Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Politics : Politics for Pros- moderated -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Sully- who wrote (24005)	1/12/2004 2:18:36 PM
From: LindyBill	Respond to of 793745

The note - Last night's Brown & Black Forum in Iowa was awkward at best and all the reviews coming in today focus on mostly failed attempts on behalf of Dean's opponents to take him down a week before Iowans attend the caucuses. However, having governed an overwhelming white state and campaigned for president in the white states of Iowa and New Hampshire, the question of whether Howard Dean (should he emerge the nominee) can maintain and/or build upon Gore's 2000 advantage with non-white Democratic base voters hangs in the air. As many weekend stories suggested, the game is all about on the ground organizing now and turning out the vote — along with swaying the undecideds. John Edwards Des Moines Register endorsement gets lots of play today and some second (or is it third?) looks at Edwards' candidacy. The question of whether Edwards is enjoying a boomlet with voters is one of many dynamics we would suggest you watch today: a. With Dean still leading in New Hampshire and Clark perceived to be rising, look for the other candidates and their opposition research departments (via news stories) to delve more into Clark's background. See today's New York Times story. And Walter Shapiro says that Billy Shaheen's wife is going after Clark today her own self. b. How will weekday dynamics effect the direction and velocity of the Paul O'Neill charges? Will the White House be forced to respond (finally) on the merits? c. Read the important story by Howard Kurtz in the Washington Post on the press-driven expectations game in the Democratic nomination process, a past practice that we are strongly discouraging in this election cycle. d. In an era of sped-up news cycles, how fast will the press' mood swings about momentum resolve themselves? e. Will Howard Dean win more news cycles than he'll lose between now and next Monday? f. Will the press settle on a threshold for Dean in Iowa? What if he comes in first, second by a point, second by two points? abcnews.go.com

To: Sully- who wrote (24005)	1/12/2004 2:22:54 PM
From: LindyBill	Respond to of 793745

Bush gets re-election off to fast start By RON FOURNIER / An AP News Analysis WASHINGTON (AP) — After all the name-calling, fingerpointing, muckraking and flip-flopping, the Democratic president primary may yield a winner who is not even a Democrat: President Bush. Democratic rivals are tearing each other asunder, exposing weaknesses that Republicans might exploit in the general election, while the incumbent sits on the sidelines, surveying the carnage. Even front-runner Howard Dean, who leads in polls and picked up a key endorsement Friday from Iowa Sen. Tom Harkin, has experienced troubles that could haunt him if he wins the nomination. He has waffled on tax cuts. He wouldn’t take a stand on Osama bin Laden’s legal standing. Years-old tapes forced Dean to explain past comments. And he has been forced to defend a record as Vermont governor that doesn’t always square with the antiestablishment image he covets. Not to mention what rivals say about Dean, and each other. ‘‘There’s a very clear contrast here,’’ said Republican Party chairman Ed Gillespie. ‘‘While the president is attacking the issues that confront us as a nation, the Democrats are attacking each other, and attacking the president.’’ Whoever emerges from the primary fight will be damaged, but Democrats say the scars won’t last. ‘‘Eighty percent of the fire is trained on Bush,’’ said Joe Lockhart, press secretary in the Clinton White House. ‘‘Just look at the advertising. Most of it criticizes the president, not the Democratic candidates.’’ Still, there is no doubt that the lack of a primary-season challenger has given Bush a tactical headstart on the election year. ‘‘It’s a huge advantage,’’ said Joe Gaylord, a GOP strategist in Washington. ‘‘One thing Americans respect is a president of either party who is doing the job he was elected to do. President Bush has an advantage by not having any primary opposition and being able to travel above the fray while the rest of these guys are ripping each other apart.’’ President Clinton had the same edge in 1996, when he sat out the primary race while airing millions of dollars in television advertising. The ads undercut his future rival, Bob Dole, who was in a nasty primary fight with Steve Forbes. Bush’s father lost his 1992 re-election campaign after conservative rival Pat Buchanan gave him a scare in the primaries. The son, vowing not to make the same mistake, cleared his primary field with an intimidating display of early fund raising and several policies aimed at courting conservatives. Bush hopes new immigration policy will help broaden his political base. He will shoot for the moon and Mars to offer voters a bold, unifying vision. His first TV ads will air before Democrats end their primary season. ‘‘The problem these Democrats are having is the country thinks they’re out to lunch, which is not unlike the problem Bush I had in 1992, when he was being pushed around by Buchanan,’’ Gaylord said. Dean was being pushed around Friday after it was revealed that he denigrated the caucus system four years ago. A nimble politician, Dean softened the blow by securing Harkin’s endorsement. He also borrowed a page from Clinton’s crisis playbook, turning the tables on critics. ‘‘We’ve got to stop this gotcha stuff,’’ he said. ‘‘I would rather talk about the future than something I said four years ago.’’ Revelations about his nearly 12 years as governor that could impact his political future include: — He failed to disclose that as governor he accepted money for speaking to special interest groups. Dean has accused Bush of catering to special interests. — He was repeatedly warned about security lapses at the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant. Dean has criticized Bush’s homeland security actions. — He had a secretive energy panel in Vermont. Dean has criticized Vice President Dick Cheney’s hush-hush energy task force. The race has tightened in Iowa while Dean struggles to counter his critics without looking too defensive. That gives hopes to his rivals, who know they must stop him in Iowa or the follow-up New Hampshire primary to prevent a nomination sweep. Bush, who addresses Congress the day after Iowa’s Jan. 19 caucuses, should enjoy this while he can. Polls show the president’s job approval rating is far higher than either Clinton’s or the first President Bush’s were at this stage in their re-election bids. Reagan sat as pretty the January before his landslide re-election in 1984. ‘‘Bill Clinton is the one person who could probably speak with most authority about how Bush feels this week,’’ said Anita Dunn, a Democrat strategist. ‘‘My bet is he feels pretty good.’’