A daily dose of online news from beyond the Beltway.

By Ryan Thornburg
Washingtonpost.com Staff
Thursday, July 22, 1999

Invoking the Kennedy name has had a unique effect on American politics for the last three decades, probably no more so than when then-Sen. Dan Quayle's invocation backfired during a 1988 vice-presidential debate.

In his scramble to capitalize on the Kennedy legacy, the chairman of the Democratic Party in Mecklenburg County, N.C., is having a backlash of his own. It seems he told a few reporters that he had personally scheduled a fund-raiser with John F. Kennedy Jr. and had talked to Patrick Kennedy after John's plane went down. One problem: it was a complete lie.

"My concern is that the public is very savvy and knows when you have something to say and when you don't." – Candy Altman, news director at Boston's WCVB-TV, on the city's ongoing coverage of John F. Kennedy Jr. (The Boston Globe, July 22))

• Some Forgive Party Leader for Gaffe About Kennedys (The Charlotte Observer, July 22)
• Chat With Kennedy Didn't Happen (The Charlotte Observer, July 21)
• Charlotte Stopover Was in the Works (The Charlotte Observer, July 20)

Although he never held elected office, Kennedy's death has affected politics both inside and outside the Beltway. Hillary Rodham Clinton canceled her campaign trip to New York this week and several presidential candidates are posting their condolences online. Meanwhile, Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) made an impassioned statement this week on the Senate floor.
• Press Release: Statement Re: the Death of John F. Kennedy, Jr., Carolyn Bessette Kennedy, and Lauren Bessette (Bill Bradley campaign, July 21)
• Press Release: Forbes: 'Our Thoughts And Prayers Are With The Kennedy And Bessette Families In This Sad And Tragic Time' (Steve Forbes campaign, July 19)
• Press Release: Statement by the President on John F. Kennedy Jr., Carolyn Kennedy, and Lauren Bessette (The White House, July 18)

N.Y. Ad Touts 'Hillary Clinton Manure Spreader Sale'
Get 'em while they're hot, kids. River Valley Ford Tractor is advertising in the Oneonta (N.Y.) Daily Star an item that is "not made in New York" and "won't be around long." The National Republican Senatorial Committee is handing out copies of the ad, if you need the phone number.
• Hillary Clinton Draws "Smelly" Ad, Democratic Criticism (Newsday, July 22)
• Campaigns: Key Races 2000 (washingtonpost.com)

Arkansas Democrats Hail Arrival of 'Liberal' Giuliani
In New York, Mayor Rudolph Giuliani is a conservative. In Arkansas, where he is holding a fund-raiser to poke fun at Hillary Rodham Clinton's Senate bid, he is a liberal. And he's being welcomed by the Democratic Party.
• Democrats Hail Invite to Giuliani (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, July 22)

Ventura Approval Ratings: Pick a Number, Any Number
The latest job approval numbers for Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura are in and they're ... high! The numbers in another poll last week were ... low! The latest results from the Star Tribune in Minneapolis pin Ventura at 73 percent, while last week's numbers from the competing St. Paul Pioneer Press came in at 56 percent.
• Ventura Job Approval Hits Record High for Minnesota (The Star Tribune, Minneapolis, Minn., July 22)
• Ventura Job Approval is High, But Negatives Are on the Rise (The Star Tribune, Minneapolis, Minn., July 15)

No matter how popular he is, and no matter how many national media outlets have requested a piece of Ventura's time this weekend, a bad back may keep him away from the Reform Party's national convention in Michigan.
• Bad Back May Force Ventura to Cancel (The Free-Press, Detroit, July 22)

Ryan Thornburg can be reached at ryan.thornburg@washingtonpost.com