Exposing Dean's lie about Kerry's experience and record as Senator

[zulchzulu]

Dean has attacked Kerry with the delusionary and desperate accusation that Kerry has never passed any legislation while senator.

Being an intellectually dishonest second-tier politician on the ropes, Dean fails to see Kerry's record as follows:

• Cosponsored Gramm-Rudman-Hollings bipartisan deficit reduction Act. (S.1702)
  
  
• Secured assistance for families of Agent Orange victims: Kerry cosponsored and worked to pass the Agent Orange Benefits Act to extend health care benefits to children of Vietnam Veterans who suffer from spina bifida. (1995 VA-HUD Approp)
  
  
• Passed international anti-money laundering law: John Kerry proposed and passed anti-money laundering amendment that forced negotiations with foreign banks to keep records of US currency transactions of $10,000 & up and established penalties for countries engaged in money laundering. (1988: S Amdt 3697, HR 5210, #374, passed 85-3)
  
  
• Introduced bill to significantly increase commitment to fighting HIV/AIDS: Kerry introduced, along with Senator Bill Frist (R-TN), the U.S. Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, TB, and Malaria Act (S.2525)
  
  
• Passed law addressing nurse shortage: Kerry introduced and passed the Nurse Reinvestment Act, to address the current shortage of Nurses in the medical profession. (S706)
  
  
• Expanded early childhood development efforts: Kerry introduced legislation to expand state and local early childhood development efforts, including education, child care and health care for children between birth and six years old. (S. 1068; H.R.5656, became Public Law 106-554)
  
  
• Strengthened protection of seals, dolphin, whales and other marine mammals: Kerry sponsored legislation that extended and strengthened laws protecting Marine Mammals from commercial fishing. (S. 1636, PL 103-238)
  
  
• Introduced plan that expanded childrens health insurance coverage: Kerry and Kennedy drafted an innovative plan to help states expand health care coverage for children in the 104th Congress (S 2186; 104th Congress)
  
  
• Instrumental in passing last minimum wage increase: Kerry was instrumental in passing the last increase in the minimum wage to $5.15 per hour in 1997. (S 1685; S.Amdt.3574 to H.R.1296)
  
  
• Led fight to defeat Republican regulatory reform that threatened to roll back environmental and safety regulations (Boston Globe, 10/14/1996)
  
  
• Led inquiry into savings and loan cleanup: Kerry conducted hearings into waste fraud and abuse in the RTC, the agency responsible for cleaning up the S&L scandal. (1993-94)
  
  
• Boosted COPS and Police Corps funding: Kerry successfully lobbied the Senate and the administration to move funding from $5.9 billion to $22.2 billion over four years, with the goal of putting 100,000 new cops on the street. (Roll Call, 11/11/1993)
  

More at:
http://www.johnkerry.com/pressroom/releases/pr_2004_0130d.html

[blm]

1. Don't forget BCCI and IranContra and CIA drugrunning investigations.

.

[lcordero]

2. sorry, can't let that go without a rebuttal

--------------snip-------------------------------

Take a look at Kerry's voting record. How can we believe he is going to fight FOR us when he voted AGAINST us.

Senate Vote on Welfare Reform H.R. 3734

Welfare reform - The Senate approved legislation that preyed on the limited rights of vulnerable groups including children, immigrants, the poor and the elderly in the name of welfare reform. The bill also eroded free speech for not-for-profit organizations, violated the separation of church and state, and damaged privacy rights by establishing a de facto national identification system.
Sen John Kerry voted for this and so did Santorum & Ashcroft
----------------------------------------------------------------
Senate Vote on Government Funding of Religious Institutions S. 1956

Government Funding of Religious Institutions - Included in the welfare overhaul was a provision that could force state governments, under threat of lawsuits, to contract with religious institutions, including houses of worship, to provide taxpayer-funded social services, even if they are delivered in a proselytizing environment. This, too, was a recurring theme in the 104th Congress where
opponents of religious liberty repeatedly sought to pass provisions to lower the wall of separation between church and state
Kerry voted for this and so did Santorum & Ashcroft
---------------------------------------------------------------------
How the Senate voted on Internet Censorship S.652

