Clinton, Senate Democrats Meet on Agenda
WASHINGTON - Former President Clinton (news - web sites) huddled with Senate Democrats Thursday to discuss how best to unite the party as it draws up its agenda for this legislative year and prepares for the presidential election this fall.
Clinton, emerging from the meeting, said they "talked about what Senate Democrats can do to be more focused in their communications strategy and what was likely to happen in the coming year."
"I gave them a few little ideas," Clinton said. "I don't know if they are any good. All I do is sit up there and write my book so I'm a little out of it."
Senate Democratic leader Tom Daschle of South Dakota said earlier this week that he had asked Clinton to give his thoughts "on how we might work more closely together" as Democrats pursue such issues as education, health care, a higher minimum wage and the economy.
"How we address them, how we articulate them and how we mesh that agenda with our presidential candidate will be the topic for conversation with President Clinton," Daschle said.
"We're very fired up," said Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., who is up for re-election in November. "We have a great opportunity by hammering home concrete alternatives" to Republican policies.
While Clinton was meeting with Democrats in a Senate office building, congressional Republicans were traveling to Philadelphia for a strategy session for the coming year. President Bush (news - web sites) is to join his fellow Republicans there on Saturday, two days before he is to offer Congress his 2005 budget proposals.
If Kerry is the nominee, the golden opportunity will be completely blown away in Nov, perhaps that's the time to completely destroy democratic establishment. That kind of body blow will be fatal, I can't wait to see this to happen.