From: AdmrlLocke@aol.com Sent: Sunday, August 22, 1999 4:55 PM To: undisclosed-recipients: ; Subject: GrammNet: NH Editorial; Free Congress Opinion GrammNet Issue 8/22/99.1 Dear Friend, Following are two items of interest. The first is a strongly-worded editorial in the famous conservative New Hampshire newspaper, the Manchester Union Leader. In it you'll find a view which, while less polite than that of The Wall Street Journal's editorial page, is no less logical; it provides a similar analysis of the results of the Iowa Straw Poll. We could only wish that all unions spoke with such clear reasoning! The second item is yet another, if much briefer, conservative analysis of the Straw Poll. Please help spread the truth. Sincerely, David B. Levenstam, CPA, MT, MA Forbes in 2000! GrammNet is an independent newsletter, not affiliated with Senator Gramm. To subscribe to GrammNet, email me at AdmrlLocke@aol.com, with a message to the effect that you'd like to subscribe. GrammNet back issues available at http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/3390/ Steve Forbes web page (Forbes 2000) at http://www.forbes2000.com ----------------------------------- MANCHESTER (NEW HAMPSHIRE) UNION LEADER editorial NOT QUITE READY FOR BUSH? Junior's coronation may have to be postponed By Joseph W. McQuaid, Publisher When it comes to how they all finish in New Hampshire next winter, our lead headline yesterday ("Iowa straw poll may not mean much in NH") may be quite true. That is because the order of finish in Iowa, both in this particular event and later in that state's caucuses, is often tossed on its head in New Hampshire. But there is much for New Hampshire politicos and grassroots workers to take from this straw in the summer wind. First and foremost, it ought to give heart to those who have been fighting the "Bush is inevitable" palaver that has been tossed around by Texas Gov. George Bush, his minions, and a currently fawning news media. The Junior Bush has told us that he is "ready" to be President but apparently not all Iowa Republicans are ready for him. In fact, seven out of 10 who voted in Saturday's straw poll were not ready for Junior. Bush has had it all his way. More organization than anyone. More endorsements than anyone. More money than anyone. More name recognition than anyone. He and his staff made it clear that they wanted to make the straw poll a big blowout event on the way to the GOP coronation. Instead, they came up against a few actual voters and some other candidates, and now the race is on. Anyone who thought otherwise, even before Saturday's event, doesn't pay much attention to political history and doesn't appreciate the part that New Hampshire plays in the process. It will be in New Hampshire where the first true primary voting will take place. All of which should be enough to energize advocates for some, but not all, of the other candidates. Lamar Alexander's plan to get out of the race is no surprise, of course. The man has been campaigning for six years and two election cycles and has gotten nowhere except many days older and deeper in debt. His ideas, whatever they were, raised no excitement. (That may also prove to be Junior Bush's Achilles heel, by the way.) Steve Forbes, on the other hand, appears to have grown in stature in the public's perception since his first try for the nomination. That is in part because of his money but also in part because of his advocacy for several clear economic positions, notably the flat tax and a revamping of Social Security. Forbes finished second in the Saturday show, which has the Bush camp nervous and some in the liberal national media already turning their guns on Forbes as a nutty nerd. That's not a bad place to be, actually. Not that Junior Bush is in a bad place, either. As much as the Iowa event showed that - surprise! - he does not have the Republican nomination sewn up before New Hampshire, it remains clear that the Bush machine is an awesome one. Stopping it can be done, but not if conservative activists split their allegiances among a half-dozen candidates. Bush could yet win, with only three out of 10 votes. -- Joseph W. McQuaid, Publisher ---------------------------------------------------------- "W" Falls Flat in Iowa "There were two highpoints during George W's (Iowa straw poll) speech: his floor demonstration and then his closing remarks. Remarkably, he continues to be touted by the national media and GOP establishmentarians as the savior of the Party, although he has yet to say anything of substance. His speech was a small variation of the one that he has given since he announced he was running for president and did not touch a single emotional cord with any of the people in attendance. Even supporters wearing Bush tee-shirts seemed to be sitting on their hands for the duration of his remarks. Despite all the build-up and air of inevitability surrounding his campaign, Bush only got 31% of the vote - which means close to 70% of the Republicans at this event voted against him." - Nicholas Sanchez, Free Congress Foundation