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Presidential Elections - AP Kerry Lays Claim to Democratic Nomination By CALVIN WOODWARD, Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON - John Kerry laid claim to the Democratic presidential nomination after a decisive round of primary and caucus victories cleared the field for a feisty head-to-head battle against President Bush — a struggle already in motion. Kerry's New York-to-California victories in the 10-state Super Tuesday series knocked the fight out of his spirited rival, John Edwards. The North Carolina senator, who had been the only one left with the ghost of a chance against Kerry, let the word out that he was quitting even before polls closed in the West and just as Minnesotans gathered in caucuses.  Suddenly, the Democrat-to-Democrat sniping is over, replaced by calls for unity, and Kerry is left with his hard-fought reward — as well as the weight of Democrats' expectations that he can beat Bush in the fall. "Tonight, the message can now be heard all across our country: Change is coming to America," said Kerry, 60, a four-term Massachusetts senator whose understated ways disguise a hotly competitive streak. "We will fight to give America back its future and its hope." There were grace notes in the first blush of his victory: a polite exchange with Bush, who called to congratulate him. But there is to be no grace period in their campaign fight. The Republican president opens a multimillion-dollar TV ad blitz Thursday to try to win back favor in a time of slipping poll numbers, and has a war chest of more than $100 million to draw from in the months ahead, more than Kerry can muster. Vice President Dick Cheney criticized Kerry on the airwaves Tuesday as a frequent foe of defense and intelligence budgets, seeking to neutralize Kerry's draw as a decorated Vietnam veteran and his Senate experience in foreign policy. And the courteous phone call aside, Kerry kept up the drumbeat of recent weeks against Bush, giving him no quarter on the war on terrorism or anything else. "We will renew our alliances and we will build new alliances because they are essential to the final victory and success of a war on terror," he told supporters. "The Bush administration has run the most inept, reckless, arrogant and ideological foreign policy in the modern history of our country." Kerry dominated the six-week Democratic competition from the Iowa caucuses on, once he shook off a torpid start and overcame the fading phenomenon of Howard Dean. He has won 27 of 30 contests, putting him well on his way to winning the nomination formally once he has collected 2,162 delegates. The Super Tuesday states awarded a mother lode of 1,151 delegates, more than half those needed, and pushed Kerry's total over 1,100. Kerry had 1,292 delegates to Edwards' 438. Dean had 182, Al Sharpton 24 and Ohio Rep. Dennis Kucinich 18. In a bit of cold comfort, Kucinich won his primary for re-election to the House. Kerry won nine of the 10 states Tuesday, losing only in Vermont, where voters made Dean, their former governor, the sentimental favorite even though he ended his campaign two weeks ago. In all regions and among practically all groups, voters interviewed about their choice spoke of making the same political calculation — they picked Kerry because they thought he could defeat the president. That imperative helped him win Tuesday in states such as Ohio, Minnesota and Georgia, even though Kerry — unlike Edwards — backed trade agreements that voters blamed for costing their communities jobs. "I really want to win," Angie Kline, a St. Paul, Minn., caucus-goer, said in explaining her vote for Kerry. "Kerry has the breadth of experience. He's had umpteen years in the Senate working on both domestic and foreign policy issues." Although relentlessly upbeat and dogged, Edwards knew he had to quit, and aides tipped his hand on that plan on the eve of his formal departure. "We have been the little engine that could," the North Carolina senator told supporters. Edwards proved an animated campaigner and sharp debater, but won only in his native South Carolina and posted several strong second place finishes. He immediately started closing ranks with his rival, calling Kerry an "extraordinary advocate for jobs, better health care, a safer world," and declaring: "These are the causes of our party, these are the causes of our country, and these are the causes we will prevail on come November." Kerry responded in kind, calling Edwards "a compelling voice to our party" who holds "great promise for leadership for the years to come." Edwards' name will stay in play as a possible choice for running mate, although Kerry has given no hint of his pick for the ticket. Kerry ordered his staff to prepare a process to review potential vice presidential candidates, senior advisers said. They said it was possible, but not likely, that Kerry would choose a nominee well before the Democratic nominating convention in his hometown of Boston in July. Kucinich finished in single digits in most of the night's contests, lagging in his own state, and Al Sharpton was weighing whether to keep his quixotic campaign going after finishing in single digits on his New York home turf. Altogether, Kerry won in California, Rhode Island, Ohio, New York, Minnesota, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Maryland and Georgia. For the opening of his general election campaign Wednesday, Kerry picked Florida, site of the historic 2000 recount election that gave Bush the presidency. Kerry said several of his former rivals had offered to help raise money and he was confident he could put together the necessary war chest, though it won't be easy. As well, Democratic interest groups, required to act independently of the Kerry camp, plan to start ads soon critical of Bush. "The president has an enormous lead," Kerry told The Associated Press. "He has extraordinary sums of money ... and we're going to have to fight hard to raise money and compete." And he told supporters to expect a rough battle. "Before us lie long months of effort and of challenge, and we understand that," he said. "We have no illusions about the Republican attack machine and what our opponents have done in the past and what they may try to do in the future. But I know that together we are equal to this task. I am a fighter."
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Top Stories - washingtonpost.com Tight Race for a Divided Nation For a politically polarized nation, a campaign pitting President Bush against Sen. John F. Kerry presents the starkest of choices -- and almost certainly a close election. The policy lines are clearly drawn, with sharp disagreements already expressed on the conduct of war and diplomacy, the management of the economy and such volatile social issues as abortion, gay rights, guns and the death penalty. On the personal level, moreover, the onetime Texas oilman and the diplomat's son from Massachusetts have little liking for what the other represents. "John Kerry is what George Bush worked very hard not to be -- a Northeast elitist," said Vin Weber, the former representative from Minnesota with close ties to the White House. "Bush has family roots in New England, but he rejected that for himself, and now he's going to be running against someone who represents everything he wanted to avoid." For his part, Kerry has acknowledged his "privileged upbringing." But he is quick to tell audiences that, unlike Bush, he has devoted his energies in the Senate to fighting for the interests of those who were born without such advantages. Personalities aside, the contrast in their politics and governing philosophies guarantees this will be a riveting contest. Because the country remains almost balanced between the parties and because neither man shed blood in securing the nomination, they enter the general election on unexpectedly even terms. Current polls give Kerry a minuscule lead. Sig Rogich, a veteran Republican consultant from Nevada, said he is unconcerned because "you often see the incumbent running behind at this point in the cycle. The Democrats have been beating him over the head for months, and he is just now starting his campaign." That may be true, but veteran Republicans in such battleground states as Pennsylvania, Ohio and Illinois commented last night that Bush has seemed off his game for the past two months, unusually defensive and unpersuasive. Surveying the president's problems with Iraq, the economy and the budget, one Republican, speaking privately, said, "I think he's feeling overwhelmed." Democrats say they harbor no such illusions. "I don't believe for a minute he's down 10 points," said one Democrat who has been involved in presidential campaigns since the mid-1960s. "And even if he were, they can strengthen him; they're tough and smart." But he observed -- as did Paula Woolf, a longtime adviser to top Illinois Republicans -- the ferocity and seeming unanimity of Democratic hostility toward Bush. "The country is so divided," Woolf said. "People on each side think the other guy is the devil incarnate." That intensity -- in part a carryover of the bitter 2000 contest, which extended for weeks after Election Day and ended with the Supreme Court ending the vote-counting in Florida -- presages an equally close struggle in November. States such as Ohio, West Virginia, New Hampshire, Oregon, Wisconsin and Iowa -- and, of course, Florida -- will be saturated with ads and swamped with campaign visits. Bush, sitting on a record pile of campaign cash, is starting his ad blitz on Thursday. He and Vice President Cheney were on television yesterday even as the Democrats wound up their primary battles. Rhodes Cook, who publishes a Washington newsletter analyzing political trends, said some of the strengths and weaknesses of Kerry and Bush could be seen in the primary results. Historically, the absence of any significant primary challenge has been a key indicator of a president's healthy prospects for winning a second term. But Cook pointed out that, prior to last night, Bush's "show your support" vote was smaller than President Ronald Reagan's 1984 