March 1, 2004

TOM DASCHLE VS. THE DEMOCRATS:

GOP Plans Votes to Put Democrats On the Spot (Jim VandeHei and Charles Babington, March 2, 2004,
Washington Post)

Republicans plan to use Congress to pull Sen. John F. Kerry and vulnerable Democrats into the cultural wars over gay rights, abortion and guns, envisioning a series of debates and votes that will highlight the candidates' positions on divisive issues, according to congressional aides and GOP officials.

The strategy will be on full display today, as Kerry (Mass.) and Sen. John Edwards (N.C.), the leading Democratic presidential candidates, plan to interrupt their Super Tuesday campaigning to fly to Washington for half a dozen votes on gun legislation, including liability protections for gun manufacturers. Both men oppose the liability bill, placing them in their party's majority even though some prominent Democrats -- including Senate Minority Leader Thomas A. Daschle (D-S.D.) -- support the bill.

A top Edwards aide said the senator is "not thrilled" to be voting on gun control one week before southern states such as Texas hold their primaries. Kerry, who has missed every Senate vote this year -- plus several key votes last year -- canceled a Florida campaign event tonight to be on hand for the gun votes, several of which are expected to be close.


A party whose members can't afford politically to have their votes on leading issues registered is a minority party.

Posted by Orrin Judd at March 1, 2004 11:35 PM
Comments

I read a post today on a radio message board about Kerry's siding with Clear Channel in their decision to yank Howard Stern from their six stations. The anti-Bush poster's attitude was basically he would give Kerry a pass on this one, because he knows he really doesn't mean it and will defang the moralists at the FCC once elected to office. A number of gay rights leaders voiced the same opinion last week about Kerry's stance on gay marriages -- he gets a pass on saying he's against it, because they know in their hearts he's really on their side and his true feelings will come out once in office.

How well this strategy works will depend on how much uniformity the special interest groups can muster in adopting an Alfred E. Newman "What, Me Worry?" strategy. Allowing Kerry to vote on wedge issues on the side of the majority of the American public in 2004 in order to reverse those votes later is clever, but if there are a few voices out there howling about being abandoned by the Democratic nominee while the leadership basically says "we don't care," the public may start to think something's not quite right with this situation.

Posted by: John at March 2, 2004 1:29 AM

Well, to be fair, John, the Right, too, believes that Kerry's lying.

Posted by: David Cohen at March 2, 2004 5:43 AM

I just heard that the vote passed 52-47. Good work guys-- force him to vote for something that wins. Typical Stupid Party in action.

Posted by: Raoul Ortega at March 2, 2004 1:04 PM

Raoul - perhaps but it at least puts Kerry and Edwards down as for the ban

Posted by: AWW at March 2, 2004 2:34 PM

It has to win in order for it to matter that he voted for it--remember the Clinton tax hike and how it played in '04.

Posted by: oj at March 2, 2004 3:27 PM

John's got a point.. add to that that Terry's Tin Soldiers in the media aren't going to want to shine much daylight on Kerry's voting record. Plus, he can always duck the votes to campaign for President.

This'll work better for that 60-40 vision thing though, esp. on those Dem Senators in red states.. (like that Daschle guy)

Posted by: MarkD at March 2, 2004 7:44 PM
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