Howard Dean: One loose cannon

By JOESPH W. McQUAID - Publisher

IMAGINE what world terrorists must think of an America where Howard Dean is his party’s leading candidate for President. Imagine what would become of America if this man ever got to BE President.

Dean’s latest outrage takes the cake — until he says something even more idiotic. He said last week he wouldn’t want to pre-judge the guilt or innocence of Osama bin Laden, the man who has boasted of his mass murder of thousands of innocent Americans.

Bin Laden and his al-Qaida thugs must truly be encouraged that a would-be American leader could make such a ridiculous statement. That’s not good for this country. Contrast Dean’s words with those of our current President. Of bin Laden, George W. Bush has said, simply, we will take him, “dead or alive.”

That is language our enemies understand. That is why Libya’s Gadhafi has changed his tune and wants to surrender his weapons. Can anyone imagine him doing so to a President Dean?

As with many of his astonishing pronouncements, Dean has since tried to amend this one. And he has been lucky that a fawning media and hapless opponents have so far let him get away with it. But we predict that this Dr. Jekyll is going to turn into Mr. Hyde once too often and be exposed for the dangerous loose cannon that he is.

Dean: Dems Doomed if He Loses Nomination


By MIKE GLOVER, Associated Press Writer

DES MOINES, Iowa - Howard Dean said Sunday that the hundreds of thousands of people drawn to politics by his campaign may stay home if he doesn't win the Democratic presidential nomination, dooming the Democratic Party in the fall campaign against President Bush.



"If I don't win the nomination, where do you think those million and a half people, half a million on the Internet, where do you think they're going to go?" he said during a meeting with reporters. "I don't know where they're going to go. They're certainly not going to vote for a conventional Washington politician."

Read the rest of this story here and please comment!

One question remains

By Harold W. Hopp, Mason City

On Thursday, Dec. 11, I was given the great personal honor to introduce Max Cleland, whom I consider a great American hero, who had lost both legs and his right arm in 1968 in the Vietnam War.

Cleland was speaking to supporters of John Kerry for the presidency of the United States.

As a Kerry supporter, I was anxious to learn why Cleland was campaigning for him. His reasons were essentially the same as mine. Kerry is an intelligent and honest person; extremely knowledgeable of foreign affairs, defense and economic matters; one who has worked for veterans and their welfare; and one who can restore trust and decency in our government's dealings with the community of nations.

Cleland is a person who was appointed the administrator of the Veterans Administration by President Carter in 1975, the youngest person ever to hold the post, and while there he instituted a program which for the first time offered psychological counseling for combat veterans.

In 1996 he was elected U.S. senator from Georgia, and when he did not support the Bush administration in all the facets of the Homeland Security Act he was called "unpatriotic." ...

One daunting question remains for me. If a decorated military hero who will spend the rest of his life permanently affected by the terrible wounds he suffered in service to his country is "unpatriotic," then what word would apply to those in the Bush administration who used their skills, their positions and their influence to avoid wartime service for their country? I can think of an appropriate word, but it would be unsuitable for inclusion in a family newspaper.

Kerry visits as Iowa Caucus race heats up in final month

By Bryon S. Houlgrave, News Editor

Packed into a standing-room only tractor showroom at the Floyd County Museum, eight-year-old Bailey Wetherell ran his hand into the air and outlasted eager inquiries of what Senator John Kerry (D-Mass.) could do for Iowa if he was elected President of the United States. Bailey, from Iowa City, held onto his patience as topic after topic was addressed, from No Child Left Behind to health insurance to keeping the nation's V.A. hospitals.

Bailey, in town visiting his grandparents, Jim and Deb McNeilus, awaited his turn. Then, Senator Kerry approached him and asked this young American what he would like to know.

Bailey didn't ask about the failing health care system. He didn't ask about the Senator's impression of the nation's economy. It wasn't the Senator's solution for the conflict in the Middle East he wanted summed up either. Bailey simply wanted to know why.

