Will Kerry be able to survive being put under the magnifying glass?

[KaraokeKarlton]

I don't think he will be able to. For months, Dean has withstood some harsh criticism and a pig pile from other democrats, republicans and the media...and he's still standing. I read one report that says he's raised $1.8 million since Iowa. None of the others would be able to do that after coming in 3rd in Iowa and 2nd in NH. I also saw a report where Kerry is begging influential party insiders to get him money. Dean doesn't need that help. We all watched how easy it was to knock Kerry down when Dean steam rolled over him for a year. Kerry's long voting record holds many, many embarassments and ammunition for Bush to use against him. Kerry is too liberal to be electable. His voting record proves it. Dean, on the other hand, is a proven moderate. All one has to do is look at his Vermont record. I live in Vermont and have witnessed first hand what kind of leader Howard Dean is. He's not a liberal, he's a moderate. He has proven repeatedly that he can get things done. He has the most authority when it comes to delivering health care because he's done it. He has the most authority when it comes to balancing budgets becase he ALWAYS balanced the budget. He has the most authority when it comes to reducing deficits and building up surpluses because again, he has DONE it!

Now, who do you want to put up against Bush? Someone who says "I would do this." or "I have done this."? I'm tired of empty words intended to con me into wasting my vote. I want someone who has delivered on their promises time and time again...Howard Dean.

Let's talk about tax cuts and all the promises the candidates are making. Think about this for a minute. Just how is John Kerry going to pay for everything he's promising AND reduce the deficit and balance the budget? There's NO way he can do it because he won't get rid of all the tax cuts. He can't pay for this stuff. It's the same with about all of the others.

If you want to save this country from going bankrupt, you had better nominate someone who has some experience balancing budgets, eliminating deficits and building up surpluses. That guy is Howard Dean.

[sangh0]

1. The question has already been answered

Kerry has already been under the microscope and he has survived.

[KaraokeKarlton]

2. No he hasn't

The only thing he's been criticized on his his recent votes and it's the Democrats who take issue with those. I'm talking about his long record of votes that make him unelectable against Bush. He hasn't been ripped apart at all, but he's going to be now. I don't think he's going to be able to survive it.

[BOHICA06]

3. Not only him ...

but his wife will be under the scope. His campaign needs to make sure all the cannons are secure.

Also, someone needs to vet his late 60s- early 70s activities - for way out there drug use (acid & schrooms to name two) - as well as radical associations he may have had in the course of the protest. All this to have a retort when the opposition research hits the fan.

[lyonn]

28. And his wife!

She appeared to be reeling last night. She could have been extremely tired, but I can remember in my younger days when I'd have too much to drink (or whatever in her case) that I had that same glassy eyed, fumbling, where am I Look. She appears very smart, but I also heard they have convinced her to "cool it" when it comes to her honest remarks about things. That's ok, but she could be a liability under republican scrutiny. Like him faking a puff on a joint during one recent TV episode with a singer (Stills & Nash?). I will vote for any Demo. but I want a candidate that stands a chance of winning. Bush appears to be beatable, regardless of the media. Geez demos., don't wimp out. Dean could do it to Bush I am so sure.

[MaineDem]

30. Insinuating Teresa was drunk???!!

This is going way too far now.

Good lord!

[lyonn]

35. Sorry MainDem

I started talking real stupid here. So what if she was blitzed.

[sangh0]

5. Yes he has

KK is just demonstrating an incredible level of ignorance concerning not just Kerry, but campaigning in general.

Does anyone besides KK really believe that Kerry has run for office several times, and the Repukes never looked into his record?

[KaraokeKarlton]

7. I hate to break it to you, but Liberal Mass. is NOT the whole country

What gets a pass in Mass isn't going to cut the mustard everywhere else.

[sangh0]

9. I hate to break it to you

but Kerry's record has been gone over by several Republican administrations. It's fairly well-known that the Repukes have had a 80+-page book of Kerry's supposed mis-steps, and people know what's in it. If there were anything serious in it, you wouldn't have to rely on innuendo; You would be posting some facts. As it is, there is little fact to be found in your argument

We're not scared of the GOP. Bring it on!

[Nicholas_J]

14. The continuation

Of Sour Grapes...

Lets look at some New Polls for Arizona, Okalhoma, and South Carolina.