Internet Censorship - As part of a major overhaul of the nation's telecommunications industries, both the House and Senate approved major new censorship schemes for the Internet. The Senate adopted its version, the so-called Communications Decency Act, Kerry voted for this. Even Lieberman against this
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Senate Vote on Campaign Finance Reform S. 1219

Campaign Finance Reform - In a sign of widespread disillusion with the political process, both the House and Senate considered versions of campaign finance reform that the ACLU believed to be
unconstitutional infringements of free speech provisions of the First Amendment.
Kerry voted for this and voted against the First amendment... Even Ashcroft and Santorum voted for the First Amendment.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Senate Vote on Medical Privacy H.R 3103

Medical privacy - Hidden within the massive health care reform bill approved by Congress in the stampede for an August recess was a deceptively labeled provision that further eroded the privacy rights of all Americans. The provision, known as "administrative simplification," gives government and businesses access to confidential medical information about individuals without their consent and establishes a unique health identification number for every patient, health provider, health plan and employer

Kerry, Ashcroft, Santorum and many others voted against Medical Privacy
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Senate Vote on Immigration Legislation H.R. 2202

Immigration - Seeking to capitalize on a wave of anti-immigration initiatives, both the House and Senate passed bills that represented the most draconian and divisive immigration proposals in decades. Included were provisions that would strip the courts of jurisdiction over illegal and abusive INS actions and erect enormous and virtually insurmountable barriers for most people seeking political asylum.

Kerry, Ashcroft, Santorum and many others voted for this
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Senate Vote on National ID Cards S. 1664

National ID Card - One of the most pervasive themes of the 104th Congress has been proposals to establish a national identification system as a means of tracking undocumented workers, so-called deadbeat dads and to monitor health insurance information. Various database schemes have been included in bills as diverse as immigration, welfare reform and health insurance. Since these proposals have been buried in much larger legislation, it was often difficult to determine the position of members of Congress

Kerry voted FOR this... Even Lieberman, Ashcroft, Lott and Santorum were against this
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Senate Vote on Wiretapping

Wiretapping - Although the interception of innocent conversations in federal law enforcement wiretaps is already at record levels, Congress has been repeatedly asked to give the FBI even greater authority to wiretap. Proposals have ranged from providing $500 million to the nation's phone companies to finance a retrofit of their systems to make it easier for the FBI to wiretap to permitting law enforcement agencies to use more "roving" wiretaps (without specifying which phone is to be tapped), and more "emergency" wiretaps (without obtaining a prior court order).

Kerry voted FOR Wiretapping along with his buddy Santorum
---------------------------------------------------------------------
How the Senate Voted on Counter-Terrorism S. 735

Counter-terrorism - The bombing of the Oklahoma City Federal Building lifted from obscurity a Clinton Administration proposal to increase the powers of law enforcement in the name of fighting terrorism. The measure gave the government the power to use secret evidence to deport immigrants it accuses of being "terrorists" and to exclude aliens merely because they are members of a disfavored foreign group.

Kerry voted FOR this with Ashcroft and Santorum...
--------------------snip----------------------------

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=132&topic_id=234479

http://traprockpeace.org/kerrypressadvisory.html

PRESS ADVISORY


October 11, 2002


Senator Kerry Locks Constituents Out of His Office


A contingent of western Massachusetts veterans and educators have been attempting to visit Senator Kerry's office since Wednesday's announcement that he now supports the war resolution. But repeated attempts on Wednesday and Thursday to get into the senator's Springfield office have yielded a curious response: A locked door and an aid telling them that they are not welcome in the Senator's office. Mike Vito, Senator Kerry's Co-State Director was willing to meet with constituents at length, but not at the office.

I want to remove the President, but I definitely do not want to replace him with somebody that's like this.

[zulchzulu]

6. I've seen this before... ACLU list

Here are also some of the other senators who voted for the bills in question (besides Ashcroft and Santorum):

Biden
Byrd
Feingold
Harkin
Kerry
Levin
Rockefeller

I'm a member of the ACLU and do wish Kerry's 50% rating was better, but that's not a deal breaker with me.

