Reply #26: The more I read this forum, the more I am clear on what people really want [View All]

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

They want to be freed from the totalitarianism of the right so that we may all finally get to experience the joys of the totalitarianism from the left.
They wish to be freed from the chains of international commerce so that rather than share economic expansion with the world as we all selfishly enjoyed under Clinton, we can all sink with the world.

They wish to make sure that we get all the politicians that have any experience at all out of Wahington, so that we may be left with neophyte reformers just like the reformers that came in in 96 under New Gingrich only this time instead of a republican coup, we can have THEIR coup.

Now for a few facts about John Kerry who hasn't really stood up in the past allow me to cut and paste:

I must say I have never considered Kerry's votes on IWR or the Patriot Act purely political. Some people feel that way, I don't.

Re: The Patriot Act, it filled gaps that FISA left open and if you recall FISA warrants had been issued against one of the 9/11 suspects and a federal judge had rejected them in the past. The act itself is wrong and there are many problems with it but that is exactly why provisions were written in for the act to sunset.

Re: IWR - Kerry's position changed on IWR after a closed door meeting as did many senators and congresspeople including one of my own. There is an LBN thread detailing more info about OSP and how these agenst were pressured to accept evidence that was debunked and give it credence. IF these agents had previously testified credibly before Kerry (and odds are they did given he served on the Intelligence Committee for 18 years and some were senior agents) then it is entirely conceivable that he had to weigh their previous credibility against conflicting information and their current statements. He called it wrong. To people who expect him to explain more, it was a closed door meeting and he would be committing a federal crime to explain himself further.

To my knowledge, the only other times he gave his vote for military action were Bosnia and Somalia in his entire career. He did NOT vote for Gulf war 1.

Kerry's position on gay marriage is identical to Dean's. He supports civil unions and has MANY strong statements on the record rejecting bigotry against gay people.

For being an opportunist, he has a history of ferreting out government corruption. He almost ruined his career when investigating BCCI as a close friend of Carter's (Clark Clifford) became implicated. Clifford, it turns out had NOT committed a crime but he was persona non grata with high level Dems for Clifford even being referenced in the investigation

He only backed off from that investigation after Clinton ordered it dropped and there was no where else to go.

The two convicted felons in George Bush's administration, Elliot Abrahams and Otto Reich were convicted based on Kerry's investigative work which was then used by the special prosecutor in Iran Contra and Senator Inouye at the hearings to to indict them. It was HIS work that got those hearings accomplished and George Bush Sr's pardons that undermined further convictions as well as Bill Clinton's lack of political will to follow through.

His environmental record is better than most in the senate.

He pushed HARD for Kyoto (dropped unilaterally by the Bush admin) which would have resulted in less manufacturing jobs being shipped abroad since there in now no incentive for other countries to pass anti-pollution laws.


He has enforced (and written) tough banking laws onshore and offshore, which laws if not abandoned by the Bush admin would have made it far easier to trace laundered money in drugs, terrorism AND corporate crime...hardly the act of a corporate apologist.


And finally, I am 45 years old and for nearly ALL of my adult life John Kerry has been on the side of the issue with his votes that I value most...be it labor rights, women's rights, clean air, clean water, or darn near any other issue.

I further feel that his extensive knowledge of security matters and his long standing relatinship with the senate and congress will lead to greater cooperation to clean up the mess from this administration.

His plan on Iraq is not all that far apart from Dean..he is NOT for expanding the mission but for turning it over to the UN.

John Kerry is NOT at the mercy of oil companies.

He favors alternative energy sources.

I could go on but you probably won't read all of this anyway.