kerry-- lifelong record taking on special interests

from rock the vote debate 11.04.03:

Kerry:

...

Look, here's what's important to all of you.

Every young person that I talk to in this country is disappointed by politics, by Washington and the sense that nothing that happens is real and it doesn't affect your lives.

I want your help in this race because I have lived the experience of being a young person who is trying to make a difference for our country. Lived it during the civil rights movement in the '60s, in Vietnam fighting. When I came back, standing up against Richard Nixon and fighting to end the war; taking on Ronald Reagan's illegal, clandestine, unconstitutional war in Central America; blowing the whistle on Oliver North and his private aid network...

(APPLAUSE)

... blowing the whistle on Noriega; standing up with John McCain to get answers for our families that they hadn't had for 20 years. I took on Newt Gingrich when he tried to gut the Clean Air and Clean Water Act. And I led the fight to stop them drilling in the Arctic Wildlife Refuge.

(APPLAUSE)

What we need is a president who has a proven record of taking on the special interests; standing up and fighting for people and making life better for Americans.

------------------------------------

he really hit the nail on the head on this one. he has spent his entire life-- from the time he came back from viet nam and protested the war, to a few months ago, standing up and halting BUSH INC.'s attempts to drill in ANWR-- standing up in the face of special interests who marginalize the voice of the american public. young people (myself included) see these special interests taking over washington, getting sweetheart deals (halliburton), and it makes us feel like we don't matter, and there's no way we could possibly compete with the influence mega-corporations have on some of our leaders.

kerry has been leading the fight on many issues, calling these criminals to task and succeeding for 35 years. that's the kind of person i want in the white house-- someone who not only talks about giving the voice back to the people, but actually does it, and has a proven record. kerry was great in the debate last night-- funny and serious, outlining his positive vision for our future and speaking on his record. the audience responded very positively. i can't wait to see him trample shrubby in the debates!

:kick:

of fighting the establishment his entire career. It doesn't even matter when it's right in front of their eyes, they won't bother to read it let alone comprehend its progressiveness or its import to history.

...he fights for what he believes in with passion and unrelenting zeal. i'm so glad he's on our side-- we'd be screwed if the pukes had someone who was as principled and dedicated as kerry!

but can you really be principled and republican at the same time?

Just because Kerry is a Washington veteran, he's a special-interests insider. Obviously, these people have no clue who they're dealing with. And if they're pounded with it by more informed folks, they resort of a haphazard "That's just the past" excuse.

I'd be delighted to cast a vote for Kerry in the GE. :)

I think a lot of younger people just skim over him based on the impression that any 'entrenched beltway types' are all cowardly and spineless.

For the life of me I can't imagine how they could have come to think such a thing, though.

My Special Ks.

They both have fought the establishment for their ENTIRE careers. They have always tried to do the right thing by the country, even when their paths diverged.

Kucinich even tried to enlist to serve in Vietnam. He is way tougher than many know.

Yep I know about Dennis and Vietnam, people say hes "wimpy" but I read that the man had regret for not be able to serve his nation, as his 2 younger brothers and fathers did. For the record, he couldnt serve due to a heart condition, same reason why I cant, there are times in history where I would have enlisted I think although I am nearly a pacifist now not one but in a way yes. This really isnt about toughness but I doubt many know that Kucinich was a 14 year old quarterback. Hes kinda like my uncle I guess in that respect, a small guy but always the athletic. Hes also around the same size height wise as Dean and Clark, two inches give or take I think, so I chuckle myself when supporters of those two tell me hes too small, now he is smaller weight wise but we werent talking about weight lol. Special K's I love it. On Kerry, he has the same thing Kucinich has, a history of fighting for several different issues plus hes a great environmentalist, last I hear he opposes the death penalty, votes with Ted Kennedy 90%+.

