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The Morning Grind / DayAhead |
Bob's back
By John Mercurio
CNN Political Unit
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One-time 'Mouth of the House' Bob Dornan, who served nine terms as representative from California, is looking to get his old job back.
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Former Gov. Howard Dean is named in a lawsuit filed in Vermont seeking access to documents from his years in office.
CNN's Bruce Morton takes a look at the religion gap between candidates in the 2004 presidential election.
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SPECIAL REPORT
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WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Bush signs the $400 billion Medicare bill in Constitution Hall. Karl Rove raises money for Wisconsin Republicans Monday, while Commerce Secretary Don Evans headlines two Bush/Cheney fund-raisers in Kentucky, where a GOP governor will be sworn in Tuesday.
The "CNN Election Express" revs up for Tuesday's Democratic presidential showdown in New Hampshire, while Howard Dean raises $1 million in New York with edgy actors John Leguizamo and Sandra Bernhard.
Ho hum.
Sure, there's plenty going on in the 2004 White House race today, and there's even more to look forward to Tuesday (and we're not just talking about Tom Daschle's 56th birthday). But it's hard to care about much else today when you have "B-1" Bob Dornan launching his latest comeback bid in southern California. The 70-year-old "Mouth of the House," who you'll recall lost his Orange County-based seat to Democratic Rep. Loretta Sanchez in 1996 and lost a 1998 rematch after weary GOP leaders abandoned him, has set his sights (again) on GOP Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, whom Dornan attacked on the night of his 1996 defeat for doing little to help him in that tough race.
Rohrabacher, who was hoping to avoid a primary challenge to spend more time with his pregnant wife, sounded none too pleased about being the 2004 version of John Linder, who faced a challenge in the 2002 primary from right-wing GOP Rep. Bob Barr (and we all know how that one turned out).
"Bob has every right to run anyplace he wants to," Rohrabacher told the Los Angeles Times. "I'm just sorry he seems to be fixated on me."
Now, if we could just get Katherine Harris to run for Senate in Florida.
Also on Monday, Dean launches a new 30-second TV ad in Iowa responding to his attackers with a line we think we'll be hearing quite a bit. "Now my opponents are attacking me, with negative ads designed to slow our momentum. So when you see one of those ads, remember this: They're not trying to stop me. They're trying to stop you. But this time, you have the power."
Kerry goes West
Meanwhile, out West, John Kerry will address students at Stanford University at 3 p.m. EST, unveiling his plan to create jobs, invest in technology and build a 21st-century workforce to compete in a global economy. Aides say Kerry will emphasize the high-tech sector's job loss (425,000 in California and other tech hubs throughout the country). Through his plan, Kerry will try to end the nation's so-called "jobless recovery" by ensuring the work force has the skills to send America back to work to compete in the global marketplace.
Speaking of Kerry, we watched with some amusement as Andrew Card reacted with indignation Sunday on CNN's "Late Edition" to the senator's use of the F-word in a Rolling Stone interview. We wonder what Adam Clymer and Tucker Carlson would say of Card's shock and horror. And what about Bush's father, who, according to the president, shares a fondness for a certain topic of conversation, when they're not talking politics? (The Grind is a family-style note, so if you don't know what we're referring to, we suggest you run a quick Internet search, perhaps with the search phrase "expletive deleted.")
For their part, Kerry's folks, maybe hoping that his use of foul language would help humanize him, were more than happy to keep the mini-story going yesterday. "John Kerry saw combat up close, and he doesn't mince words when it comes to politicians who put ideological recklessness ahead of American troops," said Kerry spokeswoman Stephanie Cutter. "That makes John Kerry's blood boil. I could think of a lot of words to add to the one John Kerry used that would be equally appropriate."