Democratic
Preference
AZ
OK
SC

Clark 21% 23% 14%
Dean 10% 8% 9%
Edwards 15% 18% 21%
Kerry 24% 17% 17%
Kucinich 0% 1% 1%
Lieberman 7% 10% 5%
Sharpton 0% 1% 15%
Undecided 23% 22% 18%

John Kerry and Wesley Clark lead in Arizona as Howard Dean drops to fourth place. Details from the survey conducted January 23-25 are at Arizona.

Wesley Clark leads in Oklahoma by default as Howard Dean drops to fifth place. Details from the survey conducted January 23-25 are at Oklahoma.

John Edwards leads in South Carolina with John Kerry a close second. Details of the survey conducted January 23-24 are available at South Carolina.



http://www.americanresearchgroup.com/

Today on CSPAN, political editors from every statee for next weeks primaries stated that Dean cannot win in the south, that his having passed civil unions will have extremely bad consequences, talking about gay civil rights much more aacceptable tan having actually passedd the legislation. 3/4th of Southern Democrats oppose Deans repeal all of the Bush tax cuts plan. SOuthern Democrats forbthe most part also totally supported the warin Iraq. South Carolina has the largest number of Veterans in the U.S. 450,000. Kerry has 17,000 of them alone actively working for his campaign.

The south is my neck of the woods and has been for 31 years.

WHich is why Dean is so far behind in the polls above. In New Hampshire his slight rebound can be attributed to his being in his own backyard. So was Kerry, but it was obvious that Kerry's message was running on equal par with Deans, and his electability considered far better.

In South Carolina, particularly among the Veterans andBlack voters, electability is the major issue. They have been hurt far more by Bush than people in most other states as they get so little from the government to begin with. They want Bush out, and they want the most electable candidate. The polls who who they are beginning to think that is. Kerry is doing quite well in these states for a "Massachusetts liberal"

[KaraokeKarlton]

26. The south isn't anywhere near as offended by civil unions as you think

They want jobs, healthcare and a good education for their kids. And frankly, Mass. is going to let gay marriage become a reality. If you think Civil Unions won't play in the south, how on earth do you think actual gay marriage in Kerry's state will go over?

Dean already has a national organization. Kerry has diddly squat in states beyond NH.

Oh, and you should expect the polls to change very soon. Dean's speech last night was far better than Kerry's. Everyone knows the only reason Kerry won NH is because he did well in Iowa and not because his message is best or because he's the best one for the job. As soon as the media goes after him full force like they did Dean, Kerry will fall faster than a house of cards in a twister.

[sangh0]

37. Dems who want jobs, healthcare and a good education

voted for Kerry.

[KaraokeKarlton]

39. Dean is the only one running who has created jobs, provided healthcare

and gave the children of Vermont TRUE educational equality. Dean is 1000% better than Kerry could ever hope to be on these issues. Kerry is just a pretender, Dean is the Real Deal.

[KaraokeKarlton]

24. What people will overlook in liberal Mass is a far cry different

from what the rest of the country will be willing to overlook. Kerry also has the same personality as Bob Dole, and regardless of how much many people can't stand Bush, he at least has a commanding personality and presence. Kerry will never be able to compete effectively with that. He's also co-opting the same lines Dean's been saying for over a year. The lines are good, but they lack authenticity coming from Kerry. I don't think Kerry will be able to withstand the heat on a national level now that everyone is paying attention.

[Nicholas_J]

11. He got a pass in Mass

In New Hampshire, and in Iowa.

Sorry, they have already heard all of the stuff broken out about Kerry before, it has been in local local papers even during this camapaign and it didnt effect Kerry at all.

This is simply more sour grapes...

By the way, some new polls from South Carolina, Oklahoma, and Arizona:

American Research Group

1/28/2004

Moe 4%

Democratic
Preference
AZ
OK
SC

Clark 21% 23% 14%
Dean 10% 8% 9%
Edwards 15% 18% 21%
Kerry 24% 17% 17%
Kucinich 0% 1% 1%
Lieberman 7% 10% 5%
Sharpton 0% 1% 15%
Undecided 23% 22% 18%

John Kerry and Wesley Clark lead in Arizona as Howard Dean drops to fourth place. Details from the survey conducted January 23-25 are at Arizona.

