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The Morning Grind / DayAhead |
Reggie and the red balloons
By John Mercurio
CNN Political Unit
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| | ON CNN TV |  Stay with CNN for ongoing updates and analysis of reactions to President Bush's speech marking the anniversary of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq. |
 VIDEO |
 CNN's John King on the Bush plan to use the aura of a 'war president' in the 2004 election.
 CNN's Walter Rodgers on continuing violence in many parts of Iraq.
 CNN's Bill Hemmer speaks with Condoleezza Rice about the fight in Pakistan.
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WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Reggie the Republican registration rig will be in Orlando tomorrow. So will the Blue Dog Democrats and their budget-busting red balloons.
We're speaking, of course, about President Bush's rally in central Florida, the first formal rally of the Bush/Cheney '04 campaign, conveniently located along the vote-rich I-4 corridor, the most populous battleground in the year's largest swing state. With John Kerry on vacation in Idaho, Bush is well poised to dominate this weekend's day-of political coverage -- although we do have a Ketchum dispatch from CNN's senior Kerry Watch producer, Mike Roselli. (More on that below).
Before he heads to Florida tomorrow, Bush is scheduled to deliver a major address from the White House at 11 a.m. ET today, marking the one-year anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq. Joining Bush will be ambassadors and other representatives from coalition countries, Iraq and Afghanistan.
Tomorrow, the hourlong GOP rally at the Orange County Convention Center will begin at noon, although doors open at 9 a.m. The event could draw anywhere from 5,000 to 10,000 supporters -- which is where Reggie comes in.
The Republican National Committee is parking its 56-foot 18-wheeler inside the convention center, allowing hundreds of volunteers to fan out after the rally for a massive voter-registration blitz. This grass-roots effort to help mobilize the GOP vote is part of the RNC's "unprecedented" commitment to register 3 million new voters by November.
Also on hand, we hear, will be a large number of red balloons, which conservative Blue Dog Democrats plan to use to remind voters of the "ballooning" federal budget deficit that the president has created since 2001. Even though the aforementioned "dogs" are "blue," the balloons are red, presumably to represent the budget's "red ink."
(We tried to come up with a more clever way to report this stuff. But really, it's best when just played straight, don't you think?) Also welcoming Bush to Florida, of course, will be Democratic Sens. Bob Graham and Bill Nelson, who will hold a 2 p.m. ET news conference in Miami to "shine light" on Bush's "gloomy record." Remember, we're in the Sunshine State.
In a tactic that has become as common as having home-state politicians attack the visiting candidate, the Republican National Committee releases a 60-second webcast ad this morning that attacks Kerry over his "foreign leaders" flap. The spot, with apologies to "Austin Powers," calls the senator an "International Man of Mystery" and, well, you should go to http://www.rnc.org/
and watch it yourself.
It's pretty good. We watched it, like, five times. Laughed just as hard the fifth time as the first.
Dean for democracy
Meanwhile, Howard Dean speaks today about Democracy for America in New York City at 11:30 a.m. in the Tisch Auditorium of the New School.
The RNC will continue dogging Dean as well, demanding he retract his statement that Bush's war on terror was responsible for the Madrid bombings last week. "In failing to retract his comments ... Dean continues to help steer the Democrat Party even farther out of the mainstream of acceptable political discourse," RNC chief Ed Gillespie said yesterday in a statement we received three times.
Kerry tries extreme sports
Back to Kerry, who we hear spent yesterday morning and early afternoon snowboarding. Today, he plans to get up very early, hike up a mountain (carrying his own skis!) and then ski down. Several Secret Service agents, looking less than thrilled, were spotted in town late yesterday afternoon, at a ski shop purchasing and renting gear and equipment.
Many of the agents assigned to Kerry's detail are from Texas, so snow doesn't seem to be their thing, according to Roselli. No word if Kerry plans on commenting on anything other than what sports he plans on tackling next.
Nader storms Texas
Also this weekend, Ralph Nader will be in Texas working to secure a place on the fall ballot. Nader plans to stop in Crawford tomorrow to join peace activists in denouncing the Bush administration and the Iraq war.
Debbie Russell, the Nader campaign regional coordinator, told the Houston Chronicle that Nader "is joining other Texas peace-and-justice groups in speaking out against the current administration's aggressive foreign and domestic policies." The campaign swing will also include stops in San Antonio and Austin today and Dallas tomorrow.
Primary season plugs along
And finally, we should note that there are some Democrats who continue to vote in the '04 presidential campaign. Tomorrow, a few voters will caucus in Wyoming, Alaska and Guam.
Dennis Kucinich, bless his heart, is actually making the trek to Fairbanks, Alaska, but Kerry is expected to cruise to an easy victory in all three states.
