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Politics : Stockman Scott's Political Debate Porch -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: American Spirit who wrote (14426)	3/12/2003 11:28:46 AM
From: Softechie	Respond to of 89467

IMPEACH DA IDIOT!

To: American Spirit who wrote (14426)	3/13/2003 3:31:40 PM
From: stockman_scott	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 89467

Kerry is setting a fast pace in fund-raising sweep Presidential contender trying to score big for March finance report By Glen Johnson Boston Globe Staff 3/13/2003 Senator John F. Kerry is pushing a financial vacuum cleaner across the country this week, collecting hundreds of thousands of dollars for his presidential campaign at major fund-raisers in New York, San Francisco, and Boston. A fund-raiser last night at the Sheraton Boston Hotel grossed more than $2 million, according to organizers, which the campaign said was a record amount raised in a single night from donations by individuals. On Tuesday night, a crowd of more than 650 people gathered in New York under the soaring, vaulted ceiling of Cipriani, a former bank turned function hall in midtown Manhattan, for a reception that grossed nearly $1 million. Earlier that evening, Kerry snared more than $200,000 in little more than an hour from 80 supporters at the plush Loews Regency Hotel on Park Avenue. ''It was $1,000 to come and $2,000 if you didn't come,'' one attendee joked, noting the recent doubling of the legal limit on campaign donations. Last night's event came two days after Kerry loyalists were invited to the Back Bay home of Bruce A. Percelay, president of the Mount Vernon Co., a real estate firm, for a more intimate affair that raised more than $100,000. In remarks to the hometown audience Kerry said: ''This campaign is about which party has the ideas to make America safer, stronger, and more secure in the 21st century. And if that is the test, then book the U-Haul, because George Bush is moving out. Just because the Supreme Court of the United States made the wrong decision in 2000 doesn't mean we have to live with it for another six years, my friends.'' The senator received an unusual introduction, in which his wife, Teresa Heinz Kerry, broke with staff recommendations and lectured the crowd about the importance of early testing for prostate cancer. The senator had surgery Feb. 12 to remove a cancerous prostate gland. ''I'm not supposed to do this, but I couldn't stand having so many men in front of me with their wives and not try to do something to save their lives,'' Heinz Kerry said to scattered applause. Those at the Sheraton event included Attorney General Thomas F. Reilly, state Senator Marc Pacheco of Taunton, former Clinton administration Labor secretary Robert Reich, and Niki Tsongas, widow of former senator Paul E. Tsongas, whom Kerry replaced in Congress and who was the last Massachusetts Democrat to run for president. Tomorrow, Kerry returns to California for the second time in two weeks, for another big fund-raiser at a hotel in downtown San Francisco. On the stump, Kerry speaks as a reluctant participant in the scramble for campaign cash. ''We're forced into, obviously, raising money, but that's not what the campaign is about,'' he said Monday after touring a worker-training site in Harlem, N.Y., before his fund-raising events. Behind closed doors, though, the Massachusetts Democrat is engaged in a nonstop effort to post a high total when the first quarter of presidential campaign fund-raising ends March 31. Kerry aides speculate privately that Senator John Edwards of North Carolina may lead the pack of Democratic contenders when the reports are released to the public April 15, but they are also anxious to gauge the progress of Senator Joseph I. Lieberman of Connecticut and Representative Richard A. Gephardt of Missouri. The campaigns are trying to set public expectations for one another in advance of the reports. The most successful candidates are expected to raise $3 million to $7 million during the first three months of this year. In addition to fund-raising, Kerry is continuing an aggressive effort to lock up political supporters in early primary states. In New York, Kerry received an unexpectedly early endorsement from Mark Green, the city's former public advocate, who most recently lost to Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, a Republican. Green's Democratic primary campaign against Fernando Ferrer was criticized by some minority groups as racist, and the Kerry team was quick to deny a report in Newsday this week that Green would serve as cochairman of Kerry's New York state steering committee. Instead, aides said the committee was still being formulated. ''He's among the top Jewish candidates running for president,'' Green said of Kerry, joking about the senator's newly discovered Jewish roots. ''To beat a team as ruthless as [President] Bush and [White House counselor Karl] Rove requires someone of his toughness.'' Among the guests at the Regency Hotel was David Dinkins, former New York mayor. A Kerry aide greeted Dinkins at the hotel door and escorted him into the event. Kerry then asked Dinkins to squeeze into the back seat of his car for the ride to Cipriani. ''I'm assessing,'' Dinkins said before riding off with Kerry. ''I haven't made a judgment yet.'' The Cipriani fund-raiser was arranged by, among others, Peter Stamos, who served as chief of staff to former senator Bill Bradley of New Jersey; Michael DelGuidice, who filled a similar role for former New York governor Mario Cuomo; and Alfred E. Smith IV, grandson and namesake of a former New York governor. Contributors included Orin S. Kramer, an investment banker and major Democratic donor. He has been described by a website devoted to New Jersey politics, politicsnj.com, as ''the man whose ring all potential Democratic presidential candidates must kiss.'' In an interview, Kramer said he knew that Kerry had political potential when he won annual speaking contests at their alma mater, Yale University. ''He knows his stuff, he's built the best organization, and he's a talented candidate,'' Kramer said of his former classmate. Glen Johnson can be reached at johnson@globe.com. This story ran on page A3 of the Boston Globe on 3/13/2003. boston.com

To: American Spirit who wrote (14426)	3/14/2003 7:11:54 PM
From: stockman_scott	Respond to of 89467

Bush 'robbing Peter to pay Paul,' Kerry says His speech today in S.F. part of Democratic blitz By Carla Marinucci San Francisco Chronicle Political Writer Thursday, March 13, 2003 sfgate.com -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bringing his presidential campaign to San Francisco today, Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry is expected to deliver a blistering critique of the Bush administration's domestic policies, which he argues have been "robbing Peter to pay Paul" in areas such as health care, jobs and the environment. Kerry will cross paths with former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean in the city today, leading a parade of Democratic hopefuls who arrive in California to campaign, raise money and address hundreds of the party's faithful this weekend at the state Democratic Convention in Sacramento. But with the nation on the brink of war, Kerry's prepared remarks -- to be delivered at the Commonwealth Club of California -- lambaste President Bush's policies on the economy, energy and health care -- but make no mention of Iraq. Kerry, like many of the leading Democratic presidential contenders now serving in Congress, voted last fall to authorize the president to use military force against Iraq. "Clearly, you have to be respectful and sensitive to the fact that our men and women in uniform could be in battle imminently, and all the campaigns and candidates are sensitive to that," said Kerry spokesman Chris Lehane. "Once the fighting actually begins, that's a remarkably different situation." This weekend, Kerry, Dean, North Carolina Sen. John Edwards, the Rev. Al Sharpton, former Sen. Carol Moseley Braun and Ohio Rep. Dennis Kucinich are expected to address hundreds of Democrats at the Sacramento Convention Center. Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman and Rep. Dick Gephardt of Missouri have prepared video remarks for the convention. Republicans are already dismissing the gathering as one that will only dramatize the gulf between Democratic candidates and American voters who support the president's policies. "It'll be the biggest gathering of wannabes since the first episode of 'American Idol,' " quipped Rob Stutzman, spokesman for the state Republican Party. "You'll see a convention made up of extremely liberal activists who will not just be anti-war, but bordering on anti-troop . . . and it will present an uncomfortable moment for these candidates." Political analysts say Democrats -- even in California, a Democratically controlled state -- shouldn't feel smug. "The challenge for Democrats is to come up with a coherent message that speaks to real citizens in California," said Barbara O'Connor, professor of political communications at California State University at Sacramento. "They have a statewide standard-bearer with a 27 percent approval rating, and (voters) are paying $2.50 a gallon for gas," O'Connor said. "California won't be a Democratic stronghold if they don't do something soon." Democrats concede their challenge this week in confronting Bush will be especially delicate as the nation moves toward war. "It's very tricky," said Democratic strategist Garry South. "'There's a huge amount of angst and anger in the Democratic Party about the midterm elections -- and how we have let the Bush administration get away with murder. But it's like walking a tightrope." Nationally, "you still don't have massive opposition about going into Iraq. . . . If we get on the wrong side of the majority of voters on that issue, we're dead," South said. "But luckily for us, this guy has such a horrible record on such a wide range of things, you can attack (him) every minute, 24 hours a day, and not even get into the war." Kerry's prepared remarks of his speech to the Commonwealth Club argue that Republicans have failed average Americans -- and Californians -- on a number of critical fronts. "Make no mistake, California is not alone in facing a budget deficit, but it should not be left to deal with it alone," said Kerry in his prepared remarks. "It's a long way from shouldering the common load to leaving California out in the cold. We need a federal government back on the side of the Golden State." Kerry's decision to deliver a major shot at Bush just before the convention also underscores his position as a Democratic presidential hopeful with the most presence -- and preparation -- to date in California. Kerry has hired Lehane -- the former spokesman for presidential candidate Al Gore and President Bill Clinton -- as his campaign spokesman. And he is amassing a roster of high-profile supporters: influential Democratic donor Susie Tompkins Buell, former Santa Clara County Assessor Larry Stone, successful Silicon Valley venture capitalist David Roux, fund raiser Wade Randlett and E-Loan CEO and chairman Chris Larsen. Kerry's supporters in the administration of Gov. Gray Davis include chief of staff Lynn Schenk and the governor's speechwriter, Jason Kinney, who recently left to assist the Kerry campaign. But his biggest coup appears to be the rousing -- if unofficial -- endorsement from California first lady Sharon Davis in the current issue of U. S. News and World Report. "There are many running for president who are well qualified, who are intelligent, who actually know the English language," Sharon Davis is quoted as saying. "But there is one who stands out as far as my husband and I are concerned, and that is John Kerry." A Davis spokesman said Wednesday the governor had not officially endorsed any candidate. E-mail Carla Marinucci at cmarinucci@sfchronicle.com. _________________________________________ *Complete Remarks by Senator John Kerry Commonwealth Club San Francisco, CA Thursday, March 13, 2003 johnkerry.com

To: American Spirit who wrote (14426)	3/15/2003 8:21:40 PM
From: stockman_scott	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 89467

Bush's foreign adventures and domestic missteps are sinking the economy. Double Fault By Robert Kuttner The American Prospect Web Exclusive: 3.13.03 Last Friday the Labor Department reported that the economy lost 308,000 jobs in February. More ominously, the number of long-term unemployed is at its highest level since 1992. Oil prices are skyrocketing. And a recent report in The Wall Street Journal makes clear that, unlike in the first Gulf War, oil producers are already pumping oil at close to their capacity. If Iraq's supply is seriously damaged, prices could stay high for a while. The war and its aftermath will also add hundreds of billions to a budget already in deficit by a projected $304 billion, a sum that doesn't count the costs of war, occupation or rebuilding. In the first Gulf War, allies picked up most of the tab. In this war, Bush has few allies. And the reluctant allies he does have, like Turkey, are more likely to be cost centers than sources of cost-sharing. We would be economically better off, of course, if Bush called off the war or if the war were quick and cheap. But neither of these outcomes is likely. I wish I could write that war fever is all that ails the economy. But in fact, incipient war is aggravating underlying weaknesses. Some of this damage is the result of long-term trends; some of it is self-inflicted by Bush administration policies. The economy has still not recovered from the stock collapse of 2000. The stock bubble of the 1990s attracted trillions of dollars into investments that will never pay back a nickel. The airlines, the telecom industry and much of advanced technology are still awash in excess capacity. Profits have not yet recovered, and the more that industry trims its costs to improve its bottom line, the less equipment it orders and the fewer jobs it creates. Investors remain traumatized. Once the shooting war is over, Wall Streeters expect a brief relief rally as investors who've hung back return to stocks. But for the long term, as it gradually sinks in that the '90s are really over, investors are putting less money into stocks and more into bonds. That, in turn, reduces the demand for stocks and reduces stock prices. In the 1990s, the market took several decades of normal gain -- in advance. Now, it's likely to be fairly flat for some time to come. In the 1990s, many stocks stopped paying dividends, but investors took their returns in the form of stock appreciation. Now they have neither. This hurts both retirees and institutions such as universities, foundations, hospitals and philanthropies that depend on endowment income. The U.S. trade deficit with the rest of the world keeps growing while the dollar is weakening. In principle, a weak dollar should be good for U.S. exports, but because of poor economic conditions overseas, an export boom isn't happening. The economy is so weak that even large budget deficits are not providing much stimulus. The one thing keeping the economy afloat is very low inflation and low interest rates. But the Federal Reserve has pushed rates down about as far as it can. And if inflationary pressures should break out -- either because of an oil shock, a collapsing dollar or because of skyrocketing federal deficits -- then we would face the real calamity of higher interest rates in a recession. This brings me back to the part of the downturn inflicted by the Bush administration. Bush may not be able to do much about a stock bubble that burst before he took office. But his policy of endless tax breaks for the wealthy and permanent large deficits does needless damage. So does his policy of ignoring the fiscal plight of the states, forcing them to cut services or raise taxes in a soft economy. And so does his unilateral war on Iraq, which will saddle Americans with unilateral costs. And so does his gutting of federal regulation, which adds to the chaos in industry after industry and reduces investor confidence. If the war goes badly and leads to more severe global instability, it will be hard to place the blame. For the world really is a more dangerous place than it was in 2000. And the administration can always take the ensuing chaos as proof of the need for American swagger (rather than the predictable result of the swagger). But the economy is another story. This economy, like the Iraq mess, now bears the stamp of George W. Bush. And it will be far harder for him to evade political responsibility for making a bad economy worse. ________________________________________________ Robert Kuttner is founder and co-editor of The American Prospect. He writes regularly for the magazine about a variety of issues, often focusing on domestic and international economic policy. He is one of five contributing columnists to Business Week's "Economic Viewpoint," and was the longtime economics editor of The New Republic. His weekly editorial column originates in The Boston Globe and is syndicated nationally to about 20 major daily papers. Kuttner has contributed major articles to The New England Journal of Medicine as a national policy correspondent. His work has also appeared in The New York Times Magazine and The New York Times Book Review, The Atlantic Monthly, The New Yorker, and Harvard Business Review. His occasional commentaries are heard on National Public Radio. He has also appeared frequently on Firing Line, Crossfire, Nightline and the PBS News Hour. Copyright © 2003 by The American Prospect, Inc. Preferred prospect.org

