Reply #17: Many, many, MANY positives about Kerry [View All]

[fiorello]

Kerry was always my #1... Some reasons:

Vietnam veterans against the war.

Kerry opposed Bush's foreign policy since at least 2002 - posted earlier on this site. His foreign policy positions are not easy one-liners, but they are very similar to Clark's. Kerry's commitment to a sane foreign policy goes back to the 1980's when he fought Reagan on Iran-Contra.

Kerry has consistently supported liberal democrats on the economy, jobs and health care. He is less obvious about it than Edwards, but just as strong on these issues. (Kerry's main economic advisor is Robert Reich - the most progressive of the Clinton cabinet members, the author of "Locked in the Cabinet", who cared most about doing something for working-class people.)

Kerry has voted for both abortion rights and gay rights even when these votes were unpopular (NY Times: full record on http://www.nytimes.com/2004/02/08/politics/campaign/08KERR.html). That means something beyond the individual issue. Kerry is NOT just a political opportunist who takes popular positions.

Kerry does not have a "single-issue" rallying cry.... but he is there on just about every major issue.

Passion is a in part a personal thing - when to trust that a politician means it, or is just feeding you a line. I trust Kerry, more than most politicians... more (for example) than I trusted Gore.

I expect a Kerry campaign to call for a sane foreign policy... a halting of corporate givaways to the rich.... a commitment (in the name of patriotism) to health care, to better opportunities for working people, to earning support from foreign countries rather than bullying them, to fighting terrorism without the Bush 'terrorism madness', and to the environment. Kerry's record says that he's telling the truth about all these issues.

Of course I'm passionate about Kerry!