Kerry can go toe to toe with Nader

[George_Bonanza]

I was arguing with this guy on another message board. He was under the impression that all of the Democrats were rung by the corporate noose and that Nader was the only savior out there. He used to be an erratic Dean supporter but has renounced his ways. I think he would lean Kerry if he wasn't so deluded.

Let's see... Nader forces GM into making safer cars, leads pro-consumer movement, founds Public Citizen, and lives a clean but luxurious lifestyle. Kerry exposes BCCI's money laundering (would appreciate anybody telling me exactly what happened here), leads the Small Business Committee, teams up with John McCain (who seems to have some conflicting views with the likes of Kerry but seems to be a generally noble man, unlike Bush, who has conflicting views and has no noble values whatsoever) to clamp down on off-shore tax evasion by big business, and writes a book, the New War, which deals with stuff like that. Not to mention Kerry's hard work on increasing minimum wage, the Kerry Amendment to NAFTA, his views on a tax cut for the middle class, and frequent fights to increase corporate accountability.

Anybody care to add anything more? I'm sure there is.

I like John Kerry's views. He's not some "destroy all corporations!" nut, but he will fight to the death to hold irresponsible and amoral corporations accountable for their actions.

[Andy_Stephenson]

1. Really?

Why isn't he doing that with Wal-Mart? He has quite a bit of stock in that company...and making bank off their use of slave labor. Real compassionate if you ask me.

[jiacinto]

7. Nader owns stock in Wal-Mart too via Fidelity Magellan

Source: http://archive.salon.com/politics/feature/2000/10/28/stocks/print.html

If LaDuke is looking for Occidental stockholders to criticize, she might want to look a little closer to home. In the financial disclosure form Nader filed on June 14, the Green Party presidential candidate revealed that he owns between $100,000 and $250,000 worth of shares in the Fidelity Magellan Fund. The fund controls 4,321,400 shares of Occidental Petroleum stock.

snip

But even if Fidelity were to divest its holdings in Occidental, it holds shares in so many companies Nader has crusaded against, it's hard to escape the conclusion that Nader's participation in the fund is supremely hypocritical. The fund, for example, owns stock in the Halliburton Company, where George W. Bush's running mate, Dick Cheney, recently worked as president and COO. The fund has investments in supremely un-p.c. clothiers the Gap and the Limited, both of which have been the target of rocks by World Trade Organization protesters, as well as Wal-Mart, the slayer of mom-and-pop stores from coast to coast.
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Here are the latest top 25 holdings of Fidelity Magellan:

Citigroup*
General Elec*
ViacomB
Microsoft
American Intl Group*
Pfizer*
Exxon Mobil
Wal-Mart Stores
Merck*
Fannie Mae*
Bank of America*
Johnson & Johnson*
Chevron Texaco
Coca-Cola*
Freddie Mac
UnitedHealth Group*
Wells Fargo
Cardinal Health
Proctor & Gamble
Verizon Communications
Home Depot
Lowe's
Clear Channel Communications
Morgan Stanley/Dean Witter
Altria Group

Notice that you'll find good corporate citizens such as Wal-Mart, Clear Channel Communications, the Altria Group (Formerly Philip Morris), and Microsoft here.

Source: http://quicktake.morningstar.com/Fund/Holdings.asp?Country=USA&Symbol=FMAGX&fdtab=portfolio

[Feanorcurufinwe]

12. Slave labor? Wal-Mart?

I'm not disputing you, but I would like to have some more information please.

[sasquatch]

2. I don't like Kerry because he voted for the slaughter in Iraq

You might like that, but as an American with a moral center I find it disturbing what Bush is doing in Iraq. He also didn't bother showing up to vote on a bill that gives the Idiot King the power to build and use small nukes.

[DrFunkenstein]

6. I Don't Like Pro-Slaughter Candidates

Or people who make ridiculous straw man arguments.

