Ding ding ding!

quote:

A Double-Edged Swipe at Dean Gephardt Questions Rival's Health Care Record and Temperament By Brian Faler and Dan Balz Washington Post Staff Writers Saturday, January 3, 2004; Page A03 DES MOINES, Jan. 2 -- Rep. Richard A. Gephardt (D-Mo.) lashed out at rival Howard Dean on Friday, charging that the former Vermont governor has an "indefensible record" on the cornerstone Democratic issue of health care and a temperament that will leave him vulnerable if he becomes the party's nominee to challenge President Bush. Gephardt said Dean accuses critics of lying rather than answering serious questions about his record as governor. "There is a pattern with Governor Dean," Gephardt said at the Broadlawns Medical Center. "First, say something indefensible. Then deny you ever said it. Then when it's proven you said it, don't tell anybody why you said it. And then go and say it all over again." Gephardt used the speech to compare his plan for expanding access to health insurance with those offered by the other Democratic presidential candidates. But he saved his toughest words for Dean, with whom he is battling for first place in the Jan. 19 Iowa caucuses. Gephardt said, "The last refuge from an indefensible record is to call everything a big lie," and, addressing Dean, asked: "How can you expect the rest of us to step aside and watch you lose your cool against George Bush and lose the election?" Most of the other Democratic candidates spent the day crisscrossing New Hampshire, whose Jan. 27 primary comes eight days after Iowa and where Dean holds a strong lead. The arrival of the election year lent a sense of urgency to all the campaigns, with stepped-up schedules, major speeches and sharpened attacks on their agendas. The primary goal of Dean's rivals is to blunt his momentum and change the dynamic of a race in which he ended 2003 as the biggest fundraiser of the pack and the front-runner for the nomination. The other candidates predicted the race will change once voters take charge later this month, and offered audiences the reasons that they, not Dean, are best equipped to take on Bush. Dean drew big crowds in New Hampshire, where he holds a strong lead over the other eight Democrats. Sen. John F. Kerry (Mass.) played hockey and answered questions at his signature chili feeds. Retired Gen. Wesley K. Clark began the day in Concord, then headed into the northern part of the state on a day when snow showers left a wintry landscape on the Granite State. Sen. John Edwards (N.C.) worked diners in preparation for a big speech on Saturday. Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman (Conn.), who has become a temporary resident of the state for the month of January, continued to say he presents voters with the clearest contrast to Dean. Gephardt had Iowa largely to himself and used it to escalate his criticism of Dean, particularly on health care, where Gephardt defended his own record and said his plan for expanding access to health insurance is far superior to that offered by Dean and by other Democratic candidates. Gephardt said his plan would cover more Americans and provide more stimulus to the economy, and said other candidates are deceiving voters by promising them the same health plan enjoyed by members of Congress. But his main focus was Dean, and he renewed his assertion that Dean supported reductions in the growth in Medicare in the mid-1990s, when President Bill Clinton and congressional Democrats were fighting the same proposal from congressional Republicans. "Here's the hard truth -- Howard Dean has said he wants to turn Medicare into a wholly managed care program," Gephardt said. "He has repeatedly supported cutting Medicare in order to balance the budget. He tried to cut Medicaid services to the poor, elderly and disabled as governor of Vermont. And he's the only Democrat I know of who has called Medicare 'one of the worst federal programs ever.' Even George Bush won't admit to that out loud." Dean has adopted a strategy of not responding to the substance of most attacks, aides said, in part to keep the focus on his message of the people versus the powerful. They acknowledge the strategy could shield Dean from talking about his record in Vermont, which sometimes conflicts with his positions of today, but also leaves unflattering comments about him unanswered. His Iowa director, Jeani Murray, issued a statement responding to Gephardt's assertion that his health care record in Congress is superior to Dean's as governor of Vermont. "Since 1977, Dick Gephardt has sponsored 20 pieces of health care legislation -- not a single one has become law," the statement said. "Why in the world would Americans want to keep an ineffective leader in Washington, let alone promote him to the White House?" With former New Hampshire governor Jeanne Shaheen at his side serving chili at the Milford VFW hall, Kerry assured supporters that the New Year has brought new scrutiny to Dean's campaign and new energy to his. "I don't care what the polls say," he said after peeling off his navy blazer. "This campaign is on fire, and we're starting to move, and people are starting to listen." Kerry took several indirect swipes at Dean, telling supporters, "This exercise is not just to pick a nominee. It's not to have somebody who voices anger. It is to have somebody who can beat George Bush." Much of his speech, though, was devoted to attacking Bush's domestic and foreign policy records. "Every minute, two jobs are lost; every day $1 billion is added to the deficit of our nation," he said. "I'm not here today just to mark the day after New Year's. I'm here to mark with you the beginning of the end of the Bush presidency. If he wants national security to be the centerpiece of this campaign, I've got three words for him I know he understands: Bring it on!" In Bedford, Lieberman unveiled his policy on domestic violence, calling it a "serious crime" that would be "a priority of my presidency." Lieberman, a co-sponsor of the federal Violence Against Women Act, listened to stories from battered women and social workers who help support them, in a small gathering at a private home. As president, Lieberman said, he would criminalize the violation of civil court orders, establish 300 new shelters nationwide for battered women and their children, and introduce a program to train law enforcement officers to better handle domestic abuse cases. "We can't make right what happened to you," he said. "But we have to stop the next woman who's in the position you were in from having doors closed in their face." Edwards began the day in Nashua, where on Saturday he plans to make the case for his campaign in a speech on the steps of City Hall -- the same spot where John F. Kennedy announced his campaign in 1960 for the New Hampshire primary. "You hear lots of complaining and criticizing from one presidential candidate to the other, but this election is about something much bigger than that. . . . It's about an optimistic, positive vision of what can be done in America," Edwards said at his storefront headquarters, surrounded by college students waving "E-D-W-A-R-D-S" signs. Edwards embarked on a daylong trek to the northern tip of the state, stopping along the way at diners. As he squeezed between tables during the lunch crush at the Tilt'n Diner in Tilton, Donna Hann grabbed his hand. "I've been dying to meet you for forever," she said. Hann, a teacher, pressed him about inequities in teacher pay. The candidate told her that if elected, "I will fix it."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dy...5-2004Jan2.html

I suppose it wouldn't be a true run for President without bashing on the other runners endlessly. Good old hate campaigns!

But, I don't care for Dean, so... *shrugs*

Heh, I have to admit, the most amusing part was "Even George Bush won't admit that out loud"

___________________
aka Tits McGee
aka Chesty LaRue
aka Busty St. Claire