SERVED PURPOSES
Last February, during her first trip to Iowa, former senator and
ambassador Carol Moseley Braun faced an audience
of one. The poor turnout was the result of major snow storm.
Yesterday, attendance at her Iowa press conference was slightly
higher, less because of her than because of the man she was
endorsing, former Vermont Gov. Howie Dean.
Braun’s exit from the Democratic presidential primary field has
been anticipated for months, and the die was cast once she received
federal matching funds. Braun had no staff to speak of, and was
basically getting by with the help of political friends in
Chicago.
While Dean campaign staffers will insist that Braun’s
endorsement was the result of a growing friendship between the two
candidates, it came after a week of negotiations that included —
according to a Dean campaign insider — promise of a cabinet
position in a Dean administration should that come to fruition.
“Nothing was promised, nothing was discussed,” says another Dean
staffer. “But you can be sure both candidates are committed to
keeping the friendship going after all the votes have been
tallied.”
The fact is, though, that Braun’s entire campaign was predicated
on promises made and kept, so why should her dealings with Dean be
any different. Her entry into the primary race came after intensive
talks with DNC chairman Terry McAuliffe, who was
looking for someone to blunt the effects of a run by the Rev.
Al Sharpton. That Sen. Hillary Rodham
Clinton was quietly supporting her — also to blunt
Sharpton’s influence, but only in New York — didn’t hurt
either.
In the end, Braun didn’t have to do much heavy lifting,
Sharpton’s campaign has fizzled, and Braun barely registered in
most polls. Now Braun will hit the road for Dean. She was scheduled
to appear in Iowa with the Vermonter, then do some work for him in
South Carolina.
But where Dean most wants her to expend some effort, however, is
with NOW. Dean has been pressing the women’s group for an
endorsement ever since he made an appearance at one of their
conferences last summer and received a warm reception. “An
endorsement from NOW would pretty much cap things for the campaign
at this point,” says the Dean staffer. “Kerry and Gephardt want it
badly. For us to gain it early would further diminish the other
guys in the race.”
SUNDANCING FOR THEIR SUPPER
Apparently the DNC is getting into the movie business. The party,
with permission from long-time supporter Robert
Redford, is holding a fundraiser on Monday in Park City,
Utah, during the aging actor’s Sundance Film Festival.
Ever concerned about their base, the DNC is asking for only a
$250 contribution from “filmmakers,” while other industry insiders
will get socked with a $1,000 tab.
The event is like one of many being sponsored by the DNC around
the country. No particular candidate is front and center, except
one: President George W. Bush.
“This is all about getting this administration out, tapping into
the hatred our people have for this man,” says a DNC staffer who
has organized similar events in New York and San Jose, California.
“We’ve raised a lot of money off of these elsewhere.”
And why the two-tiered donations? “We want to attract the young
people that come to Sundance. If Michael Moore
shows up, we’ll hit him up for $1,000.”
ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS JUST WHISTLE-STOP
Sen. John Edwards may be the candidate du jour in
Iowa, but the Dick Gephardt machine is the one to
watch on caucus night. Consider this: In the past week, the
Alliance for Economic Justice, a coalition of 18 manufacturing
unions that endorsed the Missouri congressman, has been averaging
more than 2,000 phone calls a day and knocking on more than 20,000
doors over the past week.
“That’s the kind of effort that is going to put us right up
there at the top,” says a Gephardt staffer. “Everyone can try
whistle-stopping here, but in Iowa, it’s the door to door
organizing that pays off on caucus night.”
Over the next few days Sen. John Kerry will be
crisscrossing the state by helicopter, while Howie
Dean will be using a bus and a van to make last minute
pitches.