vote in the New Hampshire and Wisconsin primaries -- two swing states. In New Hampshire 20 years ago, about 5,000 Democratic primary voters wrote in Reagan's name; this year, only 257 showed crossover support for Bush. As for Kerry, Cook commented on the breadth of his support. "He has done well with all the constituencies you want to win -- urban, suburban, rural, white and black. Even though he won Wisconsin narrowly, he won 59 of 72 counties." But, he added, "Up until yesterday, Kerry had won only 41 percent of the Democratic votes. Even as the odds-on favorite for nomination, the majority of Democrats have gone elsewhere." Beyond these factors, the strengths and vulnerabilities of both Kerry and Bush are well-defined in the minds of veteran observers. For Bush, they stem directly from his conduct of the presidency. "This will basically be a referendum on his record," Pennsylvania consultant Rick Robb said. That means the status of the war on terrorism, the fate of Osama bin Laden, the uneasy situation in Iraq, and especially the question of whether the economic recovery begins to produce real job growth all will be crucial for Bush. Some Democrats see the beginning of a credibility problem for the president. "You're beginning to hear people say that he has misled people," one Washington Democratic lobbyist said. "The weapons of mass destruction weren't there; the budget surplus disappeared; a lot of seniors have doubts about the Medicare drug benefits. It could add up." On the GOP side, the belief is strong that Kerry's credibility, which was barely challenged in the primaries, offers many opportunities for attack. "He had a picture-perfect nominating process," Weber said. "Howard Dean was the perfect foil for him. He has presidential gravitas and he will have a united and energized party behind him. But on large issues, he accommodated himself to the Dean surge to the left, and now he finds himself with positions that will be difficult to explain." Anita Dunn, a Democratic consultant who worked in past Kerry campaigns, said that Kerry, like Bush, has at times been "criticized for his campaign skills. But they have outlasted all the competition." But noting that Republicans are zeroing in on Kerry's alleged flip-flops, she said, "Sometimes it is better not to have such a long public record." Three areas are shaping up as crucial to the election results -- war, the economy and social issues, in the view of many political operatives and consultants. On national security, which Bush wants to make the central question by reminding people "we are at war," Kerry has positioned himself to contest what has been an overwhelming Republican advantage. He cites his Vietnam combat experience and his years on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Last week, in a major speech, he accused Bush of doing too little to strengthen the military and build up homeland defense. But Republicans point to contradictions in his record -- his votes against major weapons systems and his opposition to the Persian Gulf War -- and say he has been on all sides of security questions. On the economy, Kerry has led a concerted Democratic attack on Bush's record, clearly seeing the tax cuts for the wealthy and the loss of jobs as major political liabilities for the president. Tim Hibbits, an independent pollster in Oregon, said he is picking up a sense from the voters that they think Bush "doesn't get what my problems are," the same sense of alienation that cost his father, President George H.W. Bush, reelection in 1992. Rogich and other Republicans point to statistics showing the economy is moving upward, and say they are confident the trend will restore Bush's credibility on that issue. Finally, there are the social issues, on which Kerry, like most Massachusetts politicians, has a markedly liberal record. An avowed opponent of the death penalty, he opposes gay marriage but supports civil unions, and backs abortion rights and restrictions on guns. Democrats point out that as an athlete, a sportsman and a veteran, Kerry does not fit the stereotype of an effete liberal. But Dunn acknowledges, "Massachusetts is different. It's not like other states." How voters will sort this mix of qualities, no one can say. But Dunn and most Republicans agree on one point: These are two battle-tested politicians, with experienced and cohesive organizations behind them. And the country seems more than ready for a knock-down, drag-out fight.
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Knowledge is Power! 1000+ posts
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Quote:
Wednesday said:
Presidential Elections - AP
Does anyone know what the "no CNN" sign in the foreground of the picture is about?
Ta!
Member of the Justice League Reality
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Somebody in the audience with a beef against cable television?
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I Am Groot 5000+ posts
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Probably someone who has a problem with CNN itself.Or there could be a labor dispute brewing at the network.
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My wife and I both think that the deal's been made for Edwards to serve as Kerry's running mate.
And I did my very civic duty yesterday here in the Buckeye State and went out and voted, right before work. I got choked up doing it...THAT is what it fucking means to be an American. We should never take lightly our responsibility to cast our vote in a free election.
Jim
We all wear a green carnation.
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We already are 15000+ posts
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John Kerry is horrible person and does not care about the average man.
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And you can say this...how?
<sub>Will Eisner's last work - The Plot: The Secret Story of the Protocols of the Elders of ZionRDCW Profile"Well, as it happens, I wrote the damned SOP," Illescue half snarled, "and as of now, you can bar those jackals from any part of this facility until Hell's a hockey rink! Is that perfectly clear?!" - Dr. Franz Illescue - Honor Harrington: At All Costs"I don't know what I'm do, or how I do, I just do." - Alexander Ovechkin</sub>
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Didn't you hear? He's a democrat. Case closed.
MisterJLA is RACKing awesome.
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Quote:
PJP said:
John Kerry is horrible person and does not care about the average man.
Whereas the chimp cares deeply about the common man, or anyone other than his backers?
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Quote:
Animalman said:
Didn't you hear? He's a democrat. Case closed.
See, it's this type of labeling and stereotyping that is bringing this great nation down.
Besides, he's a hockey player. That gives him bonus points in my book.
<sub>Will Eisner's last work - The Plot: The Secret Story of the Protocols of the Elders of ZionRDCW Profile"Well, as it happens, I wrote the damned SOP," Illescue half snarled, "and as of now, you can bar those jackals from any part of this facility until Hell's a hockey rink! Is that perfectly clear?!" - Dr. Franz Illescue - Honor Harrington: At All Costs"I don't know what I'm do, or how I do, I just do." - Alexander Ovechkin</sub>
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Quote:
PJP said:
John Kerry is horrible person and does not care about the average man.
...and Bush does?
FREE SCOTT PETERSON!
"Basically, you've just responded with argumentative opinion to everything I've said. And you respond with speculations, speculating that I'M speculating. "- Wonder Boy
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Your death will make me king! 15000+ posts
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Quote:
Jim Jackson said:
My wife and I both think that the deal's been made for Edwards to serve as Kerry's running mate.
Presidential Elections - AP
Kerry Begins Search for a Running Mate
Thu Mar 4, 2:42 AM ET
By NEDRA PICKLER, Associated Press Writer
BOSTON - John Kerry, assured of the Democratic nomination, is exploring options for a running mate, from Southerners who can provide regional balance to those who can help highlight economic problems under President Bush.
AP - 30 minutes ago
To lead the search process, Kerry on Wednesday named Jim Johnson, a prominent Washington Democrat and former aide to Vice President Walter Mondale. Johnson is vice president of a merchant banking firm.
 Kerry says he wants to keep the process private and won't "throw names around." He speaks from experience, having made Al Gore's short list in 2000 only to be passed over for Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman.
Kerry has said he wants someone he gets along with who also would be capable of assuming the presidency. The Massachusetts senator will also be looking for someone with strengths that negate his weaknesses.
With 19 years in the Senate, Kerry may look outside Washington to governors such as Tom Vilsack of Iowa, Mark Warner of Virginia or Janet Napolitano of Arizona. A Rust Belt governor who can relate to the common man, such as Pennsylvania's Ed Rendell, could help offset Kerry's reputation for aloofness. New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson could create excitement as the first Hispanic on a major party ticket.
Kerry may consider someone with economic experience to send a message of fiscal responsibility to Wall Street. Possibilities include Fannie Mae chairman and CEO Franklin Raines, who was President Clinton's budget director, or Robert Rubin, who was Clinton's Treasury secretary.
The Kerry campaign was vague about the timetable for a decision; vetting candidates often takes weeks. The benefit of a quick decision is a partner to help spread the message in competitive states, as well as to help raise money. The disadvantage is eliminating, early on, the one question mark that might keep the public captivated.
"No decisions have even been remotely made. It was important to him to start the process right away," said Kerry spokesman David Wade.
