Posted on 08/15/2003 8:49:46 AM PDT by PhiKapMom
The President and Congress are on the summer recess for the month of August so we decided to take some time off with these Countdown Threads as we prepare for the upcoming Presidential election. Today we are back with an Update from Bush-Cheney '04 along with information on the what the Democrat candidates are doing!
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August 15, 2003 |
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Upon being elected to office President Bush took immediate action to create jobs and grow an economy that was in recession. He has not stopped working to grow our economy since. This week, he met with his economic advisors to review the positive impact of his efforts.
Our economy is just starting to see the positive effects of the President’s Jobs and Growth Act of 2003 but President Bush continues to press for legislation to help America’s workers. He has called on Congress to pass his proposals for re-employment accounts to help those looking for work, to end lawsuit abuse that hurts consumers, and help small businesses pay for health care for their employees.
President Bush Announces Capture of Key al Qaeda Leader,
Thanks Servicemen and their Families at Miramar
The President Protects Wildlife and Homes with Healthy Forests Initiative
This week, President Bush reinforced the need for his Healthy Forests Initiative during a visit to the wildfire scarred Coronado National Forest in Arizona. President Bush's Healthy Forests Initiative establishes a more effective and timely process to protect homes, wildlife habitats and forests from catastrophic fires. The President's latest budget more than doubles the funding for forest health programs. Key components of the President's Healthy Forests Initiative include:
President Announces New EPA Administrator, Governor Mike Leavitt
On Monday, President Bush nominated Utah Gov. Mike Leavitt to be the new director of the Environmental Protection Agency. The President praised Gov. Leavitt as a leader committed to results in cleaning our air and water, saying "Mike Leavitt will come to the EPA with a strong environmental record and a strong desire to improve on what has taken place during the last three decades.... Governor Leavitt has been a leader in applying high standards in air quality, and he understands the importance of clear standards in every environmental policy."
Excerpts of President Bush's Speech in Miramar, California
Point of View: Democrats' trips help state GOP
By Pat McFerron Republicans, not Democrats, are paying much closer attention to the Democrat nomination process. The most viable explanation is the national Democrats fail to inspire their party faithful, but tend to infuriate those in the opposition. How else can one explain that 40 percent of Republicans know that Al Gore's former running mate, Joe Lieberman, is pursuing the nomination, while only 23 percent of registered Democrats do? Similarly, 21 percent of Republicans can mention Howard Dean's anti-Bush candidacy, while only 15 percent of Democrats are so aware. Only 37 percent of the state's registered Democrats can name even a single candidate running for the nomination. Even among Democrats who have participated in recent primary elections, only 47 percent can name just one of the candidates. In contrast, 58 percent of all of the state's registered Republicans are able to list a Democrat candidate. This should not be interpreted to mean that the Republicans will consider voting for the eventual Democrat nominee; in fact, the opposite is true. Among Republicans aware of at least one of the Democratic candidates, 95 percent are already committed to re-electing George W. Bush. It's easy to see why having one of the presidential candidates representing the Democrats is exciting to Republicans and discouraging to state Democrats. While the Republicans in Oklahoma would be excited about having a trial lawyer (Edwards), a dove (Dean), a member of the Clinton/Gore team (Lieberman), a big labor sympathizer (Gephardt), or any of the other candidates representing their opposition, many of the state's Democrats, including the governor, seem to be avoiding making any endorsements. As such, the Democrat rank and file is not paying attention. Why should they when their leaders at home are at best reluctant to embrace the leadership of the national party? Republicans, however, are paying attention. And they will pay even more attention once a nominee is selected. Given the posturing of the current Democrat candidates, it is a virtual certainty that the eventual nominee will have supported numerous positions -- ranging from advocating gay marriage to promoting tax increases or supporting Bill or Hillary Clinton -- that are out of touch with Oklahoma's conservative values. The real question is whether the conservatives who remain registered Democrats will pay attention. They may already be doing so. Already, 49 percent of those Democrats who can name any of the Democrat presidential candidates are indicating an intention to vote for Bush. This trend is likely to continue if elected Democrat leaders in the state selfishly decide against creating a wall of defense between local candidates and their national party nominee. Without the enthusiastic support and endorsement of local Democrats creating a buffer, Bush's coattails could prove very long in Oklahoma. McFerron is director of survey research with Cole Hargrave Snodgrass & Associates. He has conducted polling for national and state campaigns, including Oklahoma's right-to-work campaign, Oklahoma City's MAPS for Kids election and local and legislative campaigns. Bush Says Power Grid Needs Modernizing By JENNIFER LOVEN
SAN DIEGO (AP) -- President Bush said he will order a review of why so many states were hit by a massive power blackout Thursday and said he suspects the nation's electrical grid will have to be modernized.