"Why do you want to be President," he asked.

The Massachusetts senator smiled and replied, "So kids like you have a better world to grow up in."

Read more here...

John Kerry Announces Key Endorsements from State Leaders
More Activists Changing Minds and Joining Kerry

December 23, 2003

Des Moines, IA -

Today, the Kerry Campaign announced the support of several prominent Iowans, including Representative Mary Gaskill – the 24th state legislator to throw their support behind Kerry – Paulee Lipsman, staff director of the Iowa House and Susan Pamperin, the Chairwoman of the Democratic Party in Scott County, the 3rd largest county in the state.

Representative Mary Gaskill pledged her support for Kerry at a Women for Kerry event in Ottumwa last Thursday evening. Gaskill, who represents (93rd legislative district) Wapello, County is serving her first term. She said, "Kerry is a leader who combines military service, foreign policy experience and a lifelong record of standing up to powerful interests. He has the most support of any candidate in the Iowa state house because my colleagues recognize that he has the vision and ability to get this country back on track."

Paulee Lipsman, staff director of the Iowa House and former DNC delegate announced her support for Kerry, after initially backing Senator Joe Lieberman. *Lipsman, known for years of leadership in the Iowa Democratic Party, has already jumped right in to begin working on behalf of Kerry. On her endorsement Lipsman said, "Kerry has a solid commitment to rolling back the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy so we can invest in education and health care. Iowans know that John Kerry has the best chance to send George Bush and his radical policies back to Texas. "The Kerry Campaign proudly has the support of over a third of the Democratic Caucus in the Iowa Legislature, more than double that of any other candidate. Many of the other new endorsements are from Iowans who have switched alliances with other candidates.

The announcement comes on the heels of Kerry's four day visit in Iowa that included a meeting with Linn County nurses on his plan to control spiraling healthcare costs, an unprecedented televised live town hall with undecided voters, a speech outlining his vision for post-Hussein foreign policy, and a swing through Southeast Iowa where he connected directly with voters and shared his blueprint for changing America in the first 100 days of a Kerry Administration.

The pledges of support by these battle-tested democratic activists reflect the strength and depth of Kerry's operation in Iowa and will translate into significant mobilization of caucus goers in their respective areas. Kerry will continue to pick up support this week as he continues his Fighting for Working Americans tour across Iowa, including his 24-hour campaign day during which he will visit working Iowans at work, including factory workers, child care providers, fire fighters, nurses, small business owners and farmers.

Also giving Kerry their backing are the following key community leaders:

Stu Barns, President of the Des Moines Police Union
**Jodi Ewing, Monona County Vice Chair and former Iowa House candidate
**Beth Ferree, from Panora
Tom Flynn, Former State Senator from Dubuque
Wes Garvey, the Mayor of Somers and the Calhoun County chair
Janet Hanson, AFSCME local President in Cherokee
**Dave Hogan, President of Carpenters Local 308 in Cedar Rapids
Bob Holstein, Harrison County Dem Chair
**Ann Klees, Allamakee County Chair
Mark Shearer, Former State Senator from Washington County
John Tekippe, President of Des Moines Firefighters Union
***Rita Vargas, Scott County Recorder


*Switched from Lieberman to Kerry
**Switched from Dean to Kerry
***Switched from Edwards to Kerry

Steve Soto of the Left Coaster had this to say today:

"There is no excuse for the front runner to make the statement he did yesterday that capturing Saddam does not mean that Washington Democrats can declare victory in the war on terror, when they did not claim that in the first place. Precision matters, and can be used against Mr. Bush quite effectively, but only if our candidate has a commitment to it himself. Anger and aggressiveness by our side, as welcome as it may be, does not give Howard Dean a pass. Stick to the facts, do not play word games, say exactly what you mean, be accurate, and drive Bush into the ground with his own words and actions. Failing to do so will result in our candidate spending all of his time explaining what he meant to a Gotcha media and the voters instead of hammering Bush."

Read more...

