Clark Debut Doesn't Change Democrats' Focus on Dean
nytimes.com
By ROBIN TONER
WASHINGTON, Sept. 26 - The intense fire focused
on former Gov. Howard Dean in Thursday's debate reflected what one Democratic
strategist described as "the real race" at the moment: the struggle
for primacy in Iowa and New Hampshire.
While Gen. Wesley K. Clark's entry into the Democratic presidential race
transfixed the pundits and transformed the national polls, the other
leading candidates are still primarily focused on stopping Dr. Dean in Iowa
and New Hampshire, where he surged to the front of the pack this
summer, strategists said.
The debate clearly reflected that. And Democratic strategists
in rival camps said today that they planned to keep the pressure on Dr. Dean,
focusing on core Democratic issues like the defense of Medicare
and tax treatment of the middle class.
"Why Dean? Because there are clear, substantive policy differences
between us," said Erik Smith, spokesman for Representative Richard A.
Gephardt, Dr. Dean's leading rival in Iowa. "The question for Dean
is he can throw a punch, but can he take one?"
Indeed, the other Democratic camps are closely watching how Dr. Dean,
a relative newcomer to the national political scene, handles the growing
heat.
"I think the cracks are beginning to show around Dean," said
Jim Jordan, campaign manager for Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts, who is
fighting Dr. Dean hard in New Hampshire. "It doesn't look like
he's handling the pressure particularly gracefully."
Dr. Dean showed several flashes of anger in Thursday's debate,
particularly when Mr. Gephardt, backed up by Mr. Kerry, accused him of siding
with Newt Gingrich, then the speaker of the House, during the budget
battle of 1995, when conservatives sought to extract $270 billion from
Medicare. That issue could hurt in Iowa, where nearly 4 in 10 of
the caucusgoers in 2000 were 65 and over, according to AARP,
and two-thirds of all attendees were 45 and older.
Dr. Dean insisted that Mr. Gephardt's charge was "flat-out false," although
he has acknowledged sharply criticizing Medicare in the past and
calling for substantial reductions in its projected growth.
Dr. Dean's allies argued today that he had handled the onslaught well.
Joe Trippi, the Dean campaign manager, said: "He was the right tone, the
right pitch, the right everything. I can't think of anything I'd ask him to do differently."
Mr. Trippi added: "We are not attacking anybody. We're just being
Howard Dean, talking about our positions on the issues."
Dr. Dean, whose criticism of the war in Iraq is an important part of
his political appeal, called today for the resignations of Secretary of Defense
Donald H. Rumsfeld and the deputy secretary of defense, Paul D. Wolfowitz.
These rivalries are more relevant, at the moment, than the dynamic involving
General Clark, several strategists said. While General Clark quickly
rose in national polls after entering the race, they said, such ratings
are often largely a reflection of name recognition.
"People may say that Wes Clark is the front-runner, but is that the
sense you got in the debate last night?" one strategist said. "If national polls
were predictors of what's going on in the race and what's going to
happen in the race, Joe Lieberman would already be the nominee."
Moreover, many Democrats noted there was always a risk of being
the first to attack a new candidate in a multicandidate field; the last thing a
candidate wants to do is attack General Clark, pry some of his supporters
loose and have them go to another rival.
"Clark's coming in as the independent, nonpoltiical candidate," said
another Democratic strategist. "My guess is the first person who launches into
an attack will look political."
In the meantime, General Clark's entry is just one factor in a quickly changing campaign.
"Because President Bush is faltering, and because of the recent polls
showing that one of these candidates can be president, it is taking place in a
different setting," said Stan Greenberg, a longtime Democratic pollster.
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