Who Mugged Howard Dean in Iowa?

[donsu]

http://www.counterpunch.com/lewis03062004.html

-snip-

On November 7, 2003, a strange new group no one had ever heard of called "Americans for Jobs & Healthcare" was quietly formed and soon thereafter began running a million dollar operation including political ads against then-frontrunner Democratic presidential candidate Howard Dean. The commercials ripped Dean over his positions or past record on gun rights, trade and Medicare growth. But the most inflammatory ad used the visual image of Osama bin Laden as a way to raise questions about Dean's foreign policy credibility. While the spots ran, Americans for Jobs-through its then- spokesman, Robert Gibbs, a former Kerry campaign employee-refused to disclose its donors.

The Dean campaign cried foul, but no one, including the news media, could figure out exactly who was behind "Americans for Jobs." The disturbing mystery was partly solved by Jim VandeHei of the Washington Post on February 11, after reviewing public Internal Revenue Service records filed under Section 527 of federal tax law. Unfortunately for voters and the general public, that legal disclosure information was filed January 30, 2004, nine days after the Iowa caucuses in which Massachusetts Senator John Kerry upset former Vermont governor Howard Dean. Those contribution records were updated again with another $337,000 in donations on March 4, 2004, for a total of exactly $1 million that the group raised.

The most stunning single fact to emerge-which should have been covered more heavily nationwide and was first broken by the Web site PoliticsNJ.com-was that disgraced former Senator Robert Torricelli, severely admonished for his unsavory campaign finance practices and forced to leave the Senate, had quietly donated $50,000 from his old Senate campaign account to Americans for Jobs. Torricelli reportedly also is a fundraiser for Senator Kerry's presidential campaign.

-snip-

Americans for Jobs was a street rumble after dark, in which donors or fundraisers for the major Democratic presidential candidates then overshadowed by Dean-Kerry, Rep. Richard Gephardt, and retired General Wesley Clark- all piled on. Labor unions that had publicly endorsed Gephardt accounted for a fifth of the money-the International Longshoremen's Association ($50,000), the Laborers' International Union of North America ($50,000), the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers ($100,000), the International Association of Ironworkers ($25,000) and the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers ($5,000). A former Dean donor, former Slim-Fast Foods businessman S. Daniel Abraham, gave $200,000. Past Kerry donor Bernard Schwartz, chairman of Loral Space and Communications-the tenth leading donor to the Democratic Party, giving $5.3 million over the years-chipped in $15,000. A top money chaser for Wesley Clark, Alan Patricof, also donated to this shadowy group.
-snip-
----------------------------

the article goes on to show, who, when, where, how, etc. and ends by saying:

"But shouldn't the American people, including the national news media, insist on knowing who is mucking around their democracy in the midst of a presidential election?"

[w4rma]

1. I'm glad folks are researching this dirty trick.

I'd like to know more about what happened to help prevent it from happening in the future.

[donsu]

2. sorry I put this in the wrong forum

nt

[blm]

3. Lewis is an idiot. Those same people connect to Gore, Harkin & Dean.

You can connect ANY Dem fundraiser to almost any Dem politician or candidate. Are Gore, Harkin and Dean charged with culpability for how the funds were used?

Lewis manages to omit that Robert Gibbs left the Kerry campaign disgruntled.

It is also a fact that many who donated money to this fund were unaware of the kind of ads that would be run and openly denounced them.

Kerryt denounced the ads right after they came out.

The day that Charles Lewis decides to write a piece that covers the WHOLE story is the day I will consider him a source. Until then, he has been slinging shit all year against Kerry that never sticks once the facts are presented FULLY.

[dd123]

5. Ah, still trying to disclaim all responsibility I see.

Could it be you also find these tactics repugnant and that is why you don't want it to be associated with Kerry and his people?

Sorry...mud sticks and this one will stick to Kerry. It is going down in the history books as part of the reason Kerry won Iowa.

[blm]

6. Where does it stick? Prove it. Point to ONE thing and PROVE it.

You see what you want to see. The facts would make Dean, Gore and Harkin as culpable as Kerry.

Still avoiding all responsibility and accepting implications over actual facts, I see.

[dsc]

7. I respectfully ask for a link to this denouncing

I recall no such thing.

[blm]

8. AGAIN? I'll find it..... AGAIN.

December 15, 2003
I'm Satisifed

Just received this letter from the Kerry campaign. It asserts no connection to the Osama-Dean ads and condemns them-- not quite strongly enough for my taste but enough:

Thanks for sending John Kerry your thoughts and concerns about the recent
advertisements sponsored by Americans for Jobs, Health Care and Progressive Values. The John Kerry for President Campaign is not involved in any way with these advertisements. John Kerry does not agree with independent expenditure ads by nameless, faceless entities, in fact in his 1996 Senate race, Kerry kept them out of the campaign. Using Osama bin Laden in this ad is certainly inflammatory and a distraction from a real issue of who has the foreign policy experience and vision to lead the country in a dangerous world.