Who does Dean think he is fooling?

Today Howard Dean said:

"It's not necessary to tear down the other opponents''...

"The race needs ``a little character transplant'' ...

But this article from Thursday - October 23, 2003, clearly shows that Dean was the first to attack the other candidates:

In New Ads, Dean Becomes First in Campaign to Attack Fellow Democrats
By JODI WILGOREN and JIM RUTENBERG (NYT)

CRESCO, Iowa, Oct. 22 -- Howard Dean this week began running two new television advertisements that criticize his rivals for the Democratic presidential nomination as ''Washington politicians'' who have failed to deliver prescription drug benefits and were inconsistent on the Iraq war.

The commercials are the first of the election campaign's nascent television advertising battle in which a Democratic candidate has criticized the other primary contenders. (President Bush has been fair game for weeks.)

While the spots fall short of singling out Dr. Dean's opponents by name, they are unusually negative for this stage of the campaign, when biographical commercials are the norm.

Officials of the Dean campaign said the commercials were devised to address biting criticism from rivals and to emphasize Dr. Dean's status as a Washington outsider. Dr. Dean's opponents said the spots were a sign of growing concern in his campaign that his opponents' attacks from the stump were having an effect with voters.

The advertisements will run for a week to 10 days in New Hampshire and Iowa, though they will also be seen in the Boston area and parts of Vermont. The Dean campaign said it paid $300,000 for air time.

The spots refer blindly to ''my opponents.'' But they are clearly aimed most directly at Representative Richard A. Gephardt of Missouri and Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts, Dr. Dean's most serious competitors in Iowa and New Hampshire.

In both advertisements Dr. Dean, the former governor of Vermont, delivers the critiques himself, standing in front of an outdoors backdrop of a tree-spotted grassy expanse.

In the Iowa spot, first shown on Tuesday, Dr. Dean talks about high prescription drug costs for the elderly. He begins by vaguely addressing criticism of comments he made in 1995 supporting a reduction in the growth rate of Medicare spending, which opponents said put him in line with Congressional Republicans.

''Instead of fixing the problem, the best my opponents can do is talk about what was said eight years ago,'' Dr. Dean says. ''For years the politicians in Washington have talked about health insurance and a prescription drug benefit. And all you got was talk. But in Vermont, we did it.''

Dr. Dean was making reference to the fact that about one-third of Vermont's elderly residents had prescription benefits paid for by the state and that nearly every child in the state had health insurance.

In the New Hampshire advertisement, first shown on Wednesday, Dr. Dean focuses on the invasion of Iraq: ''The best my opponents can do is ask questions today that they should have asked before they supported the war.''

While analysts said they did not expect Dr. Dean's spots to set off a significant round of commercial counterattacks, the new advertisements did lead to an intense round of press releases, phone calls and e-mail messages from opponents' campaigns to reporters debating how negative the spots were.

Mr. Kerry's staff quickly e-mailed the advertisements' scripts to reporters with the subject line ''Dean goes negative.''

Mr. Gephardt's staff sent out a statement that refrained from using the word ''negative,'' while praising Mr. Gephardt's record on health care and renewing his critique of Dr. Dean's record in Vermont and past statements about Medicare.

Dr. Dean, campaigning across a lightly populated stretch of northern Iowa, said the advertisements were not ''negative,'' but simply a rebuttal to attacks his rivals have made in recent weeks in debates, in news releases and on the campaign trail. ...

Joe Trippi, Dr. Dean's campaign manager, said this was ultimately a pre-emptive television strike. ''That's what we're supposed to do with the money, is get the message out,'' he said. ''We aren't waiting for them to go negative.''

And then there was this one:

Dean Spares No Opponent As He Sprints Across Iowa
By JODI WILGOREN (NYT)

MONTROSE, Iowa, Oct. 14 -- Howard Dean, who is increasingly giving his presidential candidacy an anti-Washington cast, cranked up his rhetoric on Tuesday, saying that if he won, members of Congress were ''going to be scurrying for shelter, just like a giant flashlight on a bunch of cockroaches.''

