CIRCLE THE FIRING SQUAD

Democrats' First Presidential Debate Shows Party Fissures (ADAM NAGOURNEY, 5/04/03, NY Times)

A proposal by Representative Richard A. Gephardt of Missouri to abolish President Bush's tax cuts and use the money to provide subsidies to business to cover health care insurance was repeatedly attacked by his opponents, in a sign of concern that Mr. Gephardt might have taken the lead on what could be a central issue in the primary.

Senator John Edwards of North Carolina described the Gephardt plan as a giveaway that "takes money directly out of the pockets of working people, and I know it gives it to corporations." Senator Joseph I. Lieberman of Connecticut called Mr. Gephardt's proposal a "big-spending Democratic idea of the past," suggesting that it could allow Republicans once again to portray Democrats as a party of big government.

Mr. Gephardt, who appeared to enjoy the attention, even if it came in the form of criticism, defended his health care plan and criticized his opponents for supporting an end to only some of Mr. Bush's taxes.

"We can't come along and say, `Well, I'll keep half the Bush tax cut,' or `I'll keep three quarters of the Bush tax cut,' " Mr. Gephardt said. "If you like George Bush's tax cuts, stick with him, vote for him. But if you want to finally solve this problem that's bedeviled our people for a hundred years, let's get it done."

The exchanges came in a 90-minute debate sponsored by ABC News that seemed unlikely to draw much attention across the nation. The debate began at 9 p.m. on a Saturday and, with the exception of one television station in Washington, was not broadcast live anywhere in the country. C-Span is
planning to show it four times on Sunday.

This combination, of Gephardt's proposal forcing the others to attack health care, and of party ideology forcing them all to attack tax cuts, seems unhelpful. Posted by Orrin Judd at May 4, 2003 8:13 AM