Wesley Clark leads in Oklahoma by default as Howard Dean drops to fifth place. Details from the survey conducted January 23-25 are at Oklahoma.

John Edwards leads in South Carolina with John Kerry a close second. Details of the survey conducted January 23-24 are available at South Carolina.

[KaraokeKarlton]

27. None of the minor stories that came out affected him because

no one was paying any attention to him. Everyone was watching Dean. Now it's Kerry's turn to be torn to shreds. He isn't strong enough to hold up to the scrutiny.

[Nicholas_J]

8. There is absolutely nothing

that you have brought up that Kerry hasnt been attacked on and had scritinized under a scanning electron microscope. He has never lost an election, and the last time he ran, no one bothered running against him as it was considered hopeless.

Dean on the other hand was taken down from being extremely far in the lead of all of the other candidate with the mildest of scrutiy from the media, not even the Bush/Rove machine. Deans lack of self control led to that, and ther is simply no evidence of any kind that he will suddenly change his spots if he becomes the nominee and be cautious and think before he says something that can even remotely be turned into "Howard Dean says that the Iraqi people were better off with Saddam Hussein in Power, by the Bush administration. Dean and Dean alone caused his drop in the polls, not just for the yell. but for month after month of making dozens of statemetns for which he had to apologize, or come back a day later and say "What I meant was".

That alone would allow Bush to win a major landslide victory over Dean. It is Kerry, not Dean who is best prepared to deal with the kind of attacks that the Bush re-election campaign will try to dish out. Nixon was far more intelligent than either Rove or Bush. Reagan and his group far more powerful. George Herbert Walker Bush the ex head of the Central Intelligence Agency.

Dean taken down by a few articles in Vermont Newspapers about his cuts to programs for the elderly. And this is before the general election when attacks are rather mild. The idea that what happened to Dean in both Iowa and New Hampsire was the result of extremely unfair attakcs and Rovian targetting is so laughable. Dean couldnt Deal with this and this is just the warm up. Not even serious political campaigning.

Well one shouldnt expect Dean to know how to deal with it, as he was just a governor of a rather small and under-populated state. He was supposed to be a tough street fighter, But when it got too hot, he went and cried to Terry McAuliffe that everyone was picking on him....boo hoo.

Political ournalist just sat on C-SOAN today and rolled out all of the reasons that Dean would not survive even against the other candidates in the south, let alone against Bush. Flat out 100 percent, his having passed civil unions in Vermont was stated by every one of them as being something that would lose him every state to Bush. And that was just one thing. Both I, and they know the south and its voters very, very well. They will vote for a person who talks about doing something about gay civil unions.They will absolutely not vote for a person who passed the legislation. Ever. They are deeply religious, anti abortion, anti gay civil unions, totally opposed to Deans ideas about repealing the middle class tax cuts. Totally.

Bush would be able to beat Dean without breaking a sweat.

Sorry, Dean simply isnt tough enouh to deal with it.

Kerry is the "Real Deal"

[blm]

13. You can do a better job than Scaife and his operatives who already failed

to take Kerry down?

You can do a better job than the GOP operatives who have been on Kerry's tail since Nixon? Try listening to the Nixon tapes.

They already TRIED to take Kerry down during his investigations into BCCI, IranContra and CIA drugrunning. Guess what? He survived.

[Nicholas_J]

16. He not only survived

He won the cases against them, and these guys would have gone to jail had not Popy Bush pardoned them. But they couldnt touch Kerry.

[ScreamingMeemie]

6. To be sure, it's going to be hard on all of the candidates when

they get to the Midwest states. Michigan has been hard (HARD) hit by unemployment and Kerry really hasn't addressed this part of the country. I'll be interested to see what he has to say. :hi:

33 Whirlpool jobs were cut and sent out of the country just today...

[DoNotRefill]

22. Surviving a microscope in MASS is DIFFERENT than...

surviving under the national microscope.

[CWebster]

4. unfortunately

Kerry has the worst of both worlds. The cliched NorthEastern elitist liberal record in the mold of Teddy Kennedy and at the same time a record of complicity with Bush policies in the past 3 years. Bush can attack him for both. In addition, Kerry has all the worst attributes of Gore, magnified, and in time may not appear the most electible. ABB will be all he has.

