Posted on 03/27/2003 10:47:41 PM PST by LdSentinal
WASHINGTON - Presidential candidate John Kerry has been passing notes on the Senate floor, assuring his southern Democratic colleagues that he plans to compete in their home states.
The Massachusetts senator distributed verbatim text of remarks he gave earlier this month at a fund-raiser in California when he was asked about his chances in the conservative-leaning South.
Kerry slipped the note, a copy of which was obtained by The Associated Press, to a few colleagues Wednesday while the Senate deliberated the budget. He was prompted by a story Monday in The State newspaper of Columbia, S.C., titled, "Kerry might have written off the South," that referred to his speech.
"Al Gore proved that you can get elected president of the United States without winning one Southern state — if he had simply won New Hampshire or West Virginia or Ohio or Colorado or a number of other states," Kerry said at the fund-raiser. "We are the leaders. Democrats have to stop looking at the small solution that the country is compartmentalized in that way."
Kerry decided Southern senators should see the complete response, which he begins by saying he will campaign in the South and already has a presence there.
"I intend to campaign and talk to folks and think that we can win a number of states there, Florida, Louisiana, Arkansas and a number of others," he said.
Several of Kerry's rivals for the Democratic presidential nomination, including Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina, Rep. Dick Gephardt of Missouri and former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean, have responded to Kerry's remarks by saying they planned to campaign in every region of the country.
The note was marked "Personal, From John Kerrry, To Senator," and contained only the 21-line quote. His name was misspelled with an extra letter "R."
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SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — Howard Dean stepped up his criticism of Democratic presidential primary rival John Kerry on Thursday, saying the Massachusetts senator continues to "wobble around" in his position on the U.S.-led war against Iraq.
Kerry and his campaign staff have dismissed Dean's attacks, arguing that there is nothing inconsistent in his stand. Kerry, who voted last fall for a congressional resolution giving President Bush the authority to use military force, has supported the disarmament of Iraq and the ouster of Saddam Hussein. But he also has criticized Bush for alienating potential allies and failing to assemble international support.
Dean has moved up in some polls with his strong anti-war position, particularly in a key Kerry state, New Hampshire. On Thursday, he singled out Kerry during a speech to a couple dozen activists.
"To this day I don't know what John Kerry's position is," the former Vermont governor said. "It's still hard to figure out, reading his statements, which way he's going to come down on it, and I think you all ought to ask him."
Dean also has criticized another Democratic rival, John Edwards, accusing him of inconsistency in his statements on Iraq. But Dean then sent a handwritten note to the North Carolina senator last weekend, apologizing for saying Edwards avoided talking about his support of the Iraqi conflict before a largely anti-war audience.
Dean continued his criticism of Edwards on Monday, then focused solely on Kerry on Tuesday.
Before the Iowa crowd, Dean argued that Democrats must draw sharp distinctions with Bush.
"If you agree with the war, then say so," Dean said. "If you don't agree with the war, then say so, but don't try to wobble around in between."
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SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — Democratic presidential hopeful John Edwards on Thursday offered a $50 billion plan to bail out cash-strapped states, arguing that voters are not only worried about the war but care deeply about a sagging economy.
"The states are facing the worst fiscal crisis they've seen since World War II," the North Carolina senator said in a telephone interview.
The proposal would steer $431 million to Iowa, where precinct caucuses launch the presidential nomination season.
Twenty percent of the money would go to help state and local governments pay for the increased cost of homeland security and another 20 percent would be used to bail out sagging Medicaid programs. The remainder would be used in block grants to help states facing tough budget times because of a weak national economy.
Edwards spoke in a joint conference call with Rep. Leonard Boswell , D-Iowa, who is pushing a similar measure in the House.
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