Gephardt Aide Accuses Dean of Caucus Fraud Plan

Reuters ^ | January 8, 2004 | John Whitesides

[EllaMinnow]

DES MOINES, Iowa (Reuters) - Democrat Richard Gephardt's manager accused Howard Dean's presidential campaign on Thursday of planning to slip non-Iowans into the Jan. 19 caucuses to pose as state residents and support Dean.

Dean campaign manager Joe Trippi denied the allegation and told Gephardt manager Steve Murphy "sleazy tactics like yours are exactly the reason that people have stopped participating in the political process."

In a letter to Trippi and later in a conference call with reporters, Murphy said a Dean field organizer in Iowa told a Gephardt staff member some of the expected 3,500 out-of-state Dean supporters coming to Iowa to help turn out the caucus vote would try to participate.

"It has come to our attention that your campaign in Iowa is engaged in an effort to violate caucus rules and send out-of-state supporters to pose as Iowa residents and caucus in cities and towns across the state," Murphy said in the letter.

He told reporters the effort was "a direct challenge to the integrity of the caucuses" and called on Trippi to identify and fire the individuals responsible for it.

Murphy said the Gephardt campaign, in a must-win battle with front-runner Dean in Iowa, planned to step up its monitoring of caucus participants and had asked the state party to be particularly vigilant.

Participants in the caucuses, sponsored by the state Democratic Party, must be registered Democrats who will be old enough to vote in November, but they can register on the spot and identification or proof of residence is not required.

As a party event, Murphy said, there is no legal penalty attached to the fraud and he said he would not challenge the results if Gephardt lost.

The possibility of such an effort surfaced in November, when state party officials sent an advisory to the campaigns warning against the tactic after a Dean staff member in Vermont called and asked if a hotel address was sufficient grounds to participate. At the time, Dean officials dismissed the significance of the call and attributed it to a teen-age intern.

'RIDICULOUS' CHARGE

Trippi, who worked for Gephardt in 1988 as a deputy campaign manager, said the latest charge was "ridiculous" and that "people are tired of this type of campaigning."

Sneaking out-of-staters into a caucus in some towns could be difficult, as all participants meet publicly to declare their preferences, leaving strangers vulnerable to exposure. Murphy said some precincts have hundreds of participants and a fraudulent voter could blend in. The allegations came as some of the nine Democrats vying for the right to challenge President Bush touted their proposals for middle-class tax relief, drawing a contrast with plans by Dean and Gephardt to repeal all of Bush's tax cuts, including those on middle and lower-income families.

Gephardt defended his plan, saying the savings would go to pay for his health care proposal that would ultimately save middle-class families more.

"Some in this race are promising to preserve some large part of the Bush tax cut. I think retaining a large part of a failure is still a failure," said Gephardt, who campaigned across eastern and central Iowa.

During a campaign stop where he met with three families who would benefit from his tax proposals, Democrat John Edwards said he was surprised that Dean was preparing a new plan that would give tax relief to the middle class.

"It's amazing what politicians will do when the election's approaching," the North Carolina senator told reporters in Manchester, New Hampshire, when asked about Dean.

Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry brought his crusade against corporate greed to a college students' convention in Manchester, winning loud applause by repeating his vow to close corporate tax loopholes.

"We're going to scour the tax code of our country and we're not going to leave one loophole, one reward, one incentive for any Benedict Arnold company or CEO that take their money and jobs overseas," Kerry said.

[EllaMinnow]

Gephardt discussing this on HARDBALL.

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[Eric in the Ozarks]

It'll be easy to tell the non-Iowegians...
fill in the punch-line later.

[Prime Choice]

Knowing Iowans the way I do, this is going to end up burning Gephardt more than it will Dean. By pulling this charge just 11 days from the Caucus, Gephardt is coming across as a shrill whiner. Most Iowans don't care for whiners...which is why Lieberman is skipping the state entirely.

[Prime Choice]

It'll be easy to tell the non-Iowegians...

