South Carolina "debate". (I liked Sharpton's line)
Dean Takes Aim at Kerry in South Carolina Debate
Howard Dean charged Thursday that John F. Kerry had not passed a single one of 11 health care bills he sponsored in the Senate, as the dethroned leader in the Democratic presidential race challenged the new front-runner in a televised debate.
After an hour that he criticized as "mellow" to the point of blandness, the former Vermont governor said his own achievements in insuring thousands of youngsters contrasted with Kerry's record.
The Massachusetts senator replied that if Dean understood Congress better, he would know that Kerry -- like any other senator -- often saw his ideas come to fruition in bills that do not carry his name. He cited as examples the Family and Medical Leave Act; a bill guaranteeing parity in Medicare treatment for mental illness; protection for veterans suffering from Agent Orange; and the extension of health insurance to children in all 50 states -- including Vermont.
Dean dismissed that response as "what I consider a real Washington answer," suggesting the senator was boasting of legislation rather than actual results. "With me, you'll get results," Dean said, "because I've been a governor."
The Dean-Kerry exchange was among the most energetic moments in a 90-minute forum marked by generally polite, policy-oriented comments. Even though Kerry prevailed in the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire's primary Tuesday -- making him the man to beat for the nomination -- Dean was the only one to challenge him directly.
Carried nationally by MSNBC and moderated by Tom Brokaw of NBC, the debate among the seven Democratic hopefuls came five days before South Carolina and six other states vote on the 2004 election's biggest day so far.
Sen. John Edwards (N.C.), who calls South Carolina a must-win primary for his candidacy, allowed Kerry to disclaim a statement earlier in the campaign that it was a "mistake" for Democrats to believe they had to break President Bush's hold on the South in order to win in November.
Kerry told Brokaw and the TV audience that "I've always said I could compete in the South and we can win in the South." That, he said, is why he is endorsed by retiring Sen. Ernest F. "Fritz" Hollings (D-S.C.) and Rep. Jim Clyburn, the state's highest ranking African-American official.
Yet previously, in a debate in New Hampshire, Kerry had said Democrats had made "a mistake" with electoral college strategies that began by "looking South." He noted then that Al Gore could have won the presidency in 2000 simply by carrying traditionally competitive states such as West Virginia and New Hampshire, without winning any southern states.
Edwards, called on next, passed up the opportunity to challenge Kerry. Instead he said it would be an "enormous mistake" for any Democrat to write off the South and its "enormous" stock of electoral votes. "No Democrat has been elected president without carrying five Southern states," he said.
Dean, who shook up his campaign Wednesday, said there was nothing inconsistent about his turning command over to Roy Neel, a longtime aide to Gore and a lobbyist for telephone companies in private life. Although he has criticized "Washington insiders" throughout his campaign, Dean defended Neel as someone who had "kept faith with the ethics pledges" he had made.
Asked by Brokaw how long they planned to stay in the race without a victory, the other four candidates -- retired Gen. Wesley K. Clark, Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman (Conn.), Rep. Dennis Kucinich (Ohio) and New York civil rights activist Al Sharpton -- all said they expect or intend to break into a winner's circle next week.
Sharpton, considered likely to benefit from support in South Carolina's large black community, managed again to provide the best sound bite of the debate. At the end of a lengthy discussion of Iraq, Sharpton said it was no surprise to him that Bush had said in the State of the Union address earlier this month that as long as he was president, the United States would never wait for "permission" from the United Nations or other nations to act for its own security.
"It's no wonder he doesn't need permission," Sharpton said. "He doesn't think he needs votes from the American people to be president."
Competing in a state where thousands of manufacturing jobs have disappeared and where many blame the NAFTA trade agreement for the loss, Lieberman was the only defender of that free trade pact -- even though Kerry and Dean had both given it strong public support.
"It was not a mistake," Lieberman insisted, saying exports contributed to the growth of 22 million jobs during the presidency of Bill Clinton. But he faulted Bush for failing to "stand up" to China on trade issues.
Dean said trade agreements should be revised to "globalize the rights of workers" and protect environmental standards, not just to ease investments in foreign countries. Kerry, for his part, said he would provide American workers "a fair playing field," while Bush is "selling them out."
Edwards said it would be dishonest to claim that any steps would protect all endangered jobs. But he said he would be more vigilant than others because "this is personal to me," having grown up in a textile mill worker's household. "I've seen what it does to communities and what it does to families," he said.
Kucinich said all these promises fell short because "you can't fix those treaties." He repeated his promise to reject NAFTA and the World Trade Organization if elected. His motto, he said, is "Buy America or bye-bye America."
Even though the campaign has moved into more conservative states, including Arizona, Oklahoma, Missouri and South Carolina, several of the candidates reiterated liberal positions. Dean again criticized the Patriot Act, which broadens government surveillance powers, as a threat to "fundamental liberties."
Edwards, pressed on his opposition to gay marriage, took pains to emphasize his support for legislation that would protect homosexuals' rights in employment and other areas. He said the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy should be revised.
Kerry defended his support of affirmative action, despite comments he made a decade ago that suggested he understood the concerns of those who said it had outlived its usefulness. "I supported it, and I will always support it," he said.
The candidates have been invited to debate Monday evening in Missouri, but it was not clear how many might participate. Another debate is planned before the Feb. 17 Wisconsin primary.
washingtonpost.com
lurqer |