Kerry may look to a former rival who is an experienced campaigner with a built-in, fund-raising network. North Carolina Sen. John Edwards, Missouri Rep. Dick Gephardt and retired Army Gen. Wesley Clark all endorsed Kerry when they exited the race and have pledged to support him. Before Clark became a candidate, Kerry advisers said a ticket with the two decorated Vietnam War veterans could be a powerful force with a nation at war.
Kerry may be comfortable with a Democrat he's worked with in the Senate, particularly one who could give a regional or gender balance to the ticket. Possibilities include Sens. Mary Landrieu of Louisiana, Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas and Dianne Feinstein of California.
New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton repeatedly has said she intends to complete her term, which ends in 2006, but has not ruled out running for president in 2008 if Bush is re-elected. If Kerry is well-positioned to win the race this year, however, Clinton may find the ticket too attractive to pass up — if asked.
Florida, site of the contested recount in 2000 and a battleground state this year, offers two potential No. 2's — Sens. Bob Graham and Bill Nelson. Kerry campaigned Wednesday in Orlando, Fla., with both senators by his side.
Kerry exited his vehicle for a town hall meeting and was greeted by a throng of cheering supporters who clearly had the No. 2 spot on their minds.
"Pick Bob Graham!" yelled a man behind the rope line, referring to the state's senior senator who abandoned his own presidential bid last year. Graham is also retiring from the Senate when his term expires at the end of the year.
"Edwards!" responded another in the crowd.
Once inside, Graham gave a lengthy introduction full of praise for Kerry and condemnation for Bush.
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Politics
Cheney Insists He'll Remain Bush's Running Mate
Tue Mar 2, 6:31 PM ET Add Politics to My Yahoo!
By Caren Bohan
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Vice President Dick Cheney on Tuesday insisted he will be on President Bush's re-election ticket and brushed aside speculation Bush might consider replacing him.
"He's asked me to serve with him on the ticket again for the next 4 years," Cheney told Fox News in one of a series of cable television interviews. "I'm happy to do that as long as I can be of assistance and he wants me in that spot, I plan to serve."
Some political analysts have speculated Bush might drop Cheney, who has become a lightning rod for Democratic criticism, if he is down in the polls as the November election approaches. Lately, the vice-president has shed some of his reluctance to face the media and granted interviews such as Tuesday's blitz, in an effort to polish an image battered by attacks on his role in the administration's Iraq policy and previous ties with energy company Halliburton, which is being probed for alleged overcharging for its services in Iraq.
Cheney told MSNBC if he thought he'd become a liability to Bush, he would tell him to find another candidate.
"Obviously, if a health question came up or something like that, clearly if I thought that I couldn't do what he needs to have done, then I'd be the first to recommend that he gets somebody else."
But Cheney said that was not the case.
Cheney has a history of heart trouble including four heart attacks, but he said he was in good health.
The vice president's popularity has fallen and more than one in four Republican primary voters want Bush to pick a new running mate, according to a new poll by the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania.
Thirty-six percent of Americans held an unfavorable view of Cheney in February, up from 26 percent in October.
Among likely Republican primary voters, 62 percent said Bush should keep Cheney, while 27 percent thought he should be dumped.
"HALLIBURTON STILL OWES ME MONEY"
Cheney was a prime mover in the decision to invade Iraq and spoke repeatedly of a danger posed by Iraqi weapons of mass destruction. No such weapons have been found.
He is also the former head of Halliburton Co., the energy firm that has big reconstruction contracts in post-war Iraq. A unit of the company is being investigated by the Pentagon amid allegations it overpriced fuel delivered to Iraq.
The vice president sought to distance himself from any claims that he has a financial stake in Halliburton. "Halliburton still owes me money, "he told CNN, citing more than $100,000 in deferred compensation. He said that he followed ethics rules and has an insurance policy that guarantees him payment even if the company fails.
"It (Halliburton) may go belly-up tomorrow. It will not affect my financial status one iota," he said.
Bush strongly endorsed his vice president last week, saying, "I am proud to have Dick Cheney by my side."
Cheney's reluctance to answer media questions re-emerged on the topic of Bush's decision to back a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage.
Cheney's daughter Mary, a senior official in the Bush/Cheney campaign, is openly gay. The vice president had said in the 2000 campaign that he did not necessarily see a role for the federal government in the gay marriage issue.
Cheney was asked by MSNBC if he is ever conflicted between his role as a father and that of a politician. He said he considers his daughters' lives private "and I think that's the way it ought to remain."
He told CNN, "I support the president," but said any advice he gave Bush on the gay marriage issue was private.
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White House - AP Bush 'Welcomes' Kerry Into Race for Office Thu Mar 4, 4:05 AM ET Add White House - AP to My Yahoo! By JENNIFER LOVEN, Associated Press Writer LOS ANGELES - President Bush marked his first campaign appearance after John Kerry's ascension as the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee with a humor-tinged yet bare-knuckled critique of the Massachusetts senator.
 "He spent two decades in Congress; he's built up quite a record," Bush said to laughter at a cocktail reception. "In fact, Senator Kerry has been in Washington long enough to take both sides on just about every issue."
It was similar to a performance Bush unveiled before another appreciative fund-raising audience last week as Kerry closed in on the nomination, but this time he named names.
Last week, it was "one senator from Massachusetts."
On Wednesday, it was "Senator Kerry."
On Thursday, the Bush campaign was launching a $10 million television advertising blitz even as the president headed to Silicon Valley to gather more cash for a re-election operation that has already raised more than $153 million.
While the initial ads were aimed at emphasizing Bush positives, the president's remarks Wednesday made clear his campaign will seek to contrast what it sees as a straight-talking president and a flip-flopping challenger. "We'll leave no doubt where we stand and we will win on the second of November," told the crowd of 600 at the Shrine Auditorium that added $800,000 to his campaign coffers. The president's comments came on the first day of two-day swing through California scooping up millions for his campaign and those of fellow Republicans. He started talking about Kerry by telling the crowd of the congratulatory call he made to the senator Tuesday night when Kerry's Super Tuesday primary victories made clear he had wrapped up his party's nomination. But Bush quickly turned to a less gracious approach, accusing Kerry of wanting to raise taxes, expand the federal government, oppose effective job-creation measures and take control away from Americans. "He seems to be against every idea that gives Americans more authority, more choices, and more control over our own lives," Bush said. "It's the same old Washington mind-set: They'll give the orders, and you will pay the bills."
Saying matters of national security present voters this fall with "the clearest possible choice," Bush took particular exception to what he said has been Kerry's assertion that the war on terror is "far less of a military operation and far more of an intelligence-gathering, law-enforcement operation."
"I disagree," Bush said. He said the Clinton administration had followed such an approach after the 1993 World Trade Center bombing by prosecuting those responsible and then thinking the matter settled — to disastrous results.
"After the chaos and carnage of September the 11th, it is not enough to serve our enemies with legal papers," Bush said. From the fund-raiser that raised $800,000 for his own campaign, Bush's motorcade took him across town to swanky Bel Air and the fine art-bedecked home of A. Jerrold Perenchio, the chairman and chief executive of the Spanish-language media giant Univision. There, closed to the press and the public, he helped pile $3.5 million into the Republican National Committee's account at a dinner featuring just 150 guests and the personally supervised cooking of famed chef Wolfgang Puck. Although Bush lost California's 55 electoral votes by a wide margin in 2000, the election of GOP Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who attended the Bel Air event, and other factors have the White House hoping to manage a better result in November. Kerry and other Democrats have been hitting Bush hard on the economy, blaming him for job growth that has lagged behind other signs of improvement in the nation's fiscal health. They kept up that drumbeat as Bush traveled through California. From California, Bush was going to his ranch in Crawford, Texas, for a long weekend that will include a visit by Mexican President Vicente Fox.
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http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=514&e=1&u=/ap/20040304/ap_on_go_pr_wh/bush_political_ads_12Quote:
9/11 Victims' Kin Angered by Bush Ads
By LIZ SIDOTI, Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON - Relatives of victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and a firefighters union said Thursday they're angry that President Bush (news - web sites)'s new campaign ads include images of the destroyed World Trade Center and firefighters carrying a flag-draped stretcher through the rubble.
