January 2002

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Bush Says Terror Still Threatens America, Vows to Revive Economy 1/29/2002 10:16 PM President Bush, in his first State of the Union address to Congress and the nation, said Tuesday night that tens of thousands of terrorists still threaten America - "ticking time bombs, set to go off" - and unveiled his plans to hunt them across the globe. He pledged a battle of equal vigor to revive the nation's ailing economy. "We will prevail in war, and we will defeat this recession," Bush said. Read the article Gale Norton Skips State of Union 1/29/2002 10:14 PM Vice President Dick Cheney, often kept separate from President Bush since Sept. 11, attended Bush's first State of the Union speech Tuesday night. Bush appointed Interior Secretary Gale Norton to stay away from his first State of the Union speech, designating her the successor should catastrophe strike at the Capitol. Read the article Bush Targets House 1/29/2002 5:06 PM With the midterm elections looming less than 10 months away, White House officials are preparing to send President Bush and Vice President Cheney to help defend the GOP's small majority in the House. Bush, Cheney and first lady Laura Bush will make as many as 50 appearances this year on behalf of Republican incumbents and challengers, according to House GOP officials, withCheney accounting for approximately half of that total. The President would do roughly 15 events, and Mrs. Bush another 10 under the plan, although there are still questions about what role, if any, the first lady will have in the fall campaign. Read the article Armey's Son Sees the Benefits of Access 1/29/2002 5:05 PM When running for Congress for the first time and facing a slew of opponents, it's a major bonus if your dad just happens to be the House Majority Leader. Just ask Scott Armey, a candidate in the GOPprimary in Texas' 26th district. That seat became open when Majority Leader Dick Armey (R), his father, unexpectedly announced Dec. 12 that he would retire from Congress at the end of this year, bringing to a close 18 years of House service. Read the article NAACP Honors Condoleezza Rice 1/29/2002 5:03 PM The NAACP will honor President Bush's national security adviser next month as part of its annual Image Awards. The civil rights group will present its President's Award to Condoleezza Rice during a ceremony to be taped Feb. 23 in Los Angeles. The event will be televised March 1 on the FOX network. NAACP Chairman Kweisi Mfume said Rice was "an obvious choice" for the award because of her academic accomplishments, her status as the first female national security adviser and her position as one of President Bush's most trusted aides. Read the article Riordan Ahead in California Polls 1/29/2002 2:29 PM Former Mayor Richard Riordan holds a lead against his GOP rivals in the gubernatorial primary and Gov. Gray Davis in a possible fall matchup, according to two polls released Tuesday. A Los Angeles Times poll shows Riordan with a double-digit lead against his GOP rivals in and running even with Davis in a possible fall matchup. A separate Field Poll shows Riordan with a seven-point lead over Davis. Read the article Representive Emerson Picks People Over the President 1/24/2002 10:42 PM Republican members of Congress seldom turn down an opportunity to meet with the president when he visits their home states, but Rep. Jo Ann Emerson (R-Mo.) did just that when President Bush stopped in her Southwest Missouri district on Jan.14. Why? She was too busy building a bridge and scanning groceries. Part of Emerson's "On the Road and On the Job" tour is a week-long effort to engage her and her staff in jobs held by her constituents. Rep. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), who represents Aurora, Missouri, couldn’t meet with the president either. Blunt was on a codel to Asia. Read the article Poll: Bush Has Broad Public Support 1/24/2002 10:35 PM President Bush has built broad support in public opinion during his first year in office, making him a tough target for Democrats trying to find their election-year footing, a new poll suggests. That support includes broad backing on the economy and on education that bolsters the very high ratings he has gotten for his handling of the anti-terror campaign, according to the Battleground 2002 poll released Thursday. Republicans had a 7-point lead on handling the issue of education, reversing the double-digit lead Democrats had in the late 1990s. Read the article Watts Steps up GOP Minority Outreach Efforts 1/23/2002 7:17 PM In a bid to boost the GOP's traditionally low standing among minorities, House Republican Conference Chairman Rep. J.C. Watts (Okla.) is launching a major outreach effort to minority communities. As part of Black History Month, Watts will head the second annual Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) summit Feb. 13. The Capitol Hill summit is part of a joint effort with the White House, which is holding its "CHBCU Week" Feb. 11-15. In March, Watts will begin taking Sen. John McCain-style bus tours to "bttleground" districts, focusing on reaching out to minority voters. He will begin in the Northeast then move to the Southern and Western regions of the country. Read the article New York Mayor Spent $75 Million on Election 1/23/2002 7:12 PM The book on the spending spree that propelled Mayor Michael Bloomberg to City Hall is officially closed. The final tally: $74.7 million. The Republican billionaire spent $73.1 million of his own money on the race to defeat Democrat Mark Green last November -- including $887,078 before he officially declared his candidacy, and $850,000 on bonuses for several top aides after he won. Bloomberg also spent $1.6 million on his seven-week transition and inaugural ceremony, according to records released earlier this week. Read the article National Republican Congressional Committee Raises Record $69 Million 1/22/2002 6:46 PM The National Republican Congressional Committee raised nearly $69 million in 2001, more than double the total of its Democratic House counterpart, according to figures obtained Friday by Roll Call. Despite the massive fundraising lead, however, the NRCC has only a $4 million advantage over the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee in cash on hand. Of the $68.6 million the House Republican committee raked in last year, $39.7 million came in hard, federal dollars, and $28.9 million was in non-federal, soft money. The committee raised $30 million over the last six months of 2001. Read the article Free Spirits Drawn to Representative Rohrabacher 1/22/2002 6:43 PM It is, perhaps, no surprise that free spirits seek out Rep. Dana Rohrabacher. His longtime motto is "fighting for freedom and having fun." His official House Web site features two photos of him -- one in coat and tie with the Capitol behind him, the other in a wet suit on a surfboard. Two Americans who recently have traveled on their own to the war zone in and around Afghanistan invoked Rohrabacher's name. Read the article Lazio Mulls Race to Regain House Seat 1/22/2002 6:41 PM Rick Lazio may still be paying off debts from last year's failed $40 million Senate race against Hillary Rodham Clinton, but he's already being wooed to help Republicans keep control of the House in 2002. Rep. Tom Davis, chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee, has been talking with Lazio about challenging incumbent Democrat Steve Israel for Lazio's old seat in Long Island. Read the article Ventura Mulling Second Term in Political Ring 1/16/2002 12:03 PM Gov. Jesse Ventura said Monday that he probably will seek re-election to Minnesota's top office in November. "I would tell you right now that I'm leaning toward running again," Ventura said on CNN's "Larry King Live." He won't decide for sure until this summer whether to seek another term, Ventura said. Read the article Blunt's Whip Bid Draws Broad Coalition 1/16/2002 11:53 AM Aiming to cement his early domination in the race to become the next House Majority Whip, Rep. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.)has marshaled a steering committee of some 50 Members to help elect him to the No. 3 leadership slot. The creation of the committee, which draws from diverse geographical and ideological factions of the RepublicanConference, coincided with the latest round of checks Blunt cut from his leadership political action committee in December. Overall, Blunt's Rely On Your Beliefs PAC gave out a total of $176,000 to GOPfreshmen, vulnerable incumbents and House Members running for Senate last year. Blunt also helped raise another $493,000 for Republican candidates last year, according to a top aide. The steering committee started taking shape in mid-December, within days of Majority Leader Dick Armey's (Texas)retirement announcement and current Majority Whip Tom DeLay's (R-Texas) declaration of interest in moving into the No. 2 leadership spot. Blunt simultaneously jumped into the race for the Whip post DeLay would leave behind and began gauging his level of support within the Conference. Read the article NY Governor Pataki Has $16.2 Million for Re-Election 1/15/2002 5:01 PM Governor George Pataki has raised more than $5.25 million over the past six months for his expected re-election campaign and has $16.2 million in the bank, his aides reported Tuesday. That puts the Republican about $5 million ahead of how much he had raised and banked in 1998, when he easily won a second term. During the final six months of 1997, Pataki had raised about $3 million. Pataki's haul came despite a suspension of fund raising for about two months in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Read the article Ready for Boost from Bush: Jim Talent Working to Shore up Ozarks Support by Proximity to President 1/15/2002 12:51 PM Sages couldn't have known how divergent the political fates of George W. Bush and Jim Talent would be the last time the two met in southwest Missouri. In July 2000, Bush's campaign cavalcade rolled through Joplin en route to a horse-race finish for the White House. Talent, a conservative U.S. congressman with his eyes on the governor's mansion, saw his own match with Bob Holden go the distance. Bush finished with the prize. Talent lost by a nose. Now, when the two meet in Springfield and Aurora today, they again will be keying in on mutual goals -- Bush's desire to pick up a crucial Senate seat in Missouri, and Talent's aim to fill it. Read the article GOP Seeks Giuliani's Help for 2002 1/15/2002 12:44 PM As Rudolph Giuliani settles into his new consulting office in Times Square this week, Republicans don't want him to get too comfortable -- they are counting on him to raise money and win support for GOP candidates around the country. "He wouldn't have won two terms as a Republican running in New York City if he couldn't appeal to a wide spectrum," said Republican National Committee spokesman Kevin Sheridan. "And after 9-11, he's more popular than ever." Already, Giuliani has been asked to stump for Senate candidates in midterm elections, said Dan Allen, a spokesman for Tennessee Sen. Bill Frist, chairman of the Republican senatorial campaign committee. "People across the country see Giuliani as a tremendous leader," Allen said. Read the article Poll Finds Bad News for Democrats Looking for a Traditional Midterm Election Edge 1/13/2002 8:20 PM A solid Democratic advantage going into the 2002 House and Senate elections has evaporated in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, a poll conducted for the Cook Political Report has found. "The political landscape has shifted in favor of Republicans after the events of September 11th," said Thom Riehle, president of Ipsos-Reid US Public Affairs Polling Division, which did the survey. He said that while "historic patterns of midterm elections predict the Democrats will pick up the handful of seats they need to take control of the House and perhaps solidify their hold on the Senate," the voters he surveyed "do not appear ready to follow historic patterns." Read the article Senate 2002 Races to Watch 1/13/2002 8:18 PM A dozen races to watch in the battle for the control for the U.S. Senate. Democrats have a one-vote lead over Republicans in the Senate, 50-49-1. Read the article Elizabeth Dole Buys Childhood Home 1/13/2002 8:16 PM Elizabeth Dole bought the childhood home where her 100-year-old mother still lives, giving her residency in the state she wants to represent in the U.S. Senate. Dole had not lived in North Carolina for 40 years before taking title to the 712 South Fulton Street property. A deed is dated Dec. 26, 2001. Dole used the address when she changed her voter registration last year from Kansas to North Carolina and had frequently stayed there during visits. Read the article Largent's Exit Delays Sullivan's Arrival on Hill 1/10/2002 3:25 PM Rep.-elect John Sullivan (R) won the race to succeed departing Rep. Steve Largent (R-Okla.)on Tuesday, but the newest House Member won't take office for at least five weeks. Until then, Sullivan said he'll continue to serve in the state House, even while legislators start the process of redrawing House boundary lines.Sullivan said he will refrain from voting on the map. "I'll just be watching it as an observer,"he said. One month after he forced Oklahoma first lady Cathy Keating (R) out of the race by trouncing her in a primary, Sullivan, beat a relatively little-known Democrat, attorney Doug Dodd, by a less commanding margin in a race with higher than expected turnout. Sullivan defeated Dodd 54 percent to 44 percent. Two minor candidates took the remaining 2 percent. Read the article Senate GOPers Maneuver for Leadership Posts 1/10/2002 3:19 PM With at least two of their top leadership positions up for grabs at the end of the year, Senate Republicans are quietly maneuvering to move up the chain of command. Thanks to six-year term limits imposed by the Republican Conference in 1997, both Assistant Minority Leader Don Nickles (Okla.) and Policy Committee Chairman Larry Craig (Idaho) will be forced to step down from these posts after the 107th Congress. Senate Minority Leader Trent Lott (Miss.) can remain in the top job since the term limits do not apply to him, although he could be challenged, especially if Republicans do not regain the majority in November. Read the article Hill Profile: Congressman Tom Osborne 1/10/2002 3:17 PM Rep. Tom Osborne (Neb.) gave the orders and called the plays for a quarter century as head football coach of the powerhouse Nebraska Cornhuskers. But now he is a lowly 64-year-old freshman Republican, without power and frustrated with the chamber%u2019s time-wasting nature. %u201CYou are used to making decisions quickly and having them carried out in football,%u201D Osborne said as he finished his first year in the House %u2014 shortly before Nebraska lost its shot at another national championship by losing to Miami in the Rose Bowl. %u201CSometimes, here things don%u2019t seem to ever get done.%u201D Read the article President Bush Speaks at Political Fund-Raiser for Jeb Bush 1/9/2002 7:33 PM President Bush's public return to politics Wednesday was a family affair -- a fund-raiser for his "big little brother" -- and, as the White House described it, an election-year duty to democracy. "These are serious times that face our nation and these serious times require serious leaders," said the president, star attraction at a reception to raise at least $500,000 for Florida Gov. Jeb Bush's re-election campaign. Turning to his younger brother, Bush added: "And you're here to support a really good, serious man. ... I want to thank you all for making his campaign more viable." Read the article Ashcroft Pushes Conservative Agenda 1/9/2002 3:31 PM Before the terrorist attacks, Attorney General John Ashcroft was pursuing an agenda that made those on the right smile. In a post-Sept. 11 America where the public backs stern law enforcement, Ashcroft is pushing ahead - some say with greater zeal than ever - with the kinds of right-leaning policies that have marked his career. He's standing up for gun rights, opposing assisted suicide, promoting out-of-court settlements with tobacco companies and Microsoft. Liberals didn't expect Ashcroft to shed his conservative cloak when he walked into the Justice Department. But they say that since the attacks, he has more aggressively pursued conservative policies with little or no congressional oversight. Read the article Oklahoma State Lawmaker to Succeed Largent 1/9/2002 3:28 PM Republican state Rep. John Sullivan defeated a former school board member in a special election today to replace Rep. Steve Largent, who is stepping down to run for governor. Sullivan received 61,694 votes, or 54 percent, to Democrat Doug Dodd's 50,850 votes, or 44 percent. An independent candidate had about 2 percent of the vote. Read the article Governor Bush Names Campaign Spokesman 1/8/2002 12:01 PM Florida Gov. Jeb Bush is stepping up his re-election effort this week, choosing a campaign spokesman who worked for Sen. John McCain's presidential bid and traveling to Washington to raise money. Bush tabbed Todd Harris, a former spokesman for McCain, to handle similar campaign duties in his bid to become the first Republican to win re-election as Florida governor. Read the article Seven Senators Lack Election Opponents 1/7/2002 1:50 PM With the midterm elections just 10 months away, the national senatorial committees have little time left to field candidates and mount credible campaigns against a number of senators who have thus far warded off formidable opponents. Political headhunters have failed to recruit challengers to five of the 17 Republicans and two of the 14 Democrats up for reelection next November. Although time still remains for congressional hopefuls to declare their candidacies, so far GOP Sens. Mike Enzi of Wyoming, Chuck Hagel of Nebraska, Pat Roberts of Kansas, Ted Stevens of Alaska and John Warner of Virginia have had a free ride as they head into the 2002 campaign season. Read the article A Famous Constituent: Ali invites Upton to his film premiere 1/7/2002 1:48 PM At first glance, Rep. Fred Upton (R-Mich.) and boxer Muhammad Ali, who proclaims himself "The Greatest," seem to have nothing in common. After all, Upton is known more for his expertise in Internet and telecommunications policy than his ability to bust a rhyme. But that hasn't stopped him from forging a friendship with Ali, the greatest rhymer/trash-talker in the history of sports, who also happens to live in Upton's 6th Congressional District. Ali personally invited Upton to attend last month's Washington premier of "Ali," the movie depicting his life, when they spoke last month. Read the article Oklahoma To Fill Largent's House Seat Tuesday 1/7/2002 1:13 PM Republican Rep. Steve Largent, who helped change the balance of power in Congress in 1994, might do so again - his time by stepping down to run for governor. A special general election is scheduled Tuesday to name Largent's replacement for the 1st Congressional District. The race pits Democrat Doug Dodd and Republican state Rep. John Sullivan. With Republicans holding a slim, 222-211 edge in the U.S. House, every seat is important for Democrats trying to regain a majority lost during the Republican takeover eight years ago. Read the article Bush: Democrats Are 'Tax-Raisers' 1/6/2002 5:48 PM President Bush entered the heated election-year war of words over the recession, telling California workers Saturday that Democrats who criticize his tax cuts are tax-raisers in disguise. With a shout, he declared: "Not over my dead body will they raise your taxes!" Bush claimed "incredible progress" in the three-month-old war on terrorism, praising a spirit of unity among the American people. "It's time to take the spirit of unity that has been prevalent in fighting the war and bring it to Washington, D.C.," he said. Read the article Uncertainty Marks Campaign 2002 1/6/2002 5:47 PM Rarely has a midterm election year of such consequence begun with so much uncertainty and so many contradictory signals from voters. President Bush's high approval ratings dominate the political landscape, but that landscape is marked by concern over an economy in recession, threats of additional terrorist attacks at home and uncertainty about the next phase of the war on terrorism abroad. Read the article New Jersey Will Have Had Five Governors in Eight Days 1/6/2002 5:46 PM Eight days, five governors, one state. In some places that's a formula for anarchy. In New Jersey, politicians are shrugging it off as just business, however unusual. By Jan. 15, New Jersey will have had five governors in just over a week with only one of them actually elected to the job. This time last year, critics were carping about a constitutional crisis supposedly so severe that New Jersey needed to rewrite its laws and elect a lieutenant governor. But few people are talking about changing the system now. Read the article Colorado Lieutenant Goveror Confirms Decision to Run for Congress 1/4/2002 4:25 PM One of the nation's highest-ranking black Republicans has decided against a re-election bid for his current position as lieutenant governor in order to campaign for Colorado's newly drawn congressional seat. Lt. Gov. Joe Rogers has chosen to run for Colorado's new 7th district seat, a result of the burst in the state's population over the decade. He said his decision has nothing to do with is high-profile clashes with Gov. Bill Owens, who has yet to choose a runningmate for his own re-election bid for a second term this fall. "Bill and I talked early on about a new congressional seat for Colorado," Rogers said Thursday. "We're both confident I'll be a candidate for U.S. Congress." Read the article Bush Portrait Unveiled in Texas Capital 1/4/2002 4:23 PM A tear or two spilled down President Bush's cheek Friday as he saw his portrait unveiled in the Texas state Capitol and reflected on his "joyous six years" as governor. "I'm going to take that can-do Texas spirit to Washington, for however long I'm there, and remind people that results are what matters," the president said. On Monday, he closes a 12-day holiday at his central Texas ranch and returns to Washington to face a politically fractious election year. But Friday was for nostalgia as his gubernatorial portrait took its prominent place on the first floor of the Capitol rotunda, beside that of