The Note
W A S H I N G T O N August 15—
, 2003 -- Today's Schedule (all times Eastern):
—9:00 am: Senator John Kerry has breakfast with Vinton County Democrats, Vinton, Iowa —9:15 am: Governor Howard Dean tours Biomass Energy Conversion Facility, Nevada, Iowa —10:30 am: Opening news conference for 2003 National Governors Association meeting, Indianapolis —11:00 am: Howard Dean meets community members and developers of the Pine Lake Ethanol Plant, Eldora, Iowa—11:00 am: California State Senator Tom McClintock does a radio interview with San Francisco KSFO—11:00 am: Senator John Edwards speaks on the "soap box" at the Iowa State Fair, Des Moines —11:05 am: President Bush tours the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, Calif. —12:00 pm: Senator Joe Lieberman speaks on the "soap box" at the Iowa State Fair, Des Moines —12:20 pm: President Bush makes remarks at Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area—1:30 pm: Congressman Dick Gephardt meets with Washington County Democrats, Washington, Iowa —2:00 pm: Bill Simon holds a press availability in front of Redding Medical center, Redding, Calif.—2:10 pm: Tom McClintock tapes "To the Point" national radio show with Warren Olney; Jerry Brown will also be a guest on the show—2:30 pm: Governor Gray Davis announces annual student test results at Hoover Street Elementary School, Los Angeles —4:00 pm: Congressman Dennis Kucinich makes an appearance with actor Ed Asner, Davenport, Iowa —4:00 pm: Tom McClintock tapes an appearance on KNBC's "Press Conference"—4:05 pm: President Bush makes remarks at Bush-Cheney 2004 luncheon, Irvine, Calif. (open press) —4:30 pm: Dennis Kucinich holds a fundraiser at the IBEW hall, Cedar Rapids, Iowa—6:00 pm: Bill Simon opens campaign headquarters, Sacramento —7:00 pm: Hawkeye Labor Council presidential candidate forum, Cedar Rapids, Iowa —8:15 pm: President Bush arrives at the ranch, Waco, Texas
NEWS SUMMARY
And the Democratic presidential contenders thought they had it tough trying to compete with the California recall. Power is slowly coming back to New York City and tracts of the Northeastern United States and Canada after yesterday's massive blackout that left an estimated 50 million people without power. LINK
And politics goes on. Today in the recall:
--Governor Davis is struggling to keep supporters who are considering endorsing Lieutenant Governor Cruz Bustamante, while the new Field Poll shows him with a paltry 22% approval rating.
--Former Secretary of State George Shultz signed on to the Schwarzenegger campaign as an economic adviser yesterday.
--Buffett hinted to the Wall Street Journal that a property tax increase could be part of the solution to California's problems.
--Actor Rob Lowe has been asked to stump for Schwarzenegger.
--Non-Schwarzenegger Republicans in the recall race are beginning to feel the heat from their party.
President Bush is in Orange County, California, today. He'll tour and make remarks at the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area and attend a Bush-Cheney '04 fundraiser luncheon. He heads back to the ranch tonight and stays there through the weekend.
The Hawkeye Labor Council holds a presidential candidate forum tonight in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Candidates confirmed are: Dean, Edwards, Gephardt, Graham, Kerry, Kucinich and Sharpton. They'll get 10 minutes to give their stump speeches and will appear sequentially. The Teamsters local expects an audience of about 700-1000 people in attendance.
Congressman Gephardt will meet with party activists in Mahaska, Wapello, and Washington counties before heading to the candidate forum. On Saturday and Sunday, Gephardt will meet with activists in nine different counties.
Senator Lieberman heads to the Iowa State Fair today to speak on the "soap box" and tour some exhibits. He has no public events announced for the weekend.
Governor Dean will tour the Biomass Energy Conversion Facility in Nevada, Iowa, this morning. Later, he'll meet with community members and developers involved with the Pine Lake Ethanol Plant in Eldora, Iowa. In the afternoon, he meets with activists from Marshall and Tama counties, the latter at a reception at former Iowa Farmers Union President Gary Lamb's farm in Chelsea, Iowa. Dean will stop in Ypsilanti, Michigan, tomorrow before heading to the Young Democrats of America convention in Buffalo, New York on Saturday. He's the only presidential candidate addressing the group.