They say the ads are in poor taste and accuse Bush of exploiting the attacks. Bush's campaign defended the commercials as appropriate for an election about public policy and the war on terror, saying they were a tasteful reminder of what the country has been through the last three years. The campaign had said in the past that it would not use the attacks for political gain.
"It makes me sick," Colleen Kelly, who lost her brother Bill Kelly Jr., in the attacks and leads a victims families group called Peaceful Tomorrows, said Thursday. "Would you ever go to someone's grave site and use that as an instrument of politics? That truly is what Ground Zero represents to me."
"September 11th was not just a distant tragedy. It's a defining event for the future of our country," Karen Hughes, a Bush campaign adviser, told "The Early Show" on CBS on Thursday. "Obviously, all of us mourn and grieve for the victims of that terrible day, but September 11 fundamentally changed our public policy in many important ways, and I think it's vital that the next president recognize that."
The first ads started running Thursday on broadcast channels in about 80 markets in 18 states, most of which are expected to be critical to the election, and nationwide on select cable networks. The ads do not mention Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry (news - web sites), focusing instead on improving Bush's image after criticism by Democrats in recent months. Bush is expected to spend a large part of his $100 million war chest on ads.
One of the ads shows the charred wreckage of the twin towers with a flag flying amid the debris. Another ad — and a Spanish-language version of it — use that image as well alongside firefighters carrying a flag-draped stretcher through the rubble as sirens are heard. Firefighters are shown in all the ads.
Harold Schaitberger, president of the International Association of Fire Fighters, on Thursday called the ads disgraceful and said they should be pulled.
"We're not going to stand for him to put his arm around one of our members on top of a pile of rubble at Ground Zero during a tragedy and then stand by and watch him cut money for first responders," Schaitberger said. He said his union is politically independent even though it endorsed Kerry and has donated money to Republicans.
Barbara Minervino, a Republican from Middletown, N.J., who lost her husband, Louis, in the attacks, questioned whether Bush was "capitalizing on the event."
David Potorti, an independent from Cary, N.C., whose brother Jim died in the north tower, called the campaign's use of the images audacious.
"It's an insult to use the place where my brother died in an ad," Potorti said. "I would be just as outraged if any politician did this."
Until Bush cooperates with the federal commission that is investigating the nation's preparedness before the attacks and its response "by testifying in public under oath ... he should not be using 9/11 as political propaganda," said Kristen Breitweiser, of Middletown Township, N.J., whose husband, Ronald Breitweiser, 39, died in the World Trade Center.
"Three thousand people were murdered on President Bush's watch," Breitweiser said. "He has not cooperated with the investigation to find out why that happened."
"Well when I talk to people I don't have to worry about spelling." - wannabuyamonkey
"If Schumacher’s last effort was the final nail in the coffin then Year One would’ve been the crazy guy who stormed the graveyard, dug up the coffin and put a bullet through the franchise’s corpse just to make sure." -- From a review of Darren Aronofsky & Frank Miller's "Batman: Year One" script
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Top Stories - AP President Talks Up Economic Leadership 1 hour, 3 minutes ago By JENNIFER LOVEN, Associated Press Writer BAKERSFIELD, Calif. - President Bush talked up his economic leadership Thursday, rounding out a California tour that gathered $5 million for his and other Republicans' campaigns and marked the start of bare-knuckled attacks on presumptive Democratic nominee John Kerry.
 "The economy is getting stronger," Bush said from an outdoor stage at a family-owned company, Rain for Rent, an irrigation system business. "One of the reasons why I think we're doing so good here in America is because of the tax relief we passed, is because people have more money in their pockets."
Bush's positive picture on the economy was designed to counter criticism from Kerry and other Democrats, who blame the president for job growth that has lagged behind other signs of improvement in the nation's fiscal health. The Kerry campaign distributed new numbers Thursday showing that the unemployment rate in Bakersfield rose to 13.6 percent in January from 12.7 percent in December. Statewide, the jobless rate was 6.1 percent in January, compared with 5.6 percent nationally. "George W. Bush has consistently promised that his tax cuts will deliver jobs but the results are terrible," the Kerry campaign statement said. Bush, meanwhile, headed to a luncheon in northern California's Silicon Valley to add $700,000 to his campaign operation. The president has already collected more than $153 million for his re-election bid. About $10 million of that money swung into action Thursday with the first airings of a television advertising blitz by the Bush campaign. The ads, featuring images of the destroyed World Trade Center, drew sharp criticism from relatives of the victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. The White House defended the ads, though Bush himself did not address the criticism.  On his way to the Bakersfield airport, Bush stopped along the side of the road where about 800 cheering elementary school students stood with American flags. Bush made his way down the line of children, shaking hands and hugging them. The president has wasted no time going after Kerry after the Massachusetts senator assured his party's nomination with this week's Super Tuesday victories. At a cocktail reception benefiting the Bush campaign in Los Angeles Wednesday night, the president made clear he will contrast himself as a straight-talking president against Kerry as a flip-flopping challenger. "He spent two decades in Congress; he's built up quite a record," Bush told the crowd of 600 that added $800,000 to his campaign coffers. "In fact, Senator Kerry has been in Washington long enough to take both sides on just about every issue." Although Bush lost California's 55 electoral votes by a wide margin in 2000, the election of GOP Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who attended a swanky Bel Air fund-raiser Wednesday night, has the White House hoping for a better result in November. "With Arnold in the game it's a totally different ballgame," Bush's California campaign chair Gerald Parsky said: From California, Bush was going to his ranch in Crawford, Texas, for a long weekend that will include a visit by Mexican President Vicente Fox. * President Bush gestures to an employee from Rain for Rent, an irrigation system business, Thursday, March 4, 2004, in Bakersfield, Calif. Bush met with the employees to discuss the economy. (AP Photo/Ric Francis) * U.S. President George W. Bush shakes hands with children from North Beardsley Elementary School during an impromptu motorcade stop in Bakersfield, March 4, 2004. Bush was in Bakersfield to speak about the economy. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
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Presidential Elections - AP AP Poll Finds Bush, Kerry Tied in Race 46 minutes ago By WILL LESTER, Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON - In the first poll since John Kerry locked up the Democratic nomination, Kerry and President Bush are tied while independent Ralph Nader has captured enough support to affect the outcome, validating Democrats' fears.
The Republican incumbent had the backing of 46 percent, Kerry 45 percent and Nader, the 2000 Green Party candidate who entered the race last month, was at 6 percent in the survey conducted for The Associated Press by Ipsos-Public Affairs.
Bush and the four-term Massachusetts senator, who emerged as the nominee Tuesday after a string of primary race wins over several rivals, have been running close or Kerry has been ahead in most recent polls that did not include Nader.
Since Nader entered the race Feb. 22, campaign strategists and political analysts have been trying to assess the impact of another presidential bid by the consumer activist whom Democrats blame for Al Gore's loss in 2000. Four years ago, Nader appeared on the ballot in 43 states and Washington, D.C., garnering only 2.7 percent of the vote. But in Florida and New Hampshire, Bush won such narrow victories that had Gore received the bulk of Nader's votes in those states, he would have won the general election. Exit polls from 2000 show that about half of Nader's voters would have backed Gore in a two-way race. Nader dismisses the spoiler label. While Nader's support in the AP-Ipsos poll was 6 percent, his backing in polls in 2000 fluctuated in the single digits — often at about 4 percent, but sometimes higher. This year, Nader is unlikely to get the Green Party nod and faces a stiff challenge in getting his name on the ballot in 50 states. Kenneth Freeman, an 86-year-old retiree from New Smyrna Beach, Fla., who leans Democratic, was clearly unhappy with Nader's presidential bid. "Ralph Nader is fouling it all up," Freeman said. "He's taking votes away from the Democrats. I think he's on an ego trip." Bush's job approval in the AP-Ipsos poll was 48 percent, with 49 percent disapproving, which is essentially the same as last month when 47 percent approved of the president's job performance. His approval rating, which soared close to 90 percent after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and remained high for months, has dipped to the lowest levels of his presidency in recent weeks. Six in 10 said the country is on the wrong track, up from last month, while slightly more than a third of those surveyed — 35 percent — said the country is headed in the right direction. "We're 240-something days from Election Day. We've got a long way to go and expect it to be a close race throughout, no matter what the factors are," said Terry Holt, a spokesman for the Bush campaign. The poll was conducted Monday through Wednesday as Kerry captured nine of 10 Super Tuesday elections and claimed the nomination. Nightly results suggested that Kerry did not get a bounce from winning the nomination. "For all those who want to bring change to America, we need to remain united behind the Democratic nominee," said Kerry campaign spokeswoman Stephanie Cutter. Kerry, who had solid backing from 28 percent of the voters, was running strong among minorities, people with low incomes, single people, older voters and Catholics.