Democrat Ann Richards, the incumbent Bush unseated in 1994 after a bitterly fought race. "It is amazing for me to think -- when I step back and think -- that this will be hanging here forever," Bush said. "I just hope Governor Richards doesn't mind being my neighbor for eternity." Read the article Giuliani to Hit Speaking Circuit 1/3/2002 10:28 PM Former Mayor Rudolph Giuliani is joining the lucrative speaking circuit, and will command up to $100,000 per engagement by some estimates. Giuliani is represented by the Washington Speakers Bureau, whose clients include Al Gore, Jimmy Carter and Bob and Elizabeth Dole, along with Giuliani's former police and fire commissioners. Giuliani, who served eight years as mayor, was named Time magazine's Person of the Year after his stewardship of the grief-torn city following the Sept. 11 attacks. Read the article Reagan Presidential Papers Released 1/3/2002 10:21 PM Excerpts from Ronald Reagan presidential papers released Thursday at his presidential library in Simi Valley, Calif.: "... When are we going to quit trying to be nice to (AFL-CIO President) Lane Kirkland? ... Why does someone in this administration insist on giving this guy credibility when he's out to beat us. Incidentally, I'm beginning to pick up more and more quiet signs of resentment among Labor people who did support us. They don't figure they're getting anything and I happen to concur with that." July 1, 1981 memo from Reagan's political director Lyn Nofziger to chief of staff James A. Baker III. More... Read the article House Members Sons Run for Congress 1/3/2002 10:11 PM Running for Congress will be more of a family affair in Texas in 2002. The sons of Republican Rep. Joe Barton and House Majority Leader Dick Armey are congressional candidates in the Lone Star State. Brad Barton is among eight Republicans competing for the GOP's nomination in a newly created House district in Texas. Scott Armey is one of seven Republicans who filed to replace his retiring father in Texas' 26th District. Read the article Crawford, Texas, a One-President Town 1/2/2002 11:02 PM The lunch rush had started at the Coffee Station, a gas station/cafe/gift shop that serves as Grand Central for this railside town, home of President Bush's Prairie Chapel Ranch. About 50 diners, many of them still bundled up even though it was plenty toasty inside, were sitting around wooden tables loaded with rib-eyes, fried jalapenos and Texas-size Tater Tots. It was just before noon on New Year's Eve, and every last Coffee Station patron was asked to get up, toddle out into the 39-degree chill and get swept with a magnetometer by Secret Service agents who looked like they'd bought out an L.L. Bean outlet. Crawfordians -- all 705 of them -- are finding that a few strings come attached to their famous neighbor. Read the article Teen Sworn in As Pennsylvania Borough Mayor 1/2/2002 10:57 PM Christopher Portman planned to spend his first night as mayor having dinner at home with his parents and watching his girlfriend lead cheers at a high school basketball game. The 19-year-old Republican was sworn in Wednesday as the first teen-age mayor of this western Pennsylvania borough with 2,391 residents. "I'm thrilled and ready to take on this job," said Portman, a freshman at Westminster College in New Wilmington, about 15 minutes away. He will earn $1,875 a year. Read the article Reagan to Nixon: Throw the Bums Out 1/2/2002 10:55 PM In October of 1971, California Gov. Ronald Reagan called President Richard Nixon to discuss a wide range of political topics, which included everything from the United Nations to U.S. Supreme Court appointments to the India-Pakistan dispute. The recording of that call was made available last week by the National Archives, and is one of dozens of tapes recorded by Nixon. Many more tapes will become public in February. Read the article Colorado Governor Announces an Announcement 1/2/2002 10:53 PM Colorado's Republican governor said he will make an announcement next month about whether he is going to run for re-election, but even if he decides to go for it he will not ask his lieutenant governor to run with him. Gov. Bill Owens said that he will pick a running mate after the August primaries if he decides to run for re-election, and is even considering choosing a running mate from the business and education fields rather than from government. Whatever the decision, it will not be Lt. Gov. Joe Rogers, with whom Owens has had past conflicts. Read the article