[George_Bonanza]

11. Kerry has always sought to reduce military spending

From eliminating funding to the B2 Bomber to generally downsizing the defense budget, he's been there. Don't try and "convince" me that Kerry is pro-nuke or something. He has done a lot for peace.

[DrFunkenstein]

13. Kerry Has Voted Repeatedly Against Missile Defense

S. 1507, CQ Vote #171: Motion Agreed To 60-38: R 40-3; D 20-35, 8/1/91, Kerry Voted Nay; S. 1507, CQ Vote #173: Rejected 46-52: R 5-38; D 41-14, 8/1/91, Kerry Voted Yea; H.R. 2521, CQ Vote #207: Motion Agreed To 50-49: R 38-5; D 12-44, 9/25/91, Kerry Voted Nay; S. 2403, CQ Vote #85: Adopted 61-38: R 7-36; D 54-2, 5/6/92, Kerry Voted Yea; S. 3114, CQ Vote #182: Rejected 43-49: R 34-5; D 9-44, 8/7/92, Kerry Voted Nay; S. 3114, CQ Vote #214: Rejected 48-50: R 5-38; D 43-12, 9/17/92, Kerry Voted Yea; S. 3114, CQ Vote #215: Adopted 52-46: R 39-4; D 13-42, 9/17/92, Kerry Voted Nay; S. 1298, CQ Vote #251: Adopted 50-48: R 6-36; D 44-12, 10/9/93, Kerry Voted Yea; S. Con. Res. 63, CQ Vote #64: Rejected 40-59: R 2-42; D 38-17, 3/22/94, Kerry Voted Yea; S. 1026, CQ Vote #354: Motion Agreed To 51-48: R 47-6; D 4-42, 8/3/95, Kerry Voted Nay; S. 1087, CQ Vote #384: Rejected 45-54: R 5-49; D 40-5, 8/10/95, Kerry Voted Yea; S. 1745, CQ Vote #160: Rejected 44-53: R 4-49; D 40-4, 6/19/96, Kerry Voted Yea; S. 1507, CQ Vote #168: Rejected 39-60: R 4-39; D 35-21, 7/31/91, Kerry Voted Yea; S. 1507, CQ Vote #172: Motion Agreed To 64-34: R 39-4; D 25-30, 8/1/91, Kerry Voted Nay; S. 1873, CQ Vote #131: Rejected 59-41: R 55-0; D 4-41; I 0-0, 5/13/98, Kerry Voted Nay; S. 1873, CQ Vote #262: Rejected 59-41: R 55-0; D 4-41, 9/9/98, Kerry Voted Nay; S 1635, CQ Vote #157: Rejected 53-46: R 52-0; D 1-46, 6/4/96, Kerry Voted Nay; S. 2549, CQ Vote #178: Motion Agreed To 52-48: R 52-3; D 0-45, 7/13/00, Kerry Voted Nay

http://www.rnc.org/Newsroom/RNCResearch/research071803.htm

[AWD]

3. Well, good...

...that way, if Kerry gets the nomination, they can bicker with each other over who's more responsible for Bush's 2nd term.

[wtmusic]

4. Kerry can go elbow to ankle with Lieberman

[Terwilliger]

5. who are you referring to?

He's not some "destroy all corporations!" nut

Who's a "destroy all corporations" nut??

[George_Bonanza]

10. Certainly not Nader

I didn't mean to refer to him. I was just pointing out that while Kerry has a no-nonsense approach to corporate crimes, he doesn't go too extreme in that ideology.

[Feanorcurufinwe]

8. I hate to sound so cynical

but one candidate is pretty much the same as another as far as overthrowing the corporate oligarchy goes. The only thing that will ever make a difference would be the repeal of corporate personhood. Until then we are all corporate lackeys.

[Terwilliger]

9. who calls for an end to corporate personhood?

I don't think I've heard it from any Dem candidates. Maybe Kucinich?