Candidate Review – John Kerry

 

During the Democratic Primary I did candidate reviews, in which I would take an issue and print up what each of the Democratic Candidates had said about it (to the extent possible).  Since the primary season has largely passed, I have decided to consolidate those pages into one, which contains all the statements of John Kerry that I collected.  If you want to see how he stacked up against the other primary contenders on any issue, click the link at the bottom of Kerry’s comments. 

 

Also note that since  I worked off of campaign websites, and at times a comment did not seem to be from Kerry directly, but from whoever ran his website.  

 

Capturing Saddam Hussein

 

This refers to comments Kerry made on the capture of Saddam Hussein.

 

Here is Senator Kerry's Official Statement.

"This is a great day for U.S. forces, the Iraqi people, and the world. Capturing Saddam Hussein and ensuring that this brutal dictator will never return to power is an important step towards stabilizing Iraq for the Iraqis."

Let’s also be clear: Our problems in Iraq have not been caused by one man and this is a moment when the administration can and must launch a major effort to gain international support and win the peace. We need to share the burden, bring in other countries, and make it clear to the world that Iraq belongs to the Iraqi people."

Today is another opportunity to invite the world into a post-Saddam Iraq and build the coalition to win the peace that we should have built to win the war.


Kerry is also apparently trying to push himself as the Anti-Dean. So we'll see how that goes.

 

Capturing Saddam Hussein [>]

 

Civil Rights

 

We have two quotes from the civil rights part of Kerry's web page. The first is from the candidate himself and the second is from the discussion of Affirmative Action (and unatributed).

We need to guarantee equal rights and civil rights and say that, here in America, workers have the right to organize -- women have the right to choose - and justice belongs to everyone regardless of race or gender or sexual orientation.

"John Kerry believes in an America where we take common sense steps to ensure that our schools and workplaces reflect the full face of America. He has consistently opposed efforts in the Senate to undermine or eliminate affirmative action programs and supports programs that seek to enhance diversity, for example, by fostering the growth of minority small businesses."

 

Civil Rights [>]

 

Foreign Policy

 

Here's a quote from Sen. John Kerry from his website.

"Americans deserve a principled diplomacy...backed by undoubted military might...based on enlightened self-interest, not the zero-sum logic of power politics...a diplomacy that commits America to lead the world toward liberty and prosperity. A bold progressive internationalism that focuses not just on the immediate and imminent, but insidious dangers that can mount over the next years and decade, dangers that span the spectrum from the denial of democracy, to destructive weapons, endemic poverty and epidemic disease. These are not just issues of international order, but vital issues of our own national security."

 

Foreign Policy [>]

 

Health Care

 

And here's John Kerry's plan, as he presented it on December 14, 2003

"In my first 100 days as President, I'll offer America a real deal on health care that starts with cutting costs and stopping skyrocketing premiums. Make no mistake, no one in this race will fight harder than I will to cover the uninsured and get to universal coverage. But there is more to the health care problem in America than covering the uninsured. The major reason Americans don't have coverage is they can't afford it. And it's not enough to get everyone covered if the whole country is still staggering under the weight of our medical bills. . . .

Here's how we'll do it. Right now, only four out of every one thousand insurance claims deal with health care costs over $50,000. Insurance companies, however, end up spending a fifth of their expenses paying for these very few cases. If they're spending that much, you can bet everyone else's premiums are going to go up. Under my plan the government will pick up most of the tab for these expensive cases - and the premiums for middle-class families will go down.

We'll also cut the fraud and waste out of the health care system. It would be one thing if every dime of that $4,000 was being spent on making Americans healthier. It's not. A quarter of the money Americans spend on health care goes to non-medical costs like paying bills and handling paperwork. If we can have banks that use computers and technology to cut down transaction costs to just a penny, we can surely have a health care system that does the same. Our money should be going to health care, not filling out forms.
"

 

Health Care [>]

 

Higher Education

 

Once again I must content myself with an anonymous staffer's depiction of Senator Kerry's Plan. On the other hand, I like how this staffer ties the revenue problems facing states to peoples lives.

"John Kerry’s “Service for College” initiative will offer Americans the chance to earn the equivalent of their state's four-year public college tuition in exchange for two years of service. Kerry will set a goal within the next decade of enlisting 500,000 young people a year in Service for College."

and

"The Bush economic policies have left states with nearly $90 billion in budget deficits, and have forced cuts to higher education budgets, resulting in higher tuition, increased class sizes, and cuts to counseling, tutoring, and remedial coursework. Rising tuitions often mean that students have to drop out and others cannot afford to come. As part of his “State Tax Relief and Education Fund” Kerry will help states struggling to bridge deficits resulting from Bush’s economic policies with $50 billion to stop the education cuts and tuition increases across the country. The additional resources Kerry is proposing will be conditioned on better and smarter use of the higher education money. Kerry believes that colleges and universities should work to make the higher education system more efficient, without sacrificing quality, by streamlining services and reducing duplication. For example, if state colleges and universities banded together to make bulk purchases of things such as health care for employees, energy, supplies, and other services it would save millions of dollars annually."

 

Higher Education [>]

 

Tax Reform

 

This is from a speech on January 14, 2004 (so Wednesday), in Davenport Iowa.

"And while we must repeal the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy, I will fight - and I ask you to join me in fighting against - proposals to increase taxes on the middle class. I disagree with those in my own party who are so mad at George Bush that they want to take it out on working families in Iowa by raising their taxes an average of $2,000 a year. To me, this is a matter of principle: Democrats should stand up for everyday Americans who work hard, hope for the future, and face extraordinary challenges everyday.