Bush, who had solid backing from 37 percent, performed well among whites, men, Protestants, homeowners and suburban dwellers. "I'm worried about the Democrats taking control," said Stephanie Rahaniotis, a Republican from Lynbrook, N.Y. She said after the Sept. 11 attacks, she feels safer with Bush in charge and thinks Democrats will "divert our attention from the military." In the poll, Nader was most likely to get the backing of young adults, independents and maybe a GOP voter. Republican Virgil Ahlberg of Apison, Tenn., said he is seriously considering a vote for Nader. "Bush has come across as a little more aggressive and warlike than I like," he said. "I like Ralph Nader being in the race. I like his practicality and taking people to task for things they promise to do, things that aren't being addressed." The AP-Ipsos poll of 771 registered voters was taken March 1-3 and had a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.
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These polls don't mean much one way or another.
First, they are polls of registered voters, not LIKELY voters, meaning that a lot of respondents won't even vote.
Second, Nader won't be on the ballot in many states (or so I hear), whereas in 2000, he was on the ballot in 43.
Third, these polls aren't broken down by state so they can deviate wildly from state by state returns, which are what control the electoral college.
Finally, and most importantly, it is EIGHT EFFIN' MONTHS until the election. Either one of these guys could be ahead by a huge margin come November.
Instead of constant polling, journalists should spend more time reporting on the issues.
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Quote:
the G-man said:
These polls don't mean much one way or another......Instead of constant polling, journalists should spend more time reporting on the issues.
Are you insane? That might result in an educated electorate and an election based on issues & ideas. I mean, people might actually start asking questions, doing research, reading, thinking - no telling where it might end. No, we can't have that, it might take away from the reality TV ratings. Leave the poor sheep be.
Cheers!
PS: did you ever get a chance to check out the Blasters reunion tour cd - Trouble Bound (The Original Blasters - Live 2002 - Recorded at the House of Blues)?
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Educator to comprehension impaired (JLA, that is you) 50000+ posts
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Quote:
Wingnut-EL said:
did you ever get a chance to check out the Blasters reunion tour cd - Trouble Bound (The Original Blasters - Live 2002 - Recorded at the House of Blues)?
Oh, yeah. Good stuff.
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Presidential Elections - AP Bush Calls Out Kerry on 1995 Senate Bill 38 minutes ago By SCOTT LINDLAW, Associated Press Writer CRAWFORD, Texas - President Bush is accusing John Kerry of having proposed big cuts in intelligence spending just two years after the first attack on the World Trade Center, part of a re-election effort to depict his Democratic rival as weak on national security and the war against terrorism.
 Bush, who was traveling to Dallas for a fund-raiser Monday, planned to call attention to a 1995 bill that Kerry sponsored to trim intelligence spending by $1.5 billion over five years. The cut was part of what Kerry called a "budget-buster bill" to strip $90 billion from the budget and end 40 programs that he said were "pointless, wasteful, antiquated or just plain silly."
Kerry's proposal, which followed the collapse of the Soviet Union and calls for a peace dividend after decades of spending to thwart the Cold War opponent, failed to attract any co-sponsors and did not come up for a vote. Republicans hope to raise doubts about Kerry's ability to fight and win the war against terror, suggesting that his rhetoric does not match his 20-year record in the Senate. To fend off such criticism, Kerry has relied in large part on his decorated Navy service in Vietnam. On Sunday, Kerry accused Bush of "stonewalling" separate inquiries into the events leading up to the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, as well as into the intelligence that suggested Saddam Hussein was hiding weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. The Bush campaign contended the president has cooperated fully with investigators.  The president was attending two Texas fund-raisers on Monday, including the popular Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. Texas, the state that vaulted him to the presidency, remains a bedrock of Bush's political support. It has sent his re-election campaign in excess of $13.2 million, more than any other state, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, a campaign watchdog group. Dallas is among the top five metropolitan areas by volume of donations to his campaign. Bush's trips come two days after Kerry, his likely Democratic opponent in November's election, campaigned in Houston and accused him of leaving a "four-year trail of broken promises." Kerry called on the president to leave his ranch near Waco to "come out and talk to people who have lost their jobs." Bush played host there to Mexican President Vicente Fox on Friday and Saturday. Monday's money swing opens another week that will also take Bush to Long Island, N.Y., for fund raising. He has collected more than $155 million for his re-election and is closing in on his goal of $170 million. Aides said last week they expect him to stop at that mark, but they wouldn't rule out more. The Texas trip also started Bush's first full week of campaigning for re-election, following Kerry's victory in a wave of primaries last week that cemented his grip on the Democratic nomination.
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Presidential Elections - AP In Florida, Kerry Tackles Health Care 37 minutes ago By MIKE GLOVER, Associated Press Writer HOLLYWOOD, Fla. - Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry accused President Bush of breaking promises to senior citizens and called the prescription drug package approved by Congress a billion-dollar giveaway to drug companies as he campaigned Monday in health-conscious Florida.
"Our seniors deserve the best care America has to offer," Kerry said. "What they do not deserve is another four years of broken promises and failed policies from George W. Bush."
Speaking to about 500 people at a town-hall meeting, Kerry drew loud cheers when he declared, "I will never privatize Social Security."
 The Massachusetts senator was courting the vast elderly population in Florida while sweeping across the politically crucial state. He repeatedly mentioned the disputed 2000 election, which decided the race for president between Bush and Al Gore, saying he is putting together a legal team to monitor voting and vote counting in Florida in November. Kerry, who had stops in Hollywood and West Palm Beach before ending his day in Tampa, said 2.8 million people in Florida lack health care and 315,000 people pay more than they should for prescription drugs. "We'll make sure that those without drug coverage aren't left out in the cold," he said. "I'm going to give you something that works and doesn't give the insurance companies millions of dollars." As Kerry campaigned, his aides were speaking regularly by phone with former rivals John Edwards and Howard Dean. Kerry will meet with Dean in Washington on Wednesday, aides said, to discuss what role Dean can play in the campaign. Dean could be a valuable ally because of his huge Internet-based financial network.
Throughout a four-day Southern tour, Kerry has blamed Bush's trade policies for job losses. But he has continued to criticize Bush on national security issues, raising questions about the handling of probes into terrorist attacks as well as intelligence suggesting weapons of mass destruction were in Iraq.
"The American people deserve an answer now as to why we had intelligence failures and what the security needs of our nation are," Kerry, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, said Sunday. He accused Bush of "stonewalling" separate probes into those issues, pointing to complaints by members of a federal commission investigating the attacks that Bush was resisting their efforts to get documents and question witnesses. "Why is this administration stonewalling and resisting the investigation into what happened and why we had the greatest security failure in the history of our country?" Kerry said. "The American people deserve an answer now," he said. "The immediate instinct of the Republicans and this administration was to shut it down." The Bush campaign rejected the charges out of hand. "This is another inaccurate attack by John Kerry," Bush campaign spokesman Scott Stanzel said. "Not a single person has refused to be interviewed," he said, and the administration has allowed "unprecedented access" for investigators.
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Presidential Elections - AP Civil Rights Group Seeks Kerry Apology Mon Mar 8,11:25 PM ET By SIOBHAN McDONOUGH, Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON - The head of a civil rights and legal services advocacy group wants Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry (news - web sites) to apologize for saying he wouldn't be upset if he could be known as the second black president.
