Domestic issues: Abortion, school prayer, and gays.

[Senior citizen]

Okay, what should Kerry do?

We know that a debate on domestic issues will give the chimp an opportunity to play to his fundamentalist base. They don't care about jobs, the economy, or even homeland security. All they care about is banning abortion, allowing formal prayer in schools, and denying civil rights to gays. The chimp is going to cater to their worst fears and pander to their bigotry.

Kerry can out-gung-ho the chimp on Iraq and is obviously more statesmanlike. Can he understand that if Jesus of Nazareth endorsed him, he'd still never get the fundamentalist vote, and refrain from trying to out-moran a chimp?

Kerry has all the important domestic issues: he'll stop rewarding companies for outsourcing jobs, he'll put a real focus on homeland security (funding first-responders, x-raying cargo, etc.), he's got tax cuts for all but the rich, etc., but fundamentalists are sure they're going to be raptured any minute, so the only thing that matters to them is to blindly follow their leaders.

This is what I want to see:

Chimp: We need faith-based charities....

Kerry: I believe that EVERY American, whether or not they have been born again or wish to join a Bible study group, has a right to food, clothing, shelter, medical care, and help in finding a job.

Chimp: We have to protect the rights of the unborn child...

Kerry: I want to protect the rights of those already born. I want to protect the battered, the abused, the raped, and those who face discrimination. I want to promote medical research that may cure diseases and alleviate suffering. The best way to protect a fetus is ensure that it is wanted and nurtured, and the way to do that is to ensure a woman's right to choose and to lower the costs of healthcare.

Chimp: I oppose gay marriages...

Kerry: Well, I disagree. I oppose gay divorces. But I know that sometimes it is better for people to divorce than to stay together when a marriage has failed, so I wouldn't support a law to ban gay divorces, or to ban any divorces. There are people who think homosexuality is a sin, and therefore want to keep homosexual couples living in sin. I'd prefer that everyone was married, but that just might be because I'm happily married myself.

Chimp: I support school prayer...

Kerry: Well, it worked for you.... But seriously, if prayer could substitute for funding our educational system, our kids wouldn't rank so low in international comparisons. With globalization, our children will have to compete with children in other countries who are currently receiving superior educations. I'm going to change that. Our children can compete with anyone, but they need the books, the teachers, the computers, and the support to do it. I'll see that they get it.

[CarolynEC]

1. Paychecks, paychecks and paychecks. (eom)

[DinahMoeHum]

2. Bush has produced more gay marriages than jobs in his tenure.

Worst POTUS in that department since Herbert Hoover.

:kick:

[Dhalgren]

3. I agree that Kerry has nothing to lose in "domestic issues"

by simply sticking to his Democratic guns. I think that he should answer any of the "bait" questions in a short a manner as possible and then talk about whatever he wants to in the remaining minute and 45 seconds of the answer period.

Mod: Mr. Kerry, would give us your views on the abortion issue?

Kerry: There is no "abortion" issue. I support a woman's constitutional right to make her own decisions regarding her own health care, period. But there are many grave concerns facing Americans regarding health care and its affordability...

[BattyDem]

4. Let Bush play to his fundie base.

Those people would never, ever vote for Kerry anyway. In the meantime, the moderates and undecideds who care about jobs, health care and the economy will realize that Kerry has plans to deal with all of that, while Chimpy continues with his plans to use the government to control how people live their lives. "Real" conservatives don't like the government getting involved in their personal lives. Playing to the fundies at this late stage may very well backfire on him.