DEMOCRAT CATTLE CALL
The Democratic Leadership Council is expecting a big turnout at its
late July national convention in New York City. The biggest
attraction will be the “cattle call” of Democratic presidential
hopefuls, who will attempt to sway the so-called “moderate” wing of
the Democratic Party.
Already Tom Daschle, Dick
Gephardt, Joe Lieberman and John
Kerry have lined up speaking slots. Two other key
Democrats are still wrangling over theirs. Al Gore
is demanding to be allowed to deliver the keynote to the entire
event. “He feels he had the DLC’s support for president in 2000,
that he carried their water for them for eight years of the
Clinton-Gore administration, that he deserves to be given the
spotlight this time around,” says a current Gore adviser in
Washington. “He’s earned it.”
Apparently the DLC disagrees. According to a council insider,
there remains vigorous debate among the leadership whether Gore
should be invited at all. According one current DLC staffer, Gore
was not on the initial “wish list” of key speakers at the New York
event. “It may have been inadvertent or just assumed that he’d be
there, but some of us took it another way,” says the DLC aide.
Gore’s problem could be the man who ran with him in 2000, DLC
stalwart Joe Lieberman. “Lieberman has been a loyal member of the
DLC, and while he remains supportive of Gore, he isn’t pushing that
hard to give him what he’s demanding,” says the DLC-er. “There are
a lot of council members and staff who are saying Lieberman
deserves the spotlight. Gore is old news.”
The other question mark is Sen. John Edwards,
who also has been pressing for a so-called “primetime” speaking
slot. Given the buzz he now enjoys, there is little doubt Edwards
is in DLC demand, but he wants a slot that will place him in close
proximity to DLC chair Sen. Evan Bayh of Indiana.
Why? “Edwards thinks that is the 2004 dream ticket: Edwards/Bayh,”
says a Democratic National Committee senior political aide. “He’s
looking for any opportunity to test it out, and the DLC conference
could be the perfect place for a test drive.”
TIED UP IN KNOTS
On what could have been the biggest political day of his life,
former Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge yesterday
focused more on his wardrobe than on the seemingly impossible task
of serving as Secretary of Homeland Security. “He was worried about
the color of the tie he was going to wear,” says a current Homeland
Security staffer.
Apparently Ridge was concerned that for big events and TV
appearances President Bush prefers to wear the now famous Cornwall
blue power tie that has become so popular in Washington since his
inauguration.
Ever the Bushie, Ridge has taken to wearing the tie as well.
“But he was concerned about wearing the same tie the president
was,” the staffer says.
In the end, sense won over style, and Ridge decided to wear a
bright but grayish tie that would appear less presidential but
still be in line with his newly elevated stature.
ROUGH ON RIDGE
Look for Democrats in the next day or so to quietly float the name
of current Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld as an
alternative to Tom Ridge. Despite his public
comments last night that he had spent a great deal of time speaking
with congressional leaders, Ridge has studiously avoided meeting
with House and Senate leaders and does not have the broad-based
support that a near celebrity like Rumsfeld has.
“There’s no doubt that Ridge is going to be the man. But if Bush
is going to get his $38 billion budget and his choice of nominee,
we aren’t going to make it easy for him,” says a Senate Democratic
leadership staffer. “When you compare a man like Rumsfeld and his
track record to Ridge, there’s no comparison. Rumsfeld wins every
time. People should question the choice of Ridge for this critical
job.”
Barring a scandal that might have escaped an extremely extensive
background check on Ridge, there is virtually no chance President
Bush would walk away from one of his best and closest friends in
politics.