Congressman Kucinich holds a fundraiser at the IBEW hall before the candidate forum in Cedar Rapids tonight. The special guest is actor Ed Asner. Tomorrow, Kucinich has lunch with labor leaders and … Ed Asner. On Sunday, he makes several campaign stops, including an ice cream social. Mmmmmm, ice cream.
Senator Edwards speaks on the "soap box" at the Iowa State Fair this morning and has several meetings with local activists later in the day. On Saturday and Sunday, Edwards will meet with more local activists while making stops in Cedar Rapids, Independence, Oelwein, Dubuque, Maqouketa, Davenport, Burlington, Mount Pleasant, Fairfield and Ottumwa. The "Real Solutions Tour" wraps up on Monday with a couple of more stops in Ottumwa and Des Moines.
Senator Kerry will have breakfast with activists in Vinton County this morning and attend the forum tonight. He has no public events scheduled for the rest of the weekend.
Senator Graham has no public events scheduled for today or the weekend. It's probably gonna take all day to clean out the RV.
Ambassador Braun and Reverend Sharpton have no public events scheduled for today or through the weekend.
Saturday is Ambassador Braun's birthday!
The rest of the political world, in other news:
1. The AP's Jennifer Loven writes about the president's fundraisers and previews his speech in the mountains today, where he'll address the "severe maintenance backlog in the national park system." LINK And, regarding yesterday's POTUS activity, the Washington Post 's Amy Goldstein writes, "Defense messages and imagery have been one of the White House's favorite — and most politically useful — themes as the 2004 election season draws nearer." LINK
2. The Washington Post 's Dan Balz loves Iowa, and not just because "this may be the last state in the country where the Democratic presidential candidates can still find a crowd" in a recall-minded world, but The Note thinks he loves Iowa for what he calls the "deep-fried delicacies" at the Iowa State Fair. And Balz ponders whether Senator Lieberman's absence from Iowa for the last few days will hurt him. LINK
3. Tar Heel reeling: The Associated Press' Ron Fournier writes that Senator Edwards' "campaign is at a do-or-die stage as he tries to improve his standing. This is when the millionaire trial lawyer, second among the field's fund-raisers, must translate advantages into support." LINK
The Charlotte Observer's Jim Morrill reports that North Carolina Democrats would like to know Edwards' decision soon on whether he'll seek the presidency or a return to the Senate. LINK
4. The music man is in Iowa. The Des Moines Register's music critic, Kyle Munson, reports on Governor Dean's blues jam last night, "The governor loosened up after a switch [from acoustic guitar] to harmonica. He stood up and blew raging solos during 'Dean for America,' a new campaign sing-along written by Herman for the occasion. He even started shouting into the microphone like a preacher man. 'You got the power!' he roared to his constituents." LINK
By the way, the AP reports that campaign manager Joe Trippi said the Dean campaign is on track to match its $7.6 million from the second quarter and most likely surpass it for the third quarter. LINK
5. Is there a doctor in the house? No, really … The Hartford Courant's David Lightman writes about the traveling salesmen and saleswoman trying to hawk their health care plans to Iowans. LINK
Please also read:
--Wesley Clark for President? In the Washington Wire, WSJ's Jackie Calmes reports, "Democrats who have talked to the former NATO commander say he seems set to belatedly become the 10th candidate in the party's 2004 nomination race. In Washington Thursday on business, Clark said, 'I have not made a decision.'" Calmes also reports that Senator Clinton said it's Mrs. Clark who "needs convincing."
--The Des Moines Register 's Tom Beaumont reports on how Senator Kerry and Congressman Gephardt used Governor Vilsack's forum to hit the president hard about Iraq. LINK
Beaumont's Caucus Notebook Notes that Kerry "Gores" Dean when talking about the Internet. LINK
--The AP reports on yesterday's health care forum at Drake University LINK.
--The AP's Fournier also writes up the presidential candidates' opinions on the recall. LINK
--The Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Scott Shepard observes from Waterloo, Iowa that "[despite] steady membership declines during the past two decades, organized labor remains as crucial an ally as any in Democratic presidential campaigns." LINK
--President Bush's "vulnerability on the weak economy" may come to bear in the Kentucky governor's race this year, so writes James Dao in the New York Times . LINK
California recall, the Governor:
The Los Angeles Times' Gregg Jones looks at Davis' increasingly "precarious situation" as supporters including labor, environmental groups and some party faithful debate whether to endorse Bustamante. LINK
The San Francisco Chronicle's John Wildermuth reports on the latest Field Poll, which shows support for Davis' recall growing and that Democrats are "losing faith." LINK
"The survey indicates that 58 percent of likely voters favor ousting Davis in the landmark Oct. 7 recall vote, up from 51 percent a month ago. Even among Democrats, 27 percent say they'll vote to recall Davis and nearly a quarter of his fellow party members say the governor should resign."