[janx]

18. Kerry would be mutilated in the general election.

.

[auntpattywatty]

10. Botox is the next "subject"

[Snivi Yllom]

12. well Kerry is now in the hot seat

Let's see how he handles it when all the scrutiny is on him now.

[sangh0]

15. Sour grapes?

That would explain the whine

[Nicholas_J]

17. God!!!

That was bad...

[molly]

23. He's been there before on Nixon's hit list and he

did quite well - thankyou very much!

[lyonn]

32. you are talking history

As so many on here have said, what has Kerry done lately? Nixon era? Iran Contra, he wasn't the only one covering that one for sure. The bank investigation, BCCI, that situation is deeper than Kerry can cope with. It is hard to deny how Kerry has voted since Bush. He was too cautious to stand up for what was truly important to the U.S. So many of us heard all the Bush carp about weapons, etc. and were not convinced. So we had troops all around Iraq, we forced Saddam to allow inspectors, Great, that was the plan, No, that was a ploy, Bush told us Saddam was not cooperating. Yeah. Well, Kerry went for all this BS. Sorry, he is not very smart.

[oasis]

19. Winners have no problem raising funds. The money will come rolling in.

Endorsements will come rolling in.

As for Kerry's record, American's are tired of negative campaigning. Nasty attack ads and flyers will not be tolerated. The press will not be given a pass to "Gore" Kerry.

:thumbsup:

Kerry has the backing of war veterans and firefighters which will be reassuring to voters. :thumbsup:

We're looking at a winner. :thumbsup:

[On the Road]

21. Why Do You Say "the Press Will Not be Given a Pass"?

Who needs to give them a pass? Give it a week.

[oasis]

25. Democrats are well aware of how the press savaged Gore in 2000.

JK, Teresa and the Democratic establishment will call them on any pettiness.

[CWebster]

31. the mainstream press will give Kerry a pass

"There are but a few weeks to go before the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary. Time has grown short. In an effort to galvanize the message Kerry wants to deliver in the time remaining, he convened a powerful roster of journalists and columnists in the New York City apartment of Al Franken last Thursday. The gathering could not properly be called a meeting or a luncheon. It was a trial. The journalists served as prosecuting attorneys, jury and judge. The crowd I joined in Franken’s living room was comprised of:
Al Franken and his wife Franni;
Rick Hertzberg, senior editor for the New Yorker;
David Remnick, editor for the New Yorker;
Jim Kelly, managing editor for Time Magazine;
Howard Fineman, chief political correspondent for Newsweek;
Jeff Greenfield, senior correspondent and analyst for CNN;
Frank Rich, columnist for the New York Times;
Eric Alterman, author and columnist for MSNBC and the Nation;
Art Spiegelman, Pulitzer Prize winning cartoonist/author of ‘Maus’;
Richard Cohen, columnist for the Washington Post;
Fred Kaplan, columnist for Slate;
Jacob Weisberg, editor of Slate and author;
Jonathan Alter, senior editor and columnist for Newsweek;
Philip Gourevitch, columnist for the New Yorker;
Calvin Trillin, freelance writer and author;
Edward Jay Epstein, investigative reporter and author;
Arthur Schlesinger, Jr., who needs no introduction."



http://truthout.org/docs_03/121003A.shtml


The annoited one is coached, the media is onboard.

[lyonn]

33. "and it was spoken

We know this goes on but don't want to believe it. Oh well. Thanks anyway.

[MaineDem]

20. Asked and answered (nt)

.

[lyonn]

29. Won't scrutinize Kerry until he is nominated

I think the Rep. would like to go against Kerry, so, they will wait until he is nominated to hammer him.

[tryanhas]

34. It doesn't matter

Nothing with Mr. Skull and Bones matters.

His entire candidacy is to the liking of the very people who OWN THE SPECIAL INTERESTS.

Who cares about an ACCOMPLICE OF THE SPECIAL INTERESTS (the people who own them = Skull and Bones) coming under a magnifying glass?

I don't, and I'm not going to be crazy enough to vote for a joke.

I can't believe that people are willing to overlook this guy's affiliations and vote for him. YOU MIGHT AS WELL VOTE FOR THE NAZIS IF YOU ARE GOING TO VOTE FOR KERRY AND THE GROUP WHO HELPED FUND THEM!

