With Hopes Up and Elbows Out, Democrats Give Iowa Their All

[chimpymustgo]

By ADAM NAGOURNEY and JIM RUTENBERG

Published: January 19, 2004

ES MOINES, Jan. 18 — Democratic presidential candidates closed their caucus campaigns Sunday with broad denunciations of President Bush and snipes at one another after flooding Iowa homes with a last-minute monsoon of mailings and phone calls undercutting their opponents.

In the final hours before Monday's vote, the candidates struggled to keep a civil tone, taking a lesson from what many Democrats said was growing support for Senator John Edwards of North Carolina because of his attempt to present himself as running an upbeat campaign.

But yielding perhaps to the pressure to break out in an extraordinarily tight race — at least as measured by a Des Moines Register poll published on Sunday — some candidates went after their rivals even in a state with a reputation for disdaining negative campaigns.

-snip-

The one exception was Mr. Edwards, who aides said had not sent out any negative mailings or countenanced any attack telephone calls.

-snip-

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/01/19/politics/campaigns/19DEMS.html?pagewanted=2

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Interesting read on the last minute mania. I really respect John Edwards' positive campaign.

[blm]

1. I respect Edwards campaign very much, too.

But, if it hadn't been for Kerry and Gephardt alerting people to the fraudulent areas of Dean's rhetoric when compared to his record, Dean might still be at 40%. The media wasn't doing its job. Kerry and Gephardt had to do it for them.

Edwards and Clark got to stay out of it and claim the high road, yet, both of them NEEDED Dean to be exposed. Whatever they say publicly, I am certain they are grateful for what Gep and Kerry managed to do.

[chimpymustgo]

2. blm, that is a good point. The media dropped the ball bigtime.

What else is new? Kerry and Gep did perform a service to the party (and the country) by exposing Dean's many shortcomings. But the dynamics of the primary system have been working well, and the cream is hopefully rising to the top. I'm listening to Chris Matthews on MSNBC talking about Kerry's surge. How Edwards is an innocent Bill Clinton. Matthews calls Kerry the closer, Edwards the comer. But he still thinks Dean will pull it out tonight (maybe I'm just being stubborn, he says).

But my point is, the dynamic of the primary process brings us to a point where illusion is stripped away, and every candidate gets a last, long, hard look.

Tonight is the beginning.

[chimpymustgo]

3. Kick for an excellent article.

nt

[blm]

4. Sure they're getting a second look.

They deserved the first look, too. I have no doubt if the media had done its job for the American people, Kerry and Edwards would have been on top many months ago and Kucinich would be right up there with them.

I doubt Clark would have entered the race with Kerry and Edwards getting fair focus.