To: American Spirit who wrote (14426)	3/16/2003 8:53:00 PM
From: stockman_scott	Respond to of 89467

Faster, faster: the US gravy train is hurtling downhill By Paul Sheehan March 17 2003 The world's biggest economy is travelling faster and faster into the unknown with faulty brakes. And the safety rails are not nearly as strong as they were 12 years ago during the Gulf War, or two years ago during the Afghanistan war. Even in Texas, where President George Bush enjoys the most staunch and unwavering support for his Iraq adventure, the warning signals are clear. Texas is the biggest exporter of any state in the United States, overtaking California in the past year thanks to a huge military contract for a strike fighter awarded to the Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co of Fort Worth. But even in the top-exporting state in the nation, the economy is soft and getting softer. The unemployment rate is 6.4 per cent - higher than in Australia - and getting no help from a national economy that shed 308,000 jobs last month, the biggest fall since the September 11 bombings. Since the stockmarket peaked three years ago, the number of jobless has more than trebled from 2.8 million to 8.5 million. Newspapers are running stories about middle-class people who prospered during the boom only to be looking for work now. People like Carolyn Brady, a 58-year-old who retired with a half-million-dollar nest egg in stocks but now has to work at the local Wal-Mart store because her nest egg is gone. It's not as if the average American family is protected from this downturn by its savings. Quite the opposite. Having been on a spending and borrowing binge for 10 years, America's household debt has grown to $US8 trillion ($13 trillion), which is higher than annual disposable income. This has never happened before. The household savings rate is thus almost zero, a level not seen since the Depression. The stories about the new poor clustered around last week's doleful third anniversary of the peak of the tech bubble, March 10, 2000, when the composite index of the NASDAQ stockmarket, the world's second largest, stood at 5048. It now stands at about 1270 (down 75 per cent) and millions of investors, mauled by the bear, are rushing into bonds, driving interest rates to their lowest in 44 years. No wonder Wall Street has lost more than 80,000 high-paying jobs, with a further 20,000 commodity and security brokers expected to be downsized this year. No wonder mortgage delinquency rates have surged in the past three years. No wonder the world's biggest car manufacturer, General Motors, announced a 19 per cent plunge in sales of new cars and light trucks last month. Looming over this bearish sentiment is not just a countdown to war but the shadow of Warren Buffett, the billionaire who enjoys enormous respect, who predicted the tech-wreck, and who is probably the world's most successful public investor. Last week he declared that stocks were still overpriced and that the speculative excesses of the 1980s and '90s were still in the global financial system. The huge potential liabilities posed by speculative investment in financial derivatives posed a "mega-catastrophic risk" to the global financial system. Derivatives, he said, had the potential to become "financial weapons of mass destruction". Speaking of which, the Bush plan to invade Iraq is unfolding when the world's oil supply is much tighter than it was during the Gulf War 12 years ago. Spare oil production is less than a third of what it was then. Commercial oil inventories are about 52 days' supply, below normal, compared with 65 days', above normal, before the Gulf War. Amid all this uncertainty Bush is seeking to stimulate the US economy with tax cuts and spending; the US budget has gone from surplus under Clinton to a $US300 billion deficit and he is proposing more tax cuts. "We estimate that 23 million small-business owners across America will receive an average income tax rate cut of $2042. That matters," he said. No, say economists like Isaac Shapiro. That's a misleading figure because most of the tax cuts will go to big companies. "Overall," argues Shapiro, "80 per cent of filers would get less than $US1083. The top 1 per cent would receive an average tax cut of $24,100 in 2003." So Bush is driving US policy into steep terrain, and putting his foot on the accelerator. psheehan@smh.com.au smh.com.au