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Kerry wants to debate Bush
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Kerry expressed his desire to debate Bush once a month until the election is held. No surprise there.
Story
The response from the Bush campaign is hilarious though,
Steve Schmidt, of the Bush campaign dismissed the debate request - he added,
"After calling Republicans crooks and liars, running 17 negative ads over 15,000 times and spending $6.3 million attacking the president, John Kerry is calling for a civil debate on the issues," said Schmidt. "John Kerry should finish the debate with himself."
- finish the debate with himself
[Edited on 15-3-2004 by Phoenix]
Story
The response from the Bush campaign is hilarious though,
Steve Schmidt, of the Bush campaign dismissed the debate request - he added,
"After calling Republicans crooks and liars, running 17 negative ads over 15,000 times and spending $6.3 million attacking the president, John Kerry is calling for a civil debate on the issues," said Schmidt. "John Kerry should finish the debate with himself."
- finish the debate with himself
[Edited on 15-3-2004 by Phoenix]
Now there would be a worthwhile Constitutional amendment - a live telvised unscripted debate in every state!
But honestly, you favor at least how many debates prior to election?
But honestly, you favor at least how many debates prior to election?
But honestly, you favor at least how many debates prior to election?
Now thats an honest question - I would favor about 6 of them in the 90 day period leading up to the election, people would have the issues discussed fresh on their mind when its time to vote - now is to soon to debate.
(with humor),
Besides that'll give Kerry enough time to finish the debate he's been having with himself before taking on Bush.
Now thats an honest question - I would favor about 6 of them in the 90 day period leading up to the election, people would have the issues discussed fresh on their mind when its time to vote - now is to soon to debate.
(with humor),
Besides that'll give Kerry enough time to finish the debate he's been having with himself before taking on Bush.
We'll be lucky to get three. Each debate entered is a debate lost for Bush....all his string pullers know that. So, besides demanding a format where
the questions are given to the candidates before hand, they'll stonewall debates vigorously.
You've had a microcosm here on ATS regarding the issues & there's been no 'wins' on the Bush supporters side.
The most hilarious of all? The Bush Boys here on ATS trying to take the flip flopper crown off of Bush's head & give it to Kerry!
"We will not apologize to China"
REALITY: The apology fell just short of claiming a mia culpa on the Yangtze River over flowing!
"I favor Free Trade"
REALITY: Steel Tarrifs & Farm Subsidies on par with the Soviet Union!
"I oppose running Deficits/D.Spending"
REALITY: "they don't matter ", Bush said, when trying to pass his 2003 tax cut!
"Gay marriage is a states issue"
REALITY: Amend the COnstitution to outlaw it in all state!
"Negotiating with North Korea was a failed Clinton tactic."
REALITY: We're negotiating with North Korea AND bringing in Bill Richardson from the Clinton Administration to do it !!
"I'm a Uniter, not a Divider"
REALITY:
"The US should not be in the business of Nation Building"
REALITY: Former UNOCAL Consultant ( as was Bush ) is the installed leader of Afganistan, and Iraq is being planted with more of the same!!
THere are TONS More, but that is to be expected by a sound byte excuse for intellect & policy. A brief recap:
Bush is against campaign finance reform; then he's for it.
Bush is against a Homeland Security Department; then he's for it.
Bush is against a 9/11 commission; then he's for it.
Bush is against an Iraq WMD investigation; then he's for it.
Bush is against nation building; then he's for it.
Bush is against deficits; then he's for them.
Bush is for free trade; then he's for tariffs on steel; then he's against them again.
Bush is against the U.S. taking a role in the Israeli Palestinian conflict; then he pushes for a "road map" and a Palestinian State.
Bush is for states right to decide on gay marriage, then he is for changing the constitution.
Bush first says he'll provide money for first responders (fire, police, emergency), then he doesn't.
Bush first says that 'help is on the way' to the military ... then he cuts benefits
Bush-"The most important thing is for us to find Osama bin Laden. Bush-"I don't know where he is. I have no idea and I really don't care.
Bush claims to be in favor of the environment and then secretly starts drilling on Padre Island.
Bush talks about helping education and increases mandates while cutting funding.
Bush first says the U.S. won't negotiate with North Korea. Now he will
Bush goes to Bob Jones University. Then say's he shouldn't have.
Bush said he would demand a U.N. Security Council vote on whether to sanction military action against Iraq. Later Bush announced he would not call for a vote
Bush said the "mission accomplished" banner was put up by the sailors. Bush later admits it was his advance team.
Bush was for fingerprinting and photographing Mexicans who enter the US. Bush after meeting with Pres. Fox, he's against it.
You've had a microcosm here on ATS regarding the issues & there's been no 'wins' on the Bush supporters side.
The most hilarious of all? The Bush Boys here on ATS trying to take the flip flopper crown off of Bush's head & give it to Kerry!
"We will not apologize to China"
REALITY: The apology fell just short of claiming a mia culpa on the Yangtze River over flowing!
"I favor Free Trade"
REALITY: Steel Tarrifs & Farm Subsidies on par with the Soviet Union!
"I oppose running Deficits/D.Spending"
REALITY: "they don't matter ", Bush said, when trying to pass his 2003 tax cut!
"Gay marriage is a states issue"
REALITY: Amend the COnstitution to outlaw it in all state!
"Negotiating with North Korea was a failed Clinton tactic."
REALITY: We're negotiating with North Korea AND bringing in Bill Richardson from the Clinton Administration to do it !!
"I'm a Uniter, not a Divider"
REALITY:
"The US should not be in the business of Nation Building"
REALITY: Former UNOCAL Consultant ( as was Bush ) is the installed leader of Afganistan, and Iraq is being planted with more of the same!!
THere are TONS More, but that is to be expected by a sound byte excuse for intellect & policy. A brief recap:
Bush is against campaign finance reform; then he's for it.
Bush is against a Homeland Security Department; then he's for it.
Bush is against a 9/11 commission; then he's for it.
Bush is against an Iraq WMD investigation; then he's for it.
Bush is against nation building; then he's for it.
Bush is against deficits; then he's for them.
Bush is for free trade; then he's for tariffs on steel; then he's against them again.
Bush is against the U.S. taking a role in the Israeli Palestinian conflict; then he pushes for a "road map" and a Palestinian State.
Bush is for states right to decide on gay marriage, then he is for changing the constitution.
Bush first says he'll provide money for first responders (fire, police, emergency), then he doesn't.
Bush first says that 'help is on the way' to the military ... then he cuts benefits
Bush-"The most important thing is for us to find Osama bin Laden. Bush-"I don't know where he is. I have no idea and I really don't care.
Bush claims to be in favor of the environment and then secretly starts drilling on Padre Island.
Bush talks about helping education and increases mandates while cutting funding.
Bush first says the U.S. won't negotiate with North Korea. Now he will
Bush goes to Bob Jones University. Then say's he shouldn't have.
Bush said he would demand a U.N. Security Council vote on whether to sanction military action against Iraq. Later Bush announced he would not call for a vote
Bush said the "mission accomplished" banner was put up by the sailors. Bush later admits it was his advance team.
Bush was for fingerprinting and photographing Mexicans who enter the US. Bush after meeting with Pres. Fox, he's against it.
The Bush flip flop list you posted is this big ( . ) compared to Kerrys - but if you dare me I'll post it, let me assure you it will be a veerryy
long list.
Kerry v. Kerry
Round 1: Flip-Flopped On Iraq War
Kerry Voted For Authorization To Use Force In Iraq. (H.J. Res. 114, CQ Vote #237: Passed 77-23: R 48-1; D 29-21; I 0-1, 10/11/02, Kerry Voted Yea.)
In First Dem Debate, Kerry Strongly Supported President�s Action In Iraq. KERRY: �George, I said at the time I would have preferred if we had given diplomacy a greater opportunity, but I think it was the right decision to disarm Saddam Hussein, and when the President made the decision, I supported him, and I support the fact that we did disarm him.� (ABC News, Democrat Presidential Candidate Debate, Columbia, SC, 5/4/03)
Kerry Later Claimed He Voted �To Threaten� Use Of Force In Iraq. �I voted to threaten the use of force to make Saddam Hussein comply with the resolutions of the United Nations.� (Sen. John Kerry, Remarks At Announcement Of Presidential Candidacy, Mount Pleasant, SC, 9/2/03)
Now, Kerry Says He Is Anti-War Candidate. CHRIS MATTHEWS: �Do you think you belong to that category of candidates who more or less are unhappy with this war, the way it�s been fought, along with General Clark, along with Howard Dean and not necessarily in companionship politically on the issue of the war with people like Lieberman, Edwards and Gephardt? Are you one of the anti-war candidates?� KERRY: �I am -- Yes, in the sense that I don�t believe the president took us to war as he should have, yes, absolutely.� (MSNBC�s �Hardball,� 1/6/04)
~2~Back To Fight
Round 2: Kerry Flip-Flopped On Eliminating Marriage Penalty For Middle Class
Kerry Said He Will Fight To Keep Tax Relief For Married Couples. �Howard Dean and Gephardt are going to put the marriage penalty back in place. So if you get married in America, we�re going to charge you more taxes. I do not want to do that.� (Fox News� �Special Report,� 10/23/03)
Said Democrats Fought To End Marriage Penalty Tax. �We fought hard to get rid of the marriage penalty.� (MSNBC�s �News Live,� 7/31/03)
But, In 1998, Kerry Voted Against Eliminating Marriage Penalty Relief For Married Taxpayers With Combined Incomes Less Than $50,000 Per Year, Saving Taxpayers $46 Billion Over 10 Years. (S. 1415, CQ Vote #154: Rejected 48-50: R 5-49; D 43-1, 6/10/98, Kerry Voted Yea)
~3~Back To Fight
Round 3: Flip-Flopped On Patriot Act
Kerry Voted For Patriot Act. The Patriot Act was passed nearly unanimously by the Senate 98-1, and 357-66 in the House. (H.R. 3162, CQ Vote #313: Passed 98-1: R 49-0; D 48-1; I 1-0, 10/25/01, Kerry Voted Yea)
Kerry Used To Defend His Vote. �Most of [The Patriot Act] has to do with improving the transfer of information between CIA and FBI, and it has to do with things that really were quite necessary in the wake of what happened on September 11th.� (Sen. John Kerry, Remarks At Town Hall Meeting, Manchester, NH, 8/6/03)
Now, Kerry Attacks Patriot Act. �We are a nation of laws and liberties, not of a knock in the night. So it is time to end the era of John Ashcroft. That starts with replacing the Patriot Act with a new law that protects our people and our liberties at the same time. I�ve been a District Attorney and I know that what law enforcement needs are real tools not restrictions on American�s basic rights.� (Sen. John Kerry, Remarks At Iowa State University, Iowa City, IA, 12/1/03)
~4~Back To Fight
Round 4: Kerry Took BOTH Sides On First Gulf War
Kerry Took BOTH Sides In First Gulf War In Separate Letters To Same Constituent. �Rather than take a side--albeit the one he thought was most expedient--Kerry actually stood on both sides of the first Gulf war, much like he did this time around. Consider this �Notebook� item from TNR�s March 25, 1991 issue, which ran under the headline �Same Senator, Same Constituent�: �Thank you for contacting me to express your opposition ... to the early use of military force by the US against Iraq. I share your concerns. On January 11, I voted in favor of a resolution that would have insisted that economic sanctions be given more time to work and against a resolution giving the president the immediate authority to go to war.� --letter from Senator John Kerry to Wallace Carter of Newton Centre, Massachusetts, dated January 22 [1991] �Thank you very much for contacting me to express your support for the actions of President Bush in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. From the outset of the invasion, I have strongly and unequivocally supported President Bush�s response to the crisis and the policy goals he has established with our military deployment in the Persian Gulf.� --Senator Kerry to Wallace Carter, January 31 [1991]� (Noam Scheiber, �Noam Scheiber�s Daily Journal of Politics, The New Republic Online, 1/28/04)
~5~Back To Fight
Round 5: Flip-Flopped On Gay Marriage Amendment
In 2002, Kerry Signed Letter �Urging� MA Legislature To Reject Constitutional Amendment Banning Gay Marriage. �We rarely comment on issues that are wholly within the jurisdiction of the General Court, but there are occasions when matters pending before you are of such significance to all residents of the Commonwealth that we think it appropriate for us to express our opinion. One such matter is the proposed Constitutional amendment that would prohibit or seriously inhibit any legal recognition whatsoever of same-sex relationships. We believe it would be a grave error for Massachusetts to enshrine in our Constitution a provision which would have such a negative effect on so many of our fellow residents. � We are therefore united in urging you to reject this Constitutional amendment and avoid stigmatizing so many of our fellow citizens who do not deserve to be treated in such a manner.� (Sen. John Kerry, et al, Letter To Members Of The Massachusetts Legislature, 7/12/02)