SOME PRAISE
       On Monday, the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence cited Kucinich and Kerry for their stances on gun violence during the debate. “Sen. John Kerry and Rep. Dennis Kucinich demonstrated very strongly last night at the Democratic debates that candidates need to show they won’t stand for the extremist gun lobby’s assault on America’s basic gun safety protections,” said a statement from Michael Barnes, president of the Brady Campaign. “The gun lobby’s push to end the ban on assault weapons and to secure sweeping legal immunity for the gun industry are shameful and should be stopped.” The Brady Campaign, named for former President Reagan’s press secretary, shot during an assassination attempt, is a grass-roots lobbying effort aimed at curbing gun violence. The comments come in the immediate wake of a story in Sunday’s Washington Post, which said that the field of nine is tiptoeing around the issue.
>>>>>>>

both of their closing statements addressed the pain people experience because of the differing gun laws; especially important for a city like detroit. sensible gun safety legislation is necessary to protect many citizens... i hope kerry and kucinich work together on this one in the future.

do nothing cockroach. Don't know where they'd get that impression.... :freak:

that would make their lives easier. for one small thing, they'd be making moolah off drilling in the ANWR right 'bout now. guess they had to scrap ~those~ blueprints...

go kerry! fightin' the good fight.

<>

one more example of dean ~talking~ like his record somehow mirrors kerry's.

i think it's cute that dean admires kerry so much that he would try and make it look like HE'S actually the one with the history of rooting out the slime-ball special interests in washington!

New York U.S. Representatives Carolyn McCarthy and Tim Bishop Endorse John Kerry for President

October 29, 2003

Washington, D.C. -

Democratic candidate for President John Kerry received the endorsements of U.S. Representatives Carolyn McCarthy and Tim Bishop, two members of Congress who have shown the courage to stand up to powerful special interests and do what’s right for America.

Carolyn McCarthy is in her fourth term representing Long Island's 4th Congressional District. During her time in Congress, she has served as a tireless advocate for gun safety, fighting a public campaign for to keep guns and assault weapons out of the hands of criminals after experiencing the personal tragedy of losing her husband to gun violence. Rep. McCarthy serves on the Education and Workforce and the Financial Services Committees, where she has worked to provide tax relief for middle class and working families while investing in high quality education.

Rep. McCarthy said, “John Kerry's fiscal policies, his intent on getting America back to work, his concern for the environment, and his own moral compass all speak to the concerns I have, what I want to see in our next President, and mirror my own thoughts and views. Equally important to me, however, is the Senator's position on gun safety. Standing up to the most powerful lobbies, like the NRA, says a lot to me about a person, and it is because of these issues and the position John Kerry has taken on them that I announce my endorsement of him today.”

Tim Bishop is serving his first term in Congress, representing the First Congressional district in Eastern Long Island. Representative Bishop has been a strong environmental advocate whose first proposed legislation focused on clean water. He currently sits on the Education and the Workforce Committee and the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.

Rep. Bishop said, “Dating from his leadership with veterans after returning from Vietnam, I have long respected John Kerry’s career in public service and his courage to fight for the causes he believes in. Long Island cares deeply about the environment, and John Kerry has been a leader— from taking part in the first Earth Day to his courage in the Senate to stand up to the polluters and special interests. We also need to nominate a leader who can stand up on issues of homeland security and national defense. For all these reasons and more, I am proud to endorse John Kerry for President.”

John Kerry said, “As we fight to take on the special interests and take back the White House from George W. Bush, I’m honored to have the support of Carolyn McCarthy and Tim Bishop. Whether it’s Carolyn’s fight against the gun lobby to ensure common sense gun safety, or Tim’s stand against corporate polluters, they’ve both shown the courage it takes to do what’s right for America.”

and the tough guy blinked when it counted. Too bad. If it wasn't for that one cowardly moment, Howard Dean wouldn't exist.

Kerry wasn't a Dem doing Rove's bidding. JKerry was one of the Dems who negotiated for the better bill that forced Bush to the UN with evidence (which he overreached on and caused his credibility slide), put inspectors back in, and stopped further invasions of Iran and Syria.

could have called bullshit and been heard. He chose the path of least resistance instead.

Kerry was negotiating for the better bill. Not like any of you care about anything THAT important, heh? Political agendas come first...all lies welcomed.

