Edge in Iowa Rests with Harkin

The Los Angeles Times ^ | 1/03/04 | Anderson

[Zechariah11]

By Nick Anderson, Times Staff Writer

FAIRFIELD, Iowa — He's counseled the Democratic presidential candidates on all things Iowan, from the politics of ethanol to the value of hunting for rural votes in an expansive state sandwiched between the Mississippi and Missouri rivers. He's grilled them in public and private, praised those who are competing in Iowa's Jan. 19 caucuses and rapped the two who are skipping the nation's first nominating contest. Now Sen. Tom Harkin has to make up his mind. Will he take sides? And if he endorses: whom?   

         The 64-year-old Harkin, by far the state's most influential Democrat, is torn on a decision that could help tip the balance in the highly competitive caucus race. He said he plans to deliberate until early next week, and then announce his decision.

Like many prominent Democrats around the country, Harkin appears drawn to Howard Dean's take-no-prisoners attacks on President Bush and impressed by the former Vermont governor's formidable fundraising and innovative use of the Internet to build support for his candidacy.

"I happen to like Gov. Dean," Harkin said in a telephone interview Friday. "I like his combativeness. I like the fact that he seems to be bringing a lot of new people into the party." But despite persistent rumors that he would endorse Dean, if anyone, Harkin stopped well short of tipping his hand as he spoke from a vacation spot in the Bahamas.

He said he wants someone who can "generate enthusiasm and bring new people into the party," comments that would apply to Dean. But Harkin also said he would like the Democratic nominee to be "someone who comes from a working-class background, someone who's had life experiences that most normal people might have had."

That would better describe Rep. Dick Gephardt of Missouri, whose father, among other jobs, drove a milk truck, than Dean, son of a Wall Street financier.

Recent polls have shown Dean and Gephardt in a close fight for first-place in Iowa. And as a longtime ally of labor, Harkin faces heavy pressure from the 21 unions that back Gephardt to take no steps that would hurt his bid for the White House. Harkin's stamp of approval would be no ordinary endorsement. He is a staunch liberal whose word is valued among the party leaders and others likely to attend the caucuses. His endorsement of Al Gore on Labor Day in 1999 helped the then-vice president stem momentum that was building for former Sen. Bill Bradley of New Jersey. Gore went on to win the 2000 caucuses and easily capture the presidential nomination.

[Thebaddog]

Harkin is an angry old socialist. Go Howie! And thank you in advance, Tom.

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[TheGeezer]

Is Harkin definitely "an old socialist"? If so, may I count on a Dean endorsement? Does Harkin really think Dean is drawing new people into the party, when it is likely Dean is appealing only to an angry, already-Democratic core?

Can I start celebrating Dean's nomination now?

[hillary's_fat_a**]

Glad to hear that "Dung Heap" Harkin has joined the parade of lemmings proceeding to the cliff.

[OldFriend]

Gephardt is going to win the Iowa caucus vote. The ballots wont be found floating in the ocean as they were in Florida, but Iowa is where they put a little crimp in Dean. His votes will be used for fertilizer.

[JohnnyZ]

Is Harkin definitely "an old socialist"?

No, he's not that old.

[Conservateacher]

"I like the fact that he seems to be bringing a lot of new people into the party."


I like the fact that he is scaring off many those already in the party.

[CasearianDaoist]

And a liar.

[gaspar]

If only intelligence were used as a criterion the average Iowan would have an IQ of 84. Smarter than their pigs. But barely.