"Millions of people's lives are affected," the president said. "I fully understand that their lives will not be normal for the short run."
But he added, "Slowly but surely we're coping with this massive national problem."
The outage spread to states from New York to Michigan and affected major cities in Canada as well.
Once power is restored, Bush said he would order a review of "why the cascade was so significant, why it was able to ripple so significantly throughout our system up East."
Speaking to reporters at a downtown hotel during a two-day California trip, the president said the assessment would determine just what caused the problem and whether the U.S. electrical grid would need to be modernized as a result.
"I happen to think it does," he said. "It's a serious situation."
Still, Bush sought to provide some reassurance to a shaken public.
The first priority, Bush said, is to deal with the consequences of the blackout and "get electricity up and running as quickly as possible."
"I have been working with federal officials to make sure the response to the situation was quick and thorough and I believe it has been," the president said. "We're offering all the help they need to help people cope with this blackout."
Bush pointed to the resumption of some flights at LaGuardia and Newark airports near New York as an example of federal involvement and a sign the situation was beginning to come under control.
Bush credited local and state emergency officials with quickly getting a handle on the problem - and said they have not yet asked much of the federal government
"Not much - because they're well-prepared," he said. "We're better organized today than we were 2 1/2 years ago to deal with an emergency."
Bush also said it "has been remarkable to watch on television" how calmly individuals reacted.
Bush said it wasn't clear yet what caused the initial problem but promised that officials would figure it out once people's immediate needs are met. "One thing I think I can say for certain is that this was not a terrorist act," he said.
Bush was notified about the outage by Deputy Chief of Staff Joe Hagin while he was having lunch with Marines at a military base in southern California. He received updates through the rest of the day from top aides.
Vice President Dick Cheney was on vacation in Jackson, Wyo., during the blackout. White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card was in Maine, press spokesman Claire Buchan said, but he consulted by telephone with New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
Officials from the White House and National Security Council later held a video conference call with officials from the departments of Energy, Homeland Security, Treasury, State, the FBI and other agencies, White House press secretary Scott McClellan said.
The meeting was organized to make sure the federal government was ready to help to meet any request that might arise from state and local governments, he said.
Dem Presidential Candidates Oppose Recall Aug 15, 3:41 AM EDT
By RON FOURNIER
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) -- Democratic presidential candidates oppose the California recall drive, but are divided along with other party leaders over strategy to avoid a Republican takeover.
Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut and Rep. Dennis Kucinich of Ohio denounced the effort to recall Gov. Gray Davis, but said Thursday they want the party to rally behind a Democratic alternative in case Davis is thrown out.
"I'm against the recall, I think it's wrong. But I think people ought to have a choice beyond Arnold Schwarzenegger and Larry Flynt," said Lieberman, endorsing Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante. Actor Schwarzenegger and Flynt, a pornography publisher, are candidates on the Oct. 8 ballot.
Most of Lieberman's rivals don't want to talk about an alternative to Davis.
"I think (the recall drive) insults the democracy of this country, and it's wrong, and Californians should not be making a choice about which candidate ought to replace Gray Davis," said Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts.
The split is emblematic of a debate within the national Democratic Party over recall strategy. Some party leaders say backing Bustamante will hurt Davis' ability to fend off the recall, and would not necessarily guarantee victory for the Democrat against the GOP slate. Others said Davis' recall is inevitable; they want to unite quickly behind a strong Democratic alternative.
"Democrats are trying to come to terms with the situation while standing on constantly shifting terrain," said Democratic strategist Michael Feldman of Washington.
Former President Clinton has given Davis advice for surviving the recall drive, comparing the effort to his GOP-led impeachment trial. Associates say Clinton may campaign for Davis in September if the governor wants his help and if it looks like the assistance would pay off.