"John Kerry is not a black man — he is a privileged white man who has no idea what it is in this country to be a poor white in this country, let alone a black man," said Paula Diane Harris, founder of the Andrew Young National Center for Social Change.
Last week, Kerry told the American Urban Radio Network: "President Clinton was often known as the first black president. I wouldn't be upset if I could earn the right to be the second."
Kerry's spokesman Chad Clanton said: "This was intended as a light-natured remark about President Clinton's strong legacy with African Americans. It is a legacy that John Kerry would like to build upon if elected president. John Kerry has a record of fighting for civil rights and as president he will continue this fight." Harris also criticized civil rights leaders who "sit back and ignore these types of comments, a practice that further insults African Americans." "It seems that all these leaders care about is their personal agendas in how a 'John Kerry' will keep up their personal causes," she said. Rep. Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y., who is black, was asked by the Kerry campaign to weigh in on the issue. He said Kerry's remark shouldn't be taken as a jab at blacks. "He is saying that he wants to be an activist president resolving many issues that are important to the African American community," Meeks said. "Kerry was simply stating that he wanted to follow in the footsteps of Clinton in addressing issues that are important to African Americans." The Andrew Young National Center for Social Change, based in Harrisburg, Pa., provides legal services to the poor.
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 It doesn't matter what he meant, it was still a stupid thing to say.
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Quote:
Stupid Dogg said:
It doesn't matter what he meant, it was still a stupid thing to say.
I'll second that (and I'm a Kerry supporter). Maybe this is a bad example to use, but remember what happened to Rush Limbaugh after his comments about a black football player?
"Well when I talk to people I don't have to worry about spelling." - wannabuyamonkey
"If Schumacher’s last effort was the final nail in the coffin then Year One would’ve been the crazy guy who stormed the graveyard, dug up the coffin and put a bullet through the franchise’s corpse just to make sure." -- From a review of Darren Aronofsky & Frank Miller's "Batman: Year One" script
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I've heard some concerns about the CEO of Diebold, the company providing the new electronic voting machines, and when I went to follow up on it, I came across this:
http://www.cleveland.com/election/index.ssf?/base/news/106207171078040.xml
Quote:
Voting machine controversy
Julie Carr Smyth
Plain Dealer Bureau
Columbus - The head of a company vying to sell voting machines in Ohio told Republicans in a recent fund-raising letter that he is "committed to helping Ohio deliver its electoral votes to the president next year."
The Aug. 14 letter from Walden O'Dell, chief executive of Diebold Inc. - who has become active in the re-election effort of President Bush - prompted Democrats this week to question the propriety of allowing O'Dell's company to calculate votes in the 2004 presidential election.
O'Dell attended a strategy pow-wow with wealthy Bush benefactors - known as Rangers and Pioneers - at the president's Crawford, Texas, ranch earlier this month. The next week, he penned invitations to a $1,000-a-plate fund-raiser to benefit the Ohio Republican Party's federal campaign fund - partially benefiting Bush - at his mansion in the Columbus suburb of Upper Arlington.
The letter went out the day before Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell, also a Republican, was set to qualify Diebold as one of three firms eligible to sell upgraded electronic voting machines to Ohio counties in time for the 2004 election.
Blackwell's announcement is still in limbo because of a court challenge over the fairness of the selection process by a disqualified bidder, Sequoia Voting Systems.
In his invitation letter, O'Dell asked guests to consider donating or raising up to $10,000 each for the federal account that the state GOP will use to help Bush and other federal candidates - money that legislative Democratic leaders charged could come back to benefit Blackwell.
They urged Blackwell to remove Diebold from the field of voting-machine companies eligible to sell to Ohio counties.
This is the second such request in as many months. State Sen. Jeff Jacobson, a Dayton-area Republican, asked Blackwell in July to disqualify Diebold after security concerns arose over its equipment.
"Ordinary Ohioans may infer that Blackwell's office is looking past Diebold's security issues because its CEO is seeking $10,000 donations for Blackwell's party - donations that could be made with statewide elected officials right there in the same room," said Senate Democratic Leader Greg DiDonato.
Diebold spokeswoman Michelle Griggy said O'Dell - who was unavailable to comment personally - has held fund-raisers in his home for many causes, including the Columbus Zoo, Op era Columbus, Catholic Social Services and Ohio State University.
Ohio GOP spokesman Jason Mauk said the party approached O'Dell about hosting the event at his home, the historic Cotswold Manor, and not the other way around. Mauk said that under federal campaign finance rules, the party cannot use any money from its federal account for state- level candidates.
"To think that Diebold is somehow tainted because they have a couple folks on their board who support the president is just unfair," Mauk said.
Griggy said in an e-mail statement that Diebold could not comment on the political contributions of individual company employees.
Blackwell said Diebold is not the only company with political connections - noting that lobbyists for voting-machine makers read like a who's who of Columbus' powerful and politically connected.
"Let me put it to you this way: If there was one person uniquely involved in the political process, that might be troubling," he said. "But there's no one that hasn't used every legitimate avenue and bit of leverage that they could legally use to get their product looked at. Believe me, if there is a political lever to be pulled, all of them have pulled it."
Blackwell said he stands by the process used for selecting voting machine vendors as fair, thorough and impartial.
As of yesterday, however, that determination lay with Ohio Court of Claims Judge Fred Shoemaker.
He heard closing arguments yesterday over whether Sequoia was unfairly eliminated by Blackwell midway through the final phase of negotiations.
Shoemaker extended a temporary restraining order in the case for 14 days, but said he hopes to issue his opinion sooner than that.
This didn't seem like as big a deal as I thought it would be until I also came across this website during my search. You guys may find it interesting - it's a non-partisan collection about the potential dangers and questionable fairness of electronic voting, and offers some alernatives. I strongly suggest checking out the link below.
Electronic Voting - A Non-Partisan Issue
Once I saw this, I realized that there really is genuine cause to be concerned - especially here in Florida, with all the controversy from the last election. If the head of a company providing electronic voting machines is going around telling the people of Ohio he's going to deliver the election to the president, (yeah, he just said "in Ohio," but that doesn't necessarily mean he only meant in Ohio and nowhere else), I really have to wonder whether this is really going to be an honest election.
Don't get me wrong - I'm NOT saying that the voting machines or the election results are definitely going to be rigged in Bush's favor, or that Bush can't win without a supposedly rigged election - I'm not even saying that the last election was stolen. But still, I'm concerned - and I haven't necessarily dismissed any of the above as impossible.
Last edited by Darknight613; 2004-03-09 7:52 PM.
"Well when I talk to people I don't have to worry about spelling." - wannabuyamonkey
"If Schumacher’s last effort was the final nail in the coffin then Year One would’ve been the crazy guy who stormed the graveyard, dug up the coffin and put a bullet through the franchise’s corpse just to make sure." -- From a review of Darren Aronofsky & Frank Miller's "Batman: Year One" script
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I think that every state should stick to manual voting. This whole electronic voting machine thing, there's just something not right about it. If someone were to attempt to rig an election, this would make it a lot easier.
<sub>Will Eisner's last work - The Plot: The Secret Story of the Protocols of the Elders of ZionRDCW Profile"Well, as it happens, I wrote the damned SOP," Illescue half snarled, "and as of now, you can bar those jackals from any part of this facility until Hell's a hockey rink! Is that perfectly clear?!" - Dr. Franz Illescue - Honor Harrington: At All Costs"I don't know what I'm do, or how I do, I just do." - Alexander Ovechkin</sub>
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Just give me a paper trail to verify the authenticity of results.
And keep Deibold out of politics.
Last edited by whomod; 2004-03-10 3:59 AM.
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Presidential Elections - AP Kerry Easily Wins 4 Southern Primaries 57 minutes ago By MIKE GLOVER, Associated Press Writer CHICAGO - John Kerry, with only phantom rivals and pushovers left in the Democratic race, easily won four Southern primaries Tuesday to bring him within striking distance of the presidential nomination.
 Kerry swept Florida, Texas, Mississippi and Louisiana on a night when the names of old foes remained on ballots printed when there was still a real competition. He was winning more than three-quarters of the votes in Florida and Mississippi, and about two-thirds in the other states, with 90 percent of precincts reporting in Texas and almost all reporting elsewhere.