His jab at Capitol Hill, institutional home to four of Dr. Dean's five main rivals for the nomination, came in response to a question about how he would handle Congress and the entrenched Beltway bureaucracy. The questioner mentioned Republicans and Democrats alike, and Dr. Dean made no distinction.

Tacky, Tacky, Tacky! It seems to me, that if Howard Dean Can't Stand the Heat, He Needs to Get Out of the Kitchen or the Race!

John Kerry Offers Plan to Reduce Dependence on Mideast Oil and Create 500,000 Jobs

John Kerry continued to push his plan for national security today with a visit to a New Hampshire school where students study energy use and conservation technologies. After examining the students’ work in building an energy efficient vehicle, Kerry discussed his plan to make the United States a safer, cleaner, stronger nation by reducing our dependence on Mideast oil and creating 500,000 jobs in new energy industries.

“Being part of a green school, you’re not just answering your teachers’ questions about the latest chapter in your science books. You’re answering questions that America’s future, your future, depends on,” said John Kerry. “We need a new Manhattan Project to make America energy independent of Middle East oil in 10 years by creating alternative fuels like ethanol and wind power and by making our cars more efficient. We’ll create half a million new jobs here at home at the same time – and we’ll never have to send our sons and daughters to war for Mideast oil.”
John Kerry spoke with Hopkinton Middle/High School students who participate in the State’s Solar on Schools program, started under Governor Jeanne Shaheen. Schools participating in the program integrate alternative energy into their science curriculums and take steps to install solar panels. Kerry congratulated them on their commitment to reducing our dependence on foreign oil and improving our environment.

John Kerry’s energy plan includes a new Energy Security and Conservation Trust fund to capitalize on the commercialization of new technologies that will reduce America’s dependence on Mideast oil. Kerry also pledged to make vehicles more fuel-efficient and to improve efficiency and conservation in our homes, offices, schools and cities. He has proposed investment in hydrogen energy technology and setting a goal to produce 20% of electricity from renewable sources by 2020.

Read the Plan Here...

What's new on The New Republic?


Diary of a Dean-o-Phobe - by, Jonathan Chait
Introducing Jonathan Chait's new anti-Dean blog:

"It's not entirely clear to me why I've taken such an intense dislike to Howard Dean. Yes, I find him arrogant and frequently dishonest. Yes, I'm certain his nomination would lead to a political disaster of historic, and possibly biblical, proportions. And, yes, I'm continuously dumbfounded that a number of highly intelligent people I know have convinced themselves that his nomination is a good thing, or at least that it's not an unambiguously bad thing. But somehow the whole of my loathing for Dean is greater than the sum of its parts. So I've decided to start a blog on TNR's website to indulge that loathing."

"I realize that there is a certain irony here. Earlier this year I wrote a piece for TNR that defended hatred of President Bush. (I argued that hating Bush may lead to irrationality--rooting against the capture of Saddam Hussein, or, say, nominating Howard Dean--but it's not irrational in and of itself.) But recently I'm finding that Dean hatred is crowding out Bush hatred in my mental space. It's not that I think Dean would be a worse president than Bush--he'd probably be better, although that's extremely faint praise given that Bush is the worst president of the last 80 years. Bush is like the next-door neighbor who lets his dog poop on your lawn and his kid shoot bb's at your house and who says something irritating to you every day on his way to work. Dean, on the other hand, is like the ne'er-do-well who's dating your daughter. You realize the neighbor is a worse person than the boyfriend, but the boyfriend (and the frightening prospect that he'll become your son-in-law) consumes more of your attention."

Read More...

I see the need for a new MeetUp... Dean-o-Phobe's Anonymous!

My name is Pamela and I am a Dean-a-Phobe. I never dated Dean, I have been committed to Kerry right from the start.

