Kirk fund-raiser to feature Clinton
Posted on 07/10/2002 6:29:05 AM PDT by MeekOneGOP
Kirk fund-raiser to feature Clinton
Candidate criticized former president who will attend NY event
07/10/2002
Democratic Senate candidate Ron Kirk, who in April said Bill Clinton needed to "rehabilitate" himself before lending a hand on the campaign trail in Texas, is using the former president for a top-dollar fund-raiser in New York.
The event, organized by Kirk supporters and billed as a reception honoring the former Dallas mayor, is scheduled July 17 at Jimmy's Downtown in Manhattan with Mr. Clinton as the special guest.
It is the first known Kirk campaign event that will be attended by the former president, although his wife, New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, was among the listed hosts for a recent Washington fund-raiser for Mr. Kirk.
"It's not surprising that President Clinton is raising money for Democratic candidates across the country," said Justin Lonon, a Kirk spokesman said Tuesday. "You have a party leader helping Democratic candidates, just as Republicans are utilizing their leadership in their races."
In April, Mr. Kirk was not enthused about getting Mr. Clinton's help after he announced that he would stump for Democrats across the country.
Mr. Kirk, in turn, said Texas was "probably not the best place for the former president to begin his rehabilitation."
According to Mr. Lonon, Mr. Kirk stands by his remark. "I don't think you will see him campaigning in Texas anytime soon for any candidate," he said.
Mr. Kirk's Republican rival, Attorney General John Cornyn, has criticized Mr. Kirk for his fund-raising trips outside of Texas. And Cornyn aides Tuesday were quick to ridicule the Clinton fund-raiser.
"I guess the prospect of hundreds of thousands of dollars in soft money contributions has accelerated President Clinton's rehabilitation in Kirk's eyes," said Dave Beckwith, a Cornyn spokesman. "He is clearly gambling that voters will forget about his Clinton connection by November."
Reception organizers are asking for donations ranging from $1,000 to $25,000. The money will be earmarked for the Texas Victory Fund, a joint committee developed by Mr. Kirk and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.
The fund can accept contributions for political activities larger than the federal law limits on individual donations of $1,000 to a candidate for a primary, runoff or general election.
Mr. Kirk has said his summer strategy has involved raising enough money to be competitive with Mr. Cornyn, who he says will outspend him.
Mr. Kirk is trying to become the first black senator elected from Texas and the third black senator elected in the United States since after the Civil War. The combination of his potentially historic campaign and the Democrats' one-seat majority in the Senate is making Mr. Kirk a national figure.
Some analysts say Mr. Kirk may be rolling out Mr. Clinton at the right time.
"Because of Clinton, Democrats were on the defensive because of the moral issue," said David Prindle, a political science professor at the University of Texas at Austin. "But now Enron and WorldCom have Republicans on the defensive because of immoral big business."
President Bush and Congress have promised a swift crackdown on corporate mischief.
"Big business has diminished the outrage people feel about Bill Clinton," Mr. Prindle said.
E-mail gjeffers@dallasnews.com
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