[library_max]

22. You're right, got the facts at my fingertips right here.

Out of those nine bills, Bill Bradley and Tom Harkin voted the same as Kerry eight times, Jim Jeffords and Robert Byrd seven times, Ted Kennedy six times, and Paul Simon, Paul Wellstone, and Carol Moseley-Braun four times each. The Ashcroft/Santorum thing is just a cheap smear - when a bill passes (like all of those did), it's because most of the Senators voted for it. And by the way, the ACLU didn't jigger together this attack list, although the original facts on the individual votes were taken from their website.

[Hep]

3. To quote Janet Jackson

What have you done for me lately?

John Kerry: Handing power to the right since 2001.

[JaneQPublic]

4. factcheck.org: "Kerry Exaggerates Role in Some Key Legislative Battles"

http://factcheck.org/article.aspx?docID=134

--He says he "led the fight" on several fronts, but few bills bear his name.

John Kerry is fond of saying "I led the fight" on a lot of things (snip)... But reporters who cover Congress often gave others credit for the leading roles in some of those fights -- with scant mention of Kerry.

---snip

A sampler of the many fights Kerry says he's led:

At the Democratic Presidential Debate in Durham, NH, December 9, 2003 :

I led the fight to stop Newt Gingrich from undoing the Clean Air and Clean Water Act.

At the Democratic Presidential Debate in Iowa , January 4, 2004 :

I led the fight to put 100,000 cops on the streets of America .

At the Democratic Presidential Radio Debate January 6:

I led the fight to stop the drilling in the Arctic Wildlife Refuge.

On CBS News' Face the Nation program, January 25:

I have led the fight for deficit reduction in 1985 with Fritz Hollings and Senator Gramm of Texas.

On "Fox On the Record with Greta Van Susteren," January 19:

I personally led the fight to hold Oliver North accountable for what I believe were unconstitutional activities.

And from a Kerry TV ad that aired in Iowa in December, 2003:

There is a special interest feeding frenzy going on in Washington. A $130 billion dollar giveaway to the drug companies. John Kerry led in the fight against it.

[bigtree]

17. Fact check uses quotes from other members of Congress

to claim that John Kerry didn't lead these fights. Not all Senators feel that way.

http://www.johnkerry.com/endorsements/


Senator Dianne Feinstein Endorses
John Kerry for President
Feinstein Joins Controller Westly, Treasurer Angelides and Former Assembly Speaker Villaraigosa in Supporting Kerry

September 16, 2003

Saying “I know that he has the courage to do what’s right for America,” Senator Dianne Feinstein of California today endorsed John Kerry for President.
Feinstein joins other prominent Californians such as State Controller Steve Westly, State Treasurer Phil Angelides, and Los Angeles City Councilman and former Speaker of the California State Assembly Antonio Villaraigosa in supporting Kerry.

“John Kerry has shown courage throughout his lifetime – taking on the tough issues, making the hard decisions, telling the truth, and making a difference. Now he is ready to take the fight to George Bush and put our country back on the right track,” said Feinstein. “John Kerry will roll back the Bush tax breaks for the wealthiest Americans so we can invest in education, health care, and the skills of our workers. And he wants to give the middle class a tax cut, not a tax increase.”

For the past decade, I’ve had the pleasure of working with John Kerry in the United States Senate and, for several years, as a member of the Foreign Relations Committee.

I know he has the strength, experience, leadership, and judgment to be an excellent President.

Because I have worked with him and know him so well, I know that he has the courage to do what’s right for America. And he will fight for legislation to get America back on the right track. He is fighting to provide affordable health care, roll back tax cuts for the wealthy while creating jobs and invest in education.

John Kerry has shown courage throughout his lifetime – taking on the tough issues, making the hard decisions, telling the truth, and making a difference. He fought in Vietnam where he received the Silver Star, Bronze Star and three awards of the Purple Heart and came back to lead the effort against that war.

Now he is ready to take the fight to George Bush and put our country back on the right track. John has stood up to special interests, fighting against drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, protecting a woman’s right to choose, and leading the way on national security issues.

He rejects George Bush’s vision of a government that comforts the comfortable at the expense of ordinary Americans, that lets corporations do as they please, that turns its back on the very alliances we helped create and the very principles that have made our nation a model to the world.

He has provided a specific plan to get the American economy moving forward and to create the nearly 3 million jobs lost under President Bush. John Kerry will roll back the Bush tax breaks for the wealthiest Americans so we can invest in education, health care, and the skills of our workers. And he wants to give the middle class a tax cut, not a tax increase. Under George Bush, too many middle class people are getting pummeled everywhere they turn – more bills to pay, a higher cost of living.

Let me talk about one issue that has always been very important to me – gun control. In John Kerry’s announcement speech he had the courage to say what too many politicians are afraid to acknowledge: He said,

“... courage means standing up for gun safety, not retreating from the issue out of political fear or trying to have it both ways. I’m a hunter and I believe in the Second Amendment but I’ve never gone hunting with an AK-47. Our party will never be the choice of the NRA -- and I’m not looking to be the candidate of the NRA.”

The Assault Weapon ban will expire next year. We need a President who will actively urge Congress to extend it. And John Kerry will do just that.

That is the kind of leadership and courage we need in a President.

In short, John Kerry has the right stuff. He will be an excellent President of the United States.

I am proud to endorse and support him.


Senator Hollings Endorses John Kerry for President
Endorsement Provides Major Boost to Kerry South Carolina Campaign

January 22, 2004

Today, John Kerry received the endorsement of a legend in South Carolina politics, Senator Ernest “Fritz” Hollings, in his bid to win the Democratic nomination for president. Hollings announced his support today in Columbia, and will travel to New Hampshire on Friday to campaign Kerry along with other veterans.

In South Carolina, Senator Hollings said, “I’ve been elected seven times to the Senate by South Carolinians and I owe it to them to tell them what I think. I believe John Kerry has the experience, judgment, and character to lead this nation. In fact, I tried to get John Kerry to run four years ago. You can’t agree one hundred percent with anybody but I know John Kerry is the right man.”

“John Kerry’s record of fighting for working families, his commitment to fiscal discipline, his plan to restore manufacturing jobs, and his commitment to expand healthcare and make it more affordable, are some of the reasons I’m standing here today to announce I will stand by John Kerry,” continued Hollings.

“John Kerry is a former prosecutor and he led the charge in the Senate to put one hundred thousand cops on the beat, establishing our first line of defense for homeland security. Kerry has a strong military background and he understands how to keep America safe and strong. As a former lieutenant, I’m heading Lieutenants for Kerry. John Kerry has been a veteran’s veteran in the Senate and he will be a veteran’s veteran in the White House.”



NY Attorney General Eliot Spitzer Endorses John Kerry
“As President, Kerry will Fight for Every American Against Special Interests”

February 02, 2004

New York State Attorney General Eliot Spitzer traveled today to New Mexico to announce his support for John Kerry at a rally in Albuquerque. Since becoming Attorney General in 1999, Spitzer has worked to make New York a national leader in investor protection, environmental stewardship, labor rights, personal privacy, public safety and criminal law enforcement.

"With his long record of standing up for all Americans against special interests, John Kerry is the best candidate for President,” said Attorney General Spitzer. “He and I have fought together against the violation of clean air laws and to resolve the mutual fund scandal and other corporate wrongdoings. I know that he will help small investors and consumers. John Kerry has a real plan to end the era of special interests and I am convinced he is the man to take back the White House from President Bush and his corporate allies.”

With investor confidence still rocked by corporate scandals and charges of illegal trading practices, John Kerry has taken aim at the mutual funds scandal and developed a plan to restore ethics, integrity, and honesty to business and government by holding corporate America accountable. His plan will stop unfair trading practices, protect shareholders, and assure that all investors get a fair deal. His three-point plan includes:

Ending Market Timing and Late Trading. John Kerry will put a stop to practices that allow big investors to get deals not available to average investors, curbing late-trading and market-timing abuses by fully prosecuting Wall Street insiders that steal from American investors.

Protecting Shareholders with Independent Oversight and Strong Penalties. John Kerry will develop an independent board to ensure that mutual funds are protecting their shareholders, and increase penalties for defrauding investors. John Kerry will help investors recover their losses by applying racketeering laws to late trading schemes.

Assuring Everyday Investors Pay Fair Fees. Kerry will make sure that mutual funds charge fair fees to all shareholders and disclose any significant relationships with companies that receive contracts.

