McAuliffe says candidate may emerge before Nevada votes

Cy Ryan and Suzanne Struglinski

Friday, Jan. 23, 2004 | 9:20 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- National Democratic Chairman Terry McAuliffe says he hopes the party will have a presidential nominee by mid-March, meaning Nevada Democrats will be bringing up the rear.

McAuliffe, in a telephone news conference with Nevada reporters Thursday, predicted the Democratic presidential field would be reduced by two to three candidates by Feb. 14 when Nevada Democrats hold their precinct caucuses.

And he said he hoped the winner would emerge in mid-March after 17 contests and 71 percent of the pledged delegates are chosen. But the Nevada delegates won't be selected until April 16-18 at the state convention.

Under the McAuliffe scenario, Nevada delegates would be just frosting on the cake of the candidate who emerges the winner -- unless of course there is a brokered convention.

To be a delegate to the national Democratic convention in July in Boston, a person must attend the precinct meetings, the county and the state convention in Nevada. There will be an estimated 21 delegates. The goal is to include two African blacks, four Hispanics, one Native American, one gay person and one Asian-Pacific Islander.

McAuliffe said President Bush in his State of the Union message failed to talk about a jobs creation program. The issue of new jobs "is an important issue that is resonating out there," McAuliffe said from Washington D.C.

In a recent report, the state reported total employment has increased by 3.6 percent in the last year and that unemployment was down to 4.5 percent for November or 5,500 less persons out of work than a year ago.

In January 2001 when Bush took office, Nevada's unemployment rate was 4.5 percent with 39,700 workers out of a job. In November 2003, the state Employment, Training and Rehabilitation Department reported there were 48,700 out of work or a rate of 4.5 percent.

In January 2001 there were 1,041,100 employed compared to 1,102,500 in November 2003.

Unemployment, McAuliffe said, has risen 39 percent in Nevada during the Bush Administration.

The Democratic chairman said the president "is not telling the truth about the economy." He added "People are concerned about job losses."

There are 418,000 Nevadans who don't have health care insurance and there are 105,000 children who are left out of the child-care tax break, McAuliffe said.

He said the president is trying to divert the attention of the nation by talking about same-sex marriages, steroid use among athletes and training prisoners for jobs. He said the president cut taxes for millionaires and the nation lost jobs.

McAuliffe repeated criticism that Bush broke his promise when he said he would consider scientific evidence in selecting Yucca Mountain as a high-level dump.

"(Bush) was not telling the truth," McAuliffe said.

McAuliffe said it was obvious the Energy Department's plan to store nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain is being pushed by "politics, not science" especially based on former Nuclear Waste Technical Review board member Paul Craig's recent criticisms of the project.

Craig has said that science is not up to par with what really needs to be done at the site.

McAuliffe did not explain how electing a Democratic president would help the Yucca Mountain issue but emphasized Bush had broken his word.

Democratic presidential candidates Sens. John Kerry and Joe Lieberman both voted against Yucca Mountain. Sen. John Edwards, D-N.C., voted for Yucca. Howard Dean and Wesley Clark both said they would be against Yucca Mountain.

McAuliffe also said the Democratic Party "feels comfortable" with the chances of Sen. Harry Reid to win re-election.