They said there is another possibility: If Davis cannot reverse polls that show wide support for his recall, Clinton might find it necessary to urge the governor to resign and pave way for Bustamante. The associates, speaking on condition of anonymity, said any scenarios involving Clinton is highly speculative because the political landscape is so fluid.
Presidential campaign advisers said they will closely watch the recount drive and Davis' poll numbers as they decide whether to get more involved.
For now, Lieberman is the only candidate fully invested in the recall drive.
"Cruz Bustamante is a friend of mine, he's chairman of my campaign here in California," Lieberman said.
While seven of his rivals maintained a heavy schedule in Iowa, site of the nation's first presidential voting, Lieberman rushed to the West Coast to inject himself in the nation's biggest political story.
"It's a political power play against a governor who has governed in hard times," he said.
In Iowa, Rep. Dennis Kucunich, D-Ohio, said Democrats have to fight the recall while also "making sure they have a backup plan."
Former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean said: "It sounds to me like an attempt by the Republicans to reverse the results of an election, which they have a habit of doing."
He said he didn't know enough about California politics to support an alternative to Davis.
Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina said he opposes the recall because California has recently elected Davis, and he will not back an alternative.
Former Illinois Sen. Carol Moseley Braun said she hopes the recall will fail and plans to campaign on Davis' behalf.
Seven of the presidential hopefuls attended a health care forum at Drake University sponsored by Gov. Tom Vilsack, incoming chairman of the Democratic Governors Association. He called the recall drive a "novelty" and said his group is almost certain to donate money to help the California party fight the effort.
The money could help Davis or Bustamante, he said.
At Vilsack's forum, the Democratic presidential candidates criticized President Bush and large pharmaceutical companies.
Most of the major Democratic candidates have offered plans to expand the nation's health care system, and would finance their efforts by repealing various portions of the tax cut the president pushed through Congress.
"America has a choice, it can have tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans or health care for all Americans," Kerry said.
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The media does not exist to inform you. It exists to get readers and viewers so they can sell advertisng and papers. Telling you dull Gephardt has it made does nothing for ratings or newspaper subscriptions.
Remember that when you look at or read the news. Even when the primaries start they will only give you counts of the Delegates that are won in primary or caucus states. They will not tell you now the party official delegates are pledged to vote. If they did you would know that Hillary has no chance and a brokered convention is very unlikely. You would know the winner a lot sooner than they are prepared to tell you who the winner is. Once you know the nomination winners, you'll quit reading and watching as much... can't have that .. .can they?
Here's what I don't get. Gephardt is supposed to be Dead On Arrival after Dean wins Iowa. Does G have ground troops down there, Union Guys, who will bash heads to put him over the top? Is Dean's internet support oversold (sort of like the Bum of the Month who Don King would dragoon into a ring to get pummeled by Tyson)? In other words, is Dean the Media Candidate as was McCain?
Dean is this year's Eugene McCarthy, only you contend that he'll run into the Organization, just as Gene did. Gene couldn't fight what Norman Mailer called "the great Shaman of the Democratic Party, Lyndon Johnson" and HHH and Bobby. But will Organization Democrats (I guess you can tell I lived for three years in Chicago) have the oomph to derail Dean? Understand that Dean had the blessing of HRC before he ran.
After a defeat, the Organization guys get together to pick the next nominee. Mondale in '84. Clinton in '92 (after the Organization had decided to call itself the DLC), and Dole in '96 were all Organization guys. Clinton had paid his dues, btw, so when he ran he wasn't some McCain-type renegade. He was an Outfit guy with an ambitious wife. The worst kind.
Thanks again for your permission to link. Your stuff is essential to a thorough understanding of how things actually happen.
Oh, I read your piece about Arnold's problem with "the advisors". Once again, on point. My thinking is, strangely enough, that Warren Buffet's money gives Warren Buffet the right to sound off, no matter what effect Warren's Wisdom has on Warren Buffet's Best Friend Arnold. Arnold was being somewhat naive in believing that Warren would just stand by and remain a hood ornament.
AS needs to get out and start town to town campaigning. He's got the free media that chumps like Simon could only dream about .You'll notice I didn't call McClintock a chump and a spoiler: he's got this quasi-religious following on FR that is a sight to behold. Those who point out the McC couldn't win an election for governor in CA, simply for demographic reasons alone, are considered apostate RINO's.
Be Seeing You,
Chris
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