Now, In 2004, Kerry Won�t Rule Out Supporting Similar Amendment. �Asked if he would support a state constitutional amendment barring gay and lesbian marriages, Kerry didn�t rule out the possibility. �I�ll have to see what language there is,� he said.� (Susan Milligan, �Kerry Says GOP May Target Him On �Wedge Issue,�� The Boston Globe, 2/6/04)
~6~Back To Fight
Round 6: Flip-Flopped On Attacking President During Time Of War
In March 2003, Kerry Promised Not To Attack President When War Began. �Senator John F. Kerry of Massachusetts � said he will cease his complaints once the shooting starts. �It�s what you owe the troops,� said a statement from Kerry, a Navy veteran of the Vietnam War. �I remember being one of those guys and reading news reports from home. If America is at war, I won�t speak a word without measuring how it�ll sound to the guys doing the fighting when they�re listening to their radios in the desert.�� (Glen Johnson, �Democrats On The Stump Plot Their War Rhetoric,� The Boston Globe, 3/11/03)
But Weeks Later, With Troops Just Miles From Baghdad, Kerry Broke His Pledge. ��What we need now is not just a regime change in Saddam Hussein and Iraq, but we need a regime change in the United States,� Kerry said in a speech at the Peterborough Town Library. Despite pledging two weeks ago to cool his criticism of the administration once war began, Kerry unleashed a barrage of criticism as US troops fought within 25 miles of Baghdad.� (Glen Johnson, �Kerry Says Us Needs Its Own �Regime Change,�� The Boston Globe, 4/3/03)
~7~Back To Fight
Round 7: Flip-Flopped On Death Penalty For Terrorists
In 1996, Kerry Attacked Governor Bill Weld For Supporting Death Penalty For Terrorists. KERRY: �Your policy would amount to a terrorist protection policy. Mine would put them in jail.� (1996 Massachusetts Senate Debate, 9/16/96)
In 1996, Kerry Said, �You Can Change Your Mind On Things, But Not On Life-And-Death Issues.� (Timothy J. Connolly, �The �Snoozer� Had Some Life,� [Worcester, MA] Telegram & Gazette, 7/3/96)
But, In 2002, Kerry Said He Supported Death Penalty For Terrorists. KERRY: �The law of the land is the law of the land, but I have also said that I am for the death penalty for terrorists because terrorists have declared war on your country.� (NBC�s �Meet The Press,� 12/1/02)
~8~Back To Fight
Round 8: Flip-Flopped On No Child Left Behind
Kerry Voted For No Child Left Behind Act. (H.R. 1, CQ Vote #371: Adopted 87-10: R 44-3; D 43-6; I 0-1, 12/18/01, Kerry Voted Yea)
But Now Kerry Is Attacking No Child Left Behind As �Mockery.� �Between now and the time I�m sworn in January 2005, I�m going to use every day to make this president accountable for making a mockery of the words �No Child Left Behind.�� (Holly Ramer, �Kerry Wants To Make �Environmental Justice� A Priority,� The Associated Press, 4/22/03)
Kerry Trashed NCLB As �Unfunded Mandate� With �Laudable� Goals. �Kerry referred to [No Child Left Behind] as an �unfunded mandate� with �laudable� goals. �Without the resources, education reform is a sham,� Kerry said. �I can�t wait to crisscross this country and hold this president accountable for making a mockery of the words �no child left behind.��� (Matt Leon, �Sen. Kerry In Tune With Educators,� The [Quincy, MA] Patriot Ledger, 7/11/03)
~9~Back To Fight
Round 9: Flip-Flopped On Affirmative Action
In 1992, Kerry Called Affirmative Action �Inherently Limited And Divisive.� �[W]hile praising affirmative action as �one kind of progress� that grew out of civil rights court battles, Kerry said the focus on a rights-based agenda has �inadvertently driven most of our focus in this country not to the issue of what is happening to the kids who do not get touched by affirmative action, but � toward an inherently limited and divisive program which is called affirmative action.� That agenda is limited, he said, because it benefits segments of black and minority populations, but not all. And it is divisive because it creates a �perception and a reality of reverse discrimination that has actually engendered racism.�� (Lynne Duke, �Senators Seek Serious Dialogue On Race,� The Washington Post, 4/8/92)
In 2004, Kerry Denied Ever Having Called Affirmative Action �Divisive.� CNN�s KELLY WALLACE: �We caught up with the Senator, who said he never called affirmative action divisive, and accused Clark of playing politics.� SEN. KERRY: �That�s not what I said. I said there are people who believe that. And I said mend it, don�t end it. He�s trying to change what I said, but you can go read the quote. I said very clearly I have always voted for it. I�ve always supported it. I�ve never, ever condemned it. I did what Jim Clyburn did and what Bill Clinton did, which is mend it. And Jim Clyburn wouldn�t be supporting it if it were otherwise. So let�s not have any politics here. Let�s keep the truth.� (CNN�s �Inside Politics,� 1/30/04)
~10~Back To Fight
Round 10: Flip-Flopped On Ethanol
Kerry Twice Voted Against Tax Breaks For Ethanol. (S. Con. Res. 18, CQ Vote #44: Rejected 48-52: R 11-32; D 37-20, 3/23/93, Kerry Voted Nay; S. Con. Res. 18, CQ Vote #68: Motion Agreed To 55-43: R 2-40; D 53-3, 3/24/93, Kerry Voted Yea)
Kerry Voted Against Ethanol Mandates. (H.R. 4624, CQ Vote #255: Motion Agreed To 51-50: R 19-25; D 31-25, 8/3/94, Kerry Voted Nay)
Kerry Voted Twice To Increase Liability On Ethanol, Making It Equal To Regular Gasoline. (S. 517, CQ Vote #87: Motion Agreed To 57-42: R 38-10; D 18-32; I 1-0, 4/25/02 Kerry Voted Nay; S. 14, CQ Vote #208: Rejected 38-57: R 9-40; D 28-17; I 1-0, 6/5/03, Kerry Voted Yea)
On The Campaign Trail, Though, Kerry Is For Ethanol. KERRY: �I�m for ethanol, and I think it�s a very important partial ingredient of the overall mix of alternative and renewable fuels we ought to commit to.� (MSNBC/DNC, Democrat Presidential Candidate Debate, Des Moines, IA, 11/24/03)
~11~Back To Fight
Round 11: Flip-Flopped On Cuba Sanctions
Senator Kerry Has Long Voted Against Stronger Cuba Sanctions. (H.R. 927, CQ Vote #489, Motion Rejected 59-36: R 50-2; D 9-34, 10/17/95, Kerry Voted Nay; S. 955, CQ Vote #183: Rejected 38-61: R 5-49; D 33-12, 7/17/97, Kerry Voted Yea; S. 1234, CQ Vote #189, Motion Agreed To 55-43: R 43-10; D 12-33, 6/30/99, Kerry Voted Nay; S. 2549, CQ Vote #137: Motion Agreed To 59-41: R 52-3; D 7-38, 6/20/00, Kerry Voted Nay)
In 2000, Kerry Said Florida Politics Is Only Reason Cuba Sanctions Still In Place. �Senator John F. Kerry, the Massachusetts Democrat and member of the Foreign Relations Committee, said in an interview that a reevaluation of relations with Cuba was �way overdue.� �We have a frozen, stalemated, counterproductive policy that is not in humanitarian interests nor in our larger credibility interest in the region,� Kerry said. � �It speaks volumes about the problems in the current American electoral process. � The only reason we don�t reevaluate the policy is the politics of Florida.�� (John Donnelly, �Policy Review Likely On Cuba,� The Boston Globe, 4/9/00)
Now Kerry Panders To Cuban Vote, Saying He Would Not Lift Embargo Against Cuba. TIM RUSSERT: �Would you consider lifting sanctions, lifting the embargo against Cuba?� SEN. KERRY: �Not unilaterally, not now, no.� (NBC�s �Meet The Press,� 8/31/03)
Kerry Does Not Support �Opening Up The Embargo Wily Nilly.� �Kerry said he believes in �engagement� with the communist island nation but that does not mean, �Open up the dialogue.� He believes it �means travel and perhaps even remittances or cultural exchanges� but he does not support �opening up the embargo wily nilly.�� (Daniel A. Ricker, �Kerry Says Bush Did Not Build A �Legitimate Coalition� In Iraq,� The Miami Herald, 11/25/03)
~12~Back To Fight
Round 12: Flip-Flopped On NAFTA
Kerry Voted For NAFTA. (H.R. 3450, CQ Vote #395: Passed 61-38: R 34-10; D 27-28, 11/20/93, Kerry Voted Yea)
Kerry Recognized NAFTA Is Our Future. ��NAFTA recognizes the reality of today�s economy - globalization and technology,� Kerry said. �Our future is not in competing at the low-level wage job; it is in creating high-wage, new technology jobs based on our skills and our productivity.�� (John Aloysius Farrell, �Senate�s OK Finalizes NAFTA Pact,� The Boston Globe, 11/21/93)
Now, Kerry Expresses Doubt About NAFTA. �Kerry, who voted for NAFTA in 1993, expressed some doubt about the strength of free-trade agreements. �If it were before me today, I would vote against it because it doesn�t have environmental or labor standards in it,� he said.� (David Lightman, �Democrats Battle For Labor�s Backing,� Hartford Courant, 8/6/03)
~13~Back To Fight
Round 13: Flip-Flopped On Double Taxation Of Dividends
December 2002: Kerry Favored Ending Double Taxation Of Dividends. �[T]o encourage investments in the jobs of the future - I think we should eliminate the tax on capital gains for investments in critical technology companies - zero capital gains on $100 million issuance of stock if it�s held for 5 years and has created real jobs. And we should attempt to end the double taxation of dividends.� (Sen. John Kerry, Remarks At The City Club Of Cleveland, 12/3/02)
May 2003: Kerry Said He Opposed Ending Double Taxation Of Dividends. �Kerry also reiterated his opposition to the Republican plan to cut taxes on stock dividends. �This is not the time for a dividends tax cut that goes to individuals,� he said.� (�Kerry Says Time Is On Dems� Side,� The Associated Press, 5/8/03)
~14~Back To Fight
Round 14: Flip-Flopped On Raising Taxes During Economic Downturn
September 2001: Said Should Not Raise Taxes In Economic Downturn. �The first priority is the economy of our nation. And when you have a downturn in the economy, the last thing you do is raise taxes or cut spending. We shouldn�t do either. We need to maintain a course that hopefully will stimulate the economy. . . . No, we should not raise taxes, but we have to put everything on the table to take a look at why we have this structural problem today. . . .[Y]ou don�t want to raise taxes.� (NBC�s �Meet The Press,� 9/2/01)
� We Should �Absolutely Not Raise Taxes.� �Well, I think it�s very clear what I favor because we voted for it early in the spring, which was the Democratic budget alternative that had triggers in it where you didn�t wind up spending money you don�t have. It had a smaller tax cut but more tax cut for a stimulus, which is what we need. So you ask me, what do we need now? Yes, we need additional stimulus. We should absolutely not raise taxes. We should not cut spending. What we need to do is drive the economy of this country. The economy is the number one issue. It is the most important thing we should focus on.� (CNN�s �Evans, Novak, Hunt & Shields,� 9/8/01)
April 2002: Said He Wanted Larger Tax Cut And Was �Not In Favor Of� Repeal. CNN�s TUCKER CARLSON: �Senator Kerry . . . [many Democrats] [g]et a lot of political mileage out of criticizing [President Bush�s tax cut], but nobody has the courage to say repeal it. Are you for repealing it?� KERRY: �It�s not a question of courage. . . . And it�s not an issue right now. We passed appropriately a tax cut as a stimulus, some $40 billion. Many of us thought it should have even maybe been a little bit larger this last year � [T]he next tax cut doesn�t take effect until 2004. If we can grow the economy enough between now and then, if we have sensible policies in place and make good choices, who knows what our choices will be. So it�s simply not a ripe issue right now. And I�m not in favor of turning around today and repealing it.� (CNN�s �Crossfire,� 4/16/02)
December 2002: Flip-Flopped, Would Keep Tax Cuts From Taking Effect. NBC�s TIM RUSSERT: �Senator . . . should we freeze or roll back the Bush tax cut?� KERRY: �Well, I wouldn�t take away from people who�ve already been given their tax cut � What I would not do is give any new Bush tax cuts.� � RUSSERT: �So the tax cut that�s scheduled to be implemented in the coming years �� KERRY: �No new tax cut under the Bush plan. . . . It doesn�t make economic sense.� � RUSSERT: �Now, this is a change �� (NBC�s �Meet The Press,� 12/1/02)
� Called For Freeze Of Bush Tax Cuts In Favor Of Year-Long Suspension Of Payroll Taxes On First $10,000 Of Personal Income. �Kerry said Bush�s tax cuts have mainly benefited the rich while doing little for the economy. Kerry is proposing to halt Bush�s additional tax cuts and instead impose a yearlong suspension of payroll taxes on the first $10,000 of income to help the poor and middle class.� (Tyler Bridges, �Kerry Visits Miami To Start Raising Funds,� The Miami Herald, 12/7/02)
~15~Back To Fight
Round 15: Flip-Flopped On Small Business Income Taxes
Kerry Voted Against Exempting Small Businesses And Family Farms From Clinton Income Tax Increase. (S. Con. Res. 18, CQ Vote #79: Motion Agreed To 54-45: R 0-43; D 54-2, 3/25/93, Kerry Voted Yea)
Three Months Later, Kerry Voted In Favor Of Proposal To Exclude Small Businesses From The Increased Income Tax. (S. 1134, CQ Vote #171: Motion Rejected 56-42: R 43-0; D 13-42, 6/24/93, Kerry Voted Yea)
Kerry Claimed He Fought To Exempt Small Businesses From Income Tax Increases. �I worked to amend the reconciliation bill so that it would � exempt small businesses who are classified as subchapter S corporations from the increased individual income tax.� (Sen. John Kerry, Congressional Record, 6/29/93, p. S 8268)
~16~Back To Fight
Round 16: Kerry Flip-Flopped On 50-Cent Gas Tax Increase
In 1994, Kerry Backed Half-Dollar Increase In Gas Tax. �Kerry said [the Concord Coalition�s scorecard] did not accurately reflect individual lawmakers� efforts to cut the deficit. �It doesn�t reflect my $43 billion package of cuts or my support for a 50-cent increase in the gas tax,� Kerry said.� (Jill Zuckman, �Deficit-Watch Group Gives High Marks To 7 N.E. Lawmakers,� The Boston Globe, 3/1/94)
