Question I was asked - Can anyone name a piece of legislation ....

[NewHampster]

with John Kerry's name on it?

Just wondering.

[THUNDER HANDS]

1. well there's drilling in the ANWAR

oh wait, no there's not. Why not?

Because of John Kerry.

[Catch22Dem]

13. You are correct sir

You win a prize. This is one of the main reasons I like Kerry so much. True, he's not my first choice, but certainly a GREAT choice nonetheless. He's led this fight, and I'm behind him 100%.

[curse10]

2. see this extensive thread on the matter

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=132&topic_id=156444

[NewHampster]

6. still no legislation with his name on it

that thread only supports the fact that we can't find him on anything and I'd really like to know. Even my old rep Rudman got his name on one or two that we all remember.

[Feanorcurufinwe]

8. The criteria is getting your name attached, not accomplishing something?

What's more important?

Doing what's right?

Or getting the credit?

[beaconess]

12. Do you mean having a bill named for him, like Gramm-Rudman?

If that's the case, that's a pointless question since having your name on a bill does not make you any more effective than passing legislation that you sponsored or co-sponsored that goes by another name.

Moreover, there's more to being effective in the Senate than just sponsoring legislation. Committee work, drafting, co-sponsoring and amending legislation, etc. are all key components of being an effective legislator.

I'm not a Kerry supporter, but I believe that Kerry has been an outstanding Senator.

[Catch22Dem]

14. Who's "we" I'm curious.

we can't find him on anything

[beaconess]

17. Getting your name attached to a piece of legislation is really more

a function of a media label than anything else. For example, the actual title of the bill that we know as "McCain Feingold" is really "Campaign Finance Reform Act of 2001." The press started calling it "McCain Feingold" so that's what we know it as.

Very few bills get labeled that way and the fact that it is not named after one or more of its sponsors by the press is no indication of its importance or value and the fact that a Senator doesn't have his a bill named after him does not mean that he's not pushing through important legislation.

For example, in the last full Congress, Kerry sponsored 146 bills. He co-sponsored anoth 467 bills.

[Doctor_J]

10. Your sig

Camille Paglia endorsing Kerry??? She's a devout repug.

[curse10]

21. she's not a repug, and actually, I believe she's supporting Dean

that was just a quote from an article on salon where she was raving about Dean.

[THUNDER HANDS]

3. here, go here and see for yourself how much of his bills were passed

http://kerry.senate.gov/bandwidth/issues/legislation.html#

[Catch22Dem]

15. Nice work

GAME...SET...MATCH

[beaconess]

4. What do you mean by having his name on it?

That he sponsored or co-sponsored it?

[oasis]

5. I like your Patriot avatar. The resemblance to John Kerry is amazing.

[NewHampster]

7. see this thread

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=108&topic_id=108941

[NewHampster]

9. Or this

[Nazgul35]

11. Someone's been reading the NY Times....

:evilgrin:

seems, according to them, the good Senator was more interested in being on committees than actually proposing and getting legislation passed...

for the full run down....

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/01/25/politics/campaign/25RECO.html?pagewanted=2&hp

"But unlike some of his colleagues with long records to defend, Mr. Kerry has never been especially popular with other Democrats in Congress and the party establishment. They have accused him of being too eager to be in the majority, too quick to position his vote for political advantage.

The rap on Mr. Kerry's Senate career, fellow senators and Congressional aides say, has been that he is more interested in high-profile investigations — like those into the Bank of Credit and Commerce International and Gen. Manuel Noriega of Panama — than in the grinding details of legislative procedure. He has deferred to Mr. Kennedy on most bills involving health and education and has few major bills to his name; when asked to summarize his legislative accomplishments, he often seems to struggle."

for a taste....


some of the things that many here have been raising as concerns about Sen. Kerry's conversion to being a man of the people...

[AP]

16. Americans don't care if you have a name on a bill.

And Kerry supporters aren't going to be swayed by this info.

[Nazgul35]

18. they do when you go around claiming credit

for the work of others....

As we all know (or should) that most of the work done in the Senate is by staff...but when other Senators and staffers point to you exclusivly as someone who doesnt add much to the work side of the ledger....that is something to pay attention to.

And my response wasn't for most Americans...as they are not voting in the primaries...the activists are....

We need to make sure we get someone who is a hard worker, that will be there for us when the fight is hot and heavy....

Would you be disappointed to find out the Edwards didn't do any of the work in his trial days? That others had done the work? I'm sure you would, because one of the things that attracted you to him was the fact that he put it on the line for other people....

not showed up on the day the jury reached its verdict and claimed credit....

[AP]

19. Americans know it takes at least 50 senators to make law.

They're going to give credit to Kerry for being on the team.

[Nazgul35]

20. actually it takes 51...

or the VP breaks a tie....

Plus the House and the President....but I nit-pick...

I don't really care what "Americans" think what ever the hell that means!

I am more concerned about the person who is going to lead and organize our fight to take Bush out, get the House and the Senate back...and from what I have seen from Kerry....that may be just too much work for him.....

He has a tendancy to lay down recently that is quite concerning...one that is reflected in the Dems from Washington as well....

you should appreciate that...you candidate is running as an outsider....

[AP]

22. actually, it takes "at least" 50 senators. Ask Dick Cheney.

As I said.

[nancyharris]

23. Actually it takes 60

to bring a US Senate bill to a vote.

[AP]

24. Lots of bills pass with less than 60 votes, so

clearly cloture isn't an insurmountable hurdle.

If it were, all bills would pass by a minimum of 60 votes. You'd never see a 50-50 vote.

[AP]

25. Name a single bill with a president's name on it?

Graham-Rudman? Nope.

Sarbanes-Oxley? Nope.

McCain-Feingold? Nope.

I can't even think of any others off the top of my head.

This criticism has zero weight.

(Well, there is Taft-Hartley. But that was nothing to be proud of.)

[NewHampster]

26. Because most Presidents were Governors first

thats where they learn neat little things like budget management and people management.

Governor is a CEO Job
General is a Division VP Job
Senator is a Staff go to meetings Job