Posted on 01/14/2004 10:11:11 PM PST by MegaSilver
FORT DODGE, Iowa, Jan. 14 — Former ambassador Carol Moseley Braun plans to drop out of the race for the Democratic presidential nomination and endorse Howard Dean on Thursday, giving him an important symbolic boost just four days before Iowa's leadoff caucuses, Dean campaign aides said on Wednesday.
Ms. Braun, a former senator from Illinois and ambassador to New Zealand and Samoa, had failed to garner much money or support in polls, but had distinguished herself with eloquent performances in several nationally televised debates. She and Dr. Dean, the former governor of Vermont, had developed a mutually respectful relationship throughout the campaign, in part because of key staff members who had worked for both.
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The impending endorsement grew out of a contentious exchange during a debate Sunday focused on minority issues, in which Ms. Braun, who is black, defended Dr. Dean against accusations that as governor he had failed to appoint enough African-Americans.
Joe Trippi, Dr. Dean's campaign manager, said that his boss went to thank Ms. Braun after the debate and that she requested a meeting to talk about possibly joining his campaign. The two met on Monday at the Hotel Fort Des Moines, Mr. Trippi said, where Ms. Braun quizzed Dr. Dean on various issues, including affirmative action,
Apparently, he passed. As Dr. Dean's three-bus caravan sped across Iowa Wednesday night, word filtered through that Ms. Braun had decided to make the announcement on Thursday.
"The two campaigns have been pretty close," said Mr. Trippi, who has known Ms. Braun since her 1992 primary challenge to former Senator Alan J. Dixon.
Ms. Braun's first campaign manager in the presidential race, Andi Pringle, joined Dr. Dean's team last summer as a deputy campaign manager.
The candidates themselves have also enjoyed a warm relationship; Ms. Braun is the only member of the nine Democrat field never to have attacked Dr. Dean publicly.
"In the early days, everybody basically didn't take us seriously, didn't take her seriously," Mr. Trippi said. "I think there's a bond of friendship that hold."
But anyway, I don't want to be greedy or anything, but would a Dean/Moseley-Braun Democrat ticket be too much to hope for? They'd carry DC, and... what?
HEMPSTEAD -- Two lifelong Waller County Democrats will seek their fifth terms in office this year as Republicans, lending momentum to the county's transformation from Democratic stronghold to growing GOP beachhead.
Sheriff Randy Smith, 46, who has won his post handily over the past 16 years as a Democrat, and Tax Assessor-Collector Ellen Shelburne, 54, who has polled strongly as a Democrat over four terms, will campaign under the GOP banner this year.
She's so damn stupid, and he's so damn arrogant - that must have been a hell of a meeting.
I think they just drank Pabst for a believable amount of time and then told the 'Rats they'd done something substantive.
You gotta wonder...
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