A government on their side will know when to take sides. So as President, I will scrub the tax code, which has grown from 14 pages to 17,000 pages, to remove every single loophole, every single incentive, every single provision that rewards Benedict Arnold CEOs and corporations for moving profits and American jobs overseas. And we'll stop giving government contracts for companies who do wrong by their workers.

We will put an end to tax giveaways for corporations who cut back on their workers while they lavish millions on CEOs. And corporations won't get tax breaks for CEOs million dollar retirement windfalls while they cut back on worker pension plans. We need a President who fights for a fair retirement for every family not Paradise Island for millionaires.
"

 

Tax Reform [>]

 

The Environment

 

These are comments from a speech made on October 20, 2003, at the University of New Hampshire.

"As President, I will put environmental justice center stage. For too long, poor and minority communities have been overlooked when it came to the environment. And for too long, polluters thought they could get away with breaking the law as long as it was in someone else’s back yard. Those days need to end. Under a Kerry Administration, no community will have their environment overlooked. They will have the power to fight back. And the polluters won’t get away with it any more.

What will America look like when we are done? We will have pollution-free cars drawing their energy from redesigned fueling stations. We will see gleaming high speed trains carrying passengers from city to city. Our oceans and rivers and forests will move out of intensive care and back into health, so that they are once again teeming with life. In rural America, people will be as connected as anyone living in the city; and our cities will see almost as much green as out in the country.

America faces a choice: do we wish to be remembered as the last generation of the foolish – those who believed that the earth could be stripped without conscience – or as the first generation of the wise?

George Bush has offered his answer – time and again.

We need to offer a better answer. We need to unlock the force of invention and imagination. We need a President who will lead the country and the world in tackling the challenges we face. We need a President who’ll protect our rivers and lakes, our oceans and forests. We need to make sure our children’s children know the true meaning of “America the Beautiful.”


And from his webpage on his environmental platform.

"John Kerry understands the connection between air pollution and public health. As President, he will immediately reverse the Bush-Cheney rollbacks of our nation’s Clean Air laws, plug loopholes in the laws, and vigorously enforce them. He will take bold steps to protect the health of all Americans – particularly our most vulnerable seniors and children – by adopting an aggressive program to meet ozone and air quality standards, stop acid rain, and reduce mercury emissions. His plan also includes addressing global warming emissions through a combination of innovative programs that will drive technology change and create jobs."

 

The Environment [>]

 

The Bush Tax Cut

 

Here is Senator John Kerry's analysis of President Bush's handling of the economy, from a speech on August 28, 2003

"But instead of acting to secure prosperity for all or even a measure of basic fairness, George Bush has brought back the days of deficits, debt, and doubt. He has put the interests of his buddies and big shot campaign contributors ahead of the people he passes by in his motorcade. And rain or shine, surplus or deficit, George Bush has one answer for our economy: special interest tax giveaways that are unwarranted, unaffordable, and unfair.

We need action and leadership because we’re not just in a temporary downturn. America is in a fight for our economic future. As I travel this country, it is clear to me that the American people know it even if some politicians don’t. And they know that America won’t win a fight for the future with the worn-out policies of the past.
"

 

The Bush Tax Cut [>]

The War in Iraq

 

Both quotes are from a speech Mr. Kerry gave on December 16, 2003 at Drake University. Of course, Mr. Kerry spends quite a bit of time slamming into Howard Dean, and commenting on the capture of Saddam Hussien which had just happened at the time.

The first is on his support for the Resolution authorizing President Bush to use force against Saddam Hussein.

"I believe it was right to hold Saddam Hussein accountable for violating UN agreements. I believed then – and I believe now – authorizing force was the only way to get inspectors in, and the only way ultimately to enforce Saddam Hussein’s compliance with the mandate he had agreed to, knowing that as a last resort war could become the ultimate weapons inspections enforcement mechanism.

And I also believe that those who doubted whether Iraq or the world would be better off without Saddam Hussein, and those who believe we are not safer with his capture don’t have the judgment to be President – or the credibility to be elected President.
"

And the second is on his plan for Iraq now.

"First, go back to the international community and to the United Nations and offer a real partnership in Iraq. We need a new Security Council resolution to give the United Nations authority in the rebuilding process and the development of a new Iraqi Constitution and government. Ambassador Bremer and the Coalition Provisional Authority should be sincerely thanked for their service – and replaced by a UN Special Representative in Iraq who will remove the stigma of foreign occupation from our presence there. The United States has ample power and influence to establish a working relationship which guarantees— indeed guides us to—an outcome which meets our goals and security needs.

Second, the UN authorization for international forces in Iraq is finally in place, but to expand participation we have to share responsibility, which the Administration still won’t do. We need to conduct real diplomacy with the goal of really getting boots on the ground.

. . . Third, we need a reasonable plan and a specific timetable for self-government, for transferring political power and the responsibility for reconstruction to the people of Iraq. That means completing the tasks of security and democracy in that country – not cutting and running in order to claim a false success for the sake of the 2004 election. The timing of events in Iraq should not be keyed to the timetable of the Bush re-election campaign. Genuinely engaging the Iraqi people in shaping new institutions is fundamental to the long term cause of a stable, peaceful, and independent Iraq that contributes to the world instead of threatening it.
"

 

The War in Iraq [>]