John Kerry agrees with you that this campaign should be about the issues facing America...

http://www.nathannewman.org/log/archives/001451.shtml


It was in response to this, when Trippi was pushing the idea that Kerry was behind the ad. Everyone conveniently left out that Gibbs had left Kerry's camp on bad terms.

Open Letter to Senator Kerry

Dear Senator Kerry,

We write this open letter as a group of bloggers whose audience you respect enough that you advertise on our web sites.

We are deeply disturbed that former staff members of your campaign and other Dean rivals now working at the so-called “Americans for Jobs, Health Care and Progressive Values” have resorted to the Willie Horton campaign tactic of linking Howard Dean to Osama Bin Laden. Vigorous competition among Democrats is expected and welcome, but all Democratic leaders should denounce these kinds of tactics.

Given your staff link to this attack through your former press secretary, Robert Gibbs—the new group’s spokesman— we feel it is incumbent on you and your campaign to make it clear that this kind of attack is unacceptable. Otherwise, there will be the appearance of covert cooperation by your campaign in supporting this effort.

If your campaign does not make clear that you have no link to this scurrilous attack, all of us will have to reevaluate our willingness to allow advertising by your campaign on our web sites.

We don’t expect to have to make that decision, since we have faith in your integrity and expect you to quickly make clear your denunciation of this destructive and anti-democratic operation.

Yours,

Atrios- Eschaton http://atrios.blogspot.com/
Jeralyn Merritt- Talk Left http://www.talkleft.com/
Nathan Newman- NathanNewman.org http://www.nathannewman.org/log/
Oliver Willis- Oliver Willis http://www.oliverwillis.com/
Jesse Taylor and Ezra Klein- Pandagon http://www.pandagon.net

[dsc]

9. Yes I recall that letter

and I recall every excuse in the book offered for why Kerry didn't denounce the ad. I don't recall ever seeing the ad denounced.

[Robb]

10. To be fair, "Kerry" never denounced it.

It was, however, denounced by his web guru in an official capacity on the blog. IMO that counts.

However, Kerry will not escape being connected to it, largely because he was the beneficiary of the effort.

[dsc]

11. thank you

blm you owe me an apology.

[blm]

12. Horse***feathers.

I'll put it up AGAIN.
>>>>
Thanks for sending John Kerry your thoughts and concerns about the recent
advertisements sponsored by Americans for Jobs, Health Care and Progressive Values. The John Kerry for President Campaign is not involved in any way with these advertisements. John Kerry does not agree with independent expenditure ads by nameless, faceless entities, in fact in his 1996 Senate race, Kerry kept them out of the campaign. Using Osama bin Laden in this ad is certainly inflammatory and a distraction from a real issue of who has the foreign policy experience and vision to lead the country in a dangerous world.
>>>>

And Kerry was asked about it on several networks at the time and said the same.

But enough is NEVER enough to those who want to see the worst in Ker and blame him for everything.

And WTF did I say in post #8 that you need an apology, dsc? That I was putting up the reply AGAIN? How sensitive and mewly can one get?

[dsc]

13. where is this from

no link, no name, no nothing. Clearly someone says Kerry doesn't like the ads. Did Kerry say this? Incidently this is the first time I saw this.

[blm]

14. It's in post #8, dsc.

I added it at soon as I found it.

[Robb]

15. Let's be fair and not name-call, blm.

I remember the first two or three times we hashed this out, and no one found Kerry quoted on the matter. His campaign issued statements on it, and that did the trick.

[dsc]

16. why should she stop calling names now?

sadly I am all too used to it. Asking her for a link always engenders this behavior on her part.

[blm]

20. POST EIGHT, dsc. And the problem is that you always CLAIM you never see

things or the links even after I provide them for the tenth or twentieth time.

It does get frustrating and then ridiculous when you find some affront where there is none and demand an apology.

[dsc]

27. I asked for Kerry

not a flunky. The writer of that letter isn't Kerry, is it? Incidently I still don't know who wrote it, which is what I asked. BTW I as still waiting for the link of Dean endorsing Jeffords.

[blm]

22. Yes, he did when asked about it on several shows.

Trippi would never acknowledge Kerry's denouncing the ads because he was using it to squeeze more money out of the outraged Dean supporters.

[dsc]

28. Do you have even one transcript for these several shows?

BTW isn't this during the time you purported Kerry couldn't get on TV?

[blm]

37. Spin another tale. That's what you do when you know you're wrong.

I only recall that one of the shows may have been Inside Politics.

BTW...I never said Kerry couldn't get on TV AT ALL, did I? No. But you think you can get in any hit you feel like taking just because so many let you get away with it out of fear of your overly sensitive reactions.

Waaah.....

I think that's horse****feathers, and I won't back down from complaining bullies who play games like that.

[dsc]

43. I think it may have been

that is such a helpful citation. It does get tiresome to always be expected to do your research for you. BTW if Kerry did go on TV and do what you said he did, why didn't the letter mention that?

