Joey L is turning up the volume. From Yahoo / AP:

The mild-mannered Connecticut senator, his presidential campaign stalled in the Democratic Party's middling mass, is directing harsher salvos at President Bush and — most notably — his rivals.

He says Howard Dean probably can't get elected, accuses John Kerry of waffling on Iraq and calls Dick Gephardt's health care plan "big-government spending."

The most conservative of the field's nine candidates, Lieberman may finally be following the advice of frustrated advisers and even former President Clinton. Their counsel: Toughen your spine in a primary race dominated by liberal voters and angry partisans.

Another local press account of how a candidate - here Lieberman - is rubbing elbows with the common man, this time from the Nashua Telegraph (NH). Among other items, Lieberman talks of plans to help US firms compete agains foreign competition, and to increase government purchasing of US products. A taste:

Lieberman said in two weeks, he will detail plans to help manufacturers compete with foreign competition. Specifically, he mentioned China, which makes up more than 20 percent of the U.S. trade deficit.

“There certainly is a strong feeling among a lot of American manufacturers that the Chinese and others around the world are breaking international trade terms and dumping products here at prices below what manufacturers can produce here,” he said.

Lieberman is also exploring incentives for the federal government to “buy American” with its $2.3 trillion in annual spending.

“We ought to offer a premium for buying American products with that money,” he said. “I’ll be back with details.”

From the Washington Times:

In theory, the senior senator from Connecticut has a lot going for him as the only Jew among the nine Democrats in the intensifying hunt for the 2004 nomination.

But some of his co-religionists also say Jewish donors feel drawn to President Bush, who is turning out to be the best friend Israel has ever had in the Oval Office.

"The smart political money in the Jewish community right now is sitting on the sidelines or supporting the president," says Lee Cowen, a Washington-based Jewish fund-raiser.

JL was stumping in New Hampshire today. This account from the Stamford Advocate (CT):

Democratic presidential hopeful Joe Lieberman drew inspiration from former Presidents Bill Clinton and Harry Truman on Monday, telling customers at a diner that "It's still the economy, stupid," and "The best social welfare program is a job."

At his next campaign stop, a sheet metal factory, he also quoted former third-party candidate and free trade opponent Ross Perot as he talked about the "sucking sound" of American manufacturing jobs heading overseas to China and East Asia.

From the New Haven Register (CT):

Lieberman’s campaign message had focused on "electability," that as the most conservative of the nine-member Democratic pack he has the best shot of beating President Bush come November 2004.

Some observers, however, say that Lieberman has to lean more to the left if he’s to win over Democratic voters in key primary states.

"He has the image of being ‘Bush Lite,’" said Scott McLean, a political science professor at Quinnipiac University. "He needs to prove he’s not Bush Lite to core (Democratic) voters ...

... But according to a top campaign staffer, Lieberman’s going to hold fast to the traditionally Republican positions on national defense, fiscal conservatism and moral values.

And Dean is of little concern, the staffer said.

From the Portsmouth Herald (NH):

U.S. Sen. and presidential candidate Joe Lieberman spent his Fourth of July in New Hampshire, mingling, chatting and laughing with what he called the "independent-minded people" of New Hampshire ...

... "Let our conceptions be enlarged to the circle of our duties," Lieberman repeated because he said he really likes that line. "Let us extend our ideas over the whole of the vast field in which we are called to act."

Lieberman said he felt right at home in New Hampshire because his own independent way of thinking and his optimism - just like those of the residents he was speaking to - differentiates him from the other candidates.

AP:

AMHERST, N.H. - While people across the country celebrated Fourth of July with barbecues, baseball games and parades, residents of the first-in-the-nation primary state sized up possible presidents.

Four presidential hopefuls made their pitch to voters while marching with kids on bikes, Revolutionary War re-enactors, scouts, unicyclists and bands. New Hampshire's primary is scheduled for Jan. 27, 2004.

Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry and former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean had the most supporters — and noisemakers — while marching in Amherst and then Merrimack, both within 15 miles of the Massachusetts state line. Kerry has ranked first in New Hampshire's latest polls and Dean has come in second.

Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman and Florida Sen. Bob Graham had fewer supporters present, but both shook as many hands and kissed as many babies as the regional candidates.

From the Greenville News (SC):

Democratic presidential candidate Joseph Lieberman trolled for primary votes in Greenville Thursday, touring Greenville Hospital System's Cancer Treatment Center, and meeting publicly with local backers and privately with black clergymen.

Lieberman said GHS's cancer research laboratories fit perfectly with his proposed $150 billion American Center for Cures, a program to step up research into chronic diseases by funding clinical trials, research grants to speed drug development and large-scale research across disciplines.

From the Washington Times:

A late surge in donations has preserved the viability of Sen. Joe Lieberman's campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination, but political observers warn that his weakness in two early primary states still imperil his chances for the White House.

Mr. Lieberman, of Connecticut, was perceived by many as an early front-runner for the nomination because of his position as vice presidential nominee on Al Gore's ticket in 2000.

Polls gauging the mood of Democratic voters nationwide have Mr. Lieberman at least five points ahead of his rivals. Yet despite his popularity, the Lieberman campaign took on an air of desperation as second-quarter fund raising ended on June 30.

From the Concord Monitor (NH):

Sen. Joseph Lieberman won a sweet endorsement of sorts yesterday from one of his rivals for the Democratic presidential nomination.

Sen. Bob Graham of Florida was campaigning at the Puritan Backroom Restaurant at the same time Lieberman's wife was there handing out scoops of ice cream the restaurant's owner had named in the couple's honor.

Without giving away the names, Hadassah Lieberman asked Graham whether he'd prefer a cappucino-flavored concoction, or a chocolate scoop studded with almonds, chocolate chips and marshmallows.

He chose the coffee flavor, "Cup of Joe Lieberman," over the "Heavenly Hadassah."