Two Years Later, Kerry Flip-Flopped. �Kerry no longer supports the 50-cent [gas tax] hike, nor the 25-cent hike proposed by the [Concord] coalition.� (Michael Grunwald, �Kerry Gets Low Mark On Budgeting,� The Boston Globe, 4/30/96)
~17~Back To Fight
Round 17: Flip-Flopped On Leaving Abortion Up To States
Kerry Used To Say Abortion Should Be Left Up To States. �I think the question of abortion is one that should be left for the states to decide,� Kerry said during his failed 1972 Congressional bid. (�John Kerry On The Issues,� The [Lowell, MA] Sun, 10/11/72)
Now Kerry Says Abortion Is Law Of Entire Nation. �The right to choose is the law of the United States. No person has the right to infringe on that freedom. Those of us who are in government have a special responsibility to see to it that the United States continues to protect this right, as it must protect all rights secured by the constitution.� (Sen. John Kerry [D-MA], Congressional Record, 1/22/85)
~18~Back To Fight
Round 18: Flip-Flopped On Litmus Tests For Judicial Nominees
Kerry Used To Oppose Litmus Tests For Judicial Nominees. �Throughout two centuries, our federal judiciary has been a model institution, one which has insisted on the highest standards of conduct by our public servants and officials, and which has survived with undiminished respect. Today, I fear that this institution is threatened in a way that we have not seen before. � This threat is that of the appointment of a judiciary which is not independent, but narrowly ideological, through the systematic targeting of any judicial nominee who does not meet the rigid requirements of litmus tests imposed �� (Sen. John Kerry, Congressional Record, 2/3/86, p. S864)
But Now Kerry Says He Would Only Support Supreme Court Nominees Who Pledge To Uphold Roe v. Wade. �The potential retirement of Supreme Court justices makes the 2004 presidential election especially important for women, Senator John F. Kerry told a group of female Democrats yesterday, and he pledged that if elected president he would nominate to the high court only supporters of abortion rights under its Roe v. Wade decision. � �Any president ought to appoint people to the Supreme Court who understand the Constitution and its interpretation by the Supreme Court. In my judgment, it is and has been settled law that women, Americans, have a defined right of privacy and that the government does not make the decision with respect to choice. Individuals do.�� (Glen Johnson, �Kerry Vows Court Picks To Be Abortion-Rights Supporters,� The Boston Globe, 4/9/03)
~19~Back To Fight
Round 19: Flip-Flopped On Federal Health Benefits
In 1993, Kerry Expressed Doubts That Federal Employees Health Benefits System Worked Well. �Hillary Rodham Clinton today offered a fresh description of one of the most confusing elements of the Administration health care plan, the health insurance purchasing alliances, saying they would let all Americans choose coverage in the way members of Congress do. � Senator John Kerry, Democrat of Massachusetts, said he was not sure that the Federal program worked all that well.� (Adam Clymer, �Hillary Clinton Says Health Plan Will Be Familiar,� The New York Times, 12/8/93)
Kerry Expressed Personal Dissatisfaction With His Coverage Through Federal Program. �Earlier this month, when Hillary Rodham Clinton came to Boston and vowed that average Americans would get as good coverage as that enjoyed by their senators and representatives, Sen. John F. Kerry told Clinton that he thought the country could do better. The Massachusetts Democrat said he was thinking, among other recent disasters, of his $500 dental bill for treatment of an abscessed tooth. �Because it was done in the dentist�s office, rather than the hospital, they didn�t cover it. So they were urging me to go spend twice as much in a hospital,� said Kerry, who is covered by BACE, the Beneficial Association of Capitol Employees.� (Ana Puga, �Lawmakers Talk Health Care,� The Boston Globe, 12/19/93)
Now, On Campaign Trail, Kerry Is Enthusiastic About Health Care He Receives As Senator. �As a U.S. Senator, I could get the best health care in the world. Most people aren�t so lucky, and we need to change that. That�s why my plan gives every American access to the same kind of health care that members of Congress give themselves. � Because your family�s health care is just as important as any politicians� in Washington.� (Sen. John Kerry, �Affordable Health Care For All Americans,� Remarks At Mercy Medical, Cedar Rapids, IA, 12/14/03)
Kerry: �I�m Going To Make Available To Every American The Same Health Care Plan That Senators And Congressmen Give Themselves �� (Sen. John Kerry, AARP Democrat Candidate Debate, Bedford, NH, 11/18/03)
~20~Back To Fight
Round 20: Flip-Flopped On Tax Credits For Small Business Health
In 2001, Kerry Voted Against Amendment Providing $70 Billion For Tax Credits For Small Business To Purchase Health Insurance. (H. Con. Res. 83, CQ Vote #83: Rejected 49-51: R 48-2; D 1-49, 4/5/01, Kerry Voted Nay)
Now, Kerry Promises Refundable Tax Credits To Small Businesses For Health Coverage. �Refundable tax credits for up to 50 percent of the cost of coverage will be offered to small businesses and their employees to make health care more affordable.� (�John Kerry�s Plan To Make Health Care Affordable To Every American,� John Kerry For President Website, www.johnkerry.com, Accessed 1/21/04)
~21~Back To Fight
Round 21: Flip-Flopped On Health Coverage
In 1994, Kerry Said Democrats Push Health Care Too Much. �[Kerry] 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,� Boston Herald, 11/30/94)
But Now Kerry Calls Health Care His �Passion.� �Sen. John Kerry says expanding coverage is �my passion.�� (Susan Page, �Health Specifics Could Backfire On Candidates,� USA Today, 6/2/03)
~22~Back To Fight
Round 22: Flip-Flopped On Welfare Reform
In 1993, Kerry Voted To Kill Bipartisan Welfare Work Requirement. In 1993, Kerry and Kennedy voted against a welfare-to-work requirement that was supported by many Democrats, including Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Harry Reid (D-NV):
� Fiscal 1993 Supplemental Appropriations - Welfare Work Requirement. �Moynihan, D-N.Y., motion to table (kill) the D�Amato, R-N.Y., amendment to sharply cut federal welfare administration aid to states that do not, within a year, require at least 10 percent of their able-bodied welfare recipients without dependents to work. The required workfare participation rate would be increased by 2 percent a year until 50 percent were working.� (H.R. 2118, CQ Vote #163: Rejected 34-64: R 1-42; D 33-22, 6/22/93, Kerry Voted Yea)
But In 1996, Kerry Voted For Welfare Reform. (H.R. 3734, CQ Vote #262: Adopted 78-21: R 53-0; D 25-21, 8/1/96, Kerry Voted Yea)
~23~Back To Fight
Round 23: Flip-Flops On Stock Options Expensing
Kerry Used To Oppose Expensing Stock Options. �Democratic Senator John F. Kerry was among those fighting expensing of stock options.� (Sue Kirchhoff, �Senate Blocks Options,� The Boston Globe, 7/16/02)
Kerry Said Expensing Options Would Not �Benefit The Investing Public.� KERRY: �Mr. President, the Financial Accounting Standards Board � has proposed a rule that will require companies to amortize the value of stock options and deduct them off of their earnings statements � I simply cannot see how the FASB rule, as proposed, will benefit the investing public.� (Sen. John Kerry, Congressional Record, 3/10/94, p. S2772)
But Now Kerry Says He Supports Carrying Of Stock Options As Corporate Expense. �On an issue related to corporate scandals, Kerry for the first time endorsed the carrying of stock options as a corporate expense. The use of stock options was abused by some companies and contributed to overly optimistic balance sheets. Kerry applauded steps by Microsoft Corp. to eliminate stock options for employees and said all publicly traded companies should be required to expense such options.� (Dan Balz, �Kerry Raps Bush Policy On Postwar Iraq,� The Washington Post, 7/11/03)
~24~Back To Fight
Round 24: Flip-Flopped On Medical Marijuana
Kerry Said His �Personal Disposition Is Open To The Issue Of Medical Marijuana.� �Aaron Houston of the Granite Staters for Medical Marijuana said that just a month ago Mr. Kerry seemed to endorse medical marijuana use, and when asked about the content of his mysterious study, said, �I am trying to find out. I don�t know.� Mr. Kerry did say his �personal disposition is open to the issue of medical marijuana� and that he�d stop Drug Enforcement Administration raids on patients using the stuff under California�s medical marijuana law.� (Jennifer Harper, �Inside Politics,� The Washington Times, 8/8/03)
But Now Kerry Says He Wants To Wait For Study Analyzing Issue Before Making Final Decision. �The Massachusetts Democrat said Wednesday he�d put off any final decision on medical marijuana because there�s �a study under way analyzing what the science is.�� (Jennifer Harper, �Inside Politics,� The Washington Times, 8/8/03)
~25~Back To Fight
Round 25: Flip-Flopped On Burma Sanctions
In 1995, Kerry Was Against Burma Sanctions. ��I question whether isolation is a successful means of promoting political change,� Kerry told a constituent in a 1995 letter justifying his opposition to a Burma sanction bill.� (Geeta Anand, et al., �Menino Gets Ahead Of Himself, Starts Contemplating Third Term,� The Boston Globe, 5/18/97)
But Now Kerry Supports Burma Sanctions. �In his 1996 reelection campaign, Kerry, after Governor William F. Weld took up the cause, was badgered by advisers into shifting his position. But as he eyes a presidential campaign and the Burma sanction movement gains credibility, Kerry � describes the Burma regime as a �semi-criminalized dictatorship � which should not be treated with respect by other nations, but should be instead subject to limitations on travel, investment, and access to the most developed nations.�� (Geeta Anand, et al., �Menino Gets Ahead Of Himself, Starts Contemplating Third Term,� The Boston Globe, 5/18/97)
~26~Back To Fight
Round 26: Flip-Flopped On Military Experience As Credential For Public Office
Kerry: Service Should Not Be �Litmus Test� For Leadership. �Mr. President, you and I know that if support or opposition to the war were to become a litmus test for leadership, America would never have leaders or recover from the divisions created by that war. You and I know that if service or nonservice in the war is to become a test of qualification for high office, you would not have a Vice President, nor would you have a Secretary of Defense and our Nation would never recover from the divisions created by that war.� (Sen. John Kerry, Congressional Record, 10/08/92, p. S17709)
But Now Kerry Constantly �Challenges The Stature Of His Democratic Opponents� Over Their Lack Of Military Service. �And more than ever, Mr. Kerry is invoking his stature as a Vietnam veteran as he challenges the stature of his Democratic opponents -- none of whom, he frequently points out, have �worn the uniform of our country� -- to withstand a debate with Mr. Bush on national security.� (Adam Nagourney, �As Campaign Tightens, Kerry Sharpens Message,� The New York Times, 8/10/03)
~27~Back To Fight
Round 27: Flip-Flopped On PACs
Kerry Used To Decry �Special Interests And Their PAC Money.� ��I�m frequently told by cynics in Washington that refusing PAC money is naive,� Kerry told his supporters in 1985. �Do you agree that it is �na�ve� to turn down special interests and their PAC money?�� (Glen Johnson, �In A Switch, Kerry Is Launching A PAC,� The Boston Globe, 12/15/01)
Kerry Created His Own Hard Money PAC Called Citizen Soldier Fund, Which Raised Over $700,000. �A week after repeating that he has refused to accept donations from political action committees, Senator John F. Kerry announced yesterday that he was forming a committee that would accept PAC money for him to distribute to other Democratic candidates. � Kerry�s stance on soft money, unregulated donations funneled through political parties, puts him in the position of raising the type of money that he, McCain, and others in the campaign-finance reform movement are trying to eliminate.� (Federal Election Commission Website, www.fec.gov, Accessed 2/10/04; Glen Johnson, �In A Switch, Kerry Is Launching A PAC,� The Boston Globe, 12/15/01)
~28~Back To Fight
Round 28: Flip-Flopped On $10,000 Donation Limit To His PAC
When Kerry Established His PAC In 2001, He Instituted A $10,000 Limit On Donations. �A week after repeating that he has refused to accept donations from political action committees, Senator John F. Kerry announced yesterday that he was forming a committee that would accept PAC money for him to distribute to other Democratic candidates � The statement also declared that the new PAC would voluntarily limit donations of so-called soft money to $10,000 per donor per year and disclose the source and amount of all such donations.� (Glen Johnson, �In A Switch, Kerry Is Launching A Pac,� The Boston Globe, 12/15/01)
One Year Later, Kerry Started Accepting Unlimited Contributions. �Senator John F. Kerry, who broke with personal precedent last year when he established his first political action committee, has changed his fund-raising guidelines again, dropping a $10,000 limit on contributions from individuals, a cap he had touted when establishing the PAC. The Massachusetts Democrat said yesterday he decided to accept unlimited contributions, which has already allowed him to take in �soft money� donations as large as $25,000, because of the unprecedented fund-raising demands confronting him as a leader in the Senate Democratic caucus.� (Glen Johnson, �Kerry Shifts Fund-Raising Credo For His Own PAC,� The Boston Globe, 10/4/02)
~29~Back To Fight
Round 29: Flip-Flopped On Using Personal Funds In 1996 Race