[frustrated_lefty]

36. I don't think he can.

He'll be attacked from the right, as has already started, with claims that he's more liberal than Ted Kennedy. AND he'll be attacked from the left as well. I really kind of think he'll be obliterated. Several people here are saying he's withstood attacks for decades. I would love to hear thoughts with regard to the following claims:

Voted for : H.R. 1122 Abortion Procedure Ban
“The legislation bans an abortion method known in the medical community as "dilation and extraction"(D&X) and "intact dialation and evacuation" (D&E) and misleadingly characterized by anti-choice legislators as "partial-birth abortion." http://archive.aclu.org/vote-guide/448.html
“at the end of the Cold War, Kerry advocated scaling back the CIA, but after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, he complained about a lack of intelligence capability. “
“In the 1980s, he opposed the death penalty for terrorists who killed Americans abroad, but he now supports the death penalty for terrorist acts. “
http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/nation/2369868

“Welfare reform - With bipartisan support and the endorsement of President Clinton, the
House and Senate approved legislation that preyed on the limited rights of vulnerable
groups including children, immigrants, the poor and the elderly in the name of welfare
reform. The bill also eroded free speech for not-for-profit organizations, violated
the separation of church and state, and damaged privacy rights by establishing a de
facto national identification system. The legislation passed the House on a vote of
256 to 170; the Senate approved the measure with a vote of 74 to 25. “

The ACLU Urged a Vote Against the Legislation
Sen John Kerry voted for this and so did Lieberman, Santorum & Ashcroft...

Senate Vote on Government Funding of Religious Institutions
S. 1956

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

”Government Funding of Religious Institutions - Included in the welfare overhaul was
a provision that could force state governments, under threat of lawsuits, to
contract with religious institutions, including houses of worship, to provide
taxpayer-funded social services, even if they are delivered in a proselytizing
environment. This, too, was a recurring theme in the 104th Congress where opponents
of religious liberty repeatedly sought to pass provisions to lower the wall of
separation between church and state. In the Senate, the provisions were
inserted into the welfare bill by a vote of 67 to 32. There was no separate vote
on the provisions in the House.”

The ACLU Urged a Vote For the Separation of Church and State
Kerry voted against ACLU and so did Lieberman, Santorum & Ashcroft...

How the Senate voted on Internet Censorship
S.652

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

”Internet Censorship - As part of a major overhaul of the nation's telecommunications
industries, both the House and Senate approved major new censorship schemes for the
Internet. The Senate adopted its version, the so-called Communications Decency Act,
by a vote of 84 to 16. A similar censorship scheme was adopted in the House on a vote
of 256 to 149 as part of its version of telecommunications reform. The final bill
incorporated much of both provisions and passed overwhelmingly with only five
senators and 16 representatives registering opposition. Minutes after President
Clinton signed the legislation, the ACLU challenged its constitutionality in
Reno v. ACLU. “

The ACLU Urged a Vote Against Censorship
Kerry voted for this Even Lieberman voting only 28% w/ ACLU voted against this...

Senate Vote on Campaign Finance Reform
S. 1219

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

”Campaign Finance Reform - In a sign of widespread disillusion with the political
process, both the House and Senate considered versions of campaign finance reform
that the ACLU believed to be unconstitutional infringements of free speech
provisions of the First Amendment. In the Senate, a motion to end a filibuster
against the bill failed by a vote of 54 to 36, six votes short of the 60 needed to
end debate. In the House, campaign finance was rejected by a vote of 259 to 162. “

The ACLU Urged a Vote For the First Amendment
Kerry and Lieberman voted against the First amendment... Even Ashcroft and Santorum voted for the 1st...

Senate Vote on Medical Privacy
H.R 3103

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

”Medical privacy - Hidden within the massive health care reform bill approved by
Congress in the stampede for an August recess was a deceptively labeled provision
that further eroded the privacy rights of all Americans. The provision, known as
"administrative simplification," gives government and businesses access to
confidential medical information about individuals without their consent and
establishes a unique health identification number for every patient, health
provider, health plan and employer. The medical privacy provisions of the bill
never came up for a separate vote, but the Senate approved the health care
measure on a vote of 98 to 0. Earlier, the House had rejected by a vote of
198 to 226 an alternative version of the bill that would have deleted the
anti-privacy provisions. “

The ACLU Urged a Vote For Medical Privacy
Kerry, Lieberman, Ashcroft, Santorum and many others voted against Medical Privacy...

