BIRD DOG DEMAGOGUE
Former President Bill Clinton couldn’t keep his
mouth shut over the weekend at Tougaloo College, a historically
black institution of higher education in Mississippi. While
addressing graduates there, Clinton repeatedly belittled the Bush
administration’s war on terror, war in Iraq, and lack of focus on
domestic issues. At one point Clinton, who was apparently egged on
by a raucous crowd, even took a slap at Sen. Trent
Lott, telling the crowd that the school should approach
Lott to help fund the school’s building projects.
“Perhaps the former president’s comment about Lott paying
reparations was a bit over the top,” says a former Clinton staffer
in Washington. “But you know how he can be when he’s with his
people. They just love him, and he goes with the moment.”
Clinton received a very warm reception at the graduation
ceremony, and was clearly enjoying himself as he joined in with the
gospel choir on several occasions.
OSE POLITIC
It appears, with the announcement last week that Republican
California Rep. Doug Ose is retiring and will not
challenge Democrat Barbara Boxer in the 2004
Senate race, the path is cleared for U.S. treasurer Rosario
Marin. A moderate Republican, with extensive ties to the
Mexican-American community in California, Marin was considered a
top tier choice by the White House. The only other name that has
been floated seriously as a potential challenger to Boxer is former
Gov. Pete Wilson. But those rumors have seemingly
dried up of late.
One other name being floated now is Rep. George
Radanovich, who has been campaigning up and down the state
for several months but who would probably not run if it appeared
the White House was trying to clear the way for Marin.
As it stands for Boxer, she has made the decision to very
publicly disagree with her senior senator from the state,
Dianne Feinstein. Boxer is said by some of her
staffers to be frustrated that she is still considered a
lightweight, both politically and intellectually, by the national
and California press.
“Part of that perception is from Feinstein’s people just
badmouthing her,” says a Boxer staffer in California. “But she also
realizes that to dispel those perceptions she has to be
proactive.”
One other byproduct of Ose’s retirement is talk that former
California attorney general and gubernatorial candidate Dan
Lungren is mulling a run for Ose’s congressional seat.
MOSELEY ON DOWN
Rumors at the Democratic National Committee have Carol
Moseley Braun mulling a quick exit from the presidential
primaries. The former senator from Illinois did not stay in Iowa
after the debates last Saturday evening, and inside the DNC her
campaign is considered to be in disarray.
“She isn’t raising any money, she doesn’t seem to have any kind
of support staff in Iowa or New Hampshire,” says a DNC staffer.
“It’s not clear what she’s doing.”
Since joining the presidential race in mid-February, Moseley
Braun has raised less than $80,000, and only recently has she
opened office space in Chicago. Braun has also been criticized by
Democratic strategists for her poor performance on the stump.
“She has no policies, she has no ideas, and when she does talk
there doesn’t seem to be much going on upstairs,” says a DNC
staffer. “If it weren’t for the fact that she’s barely raised
anything, you’d think she was in this just for the money.”