In 1996, Kerry And Weld Established $500,000 Limit Of Personal Wealth To Be Used In Senate Campaign. �In 1996, Kerry and Weld gave their already noteworthy Senate race added significance by establishing a spending cap. The candidates agreed to spend no more than $6.9 million from July 1 through the election. Weld ended up spending $6.6 million and Kerry $6.3 million. One key element of the agreement limited the candidates to spending $500,000 in personal wealth, a clause Weld favored because Kerry is married to a millionaire, Teresa Heinz.� (Glen Johnson, �In Kerry�s Plan For A Pac, The Resolution Of Opposites,� The Boston Globe, 12/18/01)
Kerry Broke Agreement By Spending $1.2 Million Over Limit. �[P]ost-election reports showed a last-minute infusion of $1.7 million from Kerry�s wife, heiress Teresa Heinz. � [K]erry denied that his campaign violated its agreement. The money had been loaned--not contributed--by his wife, he explained. �There was nothing in the agreement that restricted us from taking a loan � and we paid it back in $1,000 and $2,000 chunks.�� (�Global Ecology Lobby Rocked By Defection,� Political Finance, The Newsletter, 1/02)
~30~Back To Fight
Round 30: Flip-Flopped On Israel Security Fence
October 2003: Kerry Calls Fence �Barrier To Peace.� �And I know how disheartened Palestinians are by the Israeli government�s decision to build a barrier off the green line, cutting deeply into Palestinian areas. We do not need another barrier to peace. Provocative and counterproductive measures only harm Israel�s security over the long- term, they increase hardships to the Palestinian people, and they make the process of negotiating an eventual settlement that much harder.� (Sen. John Kerry, Remarks Before Arab American Institute National Leadership Conference, Dearborn, MI, 10/17/03)
February 2004: Kerry Calls Fence �Legitimate Act Of Self-Defense.� �US Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts, the frontrunner in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination, described Israel�s construction of a security barrier as a �legitimate act of self defense� after Sunday�s suicide bombing in Jerusalem, clarifying a position he took in October when he told an Arab American audience, �We don�t need another barrier to peace.�� (Janine Zacharia, �Kerry Defends Security Fence,� The Jerusalem Post, 2/25/04)
~31~Back To Fight
Round 31: Flip-Flop-Flipped On Ballistic Missile Defense
Kerry Called For Cancellation Of Missile Defense Systems In 1984 And Has Voted Against Funding For Missile Defense At Least 53 Times Between 1985 And 2000. (�John Kerry On The Defense Budget,� Campaign Position Paper, John Kerry For U.S. Senate, 1984; S. 1160, CQ Vote #99: Rejected 21-78: R 2-50; D 19-28, 6/4/85, Kerry Voted Yea; S. 1160, CQ Vote #100: Rejected 38-57: R 6-45; D 32-12, 6/4/85, Kerry Voted Yea; S. 1160, CQ Vote #101: Rejected 36-59: R 1-49; D 35-10, 6/4/85, Kerry Voted Yea; S. 1160, CQ Vote #103: Rejected 33-62: R 28-22; D 5-40, 6/4/85, Kerry Voted Nay; H.J. Res. 465, CQ Vote #365: Motion Agreed To 64-32: R 49-2; D 15-30, 12/10/85, Kerry Voted Nay; H.R. 4515, CQ Vote #122: Ruled Non-Germane 45-47: R 7-42; D 38-5, 6/6/86, Kerry Voted Yea; S. 2638, CQ Vote #176: Motion Agreed To 50-49: R 41-11; D 9-38, 8/5/86, Kerry Voted Nay; S. 2638, CQ Vote #177: Rejected 49-50: R 10-42; D 39-8, 8/5/86, Kerry Voted Yea; S. 1174, CQ Vote #248: Motion Agreed To 58-38: R 8-37; D 50-1, 9/17/87, Kerry Voted Yea; S. 1174, CQ Vote #259: Motion Agreed To 51-50: R 37-9; D 13-41, With Vice President Bush Casting An � Yea � Vote, 9/22/87, Kerry Voted Nay; S. 2355, CQ Vote #124: Motion Agreed To 66-29: R 38-6; D 28-23, 5/11/88, Kerry Voted Nay; S. 2355, CQ Vote #125: Motion Agreed To 50-46: R 38-7; D 12-39, 5/11/88, Kerry Voted Nay; S. 2355, CQ Vote #126: Motion Rejected 47-50: R 38-6; D 9-44, 5/11/88, Kerry Voted Nay; S. 2355, CQ Vote #128: Motion Rejected 48-50: R 6-39; D 42-11, 5/11/88, Kerry Voted Yea; S. 2355, CQ Vote #136: Motion Agreed To 56-37: R 9-34; D 47-3, 5/13/88, Kerry Voted Yea; S. 2355, CQ Vote #137: Motion Agreed To 51-43: R 38-5; D 13-38, 5/13/88, Kerry Voted Nay; H.R. 4264, CQ Vote #251: Motion Rejected 35-58: R 35-9; D 0-49, 7/14/88, Kerry Voted Nay; H.R. 4781, CQ Vote #296: Motion Agreed To 50-44: R 5-39; D 45-5, 8/5/88, Kerry Voted Yea; S. 1352, CQ Vote #148: Motion Agreed To 50-47: R 37-6; D 13-41, 7/27/89, Kerry Voted Nay; H.R. 3072, CQ Vote #202: Rejected 34-66: R 27-18; D 7-48, 9/26/89, Kerry Voted Nay; H.R. 3072, CQ Vote #213: Adopted 53-47: R 39-6; D 14-41, 9/28/89, Kerry Voted Nay; S. 2884, CQ Vote #223: Adopted 54-44: R 2-42; D 52-2, 8/4/90, Kerry Voted Yea; S. 2884, CQ Vote #225: Motion Agreed To 56-41: R 39-4; D 17-37, 8/4/90, Kerry Voted Nay; S. 2884, CQ Vote #226: Motion Agreed To 54-43: R 37-6; D 17-37, 8/4/90, Kerry Voted Nay; S. 3189, CQ Vote #273: Passed 79-16: R 37-5; D 42-11, 10/15/90, Kerry Voted Nay; H.R. 5803, CQ Vote #319: Adopted 80-17: R 37-6; D 43-11, 10/26/90, Kerry Voted Nay; H.R. 4739, CQ Vote #320: Adopted 80-17: R 37-6; D 43-11, 10/26/90, Kerry Voted Nay; S. 1507, CQ Vote #168: Rejected 39-60: R 4-39; D 35-21, 7/31/91, Kerry Voted Yea; S. 1507, CQ Vote #171: Motion Agreed To 60-38: R 40-3; D 20-35, 8/1/91, Kerry Voted Nay; S. 1507, CQ Vote #172: Motion Agreed To 64-34: R 39-4; D 25-30, 8/1/91, Kerry Voted Nay; S. 1507, CQ Vote #173: Rejected 46-52: R 5-38; D 41-14, 8/1/91, Kerry Voted Yea; H.R. 2521, CQ Vote #207: Motion Agreed To 50-49: R 38-5; D 12-44, 9/25/91, Kerry Voted Nay; S. 2403, CQ Vote #85: Adopted 61-38: R 7-36; D 54-2, 5/6/92, Kerry Voted Yea; H.R. 4990, CQ Vote #108: Adopted 90-9: R 34-9; D 56-0, 5/21/92, Kerry Voted Yea; S. 3114, CQ Vote #182: Motion Rejected 43-49: R 34-5; D 9-44, 8/7/92, Kerry Voted Nay; S. 3114, CQ Vote #214: Rejected 48-50: R 5-38; D 43-12, 9/17/92, Kerry Voted Yea; S. 3114, CQ Vote #215: Adopted 52-46: R 39-4; D 13-42, 9/17/92, Kerry Voted Nay; H.R. 5504, CQ Vote #228: Adopted 89-4: R 36-4; D 53-0, 9/22/92, Kerry Voted Yea; S. 1298, CQ Vote #251: Adopted 50-48: R 6-36; D 44-12, 9/9/93, Kerry Voted Yea; S. Con. Res. 63, CQ Vote #64: Rejected 40-59: R 2-42; D 38-17, 3/22/94, Kerry Voted Yea; S. 1026, CQ Vote #354: Motion Agreed To 51-48: R 47-6; D 4-42, 8/3/95, Kerry Voted Nay; S. 1087, CQ Vote #384: Rejected 45-54: R 5-49; D 40-5, 8/10/95, Kerry Voted Yea; S. 1087, CQ Vote #397: Passed 62-35: R 48-4; D 14-31, 9/5/95, Kerry Voted Nay; H.R. 1530, CQ Vote #399: Passed 64-34: R 50-3; D 14-31, 9/6/95, Kerry Voted Nay; H.R. 2126, CQ Vote #579: Adopted 59-39: R 48-5; D 11-34, 11/16/95, Kerry Voted Nay; H.R. 1530, CQ Vote #608: Adopted 51-43: R 47-2; D 4-41, 12/19/95, Kerry Voted Nay; S. 1635, CQ Vote #157: Rejected 53-46: R 52-0; D 1-46, 6/4/96, Kerry Voted Nay; S. 1745, CQ Vote #160: Rejected 44-53: R 4-49; D 40-4, 6/19/96, Kerry Voted Yea; S. 1745, CQ Vote #187: Passed 68-31: R 50-2; D 18-29, 7/10/96, Kerry Voted Nay; S. 936, CQ Vote #171: Rejected 43-56: R 2-53; D 41-3, 7/11/97, Kerry Voted Yea; S. 1873, CQ Vote #131: Motion Rejected 59-41: R 55-0; D 4-41, 5/13/98, Kerry Voted Nay; S. 1873, CQ Vote #262: Motion Rejected 59-41: R 55-0; D 4-41, 9/9/98, Kerry Voted Nay; S. 2549, CQ Vote #178: Motion Agreed To 52-48: R 52-3; D 0-45, 7/13/00, Kerry Voted Nay)
Kerry Then Claimed To Support Missile Defense. �I support the development of an effective defense against ballistic missiles that is deployed with maximum transparency and consultation with U.S. allies and other major powers. If there is a real potential of a rogue nation firing missiles at any city in the United States, responsible leadership requires that we make our best, most thoughtful efforts to defend against that threat. The same is true of accidental launch. If it were to happen, no leader could ever explain not having chosen to defend against the disaster when doing so made sense.� (Peace Action Website, �Where Do The Candidates Stand On Foreign Policy?� , Accessed 3/10/04)
Now Kerry Campaign Says He Will Defund Missile Defense. FOX NEWS� MAJOR GARRETT: �Kerry would not say how much all of this would cost. A top military adviser said the Massachusetts Senator would pay for some of it by stopping all funds to deploy a national ballistic missile defense system, one that Kerry doesn�t believe will work.� KERRY ADVISOR RAND BEERS: �He would not go forward at this time because there is not a proof of concept.� (Fox News� �Special Report,� 3/17/03)
~32~Back To Fight
Round 32: Flip-Flopped On 1991 Iraq War Coalition
At The Time, Kerry Questioned Strength Of 1991 Coalition. �I keep hearing from people, �Well, the coalition is fragile, it won�t stay together,� and my response to that is, if the coalition is so fragile, then what are the vital interests and what is it that compels us to risk our young American�s lives if the others aren�t willing to stay the � course of peace? � I voted against the president, I�m convinced we�re doing this the wrong way �� (CBS� �This Morning,� 1/16/91)
Now Kerry Has Nothing But Praise For 1991 Coalition. SEN. JOHN KERRY: �In my speech on the floor of the Senate I made it clear, you are strongest when you act with other nations. All presidents, historically, his father, George Herbert Walker Bush, did a brilliant job of building a legitimate coalition and even got other people to help pay for the war.� (NBC�s �Meet The Press,� 1/11/04)
~33~Back To Fight
Round 33: Flip-Flopped On View Of War On Terror
Kerry Said War On Terror Is �Basically A Manhunt.� �Kerry was asked about Bush�s weekend appearance on �Meet the Press� when he called himself a �war president.� The senator, who watched the session, remarked: �The war on terrorism is a very different war from the way the president is trying to sell it to us. It�s a serious challenge, and it is a war of sorts, but it is not the kind of war they�re trying to market to America.� Kerry characterized the war on terror as predominantly an intelligence-gathering and law enforcement operation. �It�s basically a manhunt,� he said. �You gotta know who they are, where they are, what they�re planning, and you gotta be able to go get �em before they get us.�� (Katherine M. Skiba, �Bush, Kerry Turn Focus To Each Other,� Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 2/13/04)
Two Weeks Later, Kerry Flip-Flopped, Saying War On Terror Is More Than �A Manhunt�. �This war isn�t just a manhunt - a checklist of names from a deck of cards. In it, we do not face just one man or one terrorist group. We face a global jihadist movement of many groups, from different sources, with separate agendas, but all committed to assaulting the United States and free and open societies around the globe.� (Sen. John Kerry, Remarks At University Of California At Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, 2/27/04)
~34~Back To Fight
Round 34: Flip-Flopped On Funding For Our Troops In Iraq
Kerry Said He would Vote For $87 Billion Because He Wouldn�t �Abandon Our Troops.� KERRY: �I don�t think any United States senator is going to abandon our troops and recklessly leave Iraq to - to whatever follows as a result of simply cutting and running. That�s irresponsible. What is responsible is for the administration to do this properly now.� (CBS� �Face The Nation,� 9/14/03)
Kerry Said He Wouldn�t �Cut And Run� And Withhold Ammunition. KERRY: �I don�t think anyone in the Congress is going to not give our troops ammunition, not give our troops the ability to be able to defend themselves. We�re not going to cut and run and not do the job.� (CBS� �Face The Nation,� 9/14/03)
But Then, Kerry Voted Against Senate Passage Of Iraq/Afghanistan Reconstruction Package. �Passage of the bill that would appropriate $86.5 billion in fiscal 2004 supplemental spending for military operations and reconstruction in Iraq and Afghanistan. The bill would provide $10.3 billion as a grant to rebuild Iraq, including $5.1 billion for security and $5.2 billion for reconstruction costs. It also would provide $10 billion as a loan that would be converted to a grant if 90 percent of all bilateral debt incurred by the former Iraqi regime of Saddam Hussein has been forgiven by other countries. Separate provisions limit reconstruction aid to $18.4 billion. It also would provide approximately $65.6 billion for military operations and maintenance and $1.3 billion for veterans medical care.� (S. 1689, CQ Vote #400: Passed 87-12: R 50-0; D 37-11; I 0-1, 10/17/03, Kerry Voted Nay)
~35~Back To Fight
Round 35: Flip-Flopped On The Strategic Petroleum Reserve
In February 2000, Kerry Said Release Of Oil From The Strategic Petroleum Reserves Would Not Be �Relevant.� �Without being specific, Kerry, a key member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, suggested the US could retaliate economically in other trade areas. He also said he does not want a release of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. A release �is not relevant. It would take months for the oil to get to the market,� he said.� (Cathy Landry, �US Energy Chief Warns Of Gasoline Crisis,� Platt�s Oilgram News, 2/17/00)
In March 2004, Kerry Called For Stop In Filling Strategic Petroleum Reserve To Reduce Prices. �Kerry would pressure oil-producing nations to increase production and temporarily suspend filling the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve, according to campaign documents. � �The Bush administration has put the SPR fill program on automatic pilot without regard to the short-term effect on the US market,� the campaign documents said. �The program needs better management ... Kerry would temporarily suspend filling SPR until oil prices return to normal levels.�� (Patricia Wilson, �Kerry To Offer Plan To Reduce Record Gasoline Prices,� Reuters, 3/29/04)
[Edited on 30-3-2004 by Phoenix]
Kerry v. Kerry
Round 1: Flip-Flopped On Iraq War
Kerry Voted For Authorization To Use Force In Iraq. (H.J. Res. 114, CQ Vote #237: Passed 77-23: R 48-1; D 29-21; I 0-1, 10/11/02, Kerry Voted Yea.)