Poll director Mark DiCamillo tells Wildermuth that 70 percent of voters disapprove of the job Davis is doing — the lowest rating in the survey's 56-year history. Nixon had similar approval ratings shortly before he resigned in 1974, he Notes.
The Sacramento Bee's Gary Delsohn reports that Davis will not resign, and has anti-recall spokesman Peter Ragone looking on the bright side. LINK
"'Folks should just keep in mind polls have been wrong about Gray Davis throughout his career and they're wrong now,'" Ragone said. "'The truth is, it's virtually impossible to poll this race. It's so fluid, there are (135) candidates, it's a non-traditional ballot. Polls are very suspect.'"
The San Jose Mercury News' Goldston and Kurtzman write that the governor "faces pronounced defections among those critical to his success — Democrats, moderates and Latinos." LINK
Meanwhile, California's Congressional Democrats still don't know what to do, the Los Angeles Times' Nick Anderson reports. LINK
California recall, Arnold:
The Wall Street Journal 's Joseph Hallinan snagged a must-read interview with billionaire Schwarzenegger adviser Warren Buffett, who suggested that property taxes in California are too low. Buffett didn't outright say he would urge Schwarzenegger to repeal Proposition 13, the measure that has limited state property taxes since 1978, he did say that the current property tax situation "makes no sense."
The Los Angeles Times' Tom Petruno and Thomas S. Mulligan try to get inside Buffett's head. LINK
The AP's Werner reports on former Secretary of State George Shultz's joining Team Arnold. LINK
Schwarzenegger gave an exchange with reporters for "about three minutes," Werner says.
The Wall Street Journal 's Jeanne Cummings writes about Pete Wilson's return to the public eye: "The former governor's onetime media consultant, chief strategist, former chief of staff and spokesmen all are working for Mr. Schwarzenegger, too. For the White House, Mr. Wilson's heightened profile could undermine President Bush's aggressive efforts to reach out to Hispanic voters. 'He is a lightning rod in Latino communities,' says Bill Carrick, a California-based Democratic adviser who isn't involved in the recall campaign."
The New York Times ' Dean Murphy writes about the California GOP's dilemma with having four "prominent" Republicans on the ballot fighting for one job and the worries that the "infighting might help hand victory to Mr. Bustamante and the Democrats." LINK
The Chronicle's Marinucci and Wildermuth report how the GOP is muscling other candidates out of Arnold's way, with state chair Duf Sundheim saying, "There are a lot of scenarios I see where we're better off with fewer candidates." LINK
The Chronicle's Peter Hartlaub compares how much (or little) talking Arnold is doing now to how much talking he's done in the past to promote his films. LINK
The Washington Post 's E.J. Dionne on "the Arnold Effect" and the shot in the arm it's given to California media's coverage of state politics. LINK
The Schwarzenegger campaign pumped up its celebrity wattage yesterday, announcing that actor and Democratic activist Rob Lowe would join the campaign, the Los Angeles Times' Claudia Eller and Michael Cieply report. LINK
California recall, the President:
The AP reports that the president "stayed mum" on the recall in the Golden State on Thursday. LINK
The AP also reports that Rep. Darrell Issa, who was traveling with the president, asserted "no one at the White House had been involved in his decision" to drop out of the recall race. LINK
California recall, the rest of the field:
The AP reports on a proposed September 17 debate among the top contenders. LINK
Daryl Kelley of the Los Angeles Times looks at State Senator Tom McClintock's "conservative alternative to Schwarzenegger" strategy. LINK
The Los Angeles Times' Anne-Marie O'Connor looks at Arianna Huffington's plan to paint herself as the outsider in the race and Schwarzenegger the ultimate Republican insider. LINK
In a recall roundup, the Los Angeles Times' Sue Fox, Joe Mathews and Matea Gold look at how Arianna Huffington's tax returns are taking away from her message — namely slamming Schwarzenegger. LINK