Rivals aim at Kerry
Candidates spar in key S.C. debate
By Anne E. Kornblut, Globe Staff, 1/30/2004
GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Senator John F. Kerry, adjusting to life as the front-runner, drew attacks from his Democratic rivals over his electability and legislative record during a debate here last night, five days before a wave of critical nominating contests in seven states.
Howard Dean, anxious to stabilize his campaign, took the most direct shots, accusing the Massachusetts senator of being a Washington insider who had failed to accomplish meaningful reform during his 19 years in the Senate.
''Kerry sponsored nine bills having to do with health care, and not one of them passed,'' the former Vermont governor declared.
''One of the things you need to know as president is how things work in Congress if you want to get things done,'' Kerry shot back.
But Dean seemed subdued in comparison to his previous performances, his most obvious frustration being that his rivals have adopted so many of the traits that launched his candidacy -- such as being openly critical of President Bush.
And for most of the 90-minute debate hosted by NBC anchorman Tom Brokaw, Kerry gave no direct responses to Dean or other opponents -- determined to present himself as presidential in temperament after consecutive wins in Iowa and New Hampshire. Kerry, who had not been to South Carolina for more than four months before yesterday, is banking on his momentum from the earlier wins to sweep him through the race in this state on Tuesday and the contests beyond. By the same token, his rivals are desperate to slow Kerry down, concerned that snowballing momentum could make Kerry impossible to stop. Unwilling to turn negative for fear of darkening their own images, the candidates used mostly veiled references to undercut Kerry: retired Army General Wesley K. Clark said that no one should have mistaken the congressional vote authorizing the invasion of Iraq as putting muscle behind a threat, the reason Kerry has given for voting for it. ''Everybody knew that's what [Bush] intended to do,'' Clark said.
Senator John Edwards, who like Kerry voted to authorize the war, subtly accused Kerry of understating the threat of terrorism against the United States in his remarks. After Kerry said there was ''an enormous question about the exaggeration by this administration'' on its evidence against Iraq, Edwards picked up on the comment, saying: ''It's hard for me to see how you can say there's an exaggeration when thousands of people lost their lives on September the 11th.''
As much as substance, the candidates debated ''process'' -- the machinations of the very election they are trying to win. Dean grew defensive when asked about his decision to replace campaign manager Joe Trippi, insisting the adviser was not fired.
Similarly, Kerry snapped at Brokaw for raising the recent controversy over comments Kerry made about the political importance of the South. Kerry had pointed out that it was not mathematically necessary for a Democrat to win Southern states to beat a Republican in the general election -- a point that went over very badly among Southerners who are afraid the Democratic Party is ceding the region to Republicans.
''How can you come South given what you said about the Democrats making a mistake in spending too much time worrying about the South?'' Brokaw asked.
''I never said that,'' Kerry interjected. ''I never said Democrats made a mistake. I never said that at all.'' He went on to pledge that he will campaign in the region, both as a Democratic candidate and a nominee.
The South Carolina primary on Tuesday will be the first test of Kerry's viability in the South, which is a more natural fit for two challengers -- Clark, who grew up in Arkansas, and Edwards, who was born in the state and now represents North Carolina.
The contenders tried especially hard to outdo each other in appealing to Southern sensibilities. Dean spoke highly of the National Rifle Association, while Kerry promised to help the struggling manufacturing sector and its workers, who blame free trade laws for major job losses in the region. Clark underscored that he had grown up in the South, saying he ''went to church every Sunday and I did all that, and I can quote Scriptures and so forth.'' Then, Clark added: ''But you know, I think that we need to preserve the separation of church and state.''
Edwards took two shots at once -- pointing out South Carolina as his birthplace, and mentioning his age to counterbalance his perceived youth. ''You know, 40 miles from here, when I was born 50 years ago, my parents brought me home to a mill village, to a textile mill village. I have seen this my entire life growing up,'' Edwards said in response to a question about free trade.
Representative Dennis J. Kucinich of Ohio railed against free trade agreements, saying ''the American people are not aware of how trade has changed dramatically. It's no longer about protectionism vs. free trade. It's about global corporations who are accelerating a race to the bottom, trying to get cheap labor wherever they can get it.''
Steamrolled by Kerry in the first two nominating contests, the other contenders are scrambling to reverse course. Still, the tone of the debate remained tame, despite mounting pressure on the lagging candidates to distinguish themselves. Instead, the contenders trotted out one-liners. Edwards, taking aim at Bush on his handling of the Iraq war and the US economy, said ''the president has to be able to walk and chew chewing gum at the same time.'' Senator Joseph I. Lieberman of Connecticut accused Bush of having ''given a bad name to a just war.''
The Rev. Al Sharpton of New York, who has fared better in South Carolina than elsewhere, corrected Brokaw for referring to the ''Nation of Islam'' when he meant to talk about nations that are Islamic.
''There is a Nation of Islam in the United States that has nothing to do with what you're talking about,'' Sharpton said.
Sharpton then turned on the president's State of the Union declaration that he does not need a permission slip from other countries to defend the United States. ''As far as Mr. Bush saying that he doesn't need a permission slip from the UN, he doesn't think he needs votes from the American people to be president,'' Sharpton said, referring to the controversy that surrounded the vote in 2000.
Dean said the Patriot Act has done more harm than good by trampling on civil liberties. ''Unfortunately, the terrorists have already won,'' Dean said. ''None of us mind being searched . . . but if we start giving up our fundamental liberties as Americans because the terrorists attacked us, then we have a big problem.''
Earlier in the day, besieged by reporters chronicling his campaign troubles, Dean struggled to explain how he will continue competing with no guaranteed victories on the horizon and little left of the $40 million he raised last year. He downplayed expectations that he will perform well here or in the other six contests on Tuesday, setting his sights on delegate-rich contests in Michigan and Washington on Feb. 7. ''We're going to have to win eventually,'' Dean said. ''But the question was, do we have to win Feb. 3? Of course we want to, but we don't have to.'' Dean, who upended his campaign by replacing Trippi Wednesday night, came in third in the Iowa caucuses on Jan. 19 and 12 percentage points behind Kerry in the New Hampshire primary on Tuesday.
Edwards, by contrast, acknowledged that he must win South Carolina on Tuesday in order to continue in the race, after putting so much emphasis on the state.
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