Dean's rivals growing desperate in Iowa – say they fear he'll try to cheat

[pruner]

Iowa law discourages influx of outside activists for caucuses

By MIKE GLOVER
Associated Press Writer

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) -- When it comes to voting in Iowa's caucuses, the rules are clear: You must be a state resident who plans to stick around for a lot longer than the next contest on the presidential primary calendar.

Amid growing questions, confusing answers -- and rival campaigns' fears that front-runner Howard Dean might try to pack the Jan. 19 caucuses with out-of-state activists -- a former Democratic Party chairman has prepared a memo for party officials explaining the law and dismissing the concerns of Dean's foes.

<snip>

Dean aides dismissed the fuss, saying rival campaigns are raising the issue as a diversion and a means to cast doubt on the Dean campaign, which has attracted hundreds of thousands of supporters through the Internet.

"It's a ridiculous assertion,'' said spokeswoman Sarah Leonard, who argued that activists from other states will be brought to Iowa only to help with voter turnout.

<snip>

http://sundaygazettemail.com/section/APNews/News/ap0622n

[jenk]

1. Gephardt is winning Iowa

[WhosNext]

2. Nope

[Demobrat]

3. By how much?

Got a link?

[pruner]

4. not according to the latest poll out last week

it showed Dean with a 10 point lead.

[Closer]

5. Even Gephardt's own polls

now show him trailing Dean by four points.


Also (and this is the important part) word is that Gephardt's only raised around 750k this quarter. Compare that to Dean's probable 8-10 million, and draw your own conclusions.

[Jerseycoa]

8. Do you remember what poll?

The last I saw for Iowa was November 5 or thereabouts.

[pruner]

13. Survey USA poll released 11/24

Dean 32
Gephardt 22
Kerry 19
Edwards 11
Clark 3
Lieberman 1
Undecided 3

MOE ±5

http://www.surveyusa.com/2003_Elections/IA031121DemCaucus.pdf

[Jerseycoa]

16. Thank you, Pruner

In the final round of top four candidates Dean and Gephardt lead within the margin of error.

Dean 31
Gephardt 26
Kerry 24
Edwards 14


MOE ±5

[Zynx]

9. Wrongo Bongo!

Dean leads.

[RetroLounge]

30. Did you pull that out of your ass

or do you have a link?

[killbotfactory]

6. Dean has too many supporters!

Oh what a curse he has!

[Jerseycoa]

7. Interesting

Have you every heard of this happening? Caucus-packing? Don't yell. I'm not saying anybody's doing it, just wondering if it has been done to anyone's knowledge.

[bobbieinok]

10. From my 20+ years in IA

this sounds like a total non-issue.

A lot of time is spent explaining the rules as to who can vote.

The precinct is in a neighborhood; people know who lives in the neighborhood.

If outsiders tried to vote, I think they would be challenged, asked for address, driver's license, etc.

[Jerseycoa]

14. That's what I figured

It could never happen in my town, either. Not that we have them, but everybody knows everybody's business.

[ISUGRADIA]

28. I doubt this is a serious issue

but in the pecincts I've lived in in Iowa during presidential caucuses we've never went over who could or could not vote. People were checked to be 18 when they signed in and lived in the precinct, but that was it. In fact in 2000 we had maybe 20 out of 125 people register to vote right that night.

I am in a larger town and couldn't recognize 90% of the people at my 2000 caucus.

In small towns maybe outsiders stand out. In larger ones who would know?

I doubt that a campaign would waste their time trying to get a couple dozen staffers to vote when turnout could approach 125,000.

[Cocoa]

11. this was started by a call from a Dean aide

the story was posted here a couple of weeks ago, the Dean aide called the Iowa Dem Party person with some questions about how voting is done, that led the party person to take the precaution.

Anyone remember that story? The party person was a female, and she said that the letter was just a precaution, that she wasn't accusing anyone of anything. There was a quote from her saying that the Dean campaign couldn't control every call from every kid in Burlington, or something like that.

