Kirk blasts Gramm
Posted on 08/30/2002 2:46:23 AM PDT by MeekOneGOP
Kirk blasts Gramm
Candidate says senator 'AWOL' during Enron crisis; aide disagrees
08/30/2002
Democrat Ron Kirk lashed out Thursday at the man whose job he wants, Sen. Phil Gramm, saying he has been in hiding during the Enron crisis. And Mr. Kirk said Republican rival John Cornyn was using the outgoing senator in a scheme to funnel state campaign money into the federal contest.
"Phil Gramm has been AWOL for the last 24 months," Mr. Kirk said after pitching an education plan with students and teachers at Southern Methodist University. "People want to know where he's been."
Mr. Gramm, a Republican whose seat is being coveted by Mr. Kirk and Mr. Cornyn, was traveling Thursday and could not be reached. But a spokeswoman, Angela De Rocha, disputed the Kirk allegations.
"Senator Gramm is the ranking member of the Senate Banking Committee and was active in the committee's work," she said. "Mr. Gramm is not a prosecutor. He can't have anything to do with that."
Earlier, Mr. Gramm - whose wife, Wendy Gramm, is a former Enron director, said he stays away from Enron hearings that attempt to assign blame for the crisis. And he said he has pushed for better accounting standards to avoid another Enron-type fiasco.
Mr. Cornyn defended giving his national party money originally raised for his state attorney general campaign. "There's no scheme," he told reporters. "We're trying to play by the rules."
Mr. Kirk's blast against Mr. Gramm, his most heated to date, comes after the senator criticized him in various statements and pro-Cornyn campaign ads.
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After first calling a proposal for a permanent tax cut irresponsible, Mr. Kirk said he would support such a plan if the money were available to pay for it.
"We'll respond to it in time," Mr. Kirk said of the Gramm ad. "This type of advertising is the reason why people are excited that Phil Gramm is not going to be a United States senator after January."
Mr. Kirk continued to suggest that the Cornyn campaign improperly funneled money he raised for his state races to the Texas Republican Party to pay for the ads against him.
Federal law forbids candidates from spending money raised for state campaigns on federal races. But candidates can donate such money to parties to be used for issue ads and get-out-the-vote efforts.
In June, Mr. Cornyn shifted $3.1 million from his attorney general campaign account to the Republican National Committee. That committee has forwarded campaign dollars to the state GOP.
Through Victory 2002, the Texas GOP has used radio and television commercials to criticize Mr. Kirk for not supporting the confirmation of Texas Supreme Court Justice Priscilla Owen to a federal appeals court and for not supporting President Bush's economic policies.
In responding to questions about a possible campaign commercial blackout around Sept. 11 because of last year's terrorist attacks, Mr. Kirk turned on Mr. Cornyn.
"I won't say that I won't campaign and then hide behind that fact that some other group is doing it, which is essentially what my opponent is doing in funneling all this money to the Republican Committee and letting them do his dirty work," Mr. Kirk said.
Dave Beckwith, a Cornyn spokesman, said the allegations were outrageous.
"Kirk has a soft money account that is raising money at a rate of $25,000 an individual," Mr. Beckwith said. "Cornyn is following all applicable campaign finance rules to the letter."
At SMU, Mr. Kirk touted his $1 billion proposal to support federal programs he says would help attract and retain more teachers nationwide.
The ideas include a $300 million National Teacher Corps that would forgive student loans for teachers who agree to teach subjects such as math and science in schools short in those areas.
The corps plan would also give $10,000 in scholarships to students who agree to teach after college.
Another program would give federal grants to local governments to boost teacher salaries and benefits. Communities would apply for the grants, which would be matched with local money.
E-mail gjeffers@dallasnews.com
Then again, it's pretty easy for me to "talk" way out here in VA. :-)
He knows his goose is cooked and is desperate, imho......
Well, Coop, if I were a betting man, which I am, I'd say that Kirk's internal polling is telling him that the Gramm ads, combined with active identification by George W. with Cornyn, are starting to wear on any undecideds in East Texas and are turning them towards the Republicans. If I were Cornyn, I'd pour it on.
What say you?
Chris
Whatever it was, you don't complain about it. Smacks of bitching. Worse yet, it reveals your vulnerabilities to your opponenent. Methinks that Gramm and Bush are starting to score some points among vital demographics for Cornyn, and that's what's got Kirk all hot and bothered.
Be Seeing You,
Chris
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