This is why people should get behind Edwards

[Rowsdower]

Past votes may dog Kerry campaign
Democrat's support of Bush at issue

By Jim VandeHei

Updated: 12:02 a.m. ET Feb. 24, 2004

In the stump speech he delivers virtually every day, Sen. John F. Kerry (Mass.) stirs the Democratic faithful by railing against current trade practices and slamming President Bush's policies on education, civil liberties and Iraq.

But the Democratic front-runner does not mention how he, as senator, supported the president on all four issues, helping cement in law what he often describes as flawed government policies.

Kerry's past support for policies he now condemns is complicating his run for the White House, strategists from both parties say, and could prove problematic in a general election showdown with Bush. The president himself seized on this contrast in his opening attack on Kerry at a dinner last night of the Republican Governors Association.

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/4356093/

[flpoljunkie]

1. Not so fast. Edward's votes identical to JK, plus China trade,fast track

Edward's new found populism does not match his voting record in the Senate, and his environmental record is sorely lacking.

Some of Edward's Senate votes:

l. Voted to send waste to Yucca Mountain, 7/9/02 (environmentally unsound)

2. Voted for the Energy Act of 2003, 7/31/03 (incredible giveaway to energy companies)

3. Voted against increasing reliance on renewable energy, 3/14/02

4. Voted to subsidize insurance to nuclear plants (billions of our taxpayer dollars)

5. Voted for the egregious bankruptcy bill of 3/15/01 (giveaway to banks and credit card companies)

6. Voted for fast track final passage, 5/23/02

7. Voted for the China Trade Deal, 9/19/00 (where most US jobs have since gone)

Yet, John Edwards is now presenting himself as a raging populist who will look out for the "regular folks". With this voting record in the Senate, he looks like a "Johnny-come-lately."

[displacedtexan]

2. You want me to "get behind" JE based on what MSNBC says?

Dream on, Buddy.

[zulchzulu]

3. Edwards is a much weaker candidate

Bush said what are the stale RNC talking points going around so far.

RNC: Kerry votes against the Gulf War, which he now says he favored.

Kerry never said he favored the first Iraq War. He was against the first Gulf War starting when it did because he wanted a larger coalition as well as get more support from the people. He favored making Saddam accountable, but not doing it at the pace that Bash Sr. intended.

RNC: Kerry votes for the Iraq war, which he now says he opposed the war

Kerry voted for the IWR to have the UN continue inspections and go to war as a last resort, not unilaterally strike and lie about WMDs like Bush did.

RNC: Kerry votes against the $87 billion for troop support and Iraqi reconstruction, while saying that he favors troop support and Iraqi reconstruction.

Kerry voted against the $87 Billion because there is no decent exit strategy but was willing to go with it if Bush took back the tax cuts for the wealthy.

RNC: Kerry votes for No Child Left Behind, which he now attacks incessantly.

Kerry is for having the funding that was originally allocated for NCLB to make it work, not have the funding cut the way Bush and the GOP did.

RNC: Kerry votes for NAFTA; now rails against the unfairness of free trade.

Kerry wants to amend certain features and policies with NAFTA and WTO, is for free trade but also wants to open up trade with better conditions environmentally and with better labor standards.

RNC: Kerry votes for the Patriot Act; now decries the assault on civil liberties.

The majority of the Patriot Act sunsets as of January 1, 2005. Kerry is not for reinstituting it or going with Bush's more dangerous Patriot Act II.

The original Patriot Act was rushed through Congress by Bush (who took advantage of the situation with 911) and then further added on to by Ashcroft.  

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Edwards voted for the Patriot Act, for the IWR, against the $87B add-on and has had differing opinions about NAFTA and free trade.

More info on Edwards' murky record on trade

[emulatorloo]

4. I will so support Edwards if he is the nominee

but until then I believe Kerry is the better candidate to put up against Bush and will make a better President.

I finally got around to watching the "head to head" thing from Sunday's This Week in Washington.

From Edwards I got a lot of empathy.

From Kerry I got a lot of tough talk and solid plans for how he will turn this country around. And by extention how he will undercut GWB's BS with solid reasoning and common sense policies.