Posted on 09/03/2003 2:55:49 AM PDT by kattracks
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — On his first day as an official Democratic presidential candidate, John Kerry did not get past his second campaign stop before having to deny a staff shake-up was in the works.It was the last thing Kerry needed on a day his campaign was getting heavy media attention to his entry into the race, and he hoped to focus it on sharp differences he has with President Bush.
Talk of changes in Kerry's campaign have surfaced as former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean surged past Kerry in fund raising and opinion polls in key early states like Iowa and New Hampshire. Dean's charge has ended the perception of Kerry as the presumptive front-runner.
Kerry's political free-fall has prompted a fresh round of finger-pointing in his campaign and has the candidate considering changes, according to several campaign officials who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Initially, Kerry said he had not considered a shake-up, though he sounded as if changes could be made.
"You always hold the possibility open if something's not working you do something," Kerry said. "I always reserve the right to do what I need to do to run a good campaign."
Kerry huddled with top aides after the exchange, and quickly issued a terse statement.
"I have confidence in my campaign," the Massachusetts senator said. "I have assembled a great team that is going to beat George W. Bush, and any rumors to the contrary are completely erroneous and there will be no changes."
The tone of the speech announcing Kerry's candidacy, in fact, was the subject of fierce internal debate within the campaign over whether to focus on the candidate's resume and Bush's performance, or lambaste Dean.
Tuesday morning in South Carolina, Kerry launched his campaign with the aircraft carrier USS Yorktown as a backdrop. His campaign tried to focus on his Vietnam War-hero credentials to give him the credibility to stand up to a wartime president.
"Every day of this campaign, I will challenge George Bush for fundamentally taking our country in the wrong direction," Kerry said. "George Bush's vision does not live up to the America I enlisted in the Navy to defend."
Kerry devoted much of his speech to his military service, years as a senator and Bush's record on the economy, the environment and national security. He did take a few subtle swipes at Dean.
"Some in my party want to get rid of all tax cuts, including those for working families," he said. "That's wrong. We need to be on the side of America's middle class and I've proposed a tax cut for them because it's the right way to strengthen our economy."
Dean favors a repeal of all of Bush's tax cuts.
The former Vermont governor has grabbed a hefty 21-point lead over Kerry in the latest New Hampshire poll, a crucial state for the two New Englanders. Dean has built momentum with his anti-war, anti-Washington themes and successfully tapped the Internet for fund raising and supporters.
Shortly after the speech, Kerry embarked on a three-state swing that took him to Iowa, and ends with appearances in New Hampshire and at Boston's famed Faneuil Hall on Wednesday.
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AP Political Writer Ron Fournier in Washington contributed to this report.
Kerry's campaign slogan: "I served in Viet Nam and you didn't."
Well, when it's all you got, you gotta run with it.
From what I've seen, and judging by his losses to Howard Dean, it looks more like Kerry is struggling to 'left' his campaign!
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