In First Dem Debate, Kerry Strongly Supported President�s Action In Iraq. KERRY: �George, I said at the time I would have preferred if we had given diplomacy a greater opportunity, but I think it was the right decision to disarm Saddam Hussein, and when the President made the decision, I supported him, and I support the fact that we did disarm him.� (ABC News, Democrat Presidential Candidate Debate, Columbia, SC, 5/4/03)
Kerry Later Claimed He Voted �To Threaten� Use Of Force In Iraq. �I voted to threaten the use of force to make Saddam Hussein comply with the resolutions of the United Nations.� (Sen. John Kerry, Remarks At Announcement Of Presidential Candidacy, Mount Pleasant, SC, 9/2/03)
Now, Kerry Says He Is Anti-War Candidate. CHRIS MATTHEWS: �Do you think you belong to that category of candidates who more or less are unhappy with this war, the way it�s been fought, along with General Clark, along with Howard Dean and not necessarily in companionship politically on the issue of the war with people like Lieberman, Edwards and Gephardt? Are you one of the anti-war candidates?� KERRY: �I am -- Yes, in the sense that I don�t believe the president took us to war as he should have, yes, absolutely.� (MSNBC�s �Hardball,� 1/6/04)
~2~Back To Fight
Round 2: Kerry Flip-Flopped On Eliminating Marriage Penalty For Middle Class
Kerry Said He Will Fight To Keep Tax Relief For Married Couples. �Howard Dean and Gephardt are going to put the marriage penalty back in place. So if you get married in America, we�re going to charge you more taxes. I do not want to do that.� (Fox News� �Special Report,� 10/23/03)
Said Democrats Fought To End Marriage Penalty Tax. �We fought hard to get rid of the marriage penalty.� (MSNBC�s �News Live,� 7/31/03)
But, In 1998, Kerry Voted Against Eliminating Marriage Penalty Relief For Married Taxpayers With Combined Incomes Less Than $50,000 Per Year, Saving Taxpayers $46 Billion Over 10 Years. (S. 1415, CQ Vote #154: Rejected 48-50: R 5-49; D 43-1, 6/10/98, Kerry Voted Yea)
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Round 3: Flip-Flopped On Patriot Act
Kerry Voted For Patriot Act. The Patriot Act was passed nearly unanimously by the Senate 98-1, and 357-66 in the House. (H.R. 3162, CQ Vote #313: Passed 98-1: R 49-0; D 48-1; I 1-0, 10/25/01, Kerry Voted Yea)
Kerry Used To Defend His Vote. �Most of [The Patriot Act] has to do with improving the transfer of information between CIA and FBI, and it has to do with things that really were quite necessary in the wake of what happened on September 11th.� (Sen. John Kerry, Remarks At Town Hall Meeting, Manchester, NH, 8/6/03)
Now, Kerry Attacks Patriot Act. �We are a nation of laws and liberties, not of a knock in the night. So it is time to end the era of John Ashcroft. That starts with replacing the Patriot Act with a new law that protects our people and our liberties at the same time. I�ve been a District Attorney and I know that what law enforcement needs are real tools not restrictions on American�s basic rights.� (Sen. John Kerry, Remarks At Iowa State University, Iowa City, IA, 12/1/03)
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Round 4: Kerry Took BOTH Sides On First Gulf War
Kerry Took BOTH Sides In First Gulf War In Separate Letters To Same Constituent. �Rather than take a side--albeit the one he thought was most expedient--Kerry actually stood on both sides of the first Gulf war, much like he did this time around. Consider this �Notebook� item from TNR�s March 25, 1991 issue, which ran under the headline �Same Senator, Same Constituent�: �Thank you for contacting me to express your opposition ... to the early use of military force by the US against Iraq. I share your concerns. On January 11, I voted in favor of a resolution that would have insisted that economic sanctions be given more time to work and against a resolution giving the president the immediate authority to go to war.� --letter from Senator John Kerry to Wallace Carter of Newton Centre, Massachusetts, dated January 22 [1991] �Thank you very much for contacting me to express your support for the actions of President Bush in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. From the outset of the invasion, I have strongly and unequivocally supported President Bush�s response to the crisis and the policy goals he has established with our military deployment in the Persian Gulf.� --Senator Kerry to Wallace Carter, January 31 [1991]� (Noam Scheiber, �Noam Scheiber�s Daily Journal of Politics, The New Republic Online, 1/28/04)
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Round 5: Flip-Flopped On Gay Marriage Amendment
In 2002, Kerry Signed Letter �Urging� MA Legislature To Reject Constitutional Amendment Banning Gay Marriage. �We rarely comment on issues that are wholly within the jurisdiction of the General Court, but there are occasions when matters pending before you are of such significance to all residents of the Commonwealth that we think it appropriate for us to express our opinion. One such matter is the proposed Constitutional amendment that would prohibit or seriously inhibit any legal recognition whatsoever of same-sex relationships. We believe it would be a grave error for Massachusetts to enshrine in our Constitution a provision which would have such a negative effect on so many of our fellow residents. � We are therefore united in urging you to reject this Constitutional amendment and avoid stigmatizing so many of our fellow citizens who do not deserve to be treated in such a manner.� (Sen. John Kerry, et al, Letter To Members Of The Massachusetts Legislature, 7/12/02)
Now, In 2004, Kerry Won�t Rule Out Supporting Similar Amendment. �Asked if he would support a state constitutional amendment barring gay and lesbian marriages, Kerry didn�t rule out the possibility. �I�ll have to see what language there is,� he said.� (Susan Milligan, �Kerry Says GOP May Target Him On �Wedge Issue,�� The Boston Globe, 2/6/04)
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Round 6: Flip-Flopped On Attacking President During Time Of War
In March 2003, Kerry Promised Not To Attack President When War Began. �Senator John F. Kerry of Massachusetts � said he will cease his complaints once the shooting starts. �It�s what you owe the troops,� said a statement from Kerry, a Navy veteran of the Vietnam War. �I remember being one of those guys and reading news reports from home. If America is at war, I won�t speak a word without measuring how it�ll sound to the guys doing the fighting when they�re listening to their radios in the desert.�� (Glen Johnson, �Democrats On The Stump Plot Their War Rhetoric,� The Boston Globe, 3/11/03)
But Weeks Later, With Troops Just Miles From Baghdad, Kerry Broke His Pledge. ��What we need now is not just a regime change in Saddam Hussein and Iraq, but we need a regime change in the United States,� Kerry said in a speech at the Peterborough Town Library. Despite pledging two weeks ago to cool his criticism of the administration once war began, Kerry unleashed a barrage of criticism as US troops fought within 25 miles of Baghdad.� (Glen Johnson, �Kerry Says Us Needs Its Own �Regime Change,�� The Boston Globe, 4/3/03)
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Round 7: Flip-Flopped On Death Penalty For Terrorists
In 1996, Kerry Attacked Governor Bill Weld For Supporting Death Penalty For Terrorists. KERRY: �Your policy would amount to a terrorist protection policy. Mine would put them in jail.� (1996 Massachusetts Senate Debate, 9/16/96)
In 1996, Kerry Said, �You Can Change Your Mind On Things, But Not On Life-And-Death Issues.� (Timothy J. Connolly, �The �Snoozer� Had Some Life,� [Worcester, MA] Telegram & Gazette, 7/3/96)
But, In 2002, Kerry Said He Supported Death Penalty For Terrorists. KERRY: �The law of the land is the law of the land, but I have also said that I am for the death penalty for terrorists because terrorists have declared war on your country.� (NBC�s �Meet The Press,� 12/1/02)
~8~Back To Fight
Round 8: Flip-Flopped On No Child Left Behind
Kerry Voted For No Child Left Behind Act. (H.R. 1, CQ Vote #371: Adopted 87-10: R 44-3; D 43-6; I 0-1, 12/18/01, Kerry Voted Yea)
But Now Kerry Is Attacking No Child Left Behind As �Mockery.� �Between now and the time I�m sworn in January 2005, I�m going to use every day to make this president accountable for making a mockery of the words �No Child Left Behind.�� (Holly Ramer, �Kerry Wants To Make �Environmental Justice� A Priority,� The Associated Press, 4/22/03)
Kerry Trashed NCLB As �Unfunded Mandate� With �Laudable� Goals. �Kerry referred to [No Child Left Behind] as an �unfunded mandate� with �laudable� goals. �Without the resources, education reform is a sham,� Kerry said. �I can�t wait to crisscross this country and hold this president accountable for making a mockery of the words �no child left behind.��� (Matt Leon, �Sen. Kerry In Tune With Educators,� The [Quincy, MA] Patriot Ledger, 7/11/03)
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Round 9: Flip-Flopped On Affirmative Action
In 1992, Kerry Called Affirmative Action �Inherently Limited And Divisive.� �[W]hile praising affirmative action as �one kind of progress� that grew out of civil rights court battles, Kerry said the focus on a rights-based agenda has �inadvertently driven most of our focus in this country not to the issue of what is happening to the kids who do not get touched by affirmative action, but � toward an inherently limited and divisive program which is called affirmative action.� That agenda is limited, he said, because it benefits segments of black and minority populations, but not all. And it is divisive because it creates a �perception and a reality of reverse discrimination that has actually engendered racism.�� (Lynne Duke, �Senators Seek Serious Dialogue On Race,� The Washington Post, 4/8/92)
In 2004, Kerry Denied Ever Having Called Affirmative Action �Divisive.� CNN�s KELLY WALLACE: �We caught up with the Senator, who said he never called affirmative action divisive, and accused Clark of playing politics.� SEN. KERRY: �That�s not what I said. I said there are people who believe that. And I said mend it, don�t end it. He�s trying to change what I said, but you can go read the quote. I said very clearly I have always voted for it. I�ve always supported it. I�ve never, ever condemned it. I did what Jim Clyburn did and what Bill Clinton did, which is mend it. And Jim Clyburn wouldn�t be supporting it if it were otherwise. So let�s not have any politics here. Let�s keep the truth.� (CNN�s �Inside Politics,� 1/30/04)
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Round 10: Flip-Flopped On Ethanol
Kerry Twice Voted Against Tax Breaks For Ethanol. (S. Con. Res. 18, CQ Vote #44: Rejected 48-52: R 11-32; D 37-20, 3/23/93, Kerry Voted Nay; S. Con. Res. 18, CQ Vote #68: Motion Agreed To 55-43: R 2-40; D 53-3, 3/24/93, Kerry Voted Yea)
Kerry Voted Against Ethanol Mandates. (H.R. 4624, CQ Vote #255: Motion Agreed To 51-50: R 19-25; D 31-25, 8/3/94, Kerry Voted Nay)
Kerry Voted Twice To Increase Liability On Ethanol, Making It Equal To Regular Gasoline. (S. 517, CQ Vote #87: Motion Agreed To 57-42: R 38-10; D 18-32; I 1-0, 4/25/02 Kerry Voted Nay; S. 14, CQ Vote #208: Rejected 38-57: R 9-40; D 28-17; I 1-0, 6/5/03, Kerry Voted Yea)
On The Campaign Trail, Though, Kerry Is For Ethanol. KERRY: �I�m for ethanol, and I think it�s a very important partial ingredient of the overall mix of alternative and renewable fuels we ought to commit to.� (MSNBC/DNC, Democrat Presidential Candidate Debate, Des Moines, IA, 11/24/03)
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Round 11: Flip-Flopped On Cuba Sanctions
Senator Kerry Has Long Voted Against Stronger Cuba Sanctions. (H.R. 927, CQ Vote #489, Motion Rejected 59-36: R 50-2; D 9-34, 10/17/95, Kerry Voted Nay; S. 955, CQ Vote #183: Rejected 38-61: R 5-49; D 33-12, 7/17/97, Kerry Voted Yea; S. 1234, CQ Vote #189, Motion Agreed To 55-43: R 43-10; D 12-33, 6/30/99, Kerry Voted Nay; S. 2549, CQ Vote #137: Motion Agreed To 59-41: R 52-3; D 7-38, 6/20/00, Kerry Voted Nay)
In 2000, Kerry Said Florida Politics Is Only Reason Cuba Sanctions Still In Place. �Senator John F. Kerry, the Massachusetts Democrat and member of the Foreign Relations Committee, said in an interview that a reevaluation of relations with Cuba was �way overdue.� �We have a frozen, stalemated, counterproductive policy that is not in humanitarian interests nor in our larger credibility interest in the region,� Kerry said. � �It speaks volumes about the problems in the current American electoral process. � The only reason we don�t reevaluate the policy is the politics of Florida.�� (John Donnelly, �Policy Review Likely On Cuba,� The Boston Globe, 4/9/00)
Now Kerry Panders To Cuban Vote, Saying He Would Not Lift Embargo Against Cuba. TIM RUSSERT: �Would you consider lifting sanctions, lifting the embargo against Cuba?� SEN. KERRY: �Not unilaterally, not now, no.� (NBC�s �Meet The Press,� 8/31/03)
Kerry Does Not Support �Opening Up The Embargo Wily Nilly.� �Kerry said he believes in �engagement� with the communist island nation but that does not mean, �Open up the dialogue.� He believes it �means travel and perhaps even remittances or cultural exchanges� but he does not support �opening up the embargo wily nilly.�� (Daniel A. Ricker, �Kerry Says Bush Did Not Build A �Legitimate Coalition� In Iraq,� The Miami Herald, 11/25/03)
~12~Back To Fight
Round 12: Flip-Flopped On NAFTA
Kerry Voted For NAFTA. (H.R. 3450, CQ Vote #395: Passed 61-38: R 34-10; D 27-28, 11/20/93, Kerry Voted Yea)
Kerry Recognized NAFTA Is Our Future. ��NAFTA recognizes the reality of today�s economy - globalization and technology,� Kerry said. �Our future is not in competing at the low-level wage job; it is in creating high-wage, new technology jobs based on our skills and our productivity.�� (John Aloysius Farrell, �Senate�s OK Finalizes NAFTA Pact,� The Boston Globe, 11/21/93)
Now, Kerry Expresses Doubt About NAFTA. �Kerry, who voted for NAFTA in 1993, expressed some doubt about the strength of free-trade agreements. �If it were before me today, I would vote against it because it doesn�t have environmental or labor standards in it,� he said.� (David Lightman, �Democrats Battle For Labor�s Backing,� Hartford Courant, 8/6/03)
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Round 13: Flip-Flopped On Double Taxation Of Dividends
December 2002: Kerry Favored Ending Double Taxation Of Dividends. �[T]o encourage investments in the jobs of the future - I think we should eliminate the tax on capital gains for investments in critical technology companies - zero capital gains on $100 million issuance of stock if it�s held for 5 years and has created real jobs. And we should attempt to end the double taxation of dividends.� (Sen. John Kerry, Remarks At The City Club Of Cleveland, 12/3/02)
May 2003: Kerry Said He Opposed Ending Double Taxation Of Dividends. �Kerry also reiterated his opposition to the Republican plan to cut taxes on stock dividends. �This is not the time for a dividends tax cut that goes to individuals,� he said.� (�Kerry Says Time Is On Dems� Side,� The Associated Press, 5/8/03)
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Round 14: Flip-Flopped On Raising Taxes During Economic Downturn
September 2001: Said Should Not Raise Taxes In Economic Downturn. �The first priority is the economy of our nation. And when you have a downturn in the economy, the last thing you do is raise taxes or cut spending. We shouldn�t do either. We need to maintain a course that hopefully will stimulate the economy. . . . No, we should not raise taxes, but we have to put everything on the table to take a look at why we have this structural problem today. . . .[Y]ou don�t want to raise taxes.� (NBC�s �Meet The Press,� 9/2/01)
