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The Morning Grind / DayAhead |
Surrogates on the trail, on the attack
By John Mercurio
CNN Political Unit
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 VIDEO |
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WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Big-name surrogates run the show today.
While John Kerry campaigns in blue/swing states out west, Democratic National Committee Chair Terry McAuliffe and others hit President Bush over the soaring cost of gas ($2.01/gallon) and oil ($42/barrel).
Senate Democrats, meanwhile, call on Bush today to begin releasing as many as 60 million barrels of oil from the nation's Strategic Petroleum Reserve, a move Treasury Secretary John Snow has already ruled out.
While President Bush stays behind to address the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, Laura Bush headlines a GOP rally in Las Vegas, Nevada, and raises cash today at a luncheon in South Dakota for Larry Diedrich, the GOP candidate in the June 1 special election to replace former Rep. Bill Janklow. An election we're going to start covering more closely. We promise.
Tomorrow, the first lady is Jay Leno's guest on "The Tonight Show."
In Washington this morning, McAuliffe, at the request of Camp Kerry, will focus attention on gas and oil prices, saying that Bush/Cheney are "so deep in the pocket of big oil, we'll need to drill down to find them."
Ba dum bum. But seriously, folks ...
"With the amount of money the Bush-Cheney campaign has received from oil and gas interests it's no wonder they're more interested in lining the pockets of their corporate friends than in looking out for Americans' pocketbooks," McAuliffe will say, according to an advance copy of his 10 a.m. ET speech obtained by The Grind and lots of other people.
"We're not going to let go of this issue, because the problem won't go away until George Bush goes away."
"If we went beyond bowl games and stadiums, in the Bush White House you'd have the Exxon Cabinet Room, the Mobil West Wing and the Halliburton Oval Office."
Later today, while Kerry campaigns in Oregon, Bush/Cheney will put Oregon Sen. Gordon Smith out to highlight everything from the state's low level of unemployment to Kerry's vote against the Klamath River Basin.
During a 3:30 p.m. EDT conference call, Smith also will discuss Kerry's opposition to the president's Healthy Forests Bill, which Smith and Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden strongly backed. Bush announced the Healthy Forests bill in Medford, Oregon, during the state's 2002 Biscuit fires. (Kerry has said that the president's bill would degrade forests.)
Also in the crosshairs: Kerry's opposition to medical malpractice liability reform. The American Medical Association considers Oregon to be in a medical malpractice liability crisis, Bush/Cheney aides say, and they say Kerry has opposed or voted to block medical liability reform at least 10 times. (Part of Kerry's proposed health care plan includes efforts to reduce the cost of malpractice insurance. His plan does not place limits on malpractice awards.)
And finally, the senator's recent criticism of No Child Left Behind. "When Kerry attacks No Child Left Behind, keep in mind that the president's budget increases federal education funding for Oregon to $1.38 billion," according to a Bush/Cheney memo. "This is an increase of $468 million (or 51 percent) since the president took office." (Kerry has criticized the president for not funding the bill.)
Full disclosure
When the dust settles after Election Day, less than six months from now, one thing will be certain: Whoever wins the White House will be stinkin' rich.
According to personal financial disclosure reports filed recently by the Bush-Cheney and Kerry campaigns, the combined assets of the president, vice president, John Kerry and Teresa Heinz Kerry will total at least a quarter of a billion dollars. And that's a very conservative estimate.
Forbes magazine estimates that Heinz Kerry alone was worth about $550 million in 2002, but due to the very loose reporting requirements of these financial disclosure forms, which the Kerry campaign released late Monday, we can only know for sure that she has at least $188 million in assets. Kerry himself reported between $683,000 and $2.7 million in assets.
President Bush and Vice President Cheney released their reports last Friday, giving reporters the entire weekend to figure out that the president is rich, and that the vice president is richer. Bush reported assets between $7.8 million and $19.1 million, while Cheney reported having somewhere between $23.9 million to an impressive $111 million.
Here's a short recap, finely ground for your enjoyment:
John Kerry and Teresa Heinz Kerry
Kerry assets: $683,000 to $2,695,000 Joint assets: $100,000 to $250,000 (Fleet Bank account) Heinz Kerry assets: At least $188,279,000 Kerry + Heinz Kerry total assets: At least $189,062,000 Kerry solo liabilities: $10,000 to $15,000 Heinz Kerry liabilities: At least $27,050,000 Kerry + Heinz Kerry liabilities: At least $27,060,000Kerry net worth: $668,000 to $2,685,000 Heinz Kerry net worth: Incalculable based on available dataKerry received $89,200 in royalties in 2003 from publisher Viking Penguin for his campaign tome "A Call to Service."
The Kerrys jointly own a painting for investment purposes, which earned the couple between $100,000 and $1 million in capital gains income.
Heinz Kerry owns a share of the "Thyme Square Restaurant" valued between $250,000 to $500,000.
Heinz Kerry owns a share of "Flying Squirrel, Inc," a charter airplane company which her husband used during the primaries. Her stake is valued at over $1 million.
Bush
Assets: $7,763,000 to $19,145,000 Liabilities: None reported Estimated net worth: $7,763,000 to $19,145,000Major assets include his 1,583-acre ranch in Crawford, Texas, valued between $1 million and $5 million
A significant portion of the president's assets are tied up in low-risk investments: between $700,000 and $1.5 million in certificates of deposit and between $5 million and $10.1 million in U.S. Treasury notes.
Bush has between $50,000 and $100,000 in a 401(k) retirement account from his stint as Texas governor
Among the gifts President Bush has received: two puzzles valued at more than $2,000, an autographed copy of the book "Forrest Gump" from Alabama congressman Jo Bonner, a personalized jacket and bag from Vice President Cheney, a "dock with walkway" valued at $7,500, and a $2,000 outdoor barbecue from White House staffers
Cheney
Assets: $23,899,000 to $111,210,000 Liabilities: None reported Estimated net worth: $23,899,000 to $111,210,000The President and Mrs. Bush gave Vice President Cheney a $500 engraved field box used for hunting trips.
Cheney is a member of the Buffalo Bill Historical Center in Cody, Wyoming.
CNN Research Director Robert Yoon contributed to this report.
