Kerry Fires Back at Dean Charges of Cronyism

[Feanorcurufinwe]

Democratic Sen. John Kerry on Saturday rejected charges his votes in the U.S. Senate were influenced by campaign contributions, saying he had spent his whole career battling special interests. Speaking to reporters after accepting the endorsement of Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm, Kerry said he would put his record up against any of the Democratic candidates seeking the chance to run against President Bush in November.

<snip>

Criticizing Kerry, Dean told reporters in Tucson: "It turns out we've got more than one Republican in the Democratic race. I've already said I thought (retired Gen.) Wes Clark was a Republican and now apparently John Kerry has the same financing habits." Referring to this remark, Kerry said the outspoken former governor had previously made comments for which he had had to apologize. "I would respectfully suggest that that may be just one more of them."

<snip>

In Kansas City, Missouri, Kerry said, "The only people that have contributed to my campaigns to the U.S. Senate are individual Americans. Now are some of those individual Americans lobbyists? Yeah, sure. And if anybody in America thinks that a $1,000 contribution against 14 million in a campaign is somehow going to sway my vote they're, there's a level of cynicism about this."

<snip>

The latest Reuters/MSNBC/Zogby poll released on Saturday showed Kerry holding a 33-point lead in Missouri, the biggest prize on Tuesday with 74 delegates at stake. In Oklahoma, Kerry gained 5 points on Clark to trail 25 percent to 22 percent.
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=politicsNews&storyID=4255679

[bicentennial_baby]

1. Dupe

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=243277&mesg_id=243277

[XanaDUer]

2. LOL!

"Criticizing Kerry, Dean told reporters in Tucson: "It turns out we've got more than one Republican in the Democratic race. I've already said I thought (retired Gen.) Wes Clark was a Republican and now apparently John Kerry has the same financing habits." Referring to this remark, Kerry said the outspoken former governor had previously made comments for which he had had to apologize. "I would respectfully suggest that that may be just one more of them."


Coming from Dean, this is a hoot! Dean is the only candidate who formally has had money raised for him by Repukes.

No pun intended, but that's rich!


http://www.rutlandherald.com/election2000/repbackdean.html

"Gilbert, a former member of the late Gov. Richard Snelling's administration, said he took the initiative to form the group, which boasts a membership of more than 30 moderate Republicans from around the state who back Dean.

He said the committee would support Dean's candidacy by reaching out to other moderates in the party as well as helping Dean with fund-raising."

[Eloriel]

15. A shame you denigrate the powerful crossover appeal

Dean has. If Kerry had that kind of appeal -- from people who had worked with him -- you'd be hawking it to high heaven.

[Lobo_13]

3. Read between the lines

He's received donations from individual Americans who just happen to be lobbyists and bundled into multi-million dollar packages. Just like Bush.

http://www.opensecrets.org/presidential/sector.asp?id=N00000245&cycle=2004

Keep in mind that these totals reflect the 12 mil fundraising up to the end of q3 of 2003. I have no reason to believe that giving patterns have changed significantly.

[Lobo_13]

4. kick for truth

C'mon guys, truth hurt?

[sandnsea]

9. Just like Edwards

Just like Dean. Just like Clark.

[Lobo_13]

10. So instead of lying to supporters

He's just another "Me Too" Democrat?

He's the one misleading everyone he talks to.

[sandnsea]

12. Cancel the elections

Don't know what else to tell you.

[isbister]

5. Is Dean's attack against Kerry just another

in a long line of misleading statements he's made about Kerry or does he have other motives?

There have been a lot of questions raised about Dean's campaign finances in recent days, could this be an attempt to deflect attention away from what he has done with the money from thousands of middle-class and low income Americans?

If so, then the question must be asked, who's the real republican-lite?

[Lobo_13]

6. Maybe he's just pointing out

how much Kerry lies and prevaricates when he talks.

He says he doesn't take contributions from Washington PAC's . . . but there are plenty of other special interest streams of income.

He says that he's not going to consider a draft . . . at this time.

He says that he's going to stand up to special interests . . . but he's heavily funded by them.

He says he's led the fight on xyz . . . but he was decidedly a "me too" Democrat that only jumped on the bandwagon when it looked like it might pass.

He says that he has experience moving bills in the Senate . . . but he's only got 8 innocuous bills with his name as cheif sponsor (5 ceremonial, 2 fishing, 1 small business)

John Kerry says alot of things . . . but if you look a little closer, it's all the same old bullshit.

[isbister]

14. I've watched him for a very long time

and am thrilled with the job he has done.

[flpoljunkie]

16. Kerry campaign released tonight a six page list of Dean's lobbyist ties

Will Dean account for the $40 million dollars he raised in 2003 that has evaporated?

[sandnsea]

18. Deflecting his 4th qtr money

The report is due out this week. It must be pretty embarrassing, and now he's hired a lobbyist and all.

[Eloriel]

19. Have you missed the articles about Kerry's finances?

Let me help you out, then. Here are the ones I've saved:

January 31, 2004
Democrats Assail, and Tap, 'Special Interests'
By GLEN JUSTICE and JOHN TIERNEY
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/01/31/politics/campaign/31DONA.html?pagewanted=print&position=

While Senator John Kerry regularly promises to stand up to "big corporations," his campaign has taken money from executives on Wall Street and those representing the telecommunications industry, which is under his purview in Congress. Mr. Kerry denounces President Bush for catering to the rich, but he has depended more heavily on affluent donors than the other leading Democrats except for another populist, Senator John Edwards. Mr. Kerry's spokeswoman, Stephanie Cutter, said the contributions had no effect on his votes.

Note: That's pretty much what they all say, isn't it?


Kerry raps K Street
But senator cozy with lobbyists, too
By Alexander Bolton
http://www.thehill.com/news/011404/kerry.aspx

To energize his flagging presidential campaign, Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) has taken recently to denouncing inside-the-Beltway corruption and influence peddling.

Last Friday in New Hampshire, he railed against the influence of lobbyists and pledged to shine light “on the secret deals in Washington.”

But during his Senate career, Kerry has helped special interests, even against the apparent interests of his own constituents. This helped cement ties with lobbyists who donated thousands of dollars to his campaign.

Looks like the same wink, wink, nod, nod type of tough talk George W. Bush engages in.


Kerry Leads in Lobby Money
Anti-Special-Interest Campaign Contrasts With Funding
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A64727-2004Jan30.html?nav=hptop_tb
By Jim VandeHei
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, January 31, 2004; Page A01

Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.), who has made a fight against corporate special interests a centerpiece of his front-running campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination, has raised more money from paid lobbyists than any other senator over the past 15 years, federal records show.

Looks like a pattern to me. The kind they call hypocrisy. It's definitely a fair campaign issue. He is, after all, the one who touts a record that just isn't there. Speaking of which, here's yet another little bit of inflation from Kerry:


Kerry Exaggerates Role in Some Key Legislative Battles
He says he "led the fight" on several fronts, but few bills bear his name.

January 30, 2004
Modified: January 30, 2004
http://factcheck.org/article.aspx?docID=134

Summary
John Kerry is fond of saying "I led the fight" on a lot of things -- against Arctic drilling, against Bush's Medicare prescription drug legislation, for federal grants for 100,000 new police officers, against Newt Gingrich's attempts to lessen environmental regulations.

But reporters who cover Congress often gave others credit for the leading roles in some of those fights -- with scant mention of Kerry.

And The Associated Press last July found that only eight laws had Kerry as their lead sponsor, five of them "ceremonial," two relating to the fishing industry, and one providing federal grants to support small businesses owned by women.

Maybe that's yet another lesson Kerry has learned from GWB -- you can say anything you want and most people won't know it's a bald-faced lie, esp. since we have a lazy stenography press nowadays It was GWB's father, btw, who once said (paraphrasing, probaby), "Who cares if you say something not true on TV? Millions of people see it, and only several thousand see the correction." A real man of integrity, that Kerry.

[corporatewhore]

7. Dean should talk he takes money and postitions from AIPAC

[Lobo_13]

8. Kerry should be honest

with the people he's currently lying to. After all, he's the "Real Deal".

[zulchzulu]

11. Dean gets money from Halliburton

CRANDALL, ROBERT
DALLAS, TX 75219
NOT EMPLOYED/RETIRED
DEAN, HOWARD
VIA DEAN FOR AMERICA
03/23/2003 500.00 23990741414
06/18/2003 500.00 23991380622
08/17/2003 1000.00 23992098031

( www.hrm.uh.edu/?PageID=198 )

[Lobo_13]

13. You mean the retired/unemployed guy?

Any proof that he's still actively working for Halliburton? Maybe they screwed him over and he's giving in retaliation to Bush/Cheney's biggest threat?

[sandnsea]

17. Dean got $11,000 from News Corp

Faux news?? That was the big dirt on Kerry yesterday. Wait until the 4th quarter numbers come out. This week. This is just Dean trying to make Kerry look bad so when his special interest money comes out he won't look as bad. He didn't raise that $40 million $50 at a time. No way.

[Eloriel]

22. You're right -- he raised that $41 million NOT $50 at a time

but rather $5, $10, $25 at a time -- and up. At one time the "average" was $77 at a time.

We've had 3,000 NEW contributors since Iowa (and that was a few days ago -- no doubt more by now).

Have there been big contributors at $2K a pop? No doubt. But their numbers are far, far, far surpassed by the everyday small contributors like me.

You can't take this away from Dean. We have embodied campaign finance reform. And I can tell you this: it's a real thrill for someone like me to buy myself a President (with a little help from my friends).

[corporatewhore]

21. Yep and so should dean

[masshole]

20. seems kind of simple to me

Dean is falling further and further behind. Dean's new handler(s) convince him his strategy must change, now he should "attack" the front-runner.

Dean attacks, this particular time by questioning Kerry's fundraising. Tomorrow who knows what he'll bring up.

No big deal, just typical campaign stuff imo.

[Feanorcurufinwe]

23. Yep,

and it doesn't seem to be getting much traction.