summary for the week of July 19-23:
Highlights:The Kerry-Edwards campaign released two more new ads this past week, bringing their current on-air total to 14!There's no ad news from the Bush-Cheney campaign-- same four ads up as last week questioning Kerry's decision making and values.
Minimal ad traffic from the outside groups right now.
Here's what's on the air for now . . .4 Bush-Cheney ads bashing Kerry's priorities and decisions14 Kerry-Edwards ads touting the team's credentials and plans0 anti-Nader ads on television, but 1 radio ad still running4 New Democrat Network ads still pushing for Hispanic unity behind the Democratic Party1 anti-Kerry ad from the NRA and 1 anti-Bush ad from MoveOn.org.
From the outside:
MoveOn.org PAC's latest ad gets the patented Nick Anderson treatment in the Los Angeles Times. LINK
Republican National Convention:
The fourth day of union protests outside Madison Square Garden continue to target the mayor's billionaire status reports snappy Maggie Haberman of the New York Daily News. LINK
The New York Times ' Clyde Haberman (relation) takes a closer look at the New York City's decision to move protesters during the Republican convention to the West Side Highway. LINK
The New York Daily News has the latest on Madison Square Garden construction and the planned cultural activities for the delegates by the host committee. LINK
As does the New York Times . LINK
ABC News Vote 2004: battleground states:
The Tampa Tribune's Byrd writes "In keeping with other state and national surveys, the poll conducted for The Tampa Tribune and WFLA, News Channel 8, found that Kerry has gained as Bush's job approval rating has slipped, particularly for his handling of the war in Iraq." LINK
The Miami Herald reports a $650,000 boost to the Democrats raised by former President Bill Clinton in Coconut Grove, Fla. LINK
Absentee ballots are all the rage in the Sunshine State lately, according to the Palm Beach Post. LINK
The Des Moines Register reports that 62 Iowans would receive a total of about $370,000 in government payouts if the federal tobacco program is ended, part of the national $10 billion buyout approved by the House that would send most money to a small percentage of tobacco growers in the South. LINK
And here the Des Moines Register's Jane Norman examines the buyout's effects on an individual level. LINK
A local Iowa entrepreneur is collecting the signatures needed to call for a referendum to allow a riverboat casino in a small portion of Des Moines. LINK
Gov. Tom Vilsack on Thursday gave Republican legislative leaders what he called his "final offer" to reach an agreement over an economic stimulus package and set a new deadline — noon Tuesday — to reach consensus on the Grow Iowa Values Fund, punitive damages, and workers' compensation. LINK
Meaning better safety and convenience for travelers, Manchester Airport in New Hampshire is one of only eight airports in the country to integrate bomb-screening machines into its luggage handling system, with federal grants paying for all but $1 million of the $20-plus million system. LINK
Want to get the votes of the NASCAR dads? Well, they are in New Hampshire's capital where the 10th annual RaceFever, serving as the annual kickoff to the first big weekend of NASCAR racing at the New Hampshire International Speedway in Loudon, returned last night. LINK
"A New Hampshire former CIA official said yesterday he was unimpressed by the 9/11 Commission report and particularly opposed its call for an intelligence "'czar,'" the Manchester Union Leader reports. LINK
Washington Mutual Inc. will slash 64 more jobs in Columbus, Ohio, reports the Columbus Dispatch. And while that may be only 64 jobs, that's 64 more people who do not feel the economy is going their way — in Columbus, Ohio, the battleground to end all battlegrounds.
Alphonso Jackson, secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, visited Cincinnati's housing projects yesterday to spread the good word of the administration. He told one resident "he's seen housing projects in 'much worse' condition." Surely that was a relief. LINK
Democrats are quickly eliminating their voter registration deficit in Nevada. A report issued yesterday by the Nevada Secretary of State says at the end of June, Nevada Democrats trailed Republicans on the voter rolls by only 8,513, down from 10,131 at the end of May. LINK
Add to that the Nevada State Democratic Party's statement that these figures are out of date — and the subsequent claim that the deficit is even smaller — and Nevada may be even more swingy than originally thought. LINK
If you believe Yucca Mountain may be the key to the election in Nevada, you'll want to read today's Las Vegas Review-Journal article that says the Silver State is almost out of money to continue its legal challenges to the project, which could spell trouble for the bid to stop the dump from happening. LINK
Note Note for KE04 and BC04: if you're in West Virginia, don't say anything bad about FEMA. The Charleston Gazette reports today that the Mountain State has received far more federal disaster money ("The numbers are gigantic.") than other state this year. LINK
Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick said yesterday he plans to put his "good reputation to the political test," playing a large role in spreading Sen. Kerry's "message through fundraising and finding untraditional forums for the candidate when he visits the Motor City." LINK