� We Should �Absolutely Not Raise Taxes.� �Well, I think it�s very clear what I favor because we voted for it early in the spring, which was the Democratic budget alternative that had triggers in it where you didn�t wind up spending money you don�t have. It had a smaller tax cut but more tax cut for a stimulus, which is what we need. So you ask me, what do we need now? Yes, we need additional stimulus. We should absolutely not raise taxes. We should not cut spending. What we need to do is drive the economy of this country. The economy is the number one issue. It is the most important thing we should focus on.� (CNN�s �Evans, Novak, Hunt & Shields,� 9/8/01)
April 2002: Said He Wanted Larger Tax Cut And Was �Not In Favor Of� Repeal. CNN�s TUCKER CARLSON: �Senator Kerry . . . [many Democrats] [g]et a lot of political mileage out of criticizing [President Bush�s tax cut], but nobody has the courage to say repeal it. Are you for repealing it?� KERRY: �It�s not a question of courage. . . . And it�s not an issue right now. We passed appropriately a tax cut as a stimulus, some $40 billion. Many of us thought it should have even maybe been a little bit larger this last year � [T]he next tax cut doesn�t take effect until 2004. If we can grow the economy enough between now and then, if we have sensible policies in place and make good choices, who knows what our choices will be. So it�s simply not a ripe issue right now. And I�m not in favor of turning around today and repealing it.� (CNN�s �Crossfire,� 4/16/02)
December 2002: Flip-Flopped, Would Keep Tax Cuts From Taking Effect. NBC�s TIM RUSSERT: �Senator . . . should we freeze or roll back the Bush tax cut?� KERRY: �Well, I wouldn�t take away from people who�ve already been given their tax cut � What I would not do is give any new Bush tax cuts.� � RUSSERT: �So the tax cut that�s scheduled to be implemented in the coming years �� KERRY: �No new tax cut under the Bush plan. . . . It doesn�t make economic sense.� � RUSSERT: �Now, this is a change �� (NBC�s �Meet The Press,� 12/1/02)
� Called For Freeze Of Bush Tax Cuts In Favor Of Year-Long Suspension Of Payroll Taxes On First $10,000 Of Personal Income. �Kerry said Bush�s tax cuts have mainly benefited the rich while doing little for the economy. Kerry is proposing to halt Bush�s additional tax cuts and instead impose a yearlong suspension of payroll taxes on the first $10,000 of income to help the poor and middle class.� (Tyler Bridges, �Kerry Visits Miami To Start Raising Funds,� The Miami Herald, 12/7/02)
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Round 15: Flip-Flopped On Small Business Income Taxes
Kerry Voted Against Exempting Small Businesses And Family Farms From Clinton Income Tax Increase. (S. Con. Res. 18, CQ Vote #79: Motion Agreed To 54-45: R 0-43; D 54-2, 3/25/93, Kerry Voted Yea)
Three Months Later, Kerry Voted In Favor Of Proposal To Exclude Small Businesses From The Increased Income Tax. (S. 1134, CQ Vote #171: Motion Rejected 56-42: R 43-0; D 13-42, 6/24/93, Kerry Voted Yea)
Kerry Claimed He Fought To Exempt Small Businesses From Income Tax Increases. �I worked to amend the reconciliation bill so that it would � exempt small businesses who are classified as subchapter S corporations from the increased individual income tax.� (Sen. John Kerry, Congressional Record, 6/29/93, p. S 8268)
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Round 16: Kerry Flip-Flopped On 50-Cent Gas Tax Increase
In 1994, Kerry Backed Half-Dollar Increase In Gas Tax. �Kerry said [the Concord Coalition�s scorecard] did not accurately reflect individual lawmakers� efforts to cut the deficit. �It doesn�t reflect my $43 billion package of cuts or my support for a 50-cent increase in the gas tax,� Kerry said.� (Jill Zuckman, �Deficit-Watch Group Gives High Marks To 7 N.E. Lawmakers,� The Boston Globe, 3/1/94)
Two Years Later, Kerry Flip-Flopped. �Kerry no longer supports the 50-cent [gas tax] hike, nor the 25-cent hike proposed by the [Concord] coalition.� (Michael Grunwald, �Kerry Gets Low Mark On Budgeting,� The Boston Globe, 4/30/96)
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Round 17: Flip-Flopped On Leaving Abortion Up To States
Kerry Used To Say Abortion Should Be Left Up To States. �I think the question of abortion is one that should be left for the states to decide,� Kerry said during his failed 1972 Congressional bid. (�John Kerry On The Issues,� The [Lowell, MA] Sun, 10/11/72)
Now Kerry Says Abortion Is Law Of Entire Nation. �The right to choose is the law of the United States. No person has the right to infringe on that freedom. Those of us who are in government have a special responsibility to see to it that the United States continues to protect this right, as it must protect all rights secured by the constitution.� (Sen. John Kerry [D-MA], Congressional Record, 1/22/85)
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Round 18: Flip-Flopped On Litmus Tests For Judicial Nominees
Kerry Used To Oppose Litmus Tests For Judicial Nominees. �Throughout two centuries, our federal judiciary has been a model institution, one which has insisted on the highest standards of conduct by our public servants and officials, and which has survived with undiminished respect. Today, I fear that this institution is threatened in a way that we have not seen before. � This threat is that of the appointment of a judiciary which is not independent, but narrowly ideological, through the systematic targeting of any judicial nominee who does not meet the rigid requirements of litmus tests imposed �� (Sen. John Kerry, Congressional Record, 2/3/86, p. S864)
But Now Kerry Says He Would Only Support Supreme Court Nominees Who Pledge To Uphold Roe v. Wade. �The potential retirement of Supreme Court justices makes the 2004 presidential election especially important for women, Senator John F. Kerry told a group of female Democrats yesterday, and he pledged that if elected president he would nominate to the high court only supporters of abortion rights under its Roe v. Wade decision. � �Any president ought to appoint people to the Supreme Court who understand the Constitution and its interpretation by the Supreme Court. In my judgment, it is and has been settled law that women, Americans, have a defined right of privacy and that the government does not make the decision with respect to choice. Individuals do.�� (Glen Johnson, �Kerry Vows Court Picks To Be Abortion-Rights Supporters,� The Boston Globe, 4/9/03)
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Round 19: Flip-Flopped On Federal Health Benefits
In 1993, Kerry Expressed Doubts That Federal Employees Health Benefits System Worked Well. �Hillary Rodham Clinton today offered a fresh description of one of the most confusing elements of the Administration health care plan, the health insurance purchasing alliances, saying they would let all Americans choose coverage in the way members of Congress do. � Senator John Kerry, Democrat of Massachusetts, said he was not sure that the Federal program worked all that well.� (Adam Clymer, �Hillary Clinton Says Health Plan Will Be Familiar,� The New York Times, 12/8/93)
Kerry Expressed Personal Dissatisfaction With His Coverage Through Federal Program. �Earlier this month, when Hillary Rodham Clinton came to Boston and vowed that average Americans would get as good coverage as that enjoyed by their senators and representatives, Sen. John F. Kerry told Clinton that he thought the country could do better. The Massachusetts Democrat said he was thinking, among other recent disasters, of his $500 dental bill for treatment of an abscessed tooth. �Because it was done in the dentist�s office, rather than the hospital, they didn�t cover it. So they were urging me to go spend twice as much in a hospital,� said Kerry, who is covered by BACE, the Beneficial Association of Capitol Employees.� (Ana Puga, �Lawmakers Talk Health Care,� The Boston Globe, 12/19/93)
Now, On Campaign Trail, Kerry Is Enthusiastic About Health Care He Receives As Senator. �As a U.S. Senator, I could get the best health care in the world. Most people aren�t so lucky, and we need to change that. That�s why my plan gives every American access to the same kind of health care that members of Congress give themselves. � Because your family�s health care is just as important as any politicians� in Washington.� (Sen. John Kerry, �Affordable Health Care For All Americans,� Remarks At Mercy Medical, Cedar Rapids, IA, 12/14/03)
Kerry: �I�m Going To Make Available To Every American The Same Health Care Plan That Senators And Congressmen Give Themselves �� (Sen. John Kerry, AARP Democrat Candidate Debate, Bedford, NH, 11/18/03)
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Round 20: Flip-Flopped On Tax Credits For Small Business Health
In 2001, Kerry Voted Against Amendment Providing $70 Billion For Tax Credits For Small Business To Purchase Health Insurance. (H. Con. Res. 83, CQ Vote #83: Rejected 49-51: R 48-2; D 1-49, 4/5/01, Kerry Voted Nay)
Now, Kerry Promises Refundable Tax Credits To Small Businesses For Health Coverage. �Refundable tax credits for up to 50 percent of the cost of coverage will be offered to small businesses and their employees to make health care more affordable.� (�John Kerry�s Plan To Make Health Care Affordable To Every American,� John Kerry For President Website, www.johnkerry.com, Accessed 1/21/04)
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Round 21: Flip-Flopped On Health Coverage
In 1994, Kerry Said Democrats Push Health Care Too Much. �[Kerry] 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,� Boston Herald, 11/30/94)
But Now Kerry Calls Health Care His �Passion.� �Sen. John Kerry says expanding coverage is �my passion.�� (Susan Page, �Health Specifics Could Backfire On Candidates,� USA Today, 6/2/03)
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Round 22: Flip-Flopped On Welfare Reform
In 1993, Kerry Voted To Kill Bipartisan Welfare Work Requirement. In 1993, Kerry and Kennedy voted against a welfare-to-work requirement that was supported by many Democrats, including Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Harry Reid (D-NV):
� Fiscal 1993 Supplemental Appropriations - Welfare Work Requirement. �Moynihan, D-N.Y., motion to table (kill) the D�Amato, R-N.Y., amendment to sharply cut federal welfare administration aid to states that do not, within a year, require at least 10 percent of their able-bodied welfare recipients without dependents to work. The required workfare participation rate would be increased by 2 percent a year until 50 percent were working.� (H.R. 2118, CQ Vote #163: Rejected 34-64: R 1-42; D 33-22, 6/22/93, Kerry Voted Yea)
But In 1996, Kerry Voted For Welfare Reform. (H.R. 3734, CQ Vote #262: Adopted 78-21: R 53-0; D 25-21, 8/1/96, Kerry Voted Yea)
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Round 23: Flip-Flops On Stock Options Expensing
Kerry Used To Oppose Expensing Stock Options. �Democratic Senator John F. Kerry was among those fighting expensing of stock options.� (Sue Kirchhoff, �Senate Blocks Options,� The Boston Globe, 7/16/02)
Kerry Said Expensing Options Would Not �Benefit The Investing Public.� KERRY: �Mr. President, the Financial Accounting Standards Board � has proposed a rule that will require companies to amortize the value of stock options and deduct them off of their earnings statements � I simply cannot see how the FASB rule, as proposed, will benefit the investing public.� (Sen. John Kerry, Congressional Record, 3/10/94, p. S2772)
But Now Kerry Says He Supports Carrying Of Stock Options As Corporate Expense. �On an issue related to corporate scandals, Kerry for the first time endorsed the carrying of stock options as a corporate expense. The use of stock options was abused by some companies and contributed to overly optimistic balance sheets. Kerry applauded steps by Microsoft Corp. to eliminate stock options for employees and said all publicly traded companies should be required to expense such options.� (Dan Balz, �Kerry Raps Bush Policy On Postwar Iraq,� The Washington Post, 7/11/03)
~24~Back To Fight
Round 24: Flip-Flopped On Medical Marijuana
Kerry Said His �Personal Disposition Is Open To The Issue Of Medical Marijuana.� �Aaron Houston of the Granite Staters for Medical Marijuana said that just a month ago Mr. Kerry seemed to endorse medical marijuana use, and when asked about the content of his mysterious study, said, �I am trying to find out. I don�t know.� Mr. Kerry did say his �personal disposition is open to the issue of medical marijuana� and that he�d stop Drug Enforcement Administration raids on patients using the stuff under California�s medical marijuana law.� (Jennifer Harper, �Inside Politics,� The Washington Times, 8/8/03)
But Now Kerry Says He Wants To Wait For Study Analyzing Issue Before Making Final Decision. �The Massachusetts Democrat said Wednesday he�d put off any final decision on medical marijuana because there�s �a study under way analyzing what the science is.�� (Jennifer Harper, �Inside Politics,� The Washington Times, 8/8/03)
~25~Back To Fight
Round 25: Flip-Flopped On Burma Sanctions
In 1995, Kerry Was Against Burma Sanctions. ��I question whether isolation is a successful means of promoting political change,� Kerry told a constituent in a 1995 letter justifying his opposition to a Burma sanction bill.� (Geeta Anand, et al., �Menino Gets Ahead Of Himself, Starts Contemplating Third Term,� The Boston Globe, 5/18/97)
But Now Kerry Supports Burma Sanctions. �In his 1996 reelection campaign, Kerry, after Governor William F. Weld took up the cause, was badgered by advisers into shifting his position. But as he eyes a presidential campaign and the Burma sanction movement gains credibility, Kerry � describes the Burma regime as a �semi-criminalized dictatorship � which should not be treated with respect by other nations, but should be instead subject to limitations on travel, investment, and access to the most developed nations.�� (Geeta Anand, et al., �Menino Gets Ahead Of Himself, Starts Contemplating Third Term,� The Boston Globe, 5/18/97)
~26~Back To Fight
Round 26: Flip-Flopped On Military Experience As Credential For Public Office
Kerry: Service Should Not Be �Litmus Test� For Leadership. �Mr. President, you and I know that if support or opposition to the war were to become a litmus test for leadership, America would never have leaders or recover from the divisions created by that war. You and I know that if service or nonservice in the war is to become a test of qualification for high office, you would not have a Vice President, nor would you have a Secretary of Defense and our Nation would never recover from the divisions created by that war.� (Sen. John Kerry, Congressional Record, 10/08/92, p. S17709)
But Now Kerry Constantly �Challenges The Stature Of His Democratic Opponents� Over Their Lack Of Military Service. �And more than ever, Mr. Kerry is invoking his stature as a Vietnam veteran as he challenges the stature of his Democratic opponents -- none of whom, he frequently points out, have �worn the uniform of our country� -- to withstand a debate with Mr. Bush on national security.� (Adam Nagourney, �As Campaign Tightens, Kerry Sharpens Message,� The New York Times, 8/10/03)
~27~Back To Fight
Round 27: Flip-Flopped On PACs
Kerry Used To Decry �Special Interests And Their PAC Money.� ��I�m frequently told by cynics in Washington that refusing PAC money is naive,� Kerry told his supporters in 1985. �Do you agree that it is �na�ve� to turn down special interests and their PAC money?�� (Glen Johnson, �In A Switch, Kerry Is Launching A PAC,� The Boston Globe, 12/15/01)
