AUSTIN, Texas - To help spread George W. Bush's message, his staff has started making some of his sound bites available through a toll-free number, 888-567-0826. The campaign has found, though, a pair of unexpected callers: the Democratic National Committee and the rival campaign of Al Gore. On Aug. 17, for example, the DNC spent 50 minutes on the line, even though there were just three minutes of recordings. ''We're delighted that the Gore campaign is so interested in hearing our message,'' Bush spokeswoman Mindy Tucker said yesterday. Gore spokesman Douglas Hattaway replied: ''Bush speaks out of both side of his mouth so much you have to keep track of him.'' (Globe Staff)
Polls providing new indications that the race is neck-and-neck
NEW YORK - Al Gore held a 46 percent to 42 percent lead over George W. Bush, according to a Newsweek poll released yesterday. The poll of 753 registered voters nationwide on Thursday and Friday has a margin of error of 4 points. A week earlier, just after the Democratic convention, Gore led 48 percent to 42 percent. In the key state of Ohio, meanwhile, Gore pulled to within two points of Bush in a poll published yesterday in the Dayton Daily News. The Survey/USA poll of 500 likely Ohio voters found Bush leading Gore 47 percent to 45 percent, with a 4.5-point margin of error. A statewide poll after the Republican convention ended on Aug. 3 found Bush leading, 53 to 37 percent. (Reuters)
Lieberman scheduled to meet Arab-Americans in Mich. swing
WASHINGTON - Joseph I. Lieberman plans to meet two dozen Arab-American leaders during a campaign swing today through Michigan, hoping to reassure Muslims who worry that his election as vice president would hurt their interests. ''I want them to have a seat at the table and to feel that I'm accessible to them,'' Lieberman said of Arab-Americans. The Connecticut senator, who is Jewish, said he has a strong record of supporting the rights of Arab-Americans and was a cosponsor of a Senate resolution protesting discrimination against Muslims. ''I've heard lots of concerns from people in the community,'' said James Zogby, president of the Washington-based Arab American Institute. ''The degree to which those concerns are addressed, people will be able to mobilize support for the ticket.'' Arab-Americans make up about 4 percent of the voters in Michigan. (Los Angeles Times)
Admirers of Kenneth Starr plan Oct. tribute/fund-raiser
WASHINGTON - Republicans don't talk about impeachment anymore, but the House managers are still using it to bring in the bucks: Their political-action committee is hosting ''A Tribute to Judge Kenneth W. Starr '' on Oct. 4 at the Washington Hilton. The tribute to the former independent counsel who investigated President Clinton ''is one way to remind the American people that there are honorable men who place duty before principles in the face of overwhelming opposition,'' reads the invitation to the $100-a-person dinner. A spokesman for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, Erik Smith, called the event ''a breathtaking example of bad political judgment.'' (Washington Post)
GOP lawmaker finds support from across the aisle in House
WASHINGTON - Republican Representative Jay Dickey of Arkansas is getting some unusual help in his reelection bid. On Friday, Representative James A. Traficant, an Ohio Democrat, headlined a luncheon for him in Hot Springs, Ark. ''We're friends. We have a lot in common,'' Dickey said in an interview, adding that they both have a reputation for independence. Traficant, who openly discusses being under a federal investigation for corruption, has declared he plans to support House Speaker Dennis Hastert, an Illinois Republican, next year over his party's leader, Dick Gephardt of Missouri. Kris Schultz , spokeswoman for Dickey's Democratic challenger, state Senator Mike Ross, said, ''If that's the sort of south Arkansas values that Jay Dickey wants to represent, a guy under federal investigation, we're glad Mike is the alternative.'' (Washington Post)
