On the Prowl
3N THE PRO~ I'm Outta Here Democratic Rep. Patrick Kennedy never runs from a fight if the opponent is a female airport security guard. But ask him to debate a Republican and he escapes to...
...Tall Tails For all of the Bush camp's criticism of A1 Gore's reliance on focus groups, George W. Bush is using focus groups as well.., to pick his vice presidential running mate...
...It's an issue we are under orders not to raise...
...It was embarrassi n g . These are groups we're tn.ing to get to donate to the part...
...While it's understandable why Hillary may be reluctant to appear with Bill, the absence of Chelsea is more mysterious...
...it's disgusting," says a Lot* aide...
...Penny for Your Thoughts The embattled Rod Grams, Republican senator from Minnesota, is considered one of the most likely to lose his seat this fall...
...Even if said leader is currently out of politics and, for now at least, out of jail...
...But he failed to show for appearances with Republicans at big Washington meetings for the National Association of Manufachlrers and several other big lobbying groups...
...Some of the feedback, unfortunately, has reflected poorly...on Bush...
...Chuckles the Clown Knowing how much New York Sen...
...Grams isn't popular with his colleagues, and is viewed as a moderate at best...
...Viktor to the Victor In his desperation, M Gore has asked former high-ranking Kremlin bureaucrat Viktor Chernomyrdin to endorse him...
...There are three people the White House knows will do just about anything for President Clinton: James Carville, Lanny Davis, and Schumer," says a White House press aide...
...aid to postCommunist Russia...
...According to sources inside the RNC and Loft's leadership office, the conservative Craig has been barred from the platform committee chairmanship because of his membership on the National Rifle Association's board of directors...
...Forget about it...
...Nicholson and Lott completely wimped out on Craig...
...We need to find a running mate that will add some gravitas for the ticket, but one who won't overshadow Bush, literally and figuratively," says a campaign adviser...
...The other two were registered independents...
...Communication isn't exactly a Clinton family trait...
...Instead, they're going with Tennessee Sen...
...When Bill Clinton arrived at the DNC's huge MCI Center fundraiser last May, he appeared somewhat miffed...
...The American Spectator - July~August 2000 15...
...Schumer agreed and accepted some briefing notes the White House had prepared for him...
...Penny, who abruptly left Congress in 1994 to return to Minnesota, and who also hangs his hat at the Cato Institute, had filed papers with the FEC to run in the Democratic Senate primary...
...And so what if Chemomyrdin has been seriously implicated in the misappropriation of U.S...
...Shot Down Since the 193o's the Republican Party's platform committee at the national convention has been chaired by the chairman of the Senate Republican Policy Committee...
...But ask him to debate a Republican and he escapes to Canada...
...Hillary took Chelsea along on high-profile trips to Africa and Asia, and Bill used Chelsea as a shield during the darkest days of Lewinsky...
...Is my wife going to be here for this...
...On some occasions, Kennedy failed to notify" event planners ahead of time and House Democratic leaders had to send emergency replacements...
...They never learn...
...Home Alone New York Democratic loyalists are disappointed that Hillary Rodham Clinton isn't pulling out the big guns in her race against Rick Lazio, namely Bill and Chelsea Clinton...
...Nicholson is just doing this for the fundraising he thinks he can get out of the left wing of the party...
...Though he's also big on campaign finance reform, Republicans would love to have him on their side if George W. Bush wins and proves serious about Social Security privatization, a favorite Penny issue...
...Charles Sehumer loves to ape for the cameras, the White House knew who to turn to on May 2z when it was announced that a committee of lawyers in Arkansas had voted to recommend disbarring the president for his lies in the Jones-Lewinsky eases...
...House leader Dick Gephardt is said to have spoken to Kenned) about his disappearing acts, and Kennedy has offered no excuses, not even that his briefcase got stuck in a securih 7 scanner...
...But he's also seen as a key reason why the House is likely to remain Republican: As a recruiter of candidates he's been a major bust...
...Former Defense Secretary Dick Cheney has been vetting possible veeps, but Bush's advisers are also relying on focus groups around the country to help them whittle down the list of possible candidates...
...The talk in Minnesota now is that Penny is looking to run in 2002, and hold incumbent Paul Wellstone to the twoterm promise he made to voters back in 199o...
...It's one of the great mysteries, but we're too scared of Mrs...
...The two worked on several projects together, when Chemomyrdin was the No...
...For this year's Philadelphia convention, that would be Sen...
...He isn't a bad guy," the aide says of Frist, "but he's not as conservative as Craig...
...Clinton to raise it," says the campaign source...
...He wants to show that he can get on the phone and get any world leader to pick up...
...It won't be easy...
...The independent-minded Penny, on the other hand, had a solid, conservative voting record on tax and budget issues...
...At least six different limes this year, he's committed to appearing at major public events with Republican House members to speak about issues and the aooo campaign and failed to show up," says a Democratic fundraiser on Capitol Hill...
...Patches," as the young chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is affectionately known, has helped raise millions for House Democrats this campaign cycle...
...While the Clintons have been protective of Chelsea from media overexposure, they've also never shied away from using their daughter when the political need arises...
...14 July~August 2000 . The American Spectator Senate Republicans are probably sadder about Penny's decision than Democrats are...
...Clinton was overheard asking a White House staffer who does advance work for him...
...It seemed to me that it was an unfair proceeding...
...Still, he's feeling a bit safer now that conservative Democrat and former Congressman Tim Penny has decided not to challenge him...
...We'd trade Grams for Penny in a second," a policy staffer on the Senate Finance Committee tells the Prowler...
...At a White House event that day, an identified presidential press aide approached Schumer and asked if he wouldn't mind defending the president before press cameras outside...
...Clinton," said a New York campaign aide...
...But so far the first daughter has made few, if any appearances with Morn on the New York campaign trail...
...Bill Frist, a surgeon, not a shooter...
...For example, when Tom Ridge is presented to focus groups, the people like him a great deal when they learn of his Vietnam service, his blue-collar roots, and his pro-choice views...
...r . , E Kennedy dldn t show up for a debate at the Heritage Foun) dation," says the fundraiser...
...La W Craig...
...We were just lucky Schumer was close at hand when we needed him...
...Stepping before the TV cameras, he said, "It seemed to me this was a kangaroo court...
...As an ambassador for the Democratic Party, he's been a disaster...
...But they like him even more when they see him in a photo standing next to George W. Bush...
...Apparently it's a sensitive topic...
...Anyone who had ties to the president or the Democratic Party recused themselves...
...to Boris Yeltsin...
...Anyone say Bill Bennett...
...Advisers believe that's because Bush is shorter than six-footer Ridge or the 6' z" John Danforth, another vice presidential possibility...
...We don't know why Chelsea hasn't been out on the road with Mrs...
...Of the six committee members who voted to disbar, four had voted in Democratic primaries in the past ten years and were active in party politics...
...But that tradition is now history, thanks to Republican National Committee head Jim Nicholson and Senate Majorib" Leader Trent Loft...
...As is usually the ease with anyone who blindly does Clinton's bidding, Schumer had it all wrong...
...Gore wants to show that he has the foreign policy experience that Bush doesn't," says a Gore campaign aide...
...Big deal...
Vol. 33 • July 2000 • No. 6