Kerry Created His Own Hard Money PAC Called Citizen Soldier Fund, Which Raised Over $700,000. �A week after repeating that he has refused to accept donations from political action committees, Senator John F. Kerry announced yesterday that he was forming a committee that would accept PAC money for him to distribute to other Democratic candidates. � Kerry�s stance on soft money, unregulated donations funneled through political parties, puts him in the position of raising the type of money that he, McCain, and others in the campaign-finance reform movement are trying to eliminate.� (Federal Election Commission Website, www.fec.gov, Accessed 2/10/04; Glen Johnson, �In A Switch, Kerry Is Launching A PAC,� The Boston Globe, 12/15/01)
~28~Back To Fight
Round 28: Flip-Flopped On $10,000 Donation Limit To His PAC
When Kerry Established His PAC In 2001, He Instituted A $10,000 Limit On Donations. �A week after repeating that he has refused to accept donations from political action committees, Senator John F. Kerry announced yesterday that he was forming a committee that would accept PAC money for him to distribute to other Democratic candidates � The statement also declared that the new PAC would voluntarily limit donations of so-called soft money to $10,000 per donor per year and disclose the source and amount of all such donations.� (Glen Johnson, �In A Switch, Kerry Is Launching A Pac,� The Boston Globe, 12/15/01)
One Year Later, Kerry Started Accepting Unlimited Contributions. �Senator John F. Kerry, who broke with personal precedent last year when he established his first political action committee, has changed his fund-raising guidelines again, dropping a $10,000 limit on contributions from individuals, a cap he had touted when establishing the PAC. The Massachusetts Democrat said yesterday he decided to accept unlimited contributions, which has already allowed him to take in �soft money� donations as large as $25,000, because of the unprecedented fund-raising demands confronting him as a leader in the Senate Democratic caucus.� (Glen Johnson, �Kerry Shifts Fund-Raising Credo For His Own PAC,� The Boston Globe, 10/4/02)
~29~Back To Fight
Round 29: Flip-Flopped On Using Personal Funds In 1996 Race
In 1996, Kerry And Weld Established $500,000 Limit Of Personal Wealth To Be Used In Senate Campaign. �In 1996, Kerry and Weld gave their already noteworthy Senate race added significance by establishing a spending cap. The candidates agreed to spend no more than $6.9 million from July 1 through the election. Weld ended up spending $6.6 million and Kerry $6.3 million. One key element of the agreement limited the candidates to spending $500,000 in personal wealth, a clause Weld favored because Kerry is married to a millionaire, Teresa Heinz.� (Glen Johnson, �In Kerry�s Plan For A Pac, The Resolution Of Opposites,� The Boston Globe, 12/18/01)
Kerry Broke Agreement By Spending $1.2 Million Over Limit. �[P]ost-election reports showed a last-minute infusion of $1.7 million from Kerry�s wife, heiress Teresa Heinz. � [K]erry denied that his campaign violated its agreement. The money had been loaned--not contributed--by his wife, he explained. �There was nothing in the agreement that restricted us from taking a loan � and we paid it back in $1,000 and $2,000 chunks.�� (�Global Ecology Lobby Rocked By Defection,� Political Finance, The Newsletter, 1/02)
~30~Back To Fight
Round 30: Flip-Flopped On Israel Security Fence
October 2003: Kerry Calls Fence �Barrier To Peace.� �And I know how disheartened Palestinians are by the Israeli government�s decision to build a barrier off the green line, cutting deeply into Palestinian areas. We do not need another barrier to peace. Provocative and counterproductive measures only harm Israel�s security over the long- term, they increase hardships to the Palestinian people, and they make the process of negotiating an eventual settlement that much harder.� (Sen. John Kerry, Remarks Before Arab American Institute National Leadership Conference, Dearborn, MI, 10/17/03)
February 2004: Kerry Calls Fence �Legitimate Act Of Self-Defense.� �US Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts, the frontrunner in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination, described Israel�s construction of a security barrier as a �legitimate act of self defense� after Sunday�s suicide bombing in Jerusalem, clarifying a position he took in October when he told an Arab American audience, �We don�t need another barrier to peace.�� (Janine Zacharia, �Kerry Defends Security Fence,� The Jerusalem Post, 2/25/04)
~31~Back To Fight
Round 31: Flip-Flop-Flipped On Ballistic Missile Defense
Kerry Called For Cancellation Of Missile Defense Systems In 1984 And Has Voted Against Funding For Missile Defense At Least 53 Times Between 1985 And 2000. (�John Kerry On The Defense Budget,� Campaign Position Paper, John Kerry For U.S. Senate, 1984; S. 1160, CQ Vote #99: Rejected 21-78: R 2-50; D 19-28, 6/4/85, Kerry Voted Yea; S. 1160, CQ Vote #100: Rejected 38-57: R 6-45; D 32-12, 6/4/85, Kerry Voted Yea; S. 1160, CQ Vote #101: Rejected 36-59: R 1-49; D 35-10, 6/4/85, Kerry Voted Yea; S. 1160, CQ Vote #103: Rejected 33-62: R 28-22; D 5-40, 6/4/85, Kerry Voted Nay; H.J. Res. 465, CQ Vote #365: Motion Agreed To 64-32: R 49-2; D 15-30, 12/10/85, Kerry Voted Nay; H.R. 4515, CQ Vote #122: Ruled Non-Germane 45-47: R 7-42; D 38-5, 6/6/86, Kerry Voted Yea; S. 2638, CQ Vote #176: Motion Agreed To 50-49: R 41-11; D 9-38, 8/5/86, Kerry Voted Nay; S. 2638, CQ Vote #177: Rejected 49-50: R 10-42; D 39-8, 8/5/86, Kerry Voted Yea; S. 1174, CQ Vote #248: Motion Agreed To 58-38: R 8-37; D 50-1, 9/17/87, Kerry Voted Yea; S. 1174, CQ Vote #259: Motion Agreed To 51-50: R 37-9; D 13-41, With Vice President Bush Casting An � Yea � Vote, 9/22/87, Kerry Voted Nay; S. 2355, CQ Vote #124: Motion Agreed To 66-29: R 38-6; D 28-23, 5/11/88, Kerry Voted Nay; S. 2355, CQ Vote #125: Motion Agreed To 50-46: R 38-7; D 12-39, 5/11/88, Kerry Voted Nay; S. 2355, CQ Vote #126: Motion Rejected 47-50: R 38-6; D 9-44, 5/11/88, Kerry Voted Nay; S. 2355, CQ Vote #128: Motion Rejected 48-50: R 6-39; D 42-11, 5/11/88, Kerry Voted Yea; S. 2355, CQ Vote #136: Motion Agreed To 56-37: R 9-34; D 47-3, 5/13/88, Kerry Voted Yea; S. 2355, CQ Vote #137: Motion Agreed To 51-43: R 38-5; D 13-38, 5/13/88, Kerry Voted Nay; H.R. 4264, CQ Vote #251: Motion Rejected 35-58: R 35-9; D 0-49, 7/14/88, Kerry Voted Nay; H.R. 4781, CQ Vote #296: Motion Agreed To 50-44: R 5-39; D 45-5, 8/5/88, Kerry Voted Yea; S. 1352, CQ Vote #148: Motion Agreed To 50-47: R 37-6; D 13-41, 7/27/89, Kerry Voted Nay; H.R. 3072, CQ Vote #202: Rejected 34-66: R 27-18; D 7-48, 9/26/89, Kerry Voted Nay; H.R. 3072, CQ Vote #213: Adopted 53-47: R 39-6; D 14-41, 9/28/89, Kerry Voted Nay; S. 2884, CQ Vote #223: Adopted 54-44: R 2-42; D 52-2, 8/4/90, Kerry Voted Yea; S. 2884, CQ Vote #225: Motion Agreed To 56-41: R 39-4; D 17-37, 8/4/90, Kerry Voted Nay; S. 2884, CQ Vote #226: Motion Agreed To 54-43: R 37-6; D 17-37, 8/4/90, Kerry Voted Nay; S. 3189, CQ Vote #273: Passed 79-16: R 37-5; D 42-11, 10/15/90, Kerry Voted Nay; H.R. 5803, CQ Vote #319: Adopted 80-17: R 37-6; D 43-11, 10/26/90, Kerry Voted Nay; H.R. 4739, CQ Vote #320: Adopted 80-17: R 37-6; D 43-11, 10/26/90, Kerry Voted Nay; S. 1507, CQ Vote #168: Rejected 39-60: R 4-39; D 35-21, 7/31/91, Kerry Voted Yea; S. 1507, CQ Vote #171: Motion Agreed To 60-38: R 40-3; D 20-35, 8/1/91, Kerry Voted Nay; S. 1507, CQ Vote #172: Motion Agreed To 64-34: R 39-4; D 25-30, 8/1/91, Kerry Voted Nay; S. 1507, CQ Vote #173: Rejected 46-52: R 5-38; D 41-14, 8/1/91, Kerry Voted Yea; H.R. 2521, CQ Vote #207: Motion Agreed To 50-49: R 38-5; D 12-44, 9/25/91, Kerry Voted Nay; S. 2403, CQ Vote #85: Adopted 61-38: R 7-36; D 54-2, 5/6/92, Kerry Voted Yea; H.R. 4990, CQ Vote #108: Adopted 90-9: R 34-9; D 56-0, 5/21/92, Kerry Voted Yea; S. 3114, CQ Vote #182: Motion Rejected 43-49: R 34-5; D 9-44, 8/7/92, Kerry Voted Nay; S. 3114, CQ Vote #214: Rejected 48-50: R 5-38; D 43-12, 9/17/92, Kerry Voted Yea; S. 3114, CQ Vote #215: Adopted 52-46: R 39-4; D 13-42, 9/17/92, Kerry Voted Nay; H.R. 5504, CQ Vote #228: Adopted 89-4: R 36-4; D 53-0, 9/22/92, Kerry Voted Yea; S. 1298, CQ Vote #251: Adopted 50-48: R 6-36; D 44-12, 9/9/93, Kerry Voted Yea; S. Con. Res. 63, CQ Vote #64: Rejected 40-59: R 2-42; D 38-17, 3/22/94, Kerry Voted Yea; S. 1026, CQ Vote #354: Motion Agreed To 51-48: R 47-6; D 4-42, 8/3/95, Kerry Voted Nay; S. 1087, CQ Vote #384: Rejected 45-54: R 5-49; D 40-5, 8/10/95, Kerry Voted Yea; S. 1087, CQ Vote #397: Passed 62-35: R 48-4; D 14-31, 9/5/95, Kerry Voted Nay; H.R. 1530, CQ Vote #399: Passed 64-34: R 50-3; D 14-31, 9/6/95, Kerry Voted Nay; H.R. 2126, CQ Vote #579: Adopted 59-39: R 48-5; D 11-34, 11/16/95, Kerry Voted Nay; H.R. 1530, CQ Vote #608: Adopted 51-43: R 47-2; D 4-41, 12/19/95, Kerry Voted Nay; S. 1635, CQ Vote #157: Rejected 53-46: R 52-0; D 1-46, 6/4/96, Kerry Voted Nay; S. 1745, CQ Vote #160: Rejected 44-53: R 4-49; D 40-4, 6/19/96, Kerry Voted Yea; S. 1745, CQ Vote #187: Passed 68-31: R 50-2; D 18-29, 7/10/96, Kerry Voted Nay; S. 936, CQ Vote #171: Rejected 43-56: R 2-53; D 41-3, 7/11/97, Kerry Voted Yea; S. 1873, CQ Vote #131: Motion Rejected 59-41: R 55-0; D 4-41, 5/13/98, Kerry Voted Nay; S. 1873, CQ Vote #262: Motion Rejected 59-41: R 55-0; D 4-41, 9/9/98, Kerry Voted Nay; S. 2549, CQ Vote #178: Motion Agreed To 52-48: R 52-3; D 0-45, 7/13/00, Kerry Voted Nay)
Kerry Then Claimed To Support Missile Defense. �I support the development of an effective defense against ballistic missiles that is deployed with maximum transparency and consultation with U.S. allies and other major powers. If there is a real potential of a rogue nation firing missiles at any city in the United States, responsible leadership requires that we make our best, most thoughtful efforts to defend against that threat. The same is true of accidental launch. If it were to happen, no leader could ever explain not having chosen to defend against the disaster when doing so made sense.� (Peace Action Website, �Where Do The Candidates Stand On Foreign Policy?� , Accessed 3/10/04)
Now Kerry Campaign Says He Will Defund Missile Defense. FOX NEWS� MAJOR GARRETT: �Kerry would not say how much all of this would cost. A top military adviser said the Massachusetts Senator would pay for some of it by stopping all funds to deploy a national ballistic missile defense system, one that Kerry doesn�t believe will work.� KERRY ADVISOR RAND BEERS: �He would not go forward at this time because there is not a proof of concept.� (Fox News� �Special Report,� 3/17/03)
~32~Back To Fight
Round 32: Flip-Flopped On 1991 Iraq War Coalition
At The Time, Kerry Questioned Strength Of 1991 Coalition. �I keep hearing from people, �Well, the coalition is fragile, it won�t stay together,� and my response to that is, if the coalition is so fragile, then what are the vital interests and what is it that compels us to risk our young American�s lives if the others aren�t willing to stay the � course of peace? � I voted against the president, I�m convinced we�re doing this the wrong way �� (CBS� �This Morning,� 1/16/91)
Now Kerry Has Nothing But Praise For 1991 Coalition. SEN. JOHN KERRY: �In my speech on the floor of the Senate I made it clear, you are strongest when you act with other nations. All presidents, historically, his father, George Herbert Walker Bush, did a brilliant job of building a legitimate coalition and even got other people to help pay for the war.� (NBC�s �Meet The Press,� 1/11/04)
~33~Back To Fight
Round 33: Flip-Flopped On View Of War On Terror
Kerry Said War On Terror Is �Basically A Manhunt.� �Kerry was asked about Bush�s weekend appearance on �Meet the Press� when he called himself a �war president.� The senator, who watched the session, remarked: �The war on terrorism is a very different war from the way the president is trying to sell it to us. It�s a serious challenge, and it is a war of sorts, but it is not the kind of war they�re trying to market to America.� Kerry characterized the war on terror as predominantly an intelligence-gathering and law enforcement operation. �It�s basically a manhunt,� he said. �You gotta know who they are, where they are, what they�re planning, and you gotta be able to go get �em before they get us.�� (Katherine M. Skiba, �Bush, Kerry Turn Focus To Each Other,� Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 2/13/04)
Two Weeks Later, Kerry Flip-Flopped, Saying War On Terror Is More Than �A Manhunt�. �This war isn�t just a manhunt - a checklist of names from a deck of cards. In it, we do not face just one man or one terrorist group. We face a global jihadist movement of many groups, from different sources, with separate agendas, but all committed to assaulting the United States and free and open societies around the globe.� (Sen. John Kerry, Remarks At University Of California At Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, 2/27/04)
~34~Back To Fight
Round 34: Flip-Flopped On Funding For Our Troops In Iraq
Kerry Said He would Vote For $87 Billion Because He Wouldn�t �Abandon Our Troops.� KERRY: �I don�t think any United States senator is going to abandon our troops and recklessly leave Iraq to - to whatever follows as a result of simply cutting and running. That�s irresponsible. What is responsible is for the administration to do this properly now.� (CBS� �Face The Nation,� 9/14/03)
Kerry Said He Wouldn�t �Cut And Run� And Withhold Ammunition. KERRY: �I don�t think anyone in the Congress is going to not give our troops ammunition, not give our troops the ability to be able to defend themselves. We�re not going to cut and run and not do the job.� (CBS� �Face The Nation,� 9/14/03)
But Then, Kerry Voted Against Senate Passage Of Iraq/Afghanistan Reconstruction Package. �Passage of the bill that would appropriate $86.5 billion in fiscal 2004 supplemental spending for military operations and reconstruction in Iraq and Afghanistan. The bill would provide $10.3 billion as a grant to rebuild Iraq, including $5.1 billion for security and $5.2 billion for reconstruction costs. It also would provide $10 billion as a loan that would be converted to a grant if 90 percent of all bilateral debt incurred by the former Iraqi regime of Saddam Hussein has been forgiven by other countries. Separate provisions limit reconstruction aid to $18.4 billion. It also would provide approximately $65.6 billion for military operations and maintenance and $1.3 billion for veterans medical care.� (S. 1689, CQ Vote #400: Passed 87-12: R 50-0; D 37-11; I 0-1, 10/17/03, Kerry Voted Nay)
~35~Back To Fight
Round 35: Flip-Flopped On The Strategic Petroleum Reserve
In February 2000, Kerry Said Release Of Oil From The Strategic Petroleum Reserves Would Not Be �Relevant.� �Without being specific, Kerry, a key member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, suggested the US could retaliate economically in other trade areas. He also said he does not want a release of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. A release �is not relevant. It would take months for the oil to get to the market,� he said.� (Cathy Landry, �US Energy Chief Warns Of Gasoline Crisis,� Platt�s Oilgram News, 2/17/00)
In March 2004, Kerry Called For Stop In Filling Strategic Petroleum Reserve To Reduce Prices. �Kerry would pressure oil-producing nations to increase production and temporarily suspend filling the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve, according to campaign documents. � �The Bush administration has put the SPR fill program on automatic pilot without regard to the short-term effect on the US market,� the campaign documents said. �The program needs better management ... Kerry would temporarily suspend filling SPR until oil prices return to normal levels.�� (Patricia Wilson, �Kerry To Offer Plan To Reduce Record Gasoline Prices,� Reuters, 3/29/04)
[Edited on 30-3-2004 by Phoenix]
Originally posted by Phoenix
The Bush flip flop list you posted is this big ( . ) compared to Kerrys - but if you dare me I'll post it, let me assure you it will be a veerryy long list.