Senate Vote on Immigration Legislation
H.R. 2202

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

”Immigration - Seeking to capitalize on a wave of anti-immigration initiatives,
both the House and Senate passed bills that represented the most draconian and
divisive immigration proposals in decades. Included were provisions that would
strip the courts of jurisdiction over illegal and abusive INS actions and erect
enormous and virtually insurmountable barriers for most people seeking political
asylum. The House even approved a bill that would have effectively denied public
education to American citizen children of undocumented immigrants. The Senate
voted 97 to 3 to accept one version of the legislation; the House approved a
harsher version by a vote of 333 to 87. The President signed the immigration
legislation in September. “

The ACLU Urged a Vote Against the Legislation
Kerry, Lieberman, Ashcroft, Santorum and many others voted for this...

Senate Vote on National ID Cards
S. 1664

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

”National ID Card - One of the most pervasive themes of the 104th Congress has
been proposals to establish a national identification system as a means of tracking
undocumented workers, so-called deadbeat dads and to monitor health insurance
information. Various database schemes have been included in bills as diverse as
immigration, welfare reform and health insurance. Since these proposals have been
buried in much larger legislation, it was often difficult to determine the position
of members of Congress. In the House, however, an attempt to eliminate a national
ID system from the immigration bill failed by a vote of 159 to 260. A similar
attempt in the Senate failed by a vote of 46 to 54. “

The ACLU Urged a Vote Against National ID Cards
Kerry voted FOR this... Even Lieberman, Ashcroft, Lott and Santorum were against this...

Senate Vote on Wiretapping

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

”Wiretapping - Although the interception of innocent conversations in federal law
enforcement wiretaps is already at record levels, Congress has been repeatedly asked
to give the FBI even greater authority to wiretap. Proposals have ranged from
providing $500 million to the nation's phone companies to finance a retrofit of their
systems to make it easier for the FBI to wiretap to permitting law enforcement
agencies to use more "roving" wiretaps (without specifying which phone is to be
tapped), and more "emergency" wiretaps (without obtaining a prior court order). “

The ACLU Urged a Vote Against Wiretapping
Kerry voted FOR Wiretapping with Lieberman and his other buddy Santorum...

How the Senate Voted on Counter-Terrorism
S. 735

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

”Counter-terrorism - The bombing of the Oklahoma City Federal Building lifted from
obscurity a Clinton Administration proposal to increase the powers of law
enforcement in the name of fighting terrorism. The measure gave the government the
power to use secret evidence to deport immigrants it accuses of being "terrorists"
and to exclude aliens merely because they are members of a disfavored foreign group.
The bill won approval in the Senate by a vote of 91 to 8 and a vote of 293 to 133 in
the House.”

The ACLU Urged a Vote Against the Legislation
Kerry voted FOR this with Lieberman, Ashcroft and Santorum...

”Most of all Sen John Kerry voted for the INVASION of IRAQ... Kerry's voting record
on these issues is almost as bad as Santorum... Least Santorum voted against national ID cards w/ the likes of Lott and even Ashcroft...”

”Kerry PRO War/Anti Peace/Pro Censorship/Pro Corporation/Bought & Sold/Skull & Bones Bush Blood Brother...”

http://archive.aclu.org/vote-guide/Kerry_J.html
http://www.madhattersimc.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=2756