Yeah, they'll be the ones not telling Minnesota jokes. ; )

P.S. -- Why did Minnesota get all the Swedes and Missouri get all the mules? (Missouri got first pick.) ; D

[snopercod]

DemocRATs committing vote fraud? I'm shocked, I tell you, SHOCKED!

[Paul Atreides]

Dean: "I've wanted you more than I've ever wanted any man."

Clark: "Even Hillary?"

~Swoon~

[Ann Archy]

They are Democrats....Democrats cheat!!

has anyone ever heard of a Republican accusing another Republican of vote fraud?? Didn't think so.. Wonder why...hmmmmm.

[EllaMinnow]

Paul, you've outdone yourself!

(swoon)

[Timesink]

As a party event, Murphy said, there is no legal penalty attached to the fraud...

The RATS don't even care about fraud in their own party!

[EllaMinnow]

Here's Trippi's letter of denial:

January 8, 2004

Dear Steve Murphy,

I am saddened by your letter today because sleazy tactics like yours are exactly the reason that people have stopped participating in the political process.

Let me be clear, your allegation is ridiculous. The 3,500 volunteers who have pledged to come to Iowa by caucus time are people who believe in a better America and a stronger democracy. Many are first time voters who have chosen to reengage in the political process because they understand that government has stopped working for the people. They know that Howard Dean is a different type of politician, and if we asked them to participate in the activities you allege, they would get in their cars and drive home.

We understand that the grassroots enthusiasm this campaign has generated and the over 3,500 volunteers who are canvassing in Iowa this month is threatening to Dick Gephardt. But that is no excuse for you to try to make Iowans question the motives of these idealistic Americans who are paying their own way to Iowa to canvass. In doing so, you are practicing precisely the type of politics that these volunteers are dedicating their time and effort to stopping.

People are tired of this type of campaigning, which is why we've been energizing voters across the country with our message of hope and of a better democracy. As Governor Dean often says, it's not enough for us to change presidents -- we need to change the way politics work.

Frankly, Steve, baseless political allegations like the one in your letter lead me to believe more and more that your campaign is not the one to make this change.

These allegations are not just an insult to Howard Dean and me, but they are an insult to all of the new people we're bringing into the process. Instead of these despicable and desperate attacks, you should start running the kind of campaign that inspires and energizes thousands of new voters so much that they want to come to Iowa and campaign for your candidate!

I assure you these allegations are false, and if my word is not good enough for you and Dick Gephardt, for whom I served in 1988 as deputy campaign manager, then it is with a particularly heavy heart that I send this letter.

Sincerely,

Joe Trippi
campaign manager

[Delphinium]

Most Iowans don't care for whiners

That would mean they hate democrats?

Do the whining democrat Iowans hate cheaters?

Knowing democrats the way I do, I would say no because its part of the rules democrats play by.

[AmishDude]

"It has come to our attention that your campaign in Iowa is engaged in an effort to violate caucus rules and send out-of-state supporters to pose as Iowa residents and caucus in cities and towns across the state...because that's what we were planning to do!"

[cookcounty]

Well now, as any democrat can tell you, it wouldn't be NICE to make them show ID.

[Keith in Iowa]

This is a Non-issue

Caucus-goers are the hard-core party activists. They all know one another. An outsider would stick out like Jesse Jackson at a KKK rally - and be about as welcome.

[DoctorMichael]

Stand BACK! THIS could git ugly!

Hahahahahahahahahahahahahaa!

[HitmanLV]

Makes no sense, since Dean is expected to win anyway.

Dick better have some proof.

[cibco]

"Why did Minnesota get all the Swedes and Missouri get all the mules? (Missouri got first pick.) ; D

Let's see... We got the Swedish Swim Team and you got mules and are proud of it. You sure know how to choose em...

[ShandaLear]

AWESOME! LOL!

[Dog Gone]

But how could you prevent it? If I flew up there and participated, what could you do about it?