There's "high anxiety" in Detroit, reports the Free Press, about how the city's automakers will fare during the second half of the year. Analysts say it "needs to go better than the first" half, but "already, some are warning it won't." LINK
Former counter terrorism chief Richard Clarke was in Philadelphia yesterday to stump for Jim Eisenhower, a Democratic candidate for Pennsylvania attorney general. LINK
If you've been watching TV in Minnesota over the past few months, you've seen a lot of political ads — but not nearly as many as you would have seen if you lived in Toledo, Kansas City, or Detroit, for the Minneapolis-St. Paul television market ranked 36th in the country in the frequency with which television viewers this spring saw spots touting or attacking one of the presidential candidates, the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports. LINK
The AP on the high number of terrorism-related arrests with Twin Cities' connections. LINK
The Minneapolis City Council votes today to ban smoking at bars, restaurants, and other entertainment venues. LINK
A proposed Arkansas constitutional amendment defining marriage qualified for the November election ballot. LINK
People in Maine are hosting parties "where it's OK to talk politics," reports the Portland Press Herald. LINK
Judicial Politics:
"Senate Democrats blocked three more Bush nominees for federal appeals courts yesterday as Republicans and Democrats accused each other of trampling Senate rules, tradition and comity to advance their political agendas," writes the Washington Post 's Helen Dewar. LINK
The politics of Halliburton on the Hill:
Knight Ridder's Seth Borenstein reports, "Three whistleblowers Thursday charged — and top executives strongly denied — that spending by Defense contractor Halliburton in Iraq was reckless and wasteful." LINK
On the Hill:
John Bresnahan of Roll Call reports the House ethics committee has postponed a decision on whether to begin an investigation of Majority Leader Tom DeLay for another 45 days. LINK
The Washington Post 's Christopher Lee reports, "the House Appropriations Committee yesterday approved a 3.5 percent raise for federal civilian employees, more than double the pay increase sought by President Bush." LINK
ABC News Vote 2004: casting and counting:
The New York Times editorial page demands paper receipts for electronic voting. LINK
The Washington Post 's Jonathan Finer looks at efforts to register low-income and homeless voters. LINK
The Florida AP: "Secretary of State Glenda Hood on Thursday ordered a review of the entire database used to ensure ineligible people are removed from voting rolls, following criticism over a flawed list of potential felons given to elections supervisors." LINK
Early voting was a smashing success in Georgia. LINK
The Philadelphia Inquirer reports Pennsylvania State Senator Vincent J. Fumo is thanking more than 40,000 voters with a free five-minute prepaid phone card "complete with a picture of Fumo's smiling face with a rippling American flag in the background," at a cost of more than $30,000. LINK
A Minnesota judge yesterday rejected controversial voter registration rules proposed by the Secretary of State which local election officials feared could have disenfranchised potential first-time voters. LINK
ABC News Vote 2004: the Senate:
The Seattle Times' Jim Brunner reports that "Rep. George Nethercutt's Senate campaign aides seized on yesterday's release of the Sept. 11 commission report to slam Sen. Patty Murray for voting during the mid-1990s to cut intelligence spending." LINK
ABC News Vote 2004: the gubernatorial races:
The Raleigh News & Observer 's Rob Christensen reports on why former Charlotte Mayor Richard Vinroot suddenly pulled out of the race in North Carolina yesterday. LINK
Christensen writes, "Former state Senator Patrick Ballantine of Wilmington had all the momentum heading for a possible runoff Aug. 17. Vinroot, a towering figure during the past decade in the North Carolina Republican Party — figuratively and literally — had only cold political reality."
Fahrenheit 9/11:
Finally, polling data!!!!
"The survey found that "Fahrenheit" is drawing an overwhelmingly Democratic audience, and of the Republicans who have ventured to see it, few appear to be swayed," writes John Horn of the Los Angeles Times. LINK
The politics of same-sex marriage:
The Washington Post 's Mary Fitzgerald and Alan Cooperman report that "the House approved a bill yesterday to strip the federal courts of jurisdiction over same-sex marriage cases, despite warnings by opponents that the measure is unconstitutional and would open the floodgates for efforts to prevent judges from ruling on other issues, from gun control to abortion." The duo Note the "marriage is under attack" rhetoric as well. LINK
The Boston Globe 's Jessica Vascellero looks at the House vote yesterday approving "a bill banning federal courts and the U.S. Supreme Court from deciding whether a state must recognize same-sex unions legalized elsewhere." LINK
Prison abuse scandal:
"The Army's inspector general reported yesterday that 94 incidents of confirmed or possible detainee abuse occurred in U.S. prison facilities throughout Iraq and Afghanistan, but he added that the incidents were not due to "systemic" problems, even though a months-long inspection found that soldiers were inadequately trained and lacked proper supervision and clear orders," write the Washington Post 's Josh White and Scott Higham. LINK