[library_max]

23. Yet another cheap smear

that has been extensively debunked in earlier threads. This is essentially the same kind of "exaggerator" rap they tried to pin on Al Gore, based on distortions of both his statements and the facts.

[Sinistrous]

5. A link to Gov. Dean's quote?

Just to proove YOUR intellectual honesty, of course.

[zulchzulu]

7. Here ya go

"I mean him no insult," Dean challenged Kerry's effectiveness in the Senate, where he has served for nearly two decades, claiming that of 11 bills Kerry introduced on health care, "not one" had passed.

"If you want a president who is going to get results, I suggest that you look at somebody who did get results in my state," Dean said.

Kerry retorted: "One of the things you need to know as a president is how things work in Congress, if you want to get things done." He said he'd helped pass many measures - family medical leave, mental health benefits and a new program of children's health care that helped youngsters in Dean's state.

Kerry said legislation written by one lawmaker often passes on a bill carrying another legislator's name.

http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/bw-elect/2004/jan/30/013007064.html

[Sinistrous]

8. And how many of the 11 bills referred to by Gov. Dean did pass?

I hope at least one, because I would hate to think you are guilty of spreading a lie about Gov. Dean.

[zulchzulu]

9. The lie Dean is spreading is about Kerry's lack of passing bills

It has nothing to do with what Dean did.

[Hep]

10. Was that the answer to the fair question posed to you?

Because I didn't see an actual number or percentage.

[zulchzulu]

12. Are you avoiding the thread topic with topic drift?

Should we discuss Super Bowl stats while we're at it?

[Name removed]

11. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Name removed]

13. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[markus]

14. I'm sorry, what's the Public Law number on all those S. bills?

It was not a lie. It's a tactic. It's a historically Democratic one, which has been very effective. It's not some Rovian trick. It's how you beat a GOP congressman or senator back in the days when they had't been in the majority for decades.

Is it fair? You're in the wrong forum. Very little is "fair" in politics. It's not fair that America isn't falling in behind DK. It's not fair that the media decided to crucify HD for suggesting their part of an insider trust to keep us out of our government. Its not fair that DG, a man who's given his life for working people, couldn't make it past Iowa.

If you or your candidate aren't ready for it, then you're not ready for the big leagues.

When all this is over, whoever is the nominee is going to have to relive all of this fun stuff over again with the media (unless it's Clark, who is so much more of a cipher). So, stop whinning and get on with it. But calling Dean a liar in this thread is nor more-or-less fair than Dean's statements about Kerry's record, and is--in fact--the only "lie" in your post.

[dolstein]

15. Oh, come on -- as a legislator, Kerry's record is unimpressive

this is hardly a secret. Even ABC's the Note jokes about it.

[Debi]

16. Sorry...just came in...

But wasn't Dean's comment speciffically about healthcare legislation?

[bigtree]

19. And we should blame Democrats for republican obstruction?

:shrug:

[mopinko]

20. yes np

[slinkerwink]

18. Kerry missed 36 of 38 Medicare votes

[mopinko]

21. # Cosponsored Gramm-Rudman-Hollings

"Cosponsored Gramm-Rudman-Hollings bipartisan deficit reduction Act. (S.1702)"

hello, this legislation was a joke. a feel good fig leaf for a congress that sat back and let st ronnie run up the same kind of ridiculous deficits that the current bunch of sheep that let * get away with.
let's learn from history here, and not repeat it.

[library_max]

24. I just alerted regarding this thread.

Although I am a Kerry supporter myself and although I see valuable information here, the first two sentences of the original post constitute an extreme and inflammatory attack against Howard Dean.

Why not just present the information and debunk the accusation against Kerry? Why must we attack the other primary candidates? Where does it get us? One of them is going to be the nominee, and Dean isn't out of the running by any means. Why go out of your way to insult and antagonize Dean supporters? If Kerry is nominated, we'll want their support in the general election, the same way they'll want ours if Dean is nominated.

[Moderator]

25. locking

1. If you start a thread in this forum, you must present your opinion in a manner that is not inflammatory, which respects differences in opinion, and which is likely to lead to respectful discussion rather than flaming. The moderators have the sole authority to decide whether a thread topic is inflammatory.