[HFishbine]

46. Gephardt personally commented on the ads

"I haven't seen the ads and I have no knowledge of who is doing this and why they're doing it. For my part, I wish they would reveal who is doing this through the organization. I led the fight for campaign finance reform and, as part of that, we put additional requirements on reporting from 527 organizations. If I wanted to run ads of this kind, I would run them."

And Kerry...?

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/12/16/politics/main588924.shtml

[HFishbine]

45. "Kerry denounced the ads right after they came out."

No. He didn't.

[sugarcookie]

4. The Center for Public Integrity

Who are they? I noticed the article linked to them.

[mdmc]

17. I say this as a Dean supporter

The GOP plays mean. Kerry does too. If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.

[KittyWampus]

31. Damn Straight. Dean Needed To Get Weeded Out If "Osama Ad"

was too much for him.

[Citizen Kang]

33. Its ironic to see..

people on DU endorsing such a corrupt, insider, sleazy, political hack job. And then people wonder why there is such a large group of people upset about how the primary process worked and remain suspicious of Kerry.

[mdmc]

42. Kang, politics is a dirty, fucked up game

I love it, but it sucks. Dean had his share of trip ups, and any one of them could have brought him down.

Bottom line, Dean changed the Democratic party. Perhaps now there might even be a group w/in the party that discourages dirty politics.

[Raya]

18. What's the Point? Persons opposed to Dean spanned entire Party?

The names and organizations listed include all the typical
fundraisers and sources of funding for all the dem-leaning political
action groups.

[dsc]

19. yes who cares if our party

breaks rules and engages in hypocracy.

[Raya]

21. This was Totally within the primary rules. Independent group activity

is very common.

Many indi groups savaged Kerry when he was the presumptive frontrunner
and Dean was and asterisk on the horizon.

[ProudToBeLiberal]

23. like who?

[dsc]

29. Oh really

this info was due on Jan 31st. It wasn't sent until after Feb 3rd, the first day of multiple primaries. They claimed not to have an email id number. Funny they had one when they set the group up. And every single Democratic lawmaker, yes even the hated Zell Miller, thought this stuff should be banned.

And I would like the citation of an independent group targetting Kerry.

[DrFunkenstein]

26. So When Are You Going To Apologize To blm?

It takes a big person to admit when they are wrong.

[dsc]

30. when she has a link showing Kerry, not his campaign

denouncing the ad. I have yet to see one.

[Duder]

24. Already know who...

A top Democratic strategist said the group was widely viewed as a shadow campaign for Gephardt and Kerry,
who shared a goal then of derailing Dean.

Kerry Fundraiser Helped Finance Anti-Dean Ads

[mistertrickster]

25. See, this is why Republicans win elections even though they're the

minority. We spend so much time shooting at each other that we forget who's the problem.

Dean scared the hell out of the Democratic establishment. That's one of the things I love about him. But that's not the reason he lost Iowa. I was there campaigning for him. He just couldn't connect with the voters somehow.

They were concerned about electability and they went with that.

Whoever did this to Dean are a$$holes forever and they wasted a million bucks that could have helped defeat Bush, but they aren't why Dean came in third.

[KittyWampus]

32. Counterpunch Has NO Concern For America's Welfare

the Country or the People.

the ONLY concern of Counterpunch is feeding the egos of those who run it.

They are they Fox News of the Left who use politics and issues as their springboard for manipulating people.

This is more guilt by association garbarge... the type of crap us Clark supporters learned to deal with from the knee-jerk Left.

No real proof of anything... just an attempt to stir things up.

[dsc]

34. They are usually crap

but here they actually did a public service. This is the first time I have seen all the money given listed in one place.

[blm]

38. HAHAHAHAHAHA....

What's the word.....hypocrisy?

Just like they twisted Kerry's TOTAL donations over 19 years and made them seem as if he received corporate donations in exchange for votes. BIG LIE and most of the Dean campaign, including Dean, parroted the big lies.

[dsc]

44. They listed who donated to the ad

I think that is a public service. I have seen that literally no where else. BTW the WP first went after Kerry and the donations not them.

[mot78]

35. Ahhhhh, I'm back in 12/2003......much better

flame-wars galore!

[sugarcookie]

36. Asking again....

Last week I read this very same article at this web site

The Center for Public Integrity

http://www.publicintegrity.org/dtaweb/home.asp

Who/What are they?

[madfloridian]

40. Here is a link to more about them at the site.

http://www.publicintegrity.org/dtaweb/index.asp?L1=40&L2=0&L3=0&L4=0&L5=0

I have seen Lewis on TV a lot, he is on the Daily show often....he seems pretty even in presenting facts.

I always thought it was a respected site.

[LandOLincoln]

39. Howard Dean and Joe Trippi mugged Howard Dean in Iowa. n/t

[Indiana Democrat]

41. I didn't know it was possible to mug yourself???

Is this some kind of new insurance scam??