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Politics : HOWARD DEAN -THE NEXT PRESIDENT? -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Mephisto who wrote (1033)	12/15/2003 7:58:59 PM
From: Lizzie Tudor	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 3079

That ad could be a Gephardt or Kerry creation, we don't really know do we? I thought the Bush people really really wanted to see Dean get the nomination.

To: Mephisto who wrote (1033)	12/16/2003 9:28:50 AM
From: Raymond Duray	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 3079

DEAN MACHINE NEWS: N.J. GOV. McGreevey to back Dean in early gamble nj.com McGreevey to back Dean in early gamble Governor seeks to influence presidential race 6 months before state primary, adviser says Tuesday, December 16, 2003 BY JEFF WHELAN Star-Ledger Staff Gov. James E. McGreevey plans to endorse Howard Dean for president this week, becoming the first governor in the nation to do so, according to four Democrats familiar with the decision. By backing the former Vermont governor six months before New Jersey's last-in-the-nation primary, McGreevey hopes to act when it counts while the Democratic nomination is still up for grabs, a gamble Dean no doubt would remember should he emerge as the party's presidential candidate. The alliance is unexpected. McGreevey has ties to a centrist Democratic group that has criticized Dean as being too liberal, and he has been a strong supporter of President Bush's decision to go to war with Iraq. Dean's fierce opposition to the war anchors his candidacy. But one McGreevey adviser who requested anonymity said, "The endorsement is not built around foreign affairs. It's built around who we think can lead the party to victory, quite frankly." The adviser also said of McGreevey, "He believes its very important to have an impact. This is a way for New Jersey to have some say in the process. It's a risk, but you can't make a difference unless you get in the game." McGreevey hopes his endorsement will encourage other Democratic governors to follow suit, the adviser said. But McGreevey's biggest help could be as a fund-raiser. New Jersey historically has been one of the largest sources of campaign contributions in federal elections -- in 2000 and 2002, New Jersey ranked eighth -- and as governor, McGreevey has excelled at raising money. One Democrat close to the Dean campaign, who also requested anonymity, said, "McGreevey brings a lot to the table. It will help us raise money and give us more credibility because a lot of people will take the governor's lead. It sends the signal -- we're not just some crazy candidate -- this is another chief executive backing Dean." McGreevey and Dean will appear jointly later this week, and the governor will bring with him a "significant number" of Democratic elected officials and party leaders, two McGreevey advisers who requested anonymity said. Many New Jersey Democrats -- including the state's two U.S. senators -- had put off making endorsements until now at the governor's request. Micah Rasmussen, McGreevey's spokesman, declined to comment, as did Mike Beson, the New Jersey coordinator for the Dean campaign. Only two other Democratic governors have made endorsements so far, and both backed favorite sons from their own states, according to the Democratic Governor's Association. Missouri Gov. Bob Holden has endorsed U.S. Rep. Richard Gephardt, and North Carolina Gov. Michael Easley has endorsed U.S. Sen. John Edwards. In New Jersey, recent governors generally have waited until their party's nomination was all but locked up before making an endorsement. Dean, the former Vermont governor, has been gaining momentum and won a major boost with former Vice President Al Gore's endorsement last week. Dean has visited New Jersey several times and met with McGreevey at the governor's mansion in Princeton in September. "The fact that Dean is the only governor in the race was appealing. He has run a state and dealt with budgets and education and transportation issues," said one McGreevey adviser. The adviser said, "Dean has excited a large segment of the Democratic base in New Jersey unlike anyone else," noting that Dean's support extends to organized labor, African-Americans, Hispanics and women. McGreevey had offered to meet with all of the Democratic presidential hopefuls. Sen. Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut, Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts and Gephardt took McGreevey up on the offer. Retired Gen. Wesley Clark had planned to meet with McGreevey but canceled. McGreevey has called Lieberman an "old and dear friend." Lieberman served as chairman of the Democratic Leadership Council, a centrist Democratic think tank, in the 1990s when McGreevey led the organization's New Jersey chapter. The DLC has warned that Dean is too liberal to beat Bush. McGreevey also was a strong supporter of Bush's decision to go to war with Iraq. When he delivered the response to the president's weekly radio address in May, McGreevey harshly criticized the president on domestic policy but said he "has shown tremendous leadership in the war on terrorism and the conflict in Iraq." But despite differences on the war, Dean worked to court McGreevey with politics. He was the only presidential candidate to attend the state party's annual convention in Atlantic City this year. And at McGreevey's request, Dean also used his e-mail network in New Jersey to mobilize Democratic voters to go to the polls in this fall's low-turnout legislative elections which saw Democratic gains.