He's been fighting to get the UN to take weapons proliferation seriously for years. Why would he vote against bringing the problem front and center to the UN and forcing them to take action? George Bush and his Cabal were creating phony intelligence which is why the Democrats in Congress are taking unprecedented measures to investigate that intelligence at this moment. I'm tired of this attack Congress bullshit when they've been putting up the fight of their lives for our benefit. For the most part, they don't deserve this shit.

President Bush Signs Bill that Takes American Women Backwards

Statement from John Kerry

November 05, 2003


John Kerry said, “President Bush has signed legislation that takes a step backwards for women as his stealth agenda to roll back the right to choose is pushed forward. Women and doctors – not politicians – must be able to choose the best and safest medical treatment. The Supreme Court has already struck down as unconstitutional similar legislation because it does not allow an exception for the health of a mother and I am hopeful that the courts will immediately review it again. This is further evidence that we can't afford a president who refuses to commit to appoint judges who will uphold the right to choose and the right to privacy. It is time for a President who will have the courage to stand up to the right wing assault on the rights of women.”

John Kerry

John Kerry was born on December 11, 1943 at Fitzsimmons Military Hospital in Denver, Colorado, where his father, Richard, who had volunteered to fly DC-3's in the Army Air Corps in World War II, was recovering from a bout with tuberculosis. Not long after Sen. Kerry's birth, his family returned home to Massachusetts.

A graduate of Yale University, John Kerry entered the Navy after graduation, becoming a Swift Boat officer, serving on a gunboat in the Mekong Delta in Vietnam. He received a Silver Star, Bronze Star with Combat V, and three awards of the Purple Heart for his service in combat.

By the time Senator Kerry returned home from Vietnam, he felt compelled to question decisions he believed were being made to protect those in positions of authority in Washington at the expense of the soldiers carrying on the fighting in Vietnam. Kerry was a co-founder of the Vietnam Veterans of America and became a spokesperson for the Vietnam Veterans Against the War -- Morley Safer would describe him as "a veteran whose articulate call to reason rather than anarchy seemed to bridge the gap between the Abbie Hoffman's of the world and Mr. Agnew's so-called 'Silent Majority.'" In April 1971, testifying before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, he asked the question of his fellow citizens, "How do you ask a man to be the last man to die for a mistake?" Sen. Claiborne Pell, (D-R.I.) thanked Kerry, then 27, for testifying before the committee, expressing his hope that Kerry "might one day be a colleague of ours in this body."

Fourteen years later, John Kerry would have the opportunity to fulfill those hopes - serving side by side with Sen. Pell as a Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. But in the intervening years, he found different ways to fight for those things in which he believed. Time and again, Kerry fought to hold the political system accountable and to do what he believed was right. As a top prosecutor in Middlesex County, Kerry took on organized crime and put the Number Two mob boss in New England behind bars. He modernized the District Attorney's office, creating an innovative rape crisis crime unit, and as a lawyer in private practice he worked long and hard to prove the innocence of a man wrongly given a life sentence for a murder he did not commit.

In 1984, after winning election as Lieutenant Governor in 1982, Kerry ran and was elected to serve in the United States Senate, running and winning a successful PAC-free Senate race and defeating a Republican opponent buoyed by Ronald Reagan's reelection coattails. Like his predecessor, the irreplaceable Paul Tsongas, Kerry came to the Senate with a reputation for independence -- and reinforced it by making tough choices on difficult issues: breaking with many in his own Party to support Gramm-Rudman Deficit Reduction; taking on corporate welfare and government waste; pushing for campaign finance reform; holding Oliver North accountable and exposing the fraud and abuse at the heart of the BCCI scandal; working with John McCain in the search for the truth about Vietnam veterans declared POW/MIA; and insisting on accountability, investment, and excellence in public education.

Sen. Kerry was re-elected in 1990, again in 1996, defeating the popular Republican Governor William Weld in the most closely watched Senate race in the country, and in 2002. Now serving his fourth term, Kerry has worked to reform public education, address children's issues, strengthen the economy and encourage the growth of the high tech New Economy, protect the environment, and advance America's foreign policy interests around the globe.

John Kerry is married to Teresa Heinz Kerry. He has two daughters, Alexandra and Vanessa. Teresa has three sons, John, Andre, and Christopher. Senator Kerry lives in Boston.