Democrats’ Bush Bashing Raises $1.7 Million

WASHINGTON -- As President Bush and his allies hopscotch the country to boost his reelection fund, leading Democrats gathered Wednesday in the capital to raise an estimated $1.7 million for their effort to boot Bush from office.

The opposition party’s $1,000-a-plate dinner drew seven of the nine contenders for the Democratic nomination for a bash-Bush bash at the Renaissance Mayflower Hotel, a few blocks from the White House. Only Sens. John F. Kerry of Massachusetts and Joe Lieberman of Connecticut missed the event.

One after another, the Democratic challengers told the audience of several hundred donors and activists that they would attack what one called Bush’s “radical” agenda.

“He believes in, honors and respects only wealth,” said Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina. “He wants to make sure that those who have it keep it.”

Sen. Bob Graham of Florida charged that Bush “had not told the truth to the American people” and that his administration should not be given “a certificate of accomplishment” by winning reelection.

But some contenders also lectured their own party. “We can’t beat George Bush by voting for half his stuff,” said former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean. “We’ve got to be proud of who we are as Democrats.”

Rep. Richard A. Gephardt of Missouri urged Democrats to be as ruthless as their foes. “We need to take all of this as seriously as the Republicans do,” he said. “They play hardball. They play for keeps.”

Indeed, the GOP fund-raising effort continued unabated Wednesday, as First Lady Laura Bush attended events in Philadelphia and Cincinnati. A Bush campaign spokesman, Dan Ronayne, said the two stops raised more than $1.36 million.

In all, Bush, his wife and Vice President Dick Cheney have raised about $13.2 million since the reelection campaign began its quest for cash on June 17, Ronayne said. The president is scheduled to swing through San Francisco and Los Angeles for more on Friday and then appear Monday at two fund-raisers in Florida.

Officially, Bush is seeking to raise $150 million to $170 million for his primary campaign in 2004. Some published estimates have put the goal even higher, at $200 million. Any of those totals would smash records.

Democrats said Bush’s fund drive would motivate their own activists, who know that Republicans will outspend them.

“Bush can pile the money as high as he wants,” said Guillermo Meneses, a party spokesman. “He’s going to need every penny of it because he’s going to be fighting the American people.”

Republicans, however, said Bush’s fund-raising prowess shows his popularity. Republican spokesman Jim Dyke said that since Bush took office in January 2001, the party had drawn more than 900,000 new donors who have given an average of $30 apiece.

“That goes to the breadth of support from people all across the country,” Dyke said.

The bulk of the money that both parties have collected, however, comes not from small donors but from individuals giving as much as $2,000 per candidate -- up from a $1,000 limit in the last election, thanks to the new federal campaign law. Under the law, an individual will be able to give up to $95,000 for the 2003-04 election cycle to party committees and candidates.

The Democrats’ event Wednesday also honored one of the party’s top donors, Los Angeles entertainment magnate Haim Saban, who gave the Democratic National Committee $7 million in 2002 for a new headquarters here. That is the party’s largest single donation and is thought to be one of the largest on record in American politics.

Times staff writer Justin Gest contributed to this report.