I'm very interested in seeing it as I like to see both sides of the argument so...I dare you...
But try doing so without the "usual suspects" ( Worldnet, Free Republic, Rushonline, Drudge or any of the other Winger nonsense ). Have some reality
invade your perspectives for awhile.
And remember, it's all fun and games for the kiddies,but for the adults with mortgages and careers, Bush has been the president who has made America suffer for his consistent waffeling. on second thought, that might not be the best term - his facts change constantly but the lie stays out there - so is that really flip flopping?
In February of 2001, President Bush promised to retire �an historic $2 trillion in debt over the next 10 years.�
www.whitehouse.gov...
Now, Bush proposes to retire no debt and in fact proposes to increase the national debt by more than $2.4 trillion for the period from 2002 through 2009.
In the 2000 campaign, Bush promised to devote the entire Social Security surplus to reducing the national debt, thereby helping to prepare for the retirement of the baby boomers.
Once in office, Bush has not used any of the Social Security surplus to retire debt but has used the entire surplus to fund the general operations of government each year since his first budget in 2002.
This is utter irresponsibility, this is a teen at the Galleria with a grandparents Platinum card!!!
According to Bush�s budget projections (scroll to table S-12), the entire Social Security surplus will be used to fund the general operations of government through at least FY 2012. In total, Mr. Bush proposes to spend in excess of a trillion dollars of Social Security surpluses rather than retire debt as he promised.
www.whitehouse.gov...
And remember, it's all fun and games for the kiddies,but for the adults with mortgages and careers, Bush has been the president who has made America suffer for his consistent waffeling. on second thought, that might not be the best term - his facts change constantly but the lie stays out there - so is that really flip flopping?
In February of 2001, President Bush promised to retire �an historic $2 trillion in debt over the next 10 years.�
www.whitehouse.gov...
Now, Bush proposes to retire no debt and in fact proposes to increase the national debt by more than $2.4 trillion for the period from 2002 through 2009.
In the 2000 campaign, Bush promised to devote the entire Social Security surplus to reducing the national debt, thereby helping to prepare for the retirement of the baby boomers.
Once in office, Bush has not used any of the Social Security surplus to retire debt but has used the entire surplus to fund the general operations of government each year since his first budget in 2002.
This is utter irresponsibility, this is a teen at the Galleria with a grandparents Platinum card!!!
According to Bush�s budget projections (scroll to table S-12), the entire Social Security surplus will be used to fund the general operations of government through at least FY 2012. In total, Mr. Bush proposes to spend in excess of a trillion dollars of Social Security surpluses rather than retire debt as he promised.
www.whitehouse.gov...
Bush is good at speeches, not good at talking points.
Kerry is a talking point machine, he'll be good for the liberal media to rebroadcast, so he'll probably win them.
But with all the flipfloppin, they BOTH will have a stupid debate because they have been on the both sides of EVERYTHING on the "issues." So it comes down to who has the easiest time lieing....Kerry. So kerry can win it there as well because he's ALWAYS believed in this way or that way and he can back it up with evidence in history that he was lol.
Kerry has to keep his temper, if bush can keep on his case about his flipflopping, it'll be the Gore debate all over again. Bush has to keep candid and serious through the attacks on issues and the snippy personal attacks. Bush will come out saying, Hey, sheet happened and I am on the case, undoubtedly my views had to change given the crappy economy that was GIVEN to me, but I'll get onto it once I am elected.
Kerry will come out and say he's been a firm fighter and that EVERYTHING Bush has done was totally wrong. He will be VERY negative and TALK DOWN the economy, and then come out with some outrageous promises on huge spending, tax cuts for everybody but the rich, more spending, cutting the deficit, and more spending.
What bush should do is get out the spec sheet, he's got a ton to work with, but for some reason, these debates are just sound bit machines for their BROAD ideals. He COULD say, he had largest growth in 20 years, lower unemployment % than any european country and lower than when clinton was elected and through time is LOW in comparison, the economy was down before he took office and when he was in office he still had to wait out Clinton's budget, when it ended, the economy really bad. He can also say that the huge outsourcing of jobs is really only three tenths of one percent, and what makes america great is our innovation.
He'll probably harp on his more liberal achievements, like the patriot act, the school funding bill, his health care reform, the campaign finance reforms, ect...his big spending.
HOPEFULLY people will see that his moral character and his IDEALS and see that he's truly presidential.
Kerry is a talking point machine, he'll be good for the liberal media to rebroadcast, so he'll probably win them.
But with all the flipfloppin, they BOTH will have a stupid debate because they have been on the both sides of EVERYTHING on the "issues." So it comes down to who has the easiest time lieing....Kerry. So kerry can win it there as well because he's ALWAYS believed in this way or that way and he can back it up with evidence in history that he was lol.
Kerry has to keep his temper, if bush can keep on his case about his flipflopping, it'll be the Gore debate all over again. Bush has to keep candid and serious through the attacks on issues and the snippy personal attacks. Bush will come out saying, Hey, sheet happened and I am on the case, undoubtedly my views had to change given the crappy economy that was GIVEN to me, but I'll get onto it once I am elected.
Kerry will come out and say he's been a firm fighter and that EVERYTHING Bush has done was totally wrong. He will be VERY negative and TALK DOWN the economy, and then come out with some outrageous promises on huge spending, tax cuts for everybody but the rich, more spending, cutting the deficit, and more spending.
What bush should do is get out the spec sheet, he's got a ton to work with, but for some reason, these debates are just sound bit machines for their BROAD ideals. He COULD say, he had largest growth in 20 years, lower unemployment % than any european country and lower than when clinton was elected and through time is LOW in comparison, the economy was down before he took office and when he was in office he still had to wait out Clinton's budget, when it ended, the economy really bad. He can also say that the huge outsourcing of jobs is really only three tenths of one percent, and what makes america great is our innovation.
He'll probably harp on his more liberal achievements, like the patriot act, the school funding bill, his health care reform, the campaign finance reforms, ect...his big spending.
HOPEFULLY people will see that his moral character and his IDEALS and see that he's truly presidential.
Anman - are you out in the shed drinking gasoline coctails with Kratronix?
That flight of fantasty had no tethers to reality whatsoever!
Bush is a poor orator & a worse debater, the media hasn't been liberal since before you were born, Bush has a much easier time telling lies - being pathological, Gore won all of their debates, and Bush will run away from facts faster than the Devil on Judegment Day.
That flight of fantasty had no tethers to reality whatsoever!
Bush is a poor orator & a worse debater, the media hasn't been liberal since before you were born, Bush has a much easier time telling lies - being pathological, Gore won all of their debates, and Bush will run away from facts faster than the Devil on Judegment Day.
Originally posted by ANMAN
Bush is good at speeches,
WTF??? He can't get through one sentence without stumbling over his words, and also can't wipe that smart ass, sentimenal and smug grin off his face.
Good eh?
I beg to differ on the lack of liberal media comment.
There is quite a number of liberal media sources. The media is almost never fair and/or balanced, no matter the source.
The media is the reason we have such a major social situation in this country now.
Think about it this way. You are in the business of selling airtime (which is the only thing TV does). You have created a platform of "news" in which to sell that time. With the country becoming more afraid because of the terrorism (2 1/2 years ago but still going strong), and the current divide in our political battlefield, would you not seek to exploit that? Of course. Additionally, this serves to 1) deepen the divide, and 2) propagate the fear (alert levels, duct tape, etc.).
Now for the newspapers. Can you honestly tell me the last time you read the LA Times? Hell, I've even caught the Wasington Post doing it sometimes.
The proof is not always in the blatant henpecking, but in the selection, placement, and seeming focus of what they present to the public as "The world of interest today".
Many people buy into this hook line and sinker. Take my mother-in-law for example.
She actually went out and bought food, water, and a big expensive generator for Y2K even though she was in financially lean times.
What did every other country do for Y2K? Nothing, they sat back and watched the fun unfold over here.
Fear and Consumption. But both sides need their pundits to facilitate that.
There is quite a number of liberal media sources. The media is almost never fair and/or balanced, no matter the source.
The media is the reason we have such a major social situation in this country now.
Think about it this way. You are in the business of selling airtime (which is the only thing TV does). You have created a platform of "news" in which to sell that time. With the country becoming more afraid because of the terrorism (2 1/2 years ago but still going strong), and the current divide in our political battlefield, would you not seek to exploit that? Of course. Additionally, this serves to 1) deepen the divide, and 2) propagate the fear (alert levels, duct tape, etc.).
Now for the newspapers. Can you honestly tell me the last time you read the LA Times? Hell, I've even caught the Wasington Post doing it sometimes.
The proof is not always in the blatant henpecking, but in the selection, placement, and seeming focus of what they present to the public as "The world of interest today".
Many people buy into this hook line and sinker. Take my mother-in-law for example.
She actually went out and bought food, water, and a big expensive generator for Y2K even though she was in financially lean times.
What did every other country do for Y2K? Nothing, they sat back and watched the fun unfold over here.
Fear and Consumption. But both sides need their pundits to facilitate that.
What you say KrazyJethro is true but only when you take into context the US's crazy perception of what is "left".
What would that be John?
1) what is true left?
2) what is the perceived left?
1) what is true left?
2) what is the perceived left?
Bush and his camp knows that he will lose any debate. (Notice the period) He is one of the worst public speakers that I can remember. Maybe it is a
part of some charm, but he puts himself out there like he is a goob. I don't blame him for not accepting extra debates and putting himself out there
in that capacity. The American people will buy into their reasoning.
Being a good orator does not necessarily make one a good leader.
Being a below-average public speaker does not mean one is a bad world leader.
john
Being a below-average public speaker does not mean one is a bad world leader.
john
Originally posted by jsobecky
Being a good orator does not necessarily make one a good leader.
Being a below-average public speaker does not mean one is a bad world leader.
Correct, but combining all that with Ivy League post & undergraduate degrees as well as CEO levels "attained" in the private sector , does prove that there was never any substance or accomplishment inherent in the man all along, just dealt an incrediably good hand of birth.
I have been dealt three Aces while playing poker and drew a fourth, so it can happen.
well i see alot of people won't be listening to bush, you just hate him so much, you can barely stand slight movements of his face.
Bush is extremely good at speeches, believe it or not, perhaps you listen to too much Daily Show picking out all his foibles. Bush is terrible at encapsulating little soundbites for the news networks to take off with(which kerry is great at), but it does not mean this this person is an extremely intelligent person. Is is SO dumb that he just obtained his confidence from not knowing what he is doing? Then he must be too dumb to know about the massive world wide conspiracies and business underhandedness that he has been attibuted to. He must be SO dumb that he was pushed right through the hardest and most selective schools in the world? A school that turned down brittish royalty just to keep the integrity of their name, and why would they let in Bush back in the day anyways? His father was a nothing but an ambassador.
Gore sure did loose that debate when he started jumping in like a dumb ass when Bush was talking, if Bush's speaking is SO bad, why didn't he just let him say what he was saying?
Also, you say that Bush will not answer and dodge issues? Have you EVER listened to a democrat talk!?!?! Most of the time they SIDESTEP. IF you can finally nail one down with facts, they'll ragree, and then sidestep and bring up another issue that they were all of a sudden concerned about that may have nothing to do with anything, like Kery's Vietnam responce to his VOTING reccord jeeeeze.
Uh as for liberal media,wow good point that yes the media was biased back in the day, bad for them, in a dream world the media should be neutral or atleast up front with thier bias (like rush, o'riley, bohanan, and imus).
[Edited on 16-3-2004 by ANMAN]
[Edited on 16-3-2004 by ANMAN]
Bush is extremely good at speeches, believe it or not, perhaps you listen to too much Daily Show picking out all his foibles. Bush is terrible at encapsulating little soundbites for the news networks to take off with(which kerry is great at), but it does not mean this this person is an extremely intelligent person. Is is SO dumb that he just obtained his confidence from not knowing what he is doing? Then he must be too dumb to know about the massive world wide conspiracies and business underhandedness that he has been attibuted to. He must be SO dumb that he was pushed right through the hardest and most selective schools in the world? A school that turned down brittish royalty just to keep the integrity of their name, and why would they let in Bush back in the day anyways? His father was a nothing but an ambassador.
Gore sure did loose that debate when he started jumping in like a dumb ass when Bush was talking, if Bush's speaking is SO bad, why didn't he just let him say what he was saying?
Also, you say that Bush will not answer and dodge issues? Have you EVER listened to a democrat talk!?!?! Most of the time they SIDESTEP. IF you can finally nail one down with facts, they'll ragree, and then sidestep and bring up another issue that they were all of a sudden concerned about that may have nothing to do with anything, like Kery's Vietnam responce to his VOTING reccord jeeeeze.
Uh as for liberal media,wow good point that yes the media was biased back in the day, bad for them, in a dream world the media should be neutral or atleast up front with thier bias (like rush, o'riley, bohanan, and imus).
[Edited on 16-3-2004 by ANMAN]
[Edited on 16-3-2004 by ANMAN]
ANMAN, way to go. I'll be posting that list of Kerry flip flops in due time, its so long that I have to defer to other responsibilities in the
meantime but let me assure some here its coming!
[Edited on 16-3-2004 by Phoenix]
[Edited on 16-3-2004 by Phoenix]
Oh man,that would be must see t.v.
Could you imagine Bush trying to answer questions un-rehearsed, that would be the funniest night of television in some time.
There is no way his handlers will let him do it. No control,just wont happen.
Fool me once blah blah blah,,,,,,,,,,,,
i cant stop laughing right now just thinking of the endless blunders.
Could you imagine Bush trying to answer questions un-rehearsed, that would be the funniest night of television in some time.
There is no way his handlers will let him do it. No control,just wont happen.
Fool me once blah blah blah,,,,,,,,,,,,
i cant stop laughing right now just thinking of the endless blunders.
Originally posted by ashley
Oh man,that would be must see t.v.
Could you imagine Bush trying to answer questions un-rehearsed, that would be the funniest night of television in some time.
There is no way his handlers will let him do it. No control,just wont happen.
Fool me once blah blah blah,,,,,,,,,,,,
i cant stop laughing right now just thinking of the endless blunders.
Actually Bush held his own against Gore in 2000, I don't see Mr. soundbite- Kerry doing well on his feet against Bush who come across as uncontrived vs someone like Kerry who can recite only the partys talking points - woodenly I might add.
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