Dean: Stop the Attacks
Sunday, December 21, 2003
MAQUOKETA, Iowa — Howard Dean (search) appealed to fellow Democratic presidential candidates Saturday to stop the bitter attack politics that have come to dominate the race for the party's nomination. The race needs "a little character transplant," he said.
"It's not necessary to tear down the other opponents," said Dean, whose front-running campaign has come increasingly under fire from Democratic rivals.
In his latest swing through Iowa, where the nominating process starts with caucuses next month, Dean pushed hard at his claim to being an outsider running against Washington-based candidates with no record of accomplishment.
"There are five or six people running for president right now who have a chance at winning," Dean said. "I'm the only person who has done anything about trying to get health care."
Dean is bunched with Missouri Rep. Dick Gephardt (search) in Iowa, but he has developed a wide lead in other early states such as New Hampshire. As his campaign has developed momentum, he's come under fire.
"This campaign needs a little character transplant," Dean said. "You shouldn't believe what other people say."
Dean argues that his Internet-based campaign is broadening the Democratic Party and offers the most realistic chance of ousting President Bush. He urged backers to commit not only to supporting him but also to changing the party.
"It has to be about rebuilding the Democratic party," said Dean.
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HENNIKER, N.H. — Presidential contender Dick Gephardt accused President Bush of having ulterior motives in promoting the education overhaul contained in his "No Child Left Behind" school policies.
"George Bush is deliberately setting up public schools to fail so he can say there is no choice but to take money away from public schools. There's only one way to fix No Child Left Behind, and that is to leave George Bush behind," Gephardt said Saturday at New England College in Henniker.
He was campaigning for the Democratic primary on Jan. 27.
"No Child Left Behind" (search) penalizes schools that fail to demonstrate improvement and would allow parents to move their children to other schools in the same district under some circumstances.
"Rather than support a struggling school, they tell parents to cut and run," he said.
"George Bush is setting up children to fail and then using their failure to advance a right-wing agenda."
Gephardt voted in favor of the measure two years ago, but before his speech, he said he felt then that it was the only way under the Bush administration to get money for education. He said he had hoped the flaws could be fixed.
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CONCORD, N.H. — Howard Dean retains a solid lead over John Kerry (search), double his margin of just two months ago, and Wesley Clark is the only other Democratic presidential candidate with double-digit support in a poll out Saturday.
The poll shows, however, that President Bush easily would beat any of them in an election held now. New Hampshire's first-in-the-nation primary is Jan. 27.
"Voters statewide in New Hampshire just have not fallen in love with any of the Democrats, particularly their so-called favorite sons, Kerry and Dean," said pollster Del Ali, whose firm conducted the poll for the Concord Monitor newspaper.
Head to head with Bush, the poll of 600 likely voters gave the president a 25-percentage point lead over Dean, 57-32 percent; 15 points over Kerry, 55-40 percent, and Joe Lieberman 54-39 percent; and 19 points over Clark, 56-37 percent, and Dick Gephardt, 55-36 percent. The margin of error was plus or minus 5 percentage points.
Dean, a former Vermont governor, boasted a 24-percentage point lead over Massachusetts Sen. Kerry, 41 percent to 17 percent. Retired Army Gen. Clark showed up third, with 13 percent, followed by Sens. Lieberman of Connecticut and John Edwards of North Carolina at 6 percent; and Reps. Gephardt of Missouri at 4 percent and Dennis Kucinich of Ohio at 1 percent. Al Sharpton and Carol Moseley Braun attracted less than one percent.
Twelve percent of the 402 Democrats questioned said they were undecided. The margin of error was plus or minus 5 percentage points.
Similar polls for the Monitor show Dean steadily building support since March, from 11 percent in March to this month's 41 percent. Kerry steadily dropped, from 38 percent in March to this month's 17 percent this month. Kerry trailed by 12 percentage points in October, half the latest margin.
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DERRY, N.H. — Moments after praising his opponents in the Democratic presidential race as worthy running mates, Wesley Clark (search) said, in no uncertain terms, how he would respond if they or anyone else criticized his patriotism or military record.
"I'll beat the s—- out of them," Clark told a questioner as he walked through the crowd after a town hall meeting Saturday. "I hope that's not on television," he added.
It was, live, on C-SPAN.
The campaign's traveling press secretary, Jamal Simmons, was with Clark at the time, and said he heard Clark's answer but not the question. He called it "an unscripted comment from a blunt-spoken leader."
"If anyone tries to question Wes Clark's character, integrity or his commitment to this country or its security, they're going to be in the biggest fight they've ever had," Simmons said. |
