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

[BluberryPoptart]

As not to 'derail' the other thread and get dealt with, I am starting an alternative/equal time thread for the other side. As with the other thread, let only the supporters post here.

But first I must clarify my much maligned statement in the Bush thread. So I worded it wrong, but what I was asking is, is it only the abortion issue that makes the difference to you, because honestly I can't see any other real concrete differences, other than Kerry wants us to pay higher taxes. Kerry has not only not said he'd stop the war, he has even said that Americans are not quitters and we'll finish the job, which means he's just as committed to the conflict as Bush. Gay marriage? True Bush made himself look like a foolish clone of Pat Robertson with his 'one man one woman' speech and attempt and an amendment, but Kerry has not said he'd support it or accept it either. So WHY do you hate Bush so much and like Kerry? I want to know.

I'm sorry, but "he's not Bush" is NOT GOOD ENOUGH and will not sway my vote or hopefully anyone else's. (I will refrain from making comments insulting the intellect of those who disagree with me, though it has been done to me )

 

[sue4u2]

I don't consider Bush a leader. He is a figure head, being led by the people behind him. These people around him - are the one's I don't support. I don't hate Bush or love Kerry. I just have to go with my instincts on this and do everything I can to get Kerry/Edwards elected. I'm currently talking some 18 to 24 year olds voters to get them registered. If they ask why I'm not voting for Bush I will tell them. Why I'm voting for Kerry - I have confidence he can bring some other countries to the table to help with Iraq and relieve the burden on our service men & women.
Not to mention the economy. These aren't the only reason of course, I have a multitude of reasons why I don't like this administration, but I'm going to watch the convention now, so I won't go into it.
(Yes I will watch the Rep. convention also- at least some of it)

 

[Earnie Shavers]

Well, I'm not American so I don't have much to say here and probably shouldn't really... but US foreign policy does effect us all.
On Iraq, of course the US has to stay. A belief in anything else is crazy. Whether or not in hindsite it was the right thing to do is one argument, but the fact is it was done and now that whole countries future is basically in the hands of the US. I agree, it's done, the US has made a commitment to that country and it's people and not 'finishing the job' would just be pathetic, and not just pathetic, but turn Iraq into a nightmare. Iran would probably be running the joint within 24 hours. Civil War is probably the only other option.

SO what I'm interested in is what Kerry would do should any of the other flash points flare up? Will he handle those situations better than Bush has (shouldn't be too hard)?
What are his thoughts on Israel/Palestine? Iran? Nth Korea?
Can he rebuild the relationship the US has with the vast majority of the world? (the US' standing in the world has most certainly dropped significantly since Bush has been in).
On terrorism - does he have a practical, workable plan? Not one that just involves a lot of catchy sound bites?
And what about the people around him? You can see with Bush just how important those people are. I think voting Cheney/Rumsfeld/Wolfowitz etc out is more important than voting Bush out. Their ideas and vision for the world is just plain wrong and pretty scary.

That's what I'm interested in.

 

[BVS]

I love nor hate either one of them...

But I think Kerry is a far better leader.

I think he'll be far better for the environment.

He realizes the bridges we've burned with our allies, and the division Bush has caused here in the states.

He'll be better for health care and our senior citizens prescriptions won't be rising and rising every year.

He'll be better for the budget, I don't believe in tax cuts when in an economy like this.

I don't think he or his appointees will blur the line of church and state. I.E. wasting time and money with ammendments against gay marriage...

He will not go into wars of choice. We are now stuck in Iraq and have to complete the job, and I think Kerry is far brighter of a man and leader to figure out what really needs to be done.

Just a few of the reasons I will be voting for Kerry rather than Bush.

 

[verte76]

Yes, Kerry will be better for the environment. He will work on bringing the quagmire in Iraq to a close. No, he hasn't said he'll pull the troops out of Iraq, but I think he will work on some sort of acceptable closure, which this Administration is not. "No Child Behind" will be fully funded. It's not now. He'll improve relationships with our allies, which are terrible now. And he'll unite the country. It's sharply divided now. And these tax cuts during wartime! They are ridiculous. He'll be much more fiscally prudent. Let's face it, how conservative are deficits? Not very in my opinion.

 

[RocknRollKitty]

"No Child left Behind" will be fully funded. It's not now.

This