Reply #76: Presidential candidates often do not vote on legislation when they

[Zorra]

are campaigning if their vote is not critical to the passage or non-passage of a bill, or if it is politically or personally expedient to refrain from voting when their vote is not critical.

And, of course, sometimes even the best legislators make errors in judgement.

Realistically, given Senator Kerry's consistent long term pro-choice stance on the choice issue, don't you think that in all probability he would have voted on the legislation you posted, if he knew his vote was critical?

I think that John Kerry is an excellent Senator. He has not always voted to my satisfaction, but the overwhelming majority of his votes were consistent with my wishes. He would not, however, be my first choice as a Presidential candidate, although I would again work diligently to get him elected to the Presidency if he is nominated, and I do believe that he would be a good President.

In my personal ideal world, every Democratic legislator would vote exactly how I want them to on every issue.

But this is the real world, and it appears to me that in the real world compromise is sometimes necessary, particularly in a democracy that is already severely compromised by private interests, and is currently in imminent danger of being irrevocably destroyed by the forces of fascism.