President Bush had a notable night of his own, if one with even less suspense: The unchallenged president crossed the necessary threshold of 1,255 delegates to wrap up the Republican nomination, according to an Associated Press count. Campaigning for the March 16 Illinois primary, Kerry criticized the nation's new prescription drug program and argued Bush has done little to help the elderly. "It must be getting lonely for George Bush," Kerry said in an appearance with Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich. "It seems he's the last person left in America who actually believes his failed policies will ever work." He welcomed his four victories in remarks at Chicago's Union Station and took another shot at Bush: "This president doesn't have a record to run on, only a record to run from, so he's already resorting to personal attacks." Kerry may soon get help from former rival Howard Dean, who was meeting with the nominee-in-waiting Wednesday to discuss a possible endorsement, sources said.
Kerry essentially locked up the contest last week after the departure of chief rival John Edwards. Exit polls of voters in the four states found Edwards, a North Carolina senator, a popular choice in the region for Kerry's running mate. More than four in 10 people surveyed said they'd like to see him on the ticket.
Ohio Rep. Dennis Kucinich and Rev. Al Sharpton, both trailing Kerry distantly, were still in the race, but Sharpton didn't make it on the Louisiana ballot. Edwards was running second to Kerry in the four states despite dropping out. With little at stake, voters who turned out tended to be older than participants in earlier primaries, more motivated than the norm, and had the free time to come out. The economy was their top issue and about four in 10 said their own financial situation was worse than four years ago. As in earlier primaries, many were angry at Bush, especially in Florida, where his brother, Jeb, is governor, and in Texas, his home state, according to the exit polls conducted for The Associated Press. Asked what the United States should do now in Iraq, four in 10 Democratic voters said Bush should withdraw all troops, and three in 10 said to withdraw some troops. Kerry, a fourth-term Massachusetts senator, criticized the prescription drug legislation signed by Bush last fall that includes the most far-reaching changes in Medicare since the giant health care program for seniors was created in 1965. Beginning in 2006, the law will give beneficiaries a prescription drug benefit for the first time, with subsidies for low-income seniors to help offset premiums and other costs. The law also provides subsidies for insurance companies to offer private health care coverage to seniors as an alternative to the government-designed benefit they now receive. Kerry immediately drew fire from House Speaker Dennis Hastert who faulted him for scaring "our greatest generation with misinformation about the voluntary and affordable" law the Illinois Republican helped write. Hastert also said Kerry missed 36 of 38 votes, including final passage, on Medicare legislation. Illinois is among the states seeking to import cheaper drugs from Canada, and Kerry blamed Bush. "He stubbornly insists on tax cuts as he steadily loses jobs in this country," the Democrat said. "He stubbornly refuses to allow the importation of drugs from Canada while steadily the prices are going up." At stake Tuesday in the four states were 465 delegates to the Democratic National Convention in July. Based on early returns, an Associated Press analysis showed the senator with 1,816, but Kerry wasn't expected to reach the magic number of 2,162 until later this month because of the way the party allocates delegates. In American Samoa, Kerry easily won with 83 percent of the vote to 17 percent for Kucinich of Ohio. The U.S. territory located about 2,300 miles south of Hawaii offered three delegates. Kerry was traveling to Washington for meetings this week with former rivals Dean and Edwards, brimming with confidence that they would be available to assist in his campaign. Officials familiar with the discussions, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Dean was prepared to endorse Kerry, campaign for him and ask his own contributors to donate to the presumptive nominee. But that was contingent on the outcome of the meeting, and Kerry's willingness to help court the faction of Dean's supporters still skeptical of his commitment to reform, the officials said. If the meeting goes well, as expected, aides for Dean and Kerry would spend a week or so orchestrating an endorsement, the officials said. "Dean has been very clear he wants to be part of the team, he wants to help win," Kerry said. "John Edwards has been very clear he wants to be part of the team."
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Posts: 5,958
some RKMB'ers are Obsessed with Black People Hmmm? 5000+ posts
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some RKMB'ers are Obsessed with Black People Hmmm? 5000+ posts
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 5,958 |
Here.
I HAVE to share this.
I dont know what the Bush
administration was thinking when
they made this Spanish/Mexican
Bush ad. But It kind of makes
you wonder.. first they used footage
from the World Trade Center now
they are using Mexican music and
having George Speak Spanish..
I mean come on... too funny!
video is here.. for real..
its the Bush video..
http://parishilton.web1000.com/Bush-Mexican.wmv
 
I can guranatee that putting mariachi music juxtaposed with 9/11 isn't going to resonate well with latinos. And it's not to do with the 9/11 imagery at all. There is something almost insulting about the whole thing....
Talk about cluelessness.
Last edited by whomod; 2004-03-11 9:01 AM.
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 22,618
Your death will make me king! 15000+ posts
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OP
Your death will make me king! 15000+ posts
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 22,618 |
Bush can't be that dumb...can he?
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Joined: May 2003
Posts: 5,958
some RKMB'ers are Obsessed with Black People Hmmm? 5000+ posts
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some RKMB'ers are Obsessed with Black People Hmmm? 5000+ posts
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 5,958 |
I'm hoping that it's actually a parody or some test footage.
Still, the "Yo soy President Bush y yo aprobe este mensaje" bit makes me chuckle.
The mariachi music is a bit much though.
Last edited by whomod; 2004-03-11 11:39 AM.
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Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 17,801
terrible podcaster 15000+ posts
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terrible podcaster 15000+ posts
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 17,801 |
His enunciation isn't bad.
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Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 45,820
cobra kai 15000+ posts
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cobra kai 15000+ posts
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 45,820 |
Quote:
whomod said:
Here.
I HAVE to share this.
I dont know what the Bush
administration was thinking when
they made this Spanish/Mexican
Bush ad. But It kind of makes
you wonder.. first they used footage
from the World Trade Center now
they are using Mexican music and
having George Speak Spanish..
I mean come on... too funny!
video is here.. for real..
its the Bush video..
izzis a poem?
giant picture
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 22,618
Your death will make me king! 15000+ posts
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OP
Your death will make me king! 15000+ posts
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 22,618 |
Presidential Elections - AP Bush to Attend Memorial for 9/11 Victims 1 hour, 51 minutes ago By SCOTT LINDLAW, Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON - President Bush isn't backing down. His response to the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, is a centerpiece of his campaign for re-election and he underscores the point Thursday with a visit to a new victims' memorial before headlining a campaign fund-raiser. Bush used images from the World Trade Center's smoldering wreckage in his first re-election TV commercials last week, and refused to retreat when critics called them crass exploitation of those killed in the attacks.
 Bush was to be among the first digging shovels of dirt at the groundbreaking for a new Sept. 11 memorial in East Meadow, N.Y., a Manhattan suburb on Long Island.
The quarrel over the ads was shadowing Bush, as at least two groups announced plans to protest his visit. "No one's been held accountable for anything about 9/11," said Bill Doyle, who lost his 25-year-old son, Joseph, at the World Trade Center. Doyle, who also criticized the image in Bush's campaign commercial of the flag-draped remains of a victim being carried from ground zero, said he intends to be at the demonstration. "I have a problem with exploiting death for political gain," he said. "I'd have the same problem if Democrats used images of body bags coming back from Iraq in one of their ads." The $750,000 memorial will feature two semitransparent aluminum towers, representing the World Trade Center, rising 30 feet from a reflecting pool. It will also have a wall with the names of 281 victims who lived in or had ties to Nassau County, N.Y., and two pieces of steel from the trade center's wreckage.
It is expected to be completed in time for September's third anniversary of the attacks.
Besides Bush, New York Gov. George Pataki, former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, and Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., were also attending he commemoration. Both Pataki and Giuliani have defended Bush's use of Sept. 11 in the campaign. Afterward, the group of politicians were making the five-minute trip to Bush's fund-raiser. Bush has raised more than $160 million for his re-election and shows no sign of slowing down as he approaches his stated goal of $170 million. Both Vice President Dick Cheney and his wife, Lynne, were on separate money-raising trips as well. Bush was starting the day by tending to his conservative base with satellite remarks to the National Association of Evangelicals Convention in Colorado. The economy is another pillar of Bush's re-election bid and he was carrying his message of tax cuts and trade to Long Island as well. He takes a 10-minute tour of USA Industries, which makes automobile parts in Bay Shore, N.Y., and hosts a "conversation on the economy," where managers and workers typically extol the benefits of his economic agenda. Earlier this week, Bush gave a firm defense of his use of Sept. 11 in his campaign. "It was a major moment in our nation's history," Bush told KTRK-TV in Houston. "It was a time when the enemy declared war on us. And as I tell people, war's what they got with George W. Bush as the president." Bush added: "I'll honor those who died. I'll honor those who sacrificed to save lives. But I'm not going to forget. ... I remember people looking at me, saying, 'Don't you ever let us down, Mr. President. Do what it takes to secure America,' and that's exactly what I intend to do."
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Your death will make me king! 15000+ posts
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Your death will make me king! 15000+ posts
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Presidential Elections - AP Black Members of Congress to Aid Kerry 55 minutes ago By MIKE GLOVER, Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON - Black members of Congress expect to confer regularly with Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry and help him plan campaign strategy and involve minorities in his effort to unseat President Bush, an official of the Congressional Black Caucus said Thursday.
Kerry met privately for 45 minutes with caucus members as he spent the day on Capitol Hill shoring up his support among congressional Democrats. Following meetings with other members of the House and his colleagues in the Senate, the presumptive nominee to challenge Bush in November was to meet with former rival John Edwards. Rep. Elijah E. Cummings, D-Md., the first vice chairman of the caucus, said after the meeting with Kerry that caucus members were encouraged "this will be an ongoing relationship. ... It is clear we are all about the business of building America." Kerry posed for photos with black leaders but ignored questions from reporters regarding Republican criticism of his comments Wednesday describing GOP critics as "the most crooked, you know, lying group I've ever seen." A GOP official has called on Kerry to apologize for a statement "unbecoming of a candidate for the presidency."
 Edwards aides said he planned to bring 100 of his top fund-raising backers to the meeting in what was described as a passing of the torch to Kerry, the Democratic presidential nominee-in-waiting.
The get-togther with Edwards comes a day after Kerry's 45-minute session with former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean. Both sides described it as upbeat and said it would lead to an eventual Dean endorsement of Kerry.
Officials familiar with the talks said the two agreed to campaign together March 25, fueling speculation that that would be when an endorsement is announced. Dean left little doubt after the meeting.
"I will work closely with John Kerry to make sure we beat George Bush in November and turn our country around," Dean, a bitter critic of Kerry during the campaign, said in a statement. Kerry created a bit of a stir Wednesday in Chicago after he spoke via satellite to labor leaders meeting in Florida. When a supporter urged him to take on Bush, Kerry said, into a still-open microphone: "Let me tell you, we've just begun to fight. We're going to keep pounding. These guys are the most crooked, you know, lying group I've ever seen. It's scary." President Bush's re-election campaign demanded an apology for "this negative attack." "Senator Kerry's statement today in Illinois was unbecoming of a candidate for the presidency of the United States of America, and tonight we call on Senator Kerry to apologize to the American people for this negative attack," campaign chairman Marc Racicot said in a statement. "On the day that Senator Kerry emerged as his party's presumptive nominee, the president called to congratulate him. That goodwill gesture has been met by attacks and false statements." In response, Kerry spokeswoman Stephanie Cutter said Republicans have a record of smearing their opponents and that Kerry intended the comment to show that he will fight back. "Four years ago, John Kerry saw what the Republican attack machine did to John McCain. Two years ago, he saw what it did to Max Cleland," Cutter said, recalling the Arizona senator who challenged Bush for the GOP presidential nomination in 2000 and the Georgia Democratic senator turned out of office in 2002. "What he was saying is he's not going to take it." In his address to AFL-CIO leaders, Kerry criticized Bush's economic policies and proposed a $50 billion fund for states to help ease the tax burden for working families that he said have been struggling. In response, the Bush campaign accused Kerry of favoring broad tax increases that would affect all taxpayers and making campaign-trail promises that don't add up. With the Democratic nomination in hand, Kerry — who has 2,037 of the needed 2,162 Democratic convention delegates — was shifting to more of a general election schedule, with upcoming stops in the contested battlegrounds of Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. He also was planning a vacation next week after the swing, though no destination has been picked.
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Your death will make me king! 15000+ posts
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Your death will make me king! 15000+ posts
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White House - AP Bush Nominee Withdraws After Kerry Remark Thu Mar 11, 7:35 PM ET By MARTIN CRUTSINGER, AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON - A Nebraska business executive withdrew from consideration to be President Bush's point man on manufacturing Thursday after presumptive Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry raised questions about his stance on shifting U.S. jobs to foreign countries.
The Bush administration said Anthony Raimondo's withdrawal was related to Nebraska political issues and not the flap raised by the Kerry campaign.
But the nomination had appeared in doubt after Kerry's campaign had raised questions of why the Bush administration was picking someone to guide government efforts to halt the hemorrhage of American manufacturing jobs who had laid off 75 of his own workers in 2002 after announcing he was constructing a $3 million plant in China.
Raimondo, the chief executive of Behlen Manufacturing Co. of Columbus, Neb., could not be reached immediately for comment after the White House announced late Thursday that he was withdrawing from consideration for the post. Earlier in the day, he had defended his company's operations in China, saying that the Chinese facility had not meant lost jobs for his four U.S. plants but rather was an effort to sell into the Chinese market. Behlen manufacturers steel buildings and farm equipment. "We have not shipped jobs overseas," he said. "We are manufacturing buildings inside the China market for the China market." The Kerry campaign had no immediate reaction to Raimondo's withdrawal, but earlier Kerry had criticized the appointment of a so-called manufacturing czar "too little, too late" to deal with the current crisis in American manufacturing. The administration had scheduled a news conference for Thursday to announce its selection for the job of assistant commerce secretary for manufacturing. Bush last September had announced the position to coordinate the administration's efforts to bolster the country's beleaguered manufacturing sector. However, the planned news conference was scrapped after Kerry, the Democratic presidential candidate, and other Democrats raised questions about Raimondo's stance on shifting U.S. jobs to foreign countries, a hot political issue given the loss of 3 million manufacturing jobs since mid-2000. But an administration official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Raimondo's withdrawal was not connected to Kerry's criticism. The official hinted at problems on Capitol Hill with getting Raimondo confirmed. During congressional consultations, in-state political issues arose that made Raimondo's confirmation impossible, the official said. The Nebraska congressional delegation found itself split on the nomination. Sen. Ben Nelson, a Democrat, was enthusiastic about the nomination while the state's Republican senator, Chuck Hagel, questioned on Wednesday why the White House had not consulted with the state's Republican delegation before making the announcement. After Raimondo's withdrawal, Mike Buttry, a spokesman for Hagel, said, "This is unfortunate for everybody. Somehow the process broke down and this thing got off the tracks." In a statement, Nelson said, "Tony Raimondo would have been a remarkable assistant secretary for manufacturing." The flap over Raimondo was the latest in a series of economic embarrassments for the administration this year. Gregory Mankiw, the president's chief economist, had to apologize for appearing to be insensitive to the plight of unemployed workers in comments he made about outsourcing service jobs, such as call center workers to foreign countries. The administration backtracked on its own economic forecast, which had predicted that 2.6 million jobs will be created this year, a figure private economists said was wildly optimistic. The administration, however, insisted that it was pushing ahead with efforts to bolster the country's beleaguered manufacturing sector. "It's not so important when we make the announcement. It's who it is," Commerce Secretary Don Evans said in an interview on CNBC. Rep. Lee Terry, R-Neb., took to the House floor on Thursday to defend Raimondo, and to accuse Kerry of playing election year politics. Terry said that Raimondo's four plants in the United States employed 1,200 U.S. workers and that the China factory would employ 180 people making farm equipment for sale in China, not for export back to the United States. "This isn't an issue of outsourcing jobs," Terry said. "This is an issue of being efficient in a global economy."
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