Kerry Cancels Trip to New Mexico (Off to DC for Senate Vets Benefits Vote)

[VolcanoJen]

There's a bit of an anti-Kerry bias in this article, but it's slight. At any rate, it's interesting that he plans to make the vote, and it will be even more interesting to see what Republicans plan to do about it, as they likely scheduled the vote to embarrass Kerry...

http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/ats-ap_politics10jun22,0,6207902.story?coll=sns-ap-toppolitics

WASHINGTON -- Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry canceled a trip to the swing state of New Mexico Tuesday to make a rare appearance in the Senate.

The Massachusetts senator wants to vote for a measure that would require mandatory funding of health care for veterans, a key constituency that he's trying to win in his race against President Bush. Kerry is a Vietnam War veteran who rarely gives a speech without calling for better benefits for those who have served in the military.

<snip>

Kerry had planned to fly from Denver to New Mexico Monday night, then deliver a speech describing his plan for federal investments in science and technology on Tuesday morning in Albuquerque. But about an hour before Kerry was scheduled to leave Denver, his campaign announced that he was flying back to Washington instead.

Kerry has missed the vast majority of votes this year, including other votes to increase veterans benefits.

Of 132 votes in the Senate this year, Kerry has voted just 14 times, according to an Associated Press tally. Massachusetts Republican Lt. Gov. Kerry Healey last week called on Kerry to resign from the Senate because he's missed so many votes, but Kerry said he's serving his constituents well by running for president.

[kerryin2004]

1. Healey should ask Bush to resign..

He is neglecting the oval office to campaign, and he neglected Texas and waited to resign until December in 2000.

[displacedtexan]

2. about those 132 "votes"...

How many were votes on "points of order" or "resolutions regarding the continuation of the rule to accept or deny the current amendment to the proposition?"

Very few of those 132 votes were actually votes on major legislation; in fact, the senate repukes have gone out of their way to manipulate major votes to make it look like Kerry alone was the cause of the vote failure. You can bet that Bigtime Dick would step in and break any tie vote if necessary.

Don't ever believe a repuke!

[Upfront]

3. Vote Sched.

We know is being rigged to make Kerry look bad, as he did by not voting for unemployment benifits extension. He should have voted even if it didn't change anything just to stop there ploy. Glad to see someone around kerry is starting to wake up.

[FredScuttle]

7. Sigh...

Kerry is between a rock and a hard place with the jerry-rigging of schedule of Senate votes being orchestrated by Frist and the other scumbags...as to the example you cited, you are aware, aren't you, that had Kerry returned to cast his vote, at least one GOP senator (Libby Dole) was ready to change her vote just to screw him, right? So does he return to the Senate for this bullshit or does he continue campaigning in swing states?

[JayS]

18. I think any gains he could make campaigning in swing...

...states instead of being present for the vote will be more than offset by the right-wing press coverage of "the rich, white politician that gets paid to not work" or something similar.

[truthspeaker]

5. how many votes do other senators miss?

It would be nice to have some comparison.

[JayS]

4. It is being reported here as "Kerry skipped campaigning today...

...to make a rare appearance in the Senate." This is from our most liberal station...so I can only imagine how it is being covered elsewhere.

[SoCalDem]

14. I heard that they were going to postpone the vote for as long as possible

knowing that he had a bunch of people literally waiting on the tarmac to leave for his campaign appearance..

They are "f-ing" with him in every way possible.. He should be more vocal about this, and let everyone know what he thinks about it..

They are trying to create two appearances here;;

He "blows off" supporters to be in DC OR he "blows off" the senate to raise money..

They have him in a lose-lose vise, and he needs to CAll them ON IT..

[JayS]

15. He can't call them on it. What would he say? n/t

n/t

[snippy]

6. Kerry should do this more often and campaign on it as doing

everything he can to fight the republicans as they try to screw the American people again. He can use these votes to make the republican party look bad.

[shadu]

8. yes

i think you are correct

[morcatknits]

9. Dirty Politicking

I just saw where Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist has delayed the vote on veteran's issues specifically to prevent Kerry from voting. He announced that the delay is to "Keep John Kerry from parachuting in to vote," on the issue. It is about as partisan as I've seen politicians publicly boast.

Shouldn't we be deluging the offices of our senators with faxes and e-mails, and phone calls?

MorcatKnits
(But I'll put it down for a bit to write my senators.)

[VolcanoJen]

10. So... does anyone know how the vote turned out?

Just got home, and I have no idea... I'd go Googling, but I'd rather hear it here first!!

:D

[vetwife]

11. So How many did Lieberman miss when he campaigned with Gore?

How much did Texas do without a Governor considering they never had one when Bushie boy campaigned in 2000. They are so full of crap an hypocracy I can't see straight. How many votes did Senator Joh Kennedy miss when he campaigned? All of this is so REEEEEEEEEEaching !
the man is running for president not leader of the Boy Scouts !

[DoBotherMe]

12. The vote was postponed

http://www.reuters.com/financeNewsArticle.jhtml?type=bondsNews&storyID=5486972
Because it is difficult for lawmakers to oppose the must-pass defense spending bill, House Republican leaders tucked in a measure to pave the way to increasing the nation's debt ceiling....


An amendment sponsored by Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle, a South Dakota Democrat, to increase veterans' benefits drew Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry, a U.S. senator from Massachusetts, back to the Capitol to cast a rare floor vote during his campaign.

But Republicans put off the vote, likely until Wednesday morning, throwing a wrench into Kerry's campaign schedule.

[DoBotherMe]

13. More republican treachery

http://www.maconareaonline.com/news.asp?id=7290

"Senator Kerry, who hadn't been here all year, who's missed 80 percent of all votes this year, parachutes in for a day and then will be taking off once again," scoffed Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, a Tennessee Republican.

[PretzelWarrior]

16. hey...if Kerry stays in DC for this catfight...could be great PR

this can highlight how the so-called bipartisan spirit of the GOP really is.

I want this to be a rallying point. Let's dig up all the times Dole missed votes in 1996. What a bunch of crap. It's all they can do because reallly...

You can't stop Kerry. You can only hope to contain him.

[NewJerseyDem]

17. Dole resigned from the Senate to focus on the 1996 campaign

So, I really don't think we should bring up Dole when talking about Kerry missing votes.