In 1994, Kerry Criticized Fellow Democrats For Pushing Health Care Reform . . .
“ said Kennedy and Clinton’s insistence on pushing health care reform was a major cause of the Democratic Party’s problems at the polls.” (Joe Battenfeld, “Jenny Craig Hit With Sex Harassment Complaint - By Men,” The Boston Herald, 11/30/94)
““Kerry … had tough words for Democratic House leaders and Clinton, saying their ‘agenda slid into mono-syllabic health care’ reform that was not supported by most voters.” (Andrea Estes, “‘Rebel’ Kerry Toed Line For The Party,” The Boston Herald, 12/1/94)
Then In 1996 Kerry Exaggerated His Own Health Care Record . . .
“Kerry Said In A Press Conference: ’“I introduced yesterday in the United States Senate a bill to give 10 million kids in the United States of America health care with a voluntary subsidy program.’ It was stirring campaign rhetoric, with just one problem: It wasn’t true. Kerry had not introduced a bill …” (Michael Grunwald, “Kerry Files Health Bill After 3-Month Delay,” The Boston Globe, 10/2/96) “
“Three months later . . . “Kerry finally introduced a bill after the Globe inquired about it. He had already aired television ads hailing his fight for a ‘new plan that provides health coverage for all of America’s children.’” (Michael Grunwald, “Kerry Files Health Bill After 3-Month Delay,” The Boston Globe, 10/2/96)”
http://www.rnc.org/RNCResearch/read.aspx?ID=1926

“John Kerry loves taxes, but not tax reform. His voting record over the past few years does not have a single vote for meaningful tax reform or tax relief. In the Clinton years he voted for the biggest tax increase in American history. In 1998 Kerry even voted against requiring a supermajority to raise taxes to ensure that it would continue to be easy to pursue his tax and spend agenda.”
http://www.cse.org/informed/issues_template.php?issue_id=1476
“His most famous - and first - appearance on the national stage came when he supposedly threw his Vietnam combat medals over the White House fence in a protest against the war. Guess what? Those were not his medals; they belonged to another Vietnam vet. Kerry kept his medals so that - like today - he can play both sides of the street.”

“All these lies and deceptions pale by comparison with his biggest act of dishonesty: his performance as Co-Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on POWs and MIAs back in the early 1990's. Along with Senator John McCain this was a classic case of a committee with a pre-determined agenda . For various and different reasons, both Kerry and McCain - along with the first Bush Administration which cooperated in the creation and activities of this committee - each had an underhanded and evil intention in their hijacking of this committee.”

”John Kerry wanted to have normalized relations with Hanoi so that real estate associates could do business in Vietnam and make money. What stood in the way of this? The lingering questions about US POWs still held against their will in Vietnam and Laos. So he took control of this committee and saw to it that the POW issue was crushed . “

”Kerry destroyed anyone who stood in his way. Staffers were removed who produced evidence proving that US POWs were still alive. POW advocacy groups who 'kept the issue alive' were threatened with legal prosecution ! (A prep school classmate of Kerry's, then an Assistant US Attorney General, said, "The leaders of these POW groups should be put in jail." That Kerry classmate? Present FBI Director Robert Mueller.)”
http://www.americandaily.com/item/206

“And none of that jaw, jaw stuff, either. Talking and resoluting is for wussies. The senator wanted war, war: "In my judgment, the Security Council should authorize a strong U.N. military response that will materially damage, if not totally destroy, as much as possible of the suspected infrastructure for developing and manufacturing weapons of mass destruction, as well as key military command and control nodes. ... This should not be a strike consisting only of a handful of cruise missiles hitting isolated targets."
“And if those wussies at the United Nations insisted on being their usual pantywaist selves, a good American president, not someone like Bill Clinton, would know what to do: "While we should always seek to take significant international actions on a multilateral rather than a unilateral basis whenever that is possible, in the final analysis ... we must have the courage to do what we believe is right and wise."
“George W. Bush never said it any better himself. He had the courage, as we all saw, and he took the senator's advice.”

http://www.washtimes.com/national/pruden.htm

[KaraokeKarlton]

38. Kerry will be so easy for Bush to portray as unpatriotic and anti-American

Just because he served in Vietnam doesn't innoculate him from what will come. The national defense issue isn't even anywhere near the top of my list on important issues for 2004 and even I see Kerry as being too easy to portray as weak on national security, defense and foreign policy. His positions change with the wind and lacks any kind of consistency whatsoever. He's flighty on the issues.

[mitchum]

40. He's been under the magnifying glass for 30 years...

and he's still standing. And he's been worked over by dirty tricksters who make Joe Trippi look like a piker.

[Zomby Woof]

41. what I want to know

What happened to all those independent swing voters in NH who were supposed to push Dean past Kerry in the primary? :shrug:

[XanaDUer]

42. I was wondering the same thing myself.

Oh, well.

[Zomby Woof]

43. They're small states

But you can't know how EVERYONE thinks! :think: