Kerry kicks off Bus Tour with 100 Days to Change America plan

[MrPeepers]

"As part of his Action Plan for the First 100 Days, Kerry vowed to:

Give our government back to the people and shine a light on the secret deals in Washington by reinstating the 5-year ban on lobbying so that government officials cannot cash in with influence peddling and requiring every meeting with a lobbyist or any special interest deal inserted by a lobbyist be made public.
Make health care a right for every American by offering a realistic health care plan as the first major proposal to Congress:

Change the corporate culture by closing offshore loopholes, applying tough RICO criminal penalties for corrupt corporations and rewarding companies that create jobs by helping with health care costs, a new manufacturing jobs tax credit and new assistance for small businesses.

Rollback George Bush’s assault on our environment by restoring and strengthening protections for clean air and clean water, and making America energy independent of Mid East oil in ten years.

Make national service a way of life by requiring mandatory service for high school kids and giving Americans the chance to earn four years of college tuition in exchange for two years of service.
Create an economy that works for the middle class instead of the privileged class by repealing the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy so that we can invest in education and health care and protecting middle class tax cuts.

Make a new deal on education by creating a new Education Trust Fund that will guarantee full funding our schools and protect our children’s education from politics.
Restore fiscal sanity to Washington by cutting the deficit in half in four years.

Protect individual rights not roll them back -- including equal rights and a woman’s right to choose –by naming an Attorney General who has a proven commitment to the constitutional foundation of this nation.

Rejoin the community of nations, renounce the Bush policy of preemptive war and restore American leadership.

Kerry also announced that he will do a series of 24 hour campaign days to meet voters where they live and where they work and to tell them about the Real Deal and what’s at stake..."

http://www.johnkerry.com/pressroom/releases/pr_2003_1121.html

Kerry, and his new Campaign Manager,Mary Beth Cahill, are getting things going again. We'll see how long that underdog spot sticks...

peepers

[drfemoe]

1. Just one question

Do you know why Kerry didn't bother to vote on the energy bill today?

[tsipple]

2. He Was Out Campaigning

Fortunately his vote (and the vote from John Edwards) weren't needed to block the Energy Bill. Frist was still two votes short.

[drfemoe]

3. yeah thankfully

I am surprised that he and Edwards don't realize that a vote in the right direction (whether *needed* or not) goes a long way in sending a message, especially within the confines of a campaign.

They just don't seem to get 'it' that their vote or non vote on issues that are important to our cause carries a CAMPAIGN message. He could have made points with *me* just showing up to vote (nay). So, I hope whatever else was more important to him offset the damage he did (to his campaign) in not showing up to vote at all.

[JI7]

4. they are informed of the vote count before

on most bills they already know what the vote count is. if their votes are need to help change the outcome they are told about it(daschle tells them). it's a common thing in congress, especially during campaign time.

[drfemoe]

6. Well Daschle

voted yes, against *our* interests. He isn't entirely trustworthy in my experience.

Edwards (don't remeber just now about Kerry) didn't vote for the abortion bill. Does that mean his vote wouldn't have made a difference? It passed, as I'm sure you know.

I don't claim to be a political strategist or expert .. but then again a lot of us aren't.

Thanks for your answer!
:toast:

Hanging at DU does help me be more informed in many of these areas.

[JI7]

11. but daschle still informs them

of the votes. and i believe one reason daschle may have voted yes is because he knew that side would lose. it happens many times. but whatever the reasons for daschles vote were, he still tells them how the vote is going so they know if they need to be there. john edwards vote would not have made a difference in the abortion bill. if it had, he would have been there. on most bills,the top senate leaders are informed by members of how they will vote. if they are undecided they tell them that also. the leaders in turn let senators who plan on being somewhere else know of the numbers so they can change their schedule to be there. this is why you can't take seriously those political tv ads which accuse incumbant congress members of missing votes. it's more important to look at the bills involved on how the vote went and if it would have made a difference. and many times congress does stupid things like voting on whether to give ronald reagan a happy birthday greeting.

[JI7]

13. yes, du is very helpful

and don't be afraid to ask questions of something you may not know. many times even if you can easily do a search to find something, it's good to ask on du because people may have more information and different views on the issues letting you learn more from seeing different sides.

[Sully]

5. Kerry's vote

I'm sure that Edwards and Kerry were sending a strong message to their allies in Congress, and will certainly vote when it comes up again as Frist has vowed. They already had the votes to stop the bill and this allowed them to continue campaigning. Not too bad to be a "Washington insider" sometimes!

[helleborient]

10. I'm confident Kerry and Edwards would have been there...

If their votes were needed.

[Rose Siding]

12. They place a lot of faith in those 6 repubs

to vote "no". There wasn't a vote to spare.

[JI7]

14. this is a common understanding among members

if they don't want to tell the truth about the way they will vote, they say they are undecided. but they know not to lie about voting yes or no, and then doing the opposite especially when it can change the outcome of a bill because it is something that can easily backfire on them in the future.

[JI7]

15. and talk about backfiring

this is exactly what is happening to republican attempts to appoint judges. they blocked clinton's judges for wrong reasons and now they are getting it back. hahahhaha

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

7. I thought he already voted on these two:

Protect individual rights not roll them back -- including equal rights and a woman’s right to choose –by naming an Attorney General who has a proven commitment to the constitutional foundation of this nation.

Rejoin the community of nations, renounce the Bush policy of preemptive war and restore American leadership.


Patriot Act and IWR. :shrug:

[sandnsea]

8. Voting isn't implementing policy

Presidents and their Administrations are responsible for that. That's what this election is all about, getting a new Administration and taking it to Bush in order to get him out, right?

[helleborient]

9. The "Contract With America" didn't originate with the President...

It was a policy statement and originated in the Congress.

This isn't a dig on Kerry or even about that but a disagreement that presidents always set policy.

[sandnsea]

22. Administrations implement the policy

I didn't say they set policy.

After something becomes law, anything, it goes to the departments for implementation. The way policy is implemented can vary widely from the intent of Congress. That's how you end up with kids getting suspended for taking an aspirin. That's why under Clinton's administration medical marijuana patients weren't prosecuted, but Ashcroft has. That's why a Democratic AG wouldn't be violating civil rights under the patriot, different understanding of the Constitution and different respect for civil rights.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

16. Voting isn't implementing policy?

:wtf:




legislator

n : someone who makes or enacts laws.


policy

n 1: a line of argument rationalizing the course of action of a government; "they debated the policy or impolicy of the proposed legislation."





As a Senator one shapes policy in many ways. By proposing legislation. By sponsoring/co-sponsoring legislation. By filibustering. And by voting "yea" or "nay." To deny that a Senator has an effect on the policies implemented in this country is very naive. Even by voting in the minority, a Senator has the power to impact legislation by extolling the faults in a given bill.

For one to say that your are for protecting and strengthening civil rights AND voting for the Patriot Act, which wasn't even read, is the heighth of hypocrisy. Especially if one has graduated from Boston College law school.

[Feanorcurufinwe]

17. No voting isn't implementing policy.

Voting on a bill is just that. And 'debating policy' isn't 'implementing policy' it's debating policy.

The Executive branch 'executes' the laws. In other words, it implements them.

And acting like Dean is pro-civil-rights, with his record and statements as Vermont governor, is the height of hypocrisy. It's Dean's cavalier and dismissive attitudes towards the rights of due process that first turned me against him.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

18. And voting for the Patriot Act is helping civil rights how?

Didn't even read it. What a great leader. And what a great graduate of law school!


Yes, the Executive implements laws put in place by the legislature. No laws by the legislature, no implementation.

Here's where your "argument" falls completely apart. On the one hand, you are arguing that the Executive branch "executes" the laws. On the other hand, you are arguing that Dean isn't pro-civil rights even though he signed the civil unions bill. Was he forced to sign it by the legislature, or was he implementing policy? Can't have it both ways.

[Feanorcurufinwe]

19. Dean, 9/14/2001, called for a reevaluation of the Bill of Rights

As far as the Patriot Act, of course Dean didn't vote for it as every Democratic senator with the exception of Feingold did. But what was Dean saying at the time?

September 14, 2001
Gov. Howard Dean's call for a “re-evaluation” of some of America's civil liberties following this week's terrorist attacks was criticised Thursday by a Vermont Law School professor.

“Good God,” Vermont Law School Professor Michael Mello said when read the remarks Dean made at a Wednesday news conference. “It's terribly irresponsible for the leader of our state to be saying stuff like that right now.”

Benson Scotch, the head of the Vermont chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, said it was simply too soon after the attacks to engage in the sort of debates Dean called for.

Dean said Wednesday he believed that the attacks and their aftermath would “require a re-evaluation of the importance of some of our specific civil liberties. I think there are going to be debates about what can be said where, what can be printed where, what kind of freedom of movement people have and whether it's OK for a policeman to ask for your ID just because you're walking down the street.”

Dean said he had not taken a position on these questions. Asked whether he meant that specific rights described in the Bill of Rights — the first 10 amendments to the U.S. Constitution — would have to be trimmed, the governor said:

“I haven't gotten that far yet. I think that's unlikely, but I frankly haven't gotten that far. Again, I think that's a debate that we will have.”
http://rutlandherald.nybor.com/News/Story/33681.html

Dean actually called for a debate on limiting the Bill of Rights. That is to the right even of Ashcroft.

Reporter Peter Freyne, now one of Dean's great supporters, asked his readers at the time to "Remember the guy who once said 95 percent of people charged with crimes are guilty anyway so why should the state spend money on providing them with lawyers?"
http://www.counterpunch.org/jacobs08292003.html

Just two years ago Dean tried to prevent Appel from accepting a $150,000 federal grant aimed at assisting defendants with mental disabilities. For Dean to block a government agency from receiving federal money was unusual in itself. But Dean’s openly expressed bias against criminal defendants provided a partial explanation.

Dean has made no secret of his belief that the justice system gives all the breaks to defendants. Consequently, during the 1990s, state’s attorneys, police, and corrections all received budget increases vastly exceeding increases enjoyed by the defender general’s office. That meant the state’s attorneys were able to round up ever increasing numbers of criminal defendants, but the public defenders were not given comparable resources to respond.
http://rutlandherald.com/Archive/Articles/Article/31792

And on the separation of powers, no amount of spin will change black into white. The legislative branch makes laws, the executive branch executes them.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

23. Spin...

And on the separation of powers, no amount of spin will change black into white. The legislative branch makes laws, the executive branch executes them.

Exactly. The Executive executes the laws which the legislative branch gives it. Kerry is part of the legislature. Therefore, Kerry plays a part in that which the Executive executes. My point exactly. Thank you.







As for your Dean is anti-civil rights rant, point me to the laws he "executed" that restrict civil rights. Simple.

[sandnsea]

24. Vermont Cyber-Censorship

Two different cases.

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/techpolicy/2003-08-28-vt-net-speech_x.htm

http://news.bookweb.org/freeexpression/200.html

And here's a couple of cases on implementing policy. One where he cuts off Medicaid patients from Oxycontin and the other where he refuses to allow a prison inmate to continue methadone treatment. Implementation of policy is usually where civil rights violations happen, much more so than the laws themselves.

http://www.stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/199/vermontpoor.shtml

[sandnsea]

20. Dean's Administration enacts that law

If they had chosen to find loopholes and hurdles in inplementing the Civil Union law, that would be a decision made by his Administration. We have prosecutions every day that go far beyond the intent of a law. Social service workers can often find rules and laws to help people who would otherwise be turned away. Voting to enact laws to help fight terrorism is a good thing, people just aren't going to accept that we should have dinked around or done nothing. The way Bush chose to implement these laws are the problem and knowing that there are Administrations who will abuse their authority means we'll have to change the worst of these laws. No frontrunners are suggesting repealing the entire Patriot Act anyway.

This 'he voted for it' is a bullshit argument and I'm sure you know it.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

26. Yes, voting for the Patriot Act is irrelevent.

How dare I even bring it up!

Mentioning that he didn't even read it before he voted on it is probably equally irrelevent.

Mentioning that he graduated from law school and should know that reading a document is essential to understanding it's ramifications is probably equally irrelevent.

Mentioning that Kerry is often cited as the anti-BFEE authority here at DU by his supporters, yet gives the BFEE nearly unlimited powers to quash civil rights in the name of fighting terrorism, is probably also irrelevent.

Just asking, but what is "relevent?" If it's not one's voting record and actions, what is it?

[sandnsea]

27. Yes it is

Totally and completely irrelevant. You might as well say we can't vote for anybody who eats green beans because Howard Dean is allergic and can't eat them anyway. Dean couldn't vote, there is no ability to weigh what his record would have been against anybody elses. He doesn't support repealing it which makes it pretty evident that he would have voted for it. Then consider the truly wild statements like 9/11 would "require a re-evaluation of the importance of some of our specific civil liberties" and "95% of criminal defendants are guilty anyway". Howard Dean is the last person anybody should hold up as a defender of civil rights.

http://sandiego.indymedia.org/en/2003/11/101838.shtml

[Feanorcurufinwe]

28. Actually the "criminal defendants are guilty anyway" quote is pre-9/11

[sandnsea]

31. The guy for civil rights??

My point exactly, he has never been known to be a great advocate of civil rights in Vermont. People are just going on the 'mojo'. That's what I've been hearing on news clips. "He's got the momentum so there must be something good about him." They have no idea what the guy is about. We've got excellent candidates with strong Democratic values and traditions, and we're tossing them all aside for a mass marketed McPresident franchise campaign. Sad.

[JohnKleeb]

21. RiF if IWR and PA are your litmus tests

Why ARENT you a Kucinich supporter? After all he's the only one and always has been the only one in the race to vote against those, just saying, and no offense, but if that were one's litmus test, they should support Kucinich, I dont advise it personally but if ya do, you should support Kucinich. Just saying dont take it personal. Oh and on IWR and the PA, I am fully aware Graham voted against IWR but he didnt vote against PA, I am saying Kucinich always has been the only one to vote against both of these. Plus as we speak he's trying to repeal the Patriot Act,

[blm]

25. And there is a preponderance of the evidence shows compromising centrist

Gov. Dean, who almost always sided with the hardliners on law and order issues, would have voted for the Patriot Act along with the 99 Senators, including Byrd, Wellstone and Kennedy. I'd say that Dean's actual core politics are closest to Joe Biden's, minus the grasp of foreign policy.

[JohnKleeb]

29. I dont know if he would have or not

but if its your litmus test, my logic tells me that you should support Kucinich. I forgive those who said yes honestly but I got those who said NO in high respect.

[Feanorcurufinwe]

30. John Kerry's Remarks Kicking Off the Real Deal Bus Tour

Thank you to the Concord High Jazz Band and thank you Concord High.

I rode up here today on the bus with my Real Deal Road Warriors – and after I leave here we’re getting back on the bus so that I can go file the official papers to add my name on the New Hampshire ballot as a candidate for President of the United States.

But before I do that I wanted to spend a few minutes with you – because you – and your futures – are what this election is all about.

I want to tell you about who I am, what I’m fighting for, and what – together – we can do for this country.

Let me tell you, running for President can be a difficult humbling experience. Here in New Hampshire, I started out ahead – and then I fell behind. But I’m going to fight back. I’m looking forward to this fight. And I intend to win this fight. Because I believe there are some things worth fighting for.

But let me tell you something else: all of you will face moments in your lives when it will be difficult to achieve what you believe in. Those are the moments when you’re tested.

I know something about adversity. I’ve had to endure hardships many Americans can’t even imagine. I’ve seen my hopes and dreams for the future flash before my very eyes. You see – I’m a veteran…Red Sox fan.

I have been in tough spots before, in a war, in leading the fight to end that war, in several campaigns, and in taking on powerful interests in Washington.

And I’m in a tough political fight now. So I hope that when this speech is over, you’ll think that what I’ve proposed is the best path for the nation. And even if you don’t, I hope that when you someday face a moment like this, when the going gets tough, when what you believe in is at stake, you’ll decide that you don’t back down; you fight back stronger than ever. That’s what I’m determined to do now.

This campaign in New Hampshire will be decided in the next 67 days, and I will work hard every single day to fight back and to win. I will never stop trying to change this country. Because this is not about me – and the fight I’m in isn’t half as hard as the fight of the people being left behind in the Bush economy, the soldiers being overextended in the Bush foreign policy, the Americans who can’t afford health care because George Bush has put lobbyists ahead of our families. In the end, this battle is about all of us together – about our future and our responsibilities to each other.

I’m fighting for people like Joey Dubois. Joey is one of the friends I’ve made here in New Hampshire. He’s a veteran and though he sits in a wheelchair, no one stands prouder of their country and their service. But he is being docked of his disability pay because George Bush says we can’t afford to pay for it. There are plenty of places to cut back in government – but Joey Dubois is not one of them. We shouldn’t sacrifice those like Joey Dubois in order to pay for George Bush’s tax cuts for the wealthy. And we should not balance the budget on the backs of Joey Dubois. The definition of patriotism starts by keeping faith with those who wore the uniform. I believe America’s veterans are worth fighting for.

I’m fighting for Lisa and Randy Denuccio from Salem. They are good parents to four wonderful children, small business owners, active in their community. But their water – the water their children bathe in and used to make lemonade – was found to be poisoned by a chemical added to gasoline. Big oil is trying to avoid paying for the clean-up and stick New Hampshire with the bill. George Bush is trying to help his oil buddies – I’m fighting to stop them. Because Lisa and Randy Denuccio are worth fighting for.

I’m fighting for John Knowles from Hudson who was laid off from his telecommunications job after more than three years. His wife was just diagnosed with breast cancer – and he’s depending on the economy coming back. John Knowles is worth fighting for.

What George Bush has given all these people – and so many others – is a Raw Deal. He’s favored tax cuts for the wealthy and special favors for the special interests over what’s fair for middle class Americans. He’s buckled to lobbyists and the powerful instead of standing up for everyday Americans. This Administration’s motto really should be “no special interest left behind.”

I’m running to replace George Bush’s Raw Deal with a Real Deal that stands up to the powerful interests. That’s built on people and products not privileges and perks. And that stands on the side of those who are standing up for what’s right.

I am running so we can keep America’s promise – to reward the hard work of middle class Americans and pull down the barriers that stand in their way and in the way of those struggling to join them; to restore our true strength in the world which comes from ideals, not arrogance; renew the commitment of our generation to pass this planet on to our children better than it was given to us.

You see, this election is not just about replacing George Bush – its about changing the direction of our country. People in New Hampshire don’t trudge through the snow just because they support a candidate. You do it because you love America – and want it to be better.

This campaign is not just to get George Bush out of the White House – its about electing the leader of this nation and of the free world. And people all over this country – and all over the world – are looking to New Hampshire and waiting to see what you’ll decide. Americans without jobs, families who can’t afford their health care, seniors, children, the poorest and weakest people in our country are relying on your vote.

So send them a candidate ready to be Commander-in-Chief, ready to bring back our economy, to take on the special interests and fight for the middle class. Send them someone who offers answers, not just anger. Solutions, not just slogans. So New Hampshire, in January, don’t just send them a message. Send them a President.

It’s a President we’re choosing here. That’s why today I want to lay out some of what I’ll do in the first hundred days of a Kerry Administration to make the Real Deal a reality. In the weeks ahead, I’m going to lay out an Action Plan for the First 100 Days. The specific steps we will take to change America – the steps I will fight for in the early days of a Kerry Presidency.

And for the next 67 days, we’re going to fight hard everyday – sometimes every hour.

We’re going to do a series of 24 hour campaign days to meet voters where they live and where they work. To tell them about the Real Deal and what’s at stake.

This fight is about our future. About leadership. About making our system work for our people. Those are the things I have spent my life working on. And I won’t turn back now. I believe you are worth fighting for. So here’s what I’m going to do in my first hundred days.

By executive order, we will reinstate the 5-year ban on lobbying so that government officials cannot cash in with influence peddling. We will end the sorry spectacle of George Bush’s campaign manager selling access for contracts to rebuild Iraq. We will shine a light on the secret deals in Washington by requiring every meeting with a lobbyist or any special interest deal inserted by a lobbyist be made public. Giving our government back to the people is something worth fighting for.

My first major proposal to Congress will be a realistic plan that stops spiraling healthcare costs, covers every child in America, and makes it possible for every American to get the same health care as any Member of Congress. Making health care a right and not a privilege is something worth fighting for.

We will change the corporate culture. That means rewarding companies that create jobs by helping with health care costs, a new manufacturing jobs tax credit and new assistance for small businesses. We will close every loophole for companies – like Tyco – that take jobs offshore and go after companies that defraud their customers, investors, and workers. We will apply the same tough criminal penalties we used against organized crime to giant corporations – like mutual funds – that steal the lifetime savings and pensions of Americans. Ending George Bush’s creed of greed is something worth fighting for.

We will rollback George Bush’s assault on our environment. We will restore protections for clean air and clean water – and work to strengthen them. We will introduce a plan to make America energy independent of Mid East oil in ten years—and create 500,000 jobs along the way. Never will we have to send Americans to fight for Mid East oil. A clean environment and energy independence are worth fighting for.

We will begin a new era of national service. Enlisting a million Americans of all ages – from young people to America’s seniors – to serve their country. I want to give Americans the chance to earn four years of college tuition in exchange for two years of service. We’ll require mandatory service for high school kids because you have a responsibility to your country too. Making national service a way of life is something worth fighting for.

We will start creating an economy that works for the middle class instead of the privileged class.

We will repeal the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy so that we can invest in education and health care. And we will protect middle class tax cuts, like the child credit and the end of the marriage penalty, and add more tax cuts for the middle class because the last time I checked the problem in America isn’t that the middle class has too much money. Helping families make ends meet is something worth fighting for.

For the first time in American history, we will lead into law a new Education Trust Fund that will guarantee we fully fund our schools and protect our children’s education from politics. We will make a new deal on education – if Washington is going to mandate something for our schools, then the funding should be mandatory. And that includes special education. Our children’s future – your future – is something worth fighting for.

We will begin restoring fiscal sanity to Washington and cut the deficit in half in four years. No more giveaways to powerful interests and their smooth lobbyists – like the energy bill or the Medicare bill. We’ll do this the right way – by securing Medicare and Social Security and protecting our children and veterans. A budget with a brain and a heart is worth fighting for.

As President, I will restore our commitment to civil rights and individual rights. And that will begin with the appointment of an Attorney General who’s commitment to and understanding of the Constitution is as great as that of all Americans. If I am President, this government will protect individual rights not roll them back. We will protect equal rights and a woman’s right to choose. And we will restore the constitutional foundation of this nation. Civil rights and civil liberties are worth fighting for.

Perhaps most importantly, as we face an unprecedented crisis in the world, I will provide leadership that makes us safer. In my first hundred days we will rejoin the community of nations and renounce the Bush policy of preemptive war. I will go to the United Nations and travel to the nations of the world to restore American leadership and rebuild our shattered alliances. Even a nation as great as the United States needs some friends in this world. Ending George Bush’s failed go-it-alone policies is something worth fighting for.

George Bush has shown he has no experience to be Commander-in-Chief and no plan for peace in Iraq. He’s overextended our troops, he can’t find Saddam Hussein, he can’t find Osama bin Laden, he can’t even find the leaker in his own White House. I know something about aircraft carriers for real. And if George Bush wants to make this election about national security, I have three words for him he’ll understand: Bring. It. On.

I’m ready to wage this fight and I’m ready to win it. Because I believe the courage of Americans can change this country. That courage can create an America that does what’s right. And it starts right here in New Hampshire. I believe the courage of Americans can change this country. Your courage can break the grip of special interests and win back our economic future. Your courage can save our environment, raise up our schools, and finally open up health care to all. Your courage can end discrimination once and for all. Your courage can defend this nation’s ideals. Your courage can put America back to work and put George Bush and Dick Cheney on a bus back to Texas. I ask for your vote. I ask for your help. Go to johnkerry.com. Together we can make it happen.

Your courage can end George Bush’s raw deal. Your courage can give America a real deal. We will not give up. We will win this battle. Because we believe that America is worth fighting for.
http://www.johnkerry.com/pressroom/speeches/spc_2003_1121.html