The Chicago Tribune's Michael Kilian leads with the reaction of Democratic Senators who blasted the Army's investigation into prison abuse and concluded that the instances of prisoner mistreatment were not systematic, but the fault of individuals. LINK
Nader-Camejo:
The Michigan Democratic Party has filed a challenge to block Ralph Nader from appearing on the ballot as an independent candidate the AP's Tim Martin reports. Mark Brewer, the Michigan Democratic party's executive chairman, told the AP Thursday that Nader petitions gathered by the Michigan GOP should be thrown out by state election officials and an estimated 26,000 signatures should be invalidated for other reasons. A spokesman for Nader says they are still going after the Reform party's line on the ballot. LINK
The AP reports Iowa Democratic Representative and former Nader supporter Ed Fallon is urging Ralph Nader to get out of the race. Fallon's support for Nader enraged Democrats last time around. LINK
Ralph Nader will be in Boston today, for a press conference this morning and other public events. Later will speak on at the Harvard Science Center. LINK
A Texas judge suggested it would be a matter of days before he rules on Nader's ballot status, after hearing arguments in court yesterday. The AP reports Nader's attorney made the case "the state has no legitimate reason to have different requirements for independent and third-party candidates." But Deputy Attorney General Ed Burbach said the bottom line was that the signatures were late and the rules are fair. LINK
In Oregon, after their candidate failed to make the ballot by a mere 50 votes, Nader supporters accused Democrats yesterday of engaging in "subterfuge." But they aren't giving up: supporters now "are mounting a statewide petition drive to gather 15-thousand signatures" to get Nader on the November ballot. LINK
While bowing out of the long-since-over Democratic nomination fight yesterday, Rep. Dennis Kucinich had pointed words for fellow liberal Ralph Nader, reports the Cleveland Plain Dealer: "If there is room for me in the [Democratic] party and in the Kerry-Edwards campaign, there is certainly room for Ralph and his supporters," he said. LINK
The Clintons of Chappaqua:
New Hampshire political observers dismiss the idea that that Sen. Clinton or her supporters would not fully support Kerry because a win by him might disrupt a future run by her. LINK
For $2,500 each donors can buy wood benches honoring each of Arkansas' 75 counties to be placed in the park at the Clinton presidential library in Little Rock. LINK
TODAY'S SCHEDULE (all times ET):
—9:00 am: The NAACP leads a protest against President Bush's visit to Detroit, Mich. —10:00 am: Secretary of State Colin Powell holds a closed meeting with members of the Congressional Black Caucus, Washington, D.C.
—10:00 am: Ralph Nader holds a press conference at the Plaza Hotel, Boston, Mass.
—10:00 am: The press office of the Federal Election Commission holds an informal background briefing for reporters, Washington, D.C.
—10:05 am: President Bush speaks at the 2004 Urban League Conference at the COBO Conference Center, Detroit, Mich.
—11:30 am: Reps. Bernard Sanders, Rahm Emanuel, and Dan Burton hold a news conference to discuss the one year anniversary of the passage of the Prescription Drug Market Access bill at the Capitol, Washington, D.C.
—11:40 am: Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge delivers a speech to executives and security officials from professional and collegiate sports associations at the TSA Operations Center, Herndon, Va.
—12:00 pm: The Senate convenes for legislative business
—12:00 pm: Iowa Republican Party Deputy Chairman Gentry Collins holds a press conference in support of President Bush at the Anderson Dance Pavilion, Sioux City, Iowa
—1:00 pm: Ohio Republican Party Chairman Robert Bennett speaks about Ohio's role in the election at the City Club of Cleveland, Cleveland, Ohio
—1:15 pm: Ralph Nader sings copies of his book "The Good Fight" at Emerson College, Boston, Mass.
—1:30 pm: Sen. John Kerry tours his birthplace, Fitzsimmons Army Hospital, Aurora, Colo.
—2:00 pm: The House Select Intelligence Committee receives a closed briefing with acting CIA Director John McLaughlin at the Capitol, Washington, D.C.
—2:00 pm: Sens. Charles Schumer and Frank Lautenberg hold a press conference to raise questions about alleged flights the bin Laden family were granted out of the U.S. after the Sept. 11 attacks, New York, N.Y.
—2:30 pm: Sens. Kerry and Edwards speak at the Fillmore Auditorium, the kickoff event to their "Journey from Kerry's Birthplace to the Birthplace of America" tour, Denver, Colo.
—2:30 pm: Ralph Nader meets with volunteers at Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass.
—3:00 pm: Lynne Cheney speaks at a Washington State Republican Party fundraiser at the Meydenbauer Convention Center, Seattle, Wash.
—4:00 pm: Sen. Kerry tapes the weekly Democratic radio address
—5:10 pm: Lynne Cheney visits the Oregon Trail Interpretive, Oregon City, Ore.
—5:15 pm: Ralph Nader holds a rally at the Harvard Science Center, Cambridge, Mass.
—5:30 pm: Jenna and Barbara Bush participate in a webchat with supporters at http://www.georgewbush.com/chat/
—6:30 pm: Vice President Dick Cheney speaks at a reception for U.S. Senate candidate Jim DeMint, Myrtle Beach, S.C.
—7:35 pm: President Bush speaks at an RNC fundraiser at the Broken Spoke Ranch, Crawford, Texas
—8:15 pm: Sen. Edwards attends a campaign fundraiser at the Renaissance Palace, Milwaukee, Wis.