[Jerseycoa]

12. So now

>Dean aides dismissed the fuss, saying *rival campaigns* are raising the issue as a diversion and a means to cast doubt on the Dean campaign...

[Cocoa]

15. the story is very vague on what the Dean rivals are doing

very specific on the Dean response, not very clear what exactly they're responding to.

[Jerseycoa]

17. Screwy (moe)

[Cocoa]

23. so what are the Dean rivals doing?

Tell me, if you know. I'm curious, and the story didn't give me anything.

[Jerseycoa]

27. I know nothing.

I'm just trying to figure out what they're talking about.

[madfloridian]

18. Even CNN handled this sensibly.

It was brought out that it is fine for people to come in to help feed, babysit, and organize. They just don't want a lot of outsiders caucusing.

I thought they did a good job with it. They did not harp on Dean that much really.

[pruner]

19. this is somewhat reminiscent of what's going on in South Carolina

the other campaigns are claiming that Dean's floating rumors that there won't be a SC primary due to lack of funds.

to the best of my knowledge, there is no evidnce to support these allegations, although it's true that the fate of the primary is uncertain because the state party is having a hard time raising the $500,000 necessary to run it.

[Jerseycoa]

20. I know

I sent them a $25 donation to help them have a primary.

[blm]

21. That's not true. Why are you claiming it's other campaigns saying so

The papers down here have mentioned that possibility for over a year now, and it has NOTHING to do with ANY campaign. Why are you trying to push it on the campaigns?

And, while we're talking about rumors, which campaign has been spreading the meme that John Kerry is a "corrupt Washington insider"...and "Bushlite"...and has a crazy wife?

[pruner]

22. because recent media reports indicate that…

other campaigns are claiming Dean is the one who started that rumor.

[blm]

25. Yeah, right. More like Deanies claiming victimhood as usual.

.

[Scott Lee]

26. I dunno, why don't you tell us who's spreading such rumors

and post evidence supporting your claim..

Unless you want to back down here and admit that you're rumor-mongering yourself?

[blm]

32. Anyone who can read has seen it here on DU and some of it comes

from Dean himself who called Kerry, "Bushlite" and Dean supporters who smear Kerry as a "corrupt Washington insider" and there have been threads about Teresa being unstable. You can accuse me of making it up all you want, but, those who read DU often know the truth.


Funny, the original poster claimed Dean's rivals are spreading this cheating bit in Iowa, but there is no proof and YOU accept it.

[Scott Lee]

35. That was a vaporous answer, thanks.

Now maybe you can stop contributing to spreading rumors, ya think?

[jpgray]

24. Any outsiders in the actual caucuses would be obvious, no? This is silly

But Gephardt is in a corner here--I suppose he has to try something. This isn't exactly the high road, however.

[KittyWampus]

29. Dean Won't Need To Cheat To Do Well In Iowa

This seems like an oddball story.... :shrug:

[frustrated_lefty]

31. Well, he eats babies,

especially those from Iowa, you know?

[Scott Lee]

36. and live kittens! Don't forget the kittens!

.

[Kurovski]

38. Babies and kittens from Iowa are corn-fed

hence, their super deliciousness.

[slinkerwink]

33. but y'know, no matter what the polls say....

Dean IS McGovern, Dukakis, Carter, and Bush all rolled into one! Dean even eats kitten fetuses and fakes helping people even though he's a doctor. Oh, and he has a shark-like grin and the thickest neck ever. If Dean wins, USA will go to utter chaos, the universe will split in two, and swallow us ALL!!!!!


Ha, just doing my best to come up with the usual anti-Dean names before anyone in this thread can. ;-)

[burning bush]

39. Well, he kind of does have a thick neck

ya gotta admit that.... Makes him look like a rottweiler, kind of...

grrr!

:crazy:

[slinkerwink]

34. ahhhh.....

looks like even the most trivial issue is being made of by the other candidates---how pathetic.

[slinkerwink]

37. :kick: