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By LIZ SIDOTI
Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) -- A presidential rival and two independent groups launched ads within 48 hours assailing Howard Dean, prompting the Democratic front-runner to respond Friday in what has become typical fashion: get mobilized, get money.
Dean - already running a slew of commercials in Iowa and New Hampshire - is returning to the airwaves in four states with primaries Feb. 3 while using the spots critical of him to rally supporters to donate money so he can counter the attacks.
The stepped-up criticism of Dean is meant to undercut his position in Iowa, where he is in a tight race with Dick Gephardt, and in New Hampshire, where he has a commanding lead in recent polls. But it also could embolden Dean's grass-roots supporters and enhance his stature as the leading Democrat.
"So far, the attacks have solidified his base. His supporters rally around him and give him money," said Doug Schoen, a Democratic consultant and President Clinton's former pollster. "The attacks, in a certain sense, have backfired to create a situation of victimization."
Dean's campaign said Friday it raised nearly $200,000 to run a response ad less than 24 hours after Club for Growth, a group that works to elect fiscal conservatives, began running a commercial in Iowa and New Hampshire faulting Dean for seeking a repeal of President Bush's tax cuts. Upping the ante, campaign manager Joe Trippi said it's up to Dean's supporters whether the campaign would air counter ads to the other critical spots.
The appeal comes with just over three weeks until the end of the quarter when the presidential candidates show their fund-raising prowess.
Last month, Dean's campaign challenged supporters to raise $360,000 to air an ad countering a Republican National Committee's spot accusing Democrats of retreating from the war on terror. The campaign raised more than $600,000 for the ad.
And this summer, it turned a rough showing by Dean on NBC's "Meet the Press" - and a blistering review of his performance - into a fund-raising opportunity. The campaign says Dean raised $93,000 in campaign contributions over the Internet that day, or about $90,000 more than usual on a Sunday.
"The more we're attacked, the more our support grows. The response of our grass-roots support intensifies and we then have the resources to compete," Trippi said in a conference call with reporters.
The campaign plans to spend "several million dollars" to return to the TV and radio airwaves beginning Monday in South Carolina and New Mexico, where voters can start requesting ballots Dec. 15. Within the next two weeks the campaign will do the same in Oklahoma and Arizona - four states among the seven holding contests Feb. 3. The former Vermont governor hasn't been on the air in any of the four states since September.
Dean also will boost paid staff members starting Monday in the four states and run commercials soon in the other three states - Missouri, North Dakota and Delaware - as he continues heavy ad buys in Iowa and New Hampshire, which hold their contests in January.
Dean plans to air a 30-minute TV program, at a cost of about $2,000, on Sunday in Madison, Wis., to encourage supporters to donate time and money. Wisconsin's primary is Feb. 17.
In a 30-second commercial that will begin running this weekend in New Hampshire, rival Joe Lieberman admonishes Dean for sealing some of his correspondence and other records from his 11 years as governor, and tells the public, "We, Democrats are better than that." The Dean campaign said this week it was exploring options to make some of the former governor's papers public.
Lieberman, who trails Dean and others in New Hampshire, is one of several candidates hoping a strong showing there will spark his lackluster campaign heading into the first week of February, when 10 states hold contests.
In Iowa on Friday, an organization called Americans for Jobs, Healthcare and Progressive Values began broadcasting an ad saying that Dean and President Bush received the National Rifle Association's highest marks for their stances on gun ownership.
"If you thought Howard Dean had a progressive record, check the facts and, please, think again," the ad says.
Tim Raftis, the group's president and former campaign manager for Iowa Democratic Sen. Tom Harkin's unsuccessful presidential bid in 1992, said the organization is not affiliated with any of the Democrats seeking the nomination.
The group is spending about $230,000 to run the ad for a week, a fairly moderate buy in Iowa. Harkin has not endorsed in the Democratic primary.
Copyright 2003 Associated Press. All rights reserved.
http://customwire.ap.org/dynamic/st...?SITE=FLTAM&SECTION=POLITICS&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) -- A presidential rival and two independent groups launched ads within 48 hours assailing Howard Dean, prompting the Democratic front-runner to respond Friday in what has become typical fashion: get mobilized, get money.
Dean - already running a slew of commercials in Iowa and New Hampshire - is returning to the airwaves in four states with primaries Feb. 3 while using the spots critical of him to rally supporters to donate money so he can counter the attacks.
The stepped-up criticism of Dean is meant to undercut his position in Iowa, where he is in a tight race with Dick Gephardt, and in New Hampshire, where he has a commanding lead in recent polls. But it also could embolden Dean's grass-roots supporters and enhance his stature as the leading Democrat.
"So far, the attacks have solidified his base. His supporters rally around him and give him money," said Doug Schoen, a Democratic consultant and President Clinton's former pollster. "The attacks, in a certain sense, have backfired to create a situation of victimization."
Dean's campaign said Friday it raised nearly $200,000 to run a response ad less than 24 hours after Club for Growth, a group that works to elect fiscal conservatives, began running a commercial in Iowa and New Hampshire faulting Dean for seeking a repeal of President Bush's tax cuts. Upping the ante, campaign manager Joe Trippi said it's up to Dean's supporters whether the campaign would air counter ads to the other critical spots.
The appeal comes with just over three weeks until the end of the quarter when the presidential candidates show their fund-raising prowess.
Last month, Dean's campaign challenged supporters to raise $360,000 to air an ad countering a Republican National Committee's spot accusing Democrats of retreating from the war on terror. The campaign raised more than $600,000 for the ad.
And this summer, it turned a rough showing by Dean on NBC's "Meet the Press" - and a blistering review of his performance - into a fund-raising opportunity. The campaign says Dean raised $93,000 in campaign contributions over the Internet that day, or about $90,000 more than usual on a Sunday.
"The more we're attacked, the more our support grows. The response of our grass-roots support intensifies and we then have the resources to compete," Trippi said in a conference call with reporters.
The campaign plans to spend "several million dollars" to return to the TV and radio airwaves beginning Monday in South Carolina and New Mexico, where voters can start requesting ballots Dec. 15. Within the next two weeks the campaign will do the same in Oklahoma and Arizona - four states among the seven holding contests Feb. 3. The former Vermont governor hasn't been on the air in any of the four states since September.
Dean also will boost paid staff members starting Monday in the four states and run commercials soon in the other three states - Missouri, North Dakota and Delaware - as he continues heavy ad buys in Iowa and New Hampshire, which hold their contests in January.
Dean plans to air a 30-minute TV program, at a cost of about $2,000, on Sunday in Madison, Wis., to encourage supporters to donate time and money. Wisconsin's primary is Feb. 17.
In a 30-second commercial that will begin running this weekend in New Hampshire, rival Joe Lieberman admonishes Dean for sealing some of his correspondence and other records from his 11 years as governor, and tells the public, "We, Democrats are better than that." The Dean campaign said this week it was exploring options to make some of the former governor's papers public.
Lieberman, who trails Dean and others in New Hampshire, is one of several candidates hoping a strong showing there will spark his lackluster campaign heading into the first week of February, when 10 states hold contests.
In Iowa on Friday, an organization called Americans for Jobs, Healthcare and Progressive Values began broadcasting an ad saying that Dean and President Bush received the National Rifle Association's highest marks for their stances on gun ownership.
"If you thought Howard Dean had a progressive record, check the facts and, please, think again," the ad says.
Tim Raftis, the group's president and former campaign manager for Iowa Democratic Sen. Tom Harkin's unsuccessful presidential bid in 1992, said the organization is not affiliated with any of the Democrats seeking the nomination.
The group is spending about $230,000 to run the ad for a week, a fairly moderate buy in Iowa. Harkin has not endorsed in the Democratic primary.
Copyright 2003 Associated Press. All rights reserved.
http://customwire.ap.org/dynamic/st...?SITE=FLTAM&SECTION=POLITICS&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
