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The Hardball Briefing On MSNBC
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Hardball airs tonight at 7, 11 & 4am et-4, 8, & 1 am pt on MSNBC
The path to the White House goes straight through the Bible Belt. Tonight, on a
Special Hardball Report, we map out our Southern Strategy. I'm betting some Americans
are familiar with the term but not with the terrain, so we start with a map of the
Bible Belt. What is the Bible Belt? Who lives there? Why is it so important? We've
got the answers from top southern politicians, strategists and journalists. Tonight
on a special edition of Hardball!
Guests to include: Ralph Reed, "NASCAR Dad" political strategists Bob "mudcat"
Saunders & Steve Jarding; Georgia Democrat Senator turned Democrat party critic Zell
Miller, South Carolina Rep. Jim Clyburn (who just endorsed Gephardt), Sen. Trent Lott
and a couple of Southern journalists, Lee Bandy of The Columbia State and Jon Meacham
of Newsweek...
Even if you don't live in the region but want to understand how this presidential race
will be fought, you need to watch this show...We're even making some cool new graphics
just for the occasion...
Oh, and Hardball crack political correspondent David Shuster is back from New
Hampshire and files this Briefing exclusive:
"Given that so much has already been written about the candidates at the debate... we
wanted to offer some observations about our 2nd favorite subject... the media covering
the debate.
Item #1: Battle of the bus. Jamison [Christina Jamison, Shuster's producer] and I
were bewildered when we arrived at the ABC News sponsored debate on the picturesque
UNH campus and saw a gigantic campaign bus belonging to CNN (while the ABC version --
heavily promoted this summer -- was MIA. The CNN "Campaign 2004" logo on wheels was
quite a sight... and it must have been quite embarrassing to the Disney network. Our
friends at ABC told us their bus "wasn't ready yet." Hello? What are you waiting
for? The debate in January sponsored by CNN? Even a few students I spoke with seemed
confused as to who was broadcasting the debate and who was not. So, how did CNN
manage to pull of this pr coup? A few friendly CNN competitors acknowledged that in
order to get the bus on the road in time, it was rolled off the assembly line without
heaters. Dom, I love politics as much as anybody... but NH was damn cold this week...
and CNN's dedication seems borderline psychotic. Brrrr. NBC production note from
Jamison: "It's better to be on a bus belonging to a candidate than one following
behind."
Item #2. What's the entree? At the media filing center intended to "serve" 500
reporters... Jamison and I could not decide whether the entree was a plate of dried
prunes or a plate of dried apricots. The choices at the media filing center
(catering, courtesy ABC News) was one of the weirdest combinations we had ever seen.
The debate went from 7pm to 830pm... so any food ahead of time or afterwards would
normally be considered "dinner." But maybe we were missing something. In addition to
the prunes and apricots, your other options included granola and potato chips. Desert
was a little better with some tasty cookies and brownies. Some might argue, "you are
lucky there was any food at all." Well, in this case, I think we would have preferred
"nothing" compared to an effort as lame as this one. Even stranger was the fact that
the UNH catering service building was about 50 feet away."
-David Shuster
Dominic Bellone wrote, compiled and edited The Briefing from Washington, DC
Goldsborough: The South's revenge
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/op-ed/goldsborough/20031211-9999_mz1e11golds.html
GOP's Southern success is a double-edged sword
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/opinion/2001811345_harrop10.html
U.S. nabs rebel suspects, seizes arms...U.S. troops on Thursday seized three Iraqi men
suspected of heading guerrilla cells in Tikrit, and said they had uncovered a weapons
cache with enough ammunition to launch a string of attacks.
http://www.msnbc.com/modules/exports/ct_infobeat.asp?/news/870749.asp
CIA to train new Iraqi spies...Agency said to be enlisting Hussein agents (The
Washington Post) http://msnbc.com/news/1003831.asp?0si=-
Europe's foreign affairs chief, adding his voice Thursday to criticism of Washington,
called the U.S. decision to bar opponents of the war in Iraq from reconstruction
contracts "gratuitous and unhelpful" when unity is needed. (AP)
http://apnews.myway.com/article/20031211/D7VC9N4O0.html
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton said Wednesday she has no interest in being a Democratic
cabinet member, isn't ready to say if she will run for re-election, and hedged a bit
when asked about running for vice president next year. (AP)
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20031210/ap_on_go_co/hillary_clinton_politics_1
Former President Jimmy Carter says the appointment of Georgia's Zell Miller to the
Senate was a mistake because his fellow ex-governor "betrayed all the basic principles
that I thought he and I and others shared." (AP)
http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/1203/11carter.html
Dean Looming Larger on Bush's Horizon...GOP Advisers Who Had Relished Democrat's
Candidacy Are Now More Wary (The Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A54392-2003Dec10.html
Z. Hallow: Frank J. Donatelli, former Reagan White House political director, said, "It
will be necessary for Bush to make Dean unacceptable to independents and a segment of
the Democratic Party - to 'McGovernize' him.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/national/20031210-112846-9401r.htm
Post Analysis: With record fundraising, favorable poll numbers and the endorsement
yesterday of Al Gore, Howard Dean is systematically trying to create an aura of
inevitability to his campaign even before most voters tune in to the Democratic
presidential race next year. http://msnbc.com/news/1003439.asp?0sl=-12
She's the mystery spouse...Judy Steinberg Dean, the wife of Democratic presidential
candidate Howard Dean, doesn't accompany him to coffees or town meetings or rallies.
(Des Moines Register) http://desmoinesregister.com/news/stories/c4789004/22985531.html
Wesley Clark, in a bold statement of his own Tuesday, said he has not ruled out
Hillary Rodham Clinton as a running mate if he wins the Democratic presidential
nomination. (AP)
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20031209/ap_on_el_pr/clark_clinton_1
Now that Al Gore has endorsed Howard Dean, party and labor leaders in Iowa are divided
about the announcement's impact on the closely contested race - and just as many
Iowans remain undecided about which candidate they'll support on caucus night Jan. 19.
(AP)
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=694&ncid=703&e=1&u=/ap/20031211/ap_on_el_pr/gore_s_impact_iowa
Rep. Richard A. Gephardt (D-Mo.) picked up a key endorsement in South Carolina on
Wednesday while Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.) accused former Vermont governor Howard
Dean of fudging the issue of how strenuously he opposed the Iraq war. (The Washington
Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A54585-2003Dec10.html?referrer=email
The legal wrangling over campaign finance restrictions is far from over, despite the
Supreme Court's endorsement of the broadest limits on campaign donations in nearly 30
years. (AP)
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=558&ncid=703&e=3&u=/ap/20031211/ap_on_go_su_co/scotus_campaign_finance
Ridge rapped for immigration views...Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge's
suggestion that 8 million to 12 million illegal aliens now in the United States be
"legalized" drew harsh criticism yesterday from congressional and other opponents of
such legalization. (The Washington Times)
http://washingtontimes.com/national/20031211-120505-1795r.htm
Rep. Jim Clyburn, an influential South Carolina lawmaker who has endorsed Dick
Gephardt, is touting the Democratic presidential candidate in a new television
commercial to air in the first-in-the-South primary state this week. (AP)
http://apnews.myway.com/article/20031211/D7VCACNO0.html
Bandy: Clyburn edge may not do it for Gephardt...Endorsement could take back seat to
Gore's support of Dean, other factors
http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestate/news/politics/7464393.htm
S.C. forum will focus on politics, the poor...It will bring together Democratic
presidential candidates, the disenfranchised (Columbia State)
http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestate/news/politics/7455667.htm
Opinion/Editorial
Sec. Gail Norton: New law will keep forests healthy
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/opinion/151732_forest10.html
Novak: Dean won't let go of 9/11 urban legend
http://www.suntimes.com/output/novak/cst-edt-novak11.html
Will: A pop quiz for Dem candidates
http://www.suntimes.com/output/will/cst-edt-geo11.html
Fund: The Limits of 'Growth'...Justice O'Connor becomes a full-fledged judicial
activist. http://www.opinionjournal.com/diary/?id=110004410
Chapman: America's Greedy Grandparents...Why America's elderly are so spoiled.
http://slate.msn.com/id/2092302/
Peggy: Freedom's Best Friend...Bob Bartley was conservative when that took courage.
http://www.opinionjournal.com/columnists/pnoonan/?id=110004411
Doonesbury http://www.ucomics.com/doonesbury/
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