Kerry lovers! What makes him so much better than Bush anyway?

[BostonAnne]

John Kerry's resume speaks for itself. He has already fought to strengthen our economy, improve public education, make health care more affordable, and protect our environment. He has a history of making a difference for the better. I was also impressed to find out that he was the first guy, along with Sen. Bill Frist from Tennessee, to bring in the Global AIDS Bill.

He is not just a domestic candidate, as he has served on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for 19 years. He already has been a respected voice on national security and international affairs. He will work to unite us with our allies.

 

[pax]

The "go Bush" thread, which will exist until I decide to merge all the Presidential ballyhooing threads:

http://forum.interference.com/t94329.html

 

[kariatari]

I forgot to mention that Kerry also supports embryonic stem cell research.

 

[oliveu2cm]

I have a long list of why I'm voting for Kerry.

environment:
"Ozone pollution from coal-burning power plants in Ohio caused the increase in asthma, and these power plants are in direct violation of the Clean Air Act, Kennedy said. The Clinton administration investigated these plants to try to bring them up to code. But the investigations were dropped when Bush got into office, because the plants had donated millions of dollars to the Bush campaign, Kennedy said." -Robert Kennedy Jr speech (Robert Kennedy JR is an environmentalist and has been fighting for the environment (therefore for Americans) for ages. Kerry is going to turn around the laws Bush has dangerously and irresponsibly disregarded and reneged to protect the environment and our health.

As a woman I cannot morally vote for Bush. I do not think he respects women, plain and simple. I believe Kerry does respect women which is why he'll get my vote. "On Bush's first day in [office] he cut off family planning services to some of the world's poorest women. He denied overseas health clinics that provide or even discuss abortion the funds they need to provide basic health care to women and children." -prochoiceamerica.org
This is irresponsible leadership, leadership fueled by a personal belief system rather than belief in the common good and belief in individuals's basic rights. These women are being punished for his beliefs and it makes me sick.

This goes along with another reason I will be voting for Kerry: gay marriage. Like Diemen said, he may not agree with it personally but at least he agrees that it is NOT the government's position to monitor marriage.

Three reasons, and I have many more including education support, foreign-relation concerns, Iraq war problems, creating a more unbiased press, etc.

For those of us who do not have clear knowledge on what Kerry stands for, after Thursday you should definitely have that knowledge. Watch his speech, or read it. Educate yourselves and learn what he stands for. Then make a decision.

 

[LarryMullen's POPAngel]

For those of us who do not have clear knowledge on what Kerry stands for, after Thursday you should definitely have that knowledge. Watch his speech, or read it. Educate yourselves and learn what he stands for. Then make a decision.

 

[Anirban]

A lot of people vote Republican because of "economic reasons." But it is true that "if you want to live like a Replublican, you better vote Democratic" (at least this point in time). Republicans favors the rich because they invest in large corporations which does help the overall economy, but does not help the actual people directly. Providing monetary benefits to the people directly is another way to improve the economy which helps everyone. Economics is a science, not a political issue. Both Republicans and Democrats can better the economy, but it's a question of which side of the equation you add or subtract money. If the end result is a stronger economy, why not give the money to ordinary people who actually need it to better their lives? Kerry is in favor of helping the middle class who have been largely neglected the past four years. Moreover, our economy is in such a state that corporations still cannot efficiently use the money so that benefits "trickle down" to the masses. Just look at oil prices... There will once again be a point where corporate investment will provide a surge in the economy (like the 80's) but right now we need to address the unemployed, underemployed, and overworked middle class. We are at a point in history where corporations need to play catch-up to the sluggish economy for the past few years...they do not have the means to turn higher capital into profit. While they work on improving efficiency, give the money to the less-priveleged (who will spend the money and pump it back into the economy from the ground up to secure a strong foundation) instead of the rich who will invest it at the top and cause the infrastructure to topple.

 

[najeena]

Kerry is both brave and honest. From what I've seen over the last four years, Bush is neither.

 

[BluberryPoptart]

As a woman I cannot morally vote for Bush. I do not think he respects women, plain and simple. I believe Kerry does respect women which is why he'll get my vote. "On Bush's first day in [office] he cut off family planning services to some of the world's poorest women. He denied overseas health clinics that provide or even discuss abortion the funds they need to provide basic health care to women and children." -prochoiceamerica.org
This is irresponsible leadership, leadership fueled by a personal belief system rather than belief in the common good and belief in individuals's basic rights. These women are being punished for his beliefs and it makes me sick.

WHERE does this 'funding' come from??! The pockets of hard working Americans paying taxes, millions of whom believe abortion is murder. We do not want our money used to pay for something so very wrong and immoral. That makes me 'sick.' Taking our money and using it to fund something we do not approve of is irresponsible leadership fueled by someone else's belief system!

Something so controversial should NOT be funded by US tax dollars. We owe those foreign clinics nothing, we are doing it to be nice. Why shouldn't the gift of our money be held to certain standards and conditions? I wouldn't want it any other way.



On another subject, I'm sorry, but reading these responses, it appears some of you are in a dream world this 'wonderful' man is going to stop the war and make everything okay. Words and promises he never said are being attributed to him. I am scared beyond words if this mentality is going to decide the election This is what I was afraid of, that he'd get votes just because 'he's not Bush' and that is not good enough for me. He could end up worse.

 

[verte76]

Personally it is very difficult, indeed impossible, for me to imagine that Kerry could be worse. Between deficits, the quagmire in Iraq with one of the worst attacks ever just today, the tension with our allies, this is the damnedest mess I've ever seen this country in, and I've been around awhile.

 

[anitram]

We do not want our money used to pay for something so very wrong and immoral. That makes me 'sick.' Taking our money and using it to fund something we do not approve of is irresponsible leadership fueled by someone else's belief system!

Something so controversial should NOT be funded by US tax dollars. We owe those foreign clinics nothing, we are doing it to be nice.

You could say all of that and more about Iraq.

But this is already so far off topic I won't bother.

 

[BluberryPoptart]

I almost went back and edited my post to make sure nobody brought Iraq into it, too late.

 

[Scarletwine]

The clinics you went off in a rant about don't all do abortions be ended funding to any clinic that even mention the possibility and yes I want my tax dollars to go for the full range of reproductive health choices without anyone persons belief system interfering.

 

[BostonAnne]

On another subject, I'm sorry, but reading these responses, it appears some of you are in a dream world this 'wonderful' man is going to stop the war and make everything okay. Words and promises he never said are being attributed to him. I am scared beyond words if this mentality is going to decide the election This is what I was afraid of, that he'd get votes just because 'he's not Bush' and that is not good enough for me. He could end up worse.

I don't think anyone here has said that Kerry is going to stop the war. The war is here and no one can just "stop it and make everything OK". Bush has had a tendency to go solo and alienate us from our allies. Kerry has spent 19 years working on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the desire to keep us united with our allies. I would like to see this situation continued in the hands of someone that is viewing everything with a more open mind.

I would like to give John Kerry's Senate experience a little more credit than "anyone but Bush". Nothing can be worse than the current division in our own country and also with our country and our allies. Nothing can be worse than the careless decisions that have cause our deficit to grow very large once again. Nothing can be worse than millions of Americans working very hard and still not making it to middle class status. Reading about the issues that he has worked on over his career, I think he is very educated in all aspects of the job of President and I like his vision of where we should go.

 

[Salome]

This is what I was afraid of, that he'd get votes just because 'he's not Bush' and that is not good enough for me. He could end up worse.

I think it's equally worrisome that this is mentioned over here at FYM more often than reasons why Bush would be better

 

[Diemen]

Well isn't this interesting. The Bush lover thread is left to the Bush lovers, and yet we've got someone arguing against Kerry in the Kerry lover's thread.

I'll add another reason why I'm voting for Kerry:

From his record, it seems clear that Bush sees things as basically either black or white. In a sense it's his greatest strength and greatest weakness. It lets his make a decisive stand on issues and move towards action rather quickly, but it also means he might not take the time to examine all sides of an issue, and is resistant to change or the suggestion that his position is wrong, because, after all, it's black and white! God is on our side! You're either with us or against us! And as a result, he is more of a divider than a uniter (another thing he failed to come through on). A uniter must be able to see and appreciate and give weight to all sides of an issue, rather than only that side which they believe is right.

Kerry can see in shades of gray and is able to see more sides of the issue as a result. Like being able to admit that he doesn't believe gay marriage is right, but also being able to concede that it is not the government's place to deny gays the right to marry. Like being able to fight in a war but also seeing major problems with it and speaking out against those problems.

Do I think Kerry is the answer to all our problems? Do I think he'll stop the war and make Islamic fundamentalists fall in love with America? Hell no. Some of these problems simply can't be undone in a few years, and many of these problems preceded Bush. But I believe that Bush made many of these already existing problems worse by acting in such a polarizing manner, and I believe Kerry will be able to handle these issues with more sensitivity (not touchy-feely, but being able to understand and accept valid criticisms from other countries) and overall intelligence and skill than Bush.

 

[Dreadsox]

Kerry can see in shades of gray and is able to see more sides of the issue as a result. Like being able to admit that he doesn't believe gay marriage is right, but also being able to concede that it is not the government's place to deny gays the right to marry. Like being able to fight in a war but also seeing major problems with it and speaking out against those problems.

I see this as riding the fence. I am not sure where you got your info, but I have seen Kerry repeatedly say he does not support gay marriage. He does not oppose civil unions and the legal rights that can be granted through said union. I also see his positions on the war as being self-serving. He has not been supportive of his fellow soldier, and I have personally felt its impact. I see what you have typed above as waffling.

Not here to bash him, as I have said I believe that on two issues he is stronger than Bush. I just think your examples are things that push me away from him.

 

[Diemen]

I see this as riding the fence. I am not sure where you got your info, but I have seen Kerry repeatedly say he does not support gay marriage. He does not oppose civil unions and the legal rights that can be granted through said union. I also see his positions on the war as being self-serving. He has not been supportive of his fellow soldier, and I have personally felt its impact. I see what you have typed above as waffling.

Not here to bash him, as I have said I believe that on two issues he is stronger than Bush. I just think your examples are things that push me away from him.

Um, didn't I say in my post that he doesn't support gay marriage? Yes, yes I did.

Now granted, I do take issue with him on this, as I do support gay marriage, but why I brought this issue up is that even though he thinks it's wrong, he has stated that he doesn't believe it is the government's place to decide whether gay marriage, or any marriage, is legal or not, as marriage is of the church. While I disagree with his personal belief, I agree with his belief regarding the government's place in this matter. He is able to make that distinction, whereas Bush cannot seperate his beliefs from the role of government, which is supposed to be for the people, not "for all the people like me."

 

[Moonlit_Angel]

I have to applaud Diemen and BostonAnne's posts. . Well said, guys. .

BluberryPoptart...believe me, I know it will definitely take time to get things regarding this situation with Iraq and all that to calm down. As the others stated, I just think Kerry could get some peaceful means of solving things over there going, do what he can during his time in office, and then future administrations can hopefully take the ball and run with it and continue on with restoring peace to that part of the world.

I'm very clear that things won't become perfect overnight if Kerry becomes president. I just really think that if Bush were to stay in power, things over there would only get worse instead of better, and I want to give someone else a chance to make things better now.

Angela

 

[BostonAnne]

I see this as riding the fence. I am not sure where you got your info, but I have seen Kerry repeatedly say he does not support gay marriage. He does not oppose civil unions and the legal rights that can be granted through said union. I also see his positions on the war as being self-serving. He has not been supportive of his fellow soldier, and I have personally felt its impact. I see what you have typed above as waffling.

Not here to bash him, as I have said I believe that on two issues he is stronger than Bush. I just think your examples are things that push me away from him.

I don't see his position as waffling at all. I think seeing shades of gray instead of black and white is showing tolerance and compassion for the other side of the issue. When being open minded, it is possible to change your position on a human rights issue. I believe that he is currently stating that he isn't going to push through that type of legislation and if that type of legislation comes across his desk - he isn't going to dismiss everyone's rights for his own belief system.

Please elaborate how he hasn't been supportive of his fellow soldier and how you've felt the impact personally. Perhaps in the Bush thread.

 

[oliveu2cm]

This is what I was afraid of, that he'd get votes just because 'he's not Bush' and that is not good enough for me. He could end up worse.

Plenty of people gave real responses to what they like about kerry, as well as ways he will improve things bush has ignored or ruined, so you can't say that people here are only giving reasons of support as "he's not bush."

And no one's reasons have to be good enough for you why people vote for Kerry. People can vote any way they please- ideally everyone should be informed of both sides of issues before making a decision, but no matter why people vote they way they do, at least they're getting out there and voicing their opinion where it counts.

 

[BVS]

WHERE does this 'funding' come from??! The pockets of hard working Americans paying taxes, millions of whom believe abortion is murder. We do not want our money used to pay for something so very wrong and immoral. That makes me 'sick.' Taking our money and using it to fund something we do not approve of is irresponsible leadership fueled by someone else's belief system!

Something so controversial should NOT be funded by US tax dollars. We owe those foreign clinics nothing, we are doing it to be nice. Why shouldn't the gift of our money be held to certain standards and conditions? I wouldn't want it any other way.



On another subject, I'm sorry, but reading these responses, it appears some of you are in a dream world this 'wonderful' man is going to stop the war and make everything okay. Words and promises he never said are being attributed to him. I am scared beyond words if this mentality is going to decide the election This is what I was afraid of, that he'd get votes just because 'he's not Bush' and that is not good enough for me. He could end up worse.

Well I'm glad to see you broke your own rules in this thread..."only supporters"? That's great.

Like someone pointed out before you aren't aware of the full exent of these programs. They do a lot more than provide abortion.

Just like you haven't read most of the posts in here, I don't think anyone has said anything about stopping a war, and the whole 'not Bush' thing? Why are we even post our reasons for voting for Kerry if you aren't going to read them? Congrats on now derailing both "supporter" threads.

 

[BluberryPoptart]

No, I HAVE read all the posts here. I only commented on the "not Bush" ones because those are the ones I'm concerned with. I have no comment on the others, so I didn't post one, but that doesn't mean I didn't read them. I do not feel I broke my own rules, because the 'not Bush' thing was one of the points of this thread.

 

[Dreadsox]

I don't see his position as waffling at all. I think seeing shades of gray instead of black and white is showing tolerance and compassion for the other side of the issue. When being open minded, it is possible to change your position on a human rights issue. I believe that he is currently stating that he isn't going to push through that type of legislation and if that type of legislation comes across his desk - he isn't going to dismiss everyone's rights for his own belief system.

Please elaborate how he hasn't been supportive of his fellow soldier and how you've felt the impact personally. Perhaps in the Bush thread.

That is your opinion, and I am not going to bash him in this thread. I read it as being unable to make a tough choice. ANd I have mentioned in here how he and his office responded to many of the soldiers I served with's concerns.

I have made positive comments about him in this thread. I will stick with those. My only point was I see it is as not making a choice so as not to offend his core supporters.

 

[Diemen]

I have made positive comments about him in this thread. I will stick with those. My only point was I see it is as not making a choice so as not to offend his core supporters.

Dreadsox,

I'm having a hard time understanding how this was waffling or just not trying to offend his core supporters. Are you saying that if you don't believe in gay marriage, then to prove it you should try and constitutionally ban it? Do you not see the conflict between church and state on this? Kerry has stated he doesn't support gay marriage, but that is a religious belief, and I hope we can agree that religion should not be the prime force behind Constitutional amendments. The minute we erase the line between church and state, we basically spit on the Constitution and every thing it stands for, and large sections of America's people (and not just homosexuals) stand to lose their rights. Amendments have always been added to include people and extend the rights to everyone, not to exclude people from equal rights and protection.

It's not waffling, it's rightfully recognizing where government shouldn't go.

 

[nbcrusader]

Kerry has stated he doesn't support gay marriage, but that is a religious belief

Which Kerry is speaking? The secular politician or the religious?

 

[Diemen]

Please.

Apparently no one understands why separation of church and state is a good thing?

 

[ThatGuy]

Apparently no one understands that someone can hold a belief that doesn't totally jibe with their religion. Or that they can have a nuanced opinion about things, rather than just putting them in "yes" or "no," "good" or "bad" columns.

 

[Diemen]

Thank you, ThatGuy.

Goes back to the black and white thing I was talking about earlier.

 

[nbcrusader]

Hear what you want to hear, believe what you want to believe.

The twisted way followers overlook Kerrys opposition to gay marriage is amusing.

 

[ThatGuy]

I don't have to agree wholeheartedly with everything Kerry says. If he supports civil unions, then that's all I can reasonably ask given the current political climate.