I must agree with Jonathan Chait, Dean really scares me. He's volatile, and quite frankly I just don't get the attraction. The more Dean supporters assail myself and other Kerry supporters, the more turned off I am. For a long time I went along with the let's not pick on Dean stance, but I am tired of the fact that he has trounced all over the Democratic Party and seems to feel that he is entitled to the nomination!

Three Cheers to Jonathan Chait for Diary of a Dean-o-Phobe.

Coming soon to a MeetUp near you... Dean-o-Phobe's Anonymous...

NPR's "All Things Considered" story about Dean and his flip flops on the war.

In endorsement race, Kerry holds his own
Some key figures ignore Dean lead

December 12, 2003 - Boston Globe - by Glen Johnson


Despite John F. Kerry's sagging poll numbers in New Hampshire, one of the state's top elected officials defied convention wisdom recently: Manchester's mayor, Bob Baines, publicly embraced the Massachusetts Democrat and endorsed his campaign for their party's presidential nomination.

It was part of a pattern in which 27 prominent Granite State Democrats have thrown their backing to Kerry this year, a half-dozen of them -- including former Governor Jeanne Shaheen -- since his poll numbers peaked in August. That total, according to a tally by the politicsnh.com website, is more than three times as many who are supporting former Vermont governor Howard Dean, and almost twice the number who are backing two other candidates, Representative Richard A. Gephardt of Missouri and Senator John Edwards of North Carolina.

That pattern holds true in Iowa, which kicks off the delegate-selection process with its Jan. 19 caucuses. Kerry is running third in the polls behind Gephardt and Dean, but has gotten the endorsements of 23 of 68 Democrats in the state Legislature, including Mary Mascher, the minority whip of the House, and Senator Dennis Black of Grinnell, whose district includes the Maytag appliance headquarters and its unionized workforce. The total is more than Gephardt's and Dean's combined.

With everything to gain by backing a winner and plenty to lose by not, why would Baines and the others risk their political reputations and clout by backing a potential loser? Instinct, loyalty, and a belief that the decisive phase of the campaign is only beginning, they say.

"Some people have said I'm jumping on the Titanic; I don't feel that way at all," the mayor said in an interview. "I'm supporting someone I think can win and be a strong leader. It doesn't matter to me what the polls say."

State Senator Lou D'Allesandro of Manchester, who threw his support to Edwards despite polls showing him in the single digits, said: "I'm a little guy from a little state who's trying to make just a little imprint on what I think is a great thing."

Politicians regularly debate the value of endorsements, typically unveiled with a glorious speech in which a politician outlines why he or she has decided to back a candidate. The event usually concludes with the endorser and endorsee clasping hands amid the flash of news cameras and the cheer of a handpicked audience.

While the backing of a marquee name can bring a candidate free media exposure, analysts argue that the most valuable endorsements in a Democratic primary generally come from labor unions. They have a structure that can organize the rank and file. They also have experience in voter canvassing, sign-holding, and other tasks requiring manpower.

Kerry argues that his broad, continued string of endorsements is a tangible sign of his campaign's viability. "Why do these institutional players do that?" he asked yesterday during a meeting with Globe editors and reporters. "Because they believe I can beat George Bush, because they want to run on a ticket with me, and because they believe I speak to the sort of uniting part of our party."

Read more...

Senior Keene City Councilman Randy Filiault Endorses John Kerry
Builds on Kerry’s Cheshire County Support

December 15, 2003

For Immediate Release
Manchester, NH –

Keene City Councilman of 12 years Randy Filiault has endorsed John Kerry for President. Filiault is supporting Kerry because of his foreign policy and national security experience and his ability to take on George Bush toe-to-toe on the issues that will define this election.

Filiault is the senior member of the Keene City Council and serves as the Chairman of the Finance and Personnel Committees. He served four years in the Navy, both at the end of Vietnam and on a nuclear submarine after the war. Filiault has been married for twenty five years and owns the Railroad Tavern in Keene.
Joining Filiault in his endorsement of Kerry is Hinsdale Selectman Robert Johnson. Johnson is an experienced retired school teacher and is supporting Kerry because of his distinguished record and his vision for America’s role in the world.

Johnson has served on the Hinsdale Board of Selectman for three years. Before retiring, he taught biology, physics, astronomy and chemistry for 33 years. Johnson is also the secretary and treasurer of the Keene Local VFW 4234.

John Kerry said “I am very happy and honored to receive the endorsement of Randy Filiault and Robert Johnson who are outstanding community leaders. Their support adds to our great effort in Cheshire County. Randy has served his country all his life, both in Vietnam and as a community leader. Robert and Randy will both be great assets to our campaign in Cheshire County.”

Filiault and Johnson join other Cheshire County Kerry supporters including former Mayor of Keene Pat Russell, Democratic activist Molly Kelly and long time Democratic activist Tom Britton.

Affordable Health Care for All Americans
Remarks by John Kerry at Mercy Medical

December 14, 2003

Cedar Rapids, IA -

Seven months ago, I unveiled my health care plan at Mercy Medical in Des Moines. On that day, I vowed to fight for the day when affordable health care is a right, not a privilege, for every American. I vowed to fight for the 40 million uninsured Americans who have no coverage -- including the nearly quarter of a million who live right here in Iowa. I vowed to fight for senior citizens forced to choose between their meals and their medicine. And I vowed to fight harder than any other candidate in this race for the millions and millions of Americans with and without health insurance who fear opening their medical bills. Americans who cannot afford their health care are the unheard majority in this debate. They're not silent, they've just been ignored. No more. I will be the President who makes their voices heard.

Read the entire speech here...

Statement from John Kerry on the Capture of Saddam Hussein

December 14, 2003 - For Immediate Release

"This is a great day for U.S. forces, the Iraqi people, and the world. Capturing Saddam Hussein and ensuring that this brutal dictator will never return to power is an important step towards stabilizing Iraq for the Iraqis."

"Let’s also be clear: Our problems in Iraq have not been caused by one man and this is a moment when the administration can and must launch a major effort to gain international support and win the peace. We need to share the burden, bring in other countries, and make it clear to the world that Iraq belongs to the Iraqi people.

"Today is another opportunity to invite the world into a post-Saddam Iraq and build the coalition to win the peace that we should have built to win the war.”

Click here for links to watch Kerry on Fox, CBS and NBC News!

Decrying the Bush Administration’s failure to protect and create high technology jobs and America’s jobless recovery, John Kerry unveiled a comprehensive plan today to create jobs, invest in technology, and build a 21st Century workforce to compete in a global economy.

“This agenda starts with jumpstarting job creation. We’ve lost over 425,000 high-tech jobs under George Bush’s watch. Certainly, Silicon Valley has been hit hard. And people here are hurting. California’s high tech industry lost 123,000 tech jobs in one year, and your economy’s been hurt by the loss of billions in high-tech exports,” said John Kerry. “But all of us know that high-tech America stretches across our land. Places like New Hampshire thrived in the late 1990s as high-tech companies grew. New Hampshire lost 8,400 high-tech jobs in 2001 alone. That’s 18% of its tech jobs! We need to bring back high-tech jobs – from Manchester to Mountain View and everywhere in between.”

Kerry’s five-point technology plan will:

Encourage innovation to create high paying jobs: Kerry’s plan includes mechanisms to create jobs in the technology sector by supporting new investments in small technology companies and supporting advanced technology.

Assure America has cutting edge technology for the future: Kerry would make more spectrum available for experimentation with new, more efficient technologies and radios and providing a tax credit to telecommunications companies that deploy broadband in rural and underserved parts of America.

Make America more competitive by strengthening our markets: John Kerry would empower innovators by cracking down on trade and intellectual property violations and enhance confidence with strong corporate accountability:

Train a workforce prepared for the jobs of the 21st century: Kerry will work to assure every child a world class education and make college as universal as high school.

Using technology to improve quality of life: Kerry will work to assure every child a world class education and improve health through Stem Cell research.

More Here...

Prominent Environmentalists to Barnstorm NH for Kerry

Touting Democratic candidate John Kerry’s “history of engagement that extends back to the first Earth Day in 1970,” the non-profit League of Conservation Voters today released its environmental scorecard which gives Kerry the highest lifetime ranking of all the presidential candidates.


“In my first one hundred days as president, my Administration will aim to rollback the George W. Bush assault on clean air and clean water and work to strengthen our nation’s environmental laws,” said John Kerry. “I also will work to implement a plan to make the U.S. energy independent of Middle East oil in ten years—and create 500,000 jobs by investing in renewable energy sources, such as ethanol, solar, and wind.”

The League of Conservation Voters’ Presidential Profile credits Kerry with taking “a leadership role in promoting higher fuel efficiency standards for cars and trucks, combating attempts to drill in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, and in overturning efforts to weaken the Clean Air Act.” The report also touted Kerry’s work on international environmental initiatives including the incorporation of environmental safeguards in trade negotiations and his work on climate change.

“In his run for the presidency, Kerry has made the environment a central issue, devoting several significant forums to his plans for environmental action if elected,” the report noted.

Kerry Picks Up Significant Support Since the Jefferson Jackson Dinner
Has Over 1/3 of the Iowa Democratic Caucus

December 01, 2003

Des Moines, IA -

The Kerry Campaign announced today that twenty-three of Iowa’s state legislators have pledged their support for John Kerry along with the post-JJ endorsement of several prominent Iowans. Representative Dave Jacoby expressed his backing personally to John Kerry at the Jefferson Jackson Dinner on Saturday, November 15. He had been undecided prior to the dinner but was impressed by Kerry’s solid ‘Real Deal’ message of standing up to special interests and the strength and enthusiasm that his supporters displayed in the event. Representative Donovan Olson, from Boone, pledged his support for Kerry in the days following the event, citing Kerry’s strong record on the environment and his plan to get America’s economy back on track.

Support for Kerry has increased significantly during the weeks after the Jefferson Jackson event, and his backers now include influential Iowans such as Larry Gibbs, Clayton County Supervisor; Dave Hogan, President of Carpenters Local 308; Barb Edmonson, the only elected Democratic official in Washington County; Chuck Taylor, Fayette County Chair; Dennis Starling, former State Senate candidate from Clinton County; Don Wanatee, State Central Committee Member from Tama County and Gloria Goll, Hancock County Chair.

The total number of sitting legislators publicly supporting John Kerry continues to be more than that of Dick Gephardt and Howard Dean combined, and double that of any other candidate. Kerry’s supporters include Democratic leaders Mary Mascher, the Minority Whip in the Iowa House of Representatives and Brian Quirk, Assistant Leader in the Iowa House. The list of all of the State Legislators is attached.

John Kerry said, “I was thrilled to be at the Iowa JJ dinner, and can’t tell you how much it means to me to continue to earn the support of so many of Iowa’s public officials and prominent leaders. Their endorsement is important to me because I respect and admire them as public servants, and together we can help put this nation back track to promise and prosperity. Together, we can offer Americans the real deal.”

Along with these new endorsements, John Kerry has the support of over 1000 veterans – over a third of whom have never caucused before; a growing list of influential labor leaders including some prominent AFSCME presidents; the Iowa International Association of Firefighters; the Iowa Utility Workers Union of America; and a diverse group of distinguished community leaders from all across the state who will mobilize caucus goers in support of John Kerry.

State Legislature Endorsements (as of 11/30)

Representatives
Paul Bell

Deborah Berry

Swati Dandekar

Jane Greimann

Lisa Heddens

Dave Jacoby

Pam Jochum

Mary Mascher

Jo Oldson

Donovan Olson

Bob Osterhaus

Janet Peterson

Brian Quirk

Mark Smith

Roger Thomas

Roger Wendt

Senators
Dennis Black

Mike Connolly

Jack Hatch

Jack Kibbie

Matt McCoy

Roger Stewart

Steve Warnstadt

December 1, 2003
The Honorable George W. Bush
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20500

Dear Mr. President,

Over the past three years, this country has lost one out of every seven manufacturing jobs – 2.7 million jobs. To date, your Administration’s only plan to save manufacturing is to create a new government position -- the “Assistant Secretary for Manufacturing and Services” within the Department of Commerce. This simply just isn’t acceptable and amounts, in my view, to a dereliction of duty on the economic front.

As you give your speech on the economy today in Michigan, I hope you will finally offer a long overdue plan to restore the nation’s manufacturing base, which has been eroded under your watch. Your Administration has stood by and watched as the loss of manufacturing jobs – including 110,000 in Michigan -- has undermined the strength of our economy and the bread and butter for millions of America’s working families.

Read More...

John Kerry Marks World AIDS Day with Comprehensive Plan to Combat HIV/AIDS Epidemic

December 01, 2003

Today on World AIDS day, John Kerry released a comprehensive global AIDS plan. John Kerry will ensure that the United States truly leads the international community’s effort to combat the HIV/AIDS pandemic not through words but through deeds – through increased resources, programs driven by science not ideology, and tangible and meaningful support for multilateral efforts, particularly the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

John Kerry said, “As we mark World AIDS Day, we must realize that the health of the entire world is at stake. AIDS is a threat to our humanity, and the greatest public health crisis of our time. But AIDS is also fundamentally a threat to our national security, as countries weakened by the disease can become breeding grounds for terrorist activity. We need a president who combines compassion and courage in combating this killer. I have led the fight to combat this epidemic at home and abroad during my time in the Senate, and will continue to fight the AIDS crisis every day of my presidency by providing $30 billion to fight global AIDS, moving towards universal treatment of AIDS victims around the world, and increasing the funding for AIDS treatment right here in the United States. We will not back down from this fight on my watch, because nothing less than our global security depends on our success.”
John Kerry is the author of the most comprehensive HIV/AIDS bill ever to pass the Senate and a proven fighter to expand funding for US bilateral and global AIDS programs

He has proposed a comprehensive plan to respond to the global and domestic HIV/AIDS crisis.

99 Daily Distortions from the Commander-in-Chief

N0. 56
-------------------------------

The Distortion:

"My plan is good for the long-term health of our economy. It is good for the businesses that create jobs."

When: June 7, 2003

The Truth:

Over the past three years, this country has lost one out of every seven manufacturing jobs: 2.7 million jobs. To date, the Bush Administration's only plan to save manufacturing is to create a new government position -- the Assistant Secretary for Manufacturing and Services within the Department of Commerce.

Ending the Era of John Ashcroft

John Kerry visited Iowa State University on Monday, and gave a speech about ending the era of John Ashcroft. It is no understatement to call John Ashcroft and his policies a threat to civil Libertarians.

Please read the text of Senator Kerry’s speech, and allow me to offer my thoughts here:

Having a clean environment, a strong economy, and health care for all matter little in a country where the government has no regard for my basic civil liberties. For me, this is one of the biggest issues of this campaign.

Reading the speech John Kerry gave at ISU yesterday just energizes me!

The Bush administration has been masters at using fear to control. They used the natural fear we had after 9/11 to get this Patriot Act passed (even the name suggested what fate would meet anyone who opposed its passage).

They have used our fear to attempt to control us; they have exploited our pain regarding 9/11; and they have hidden behind the excuse that "we are at war" to stifle every criticism of their abusive actions.

The Bush administration has been a true horror for those of us who put our freedom first. John Kerry is right -- John Ashcroft must go! Four more years of this, and who knows where we will be?

We must stand with John Kerry and fight for the thing we cherish most as Americans -- our freedom.

This is WHY the next election is so crucial. Because without our Constitutional rights, our civil liberties, our very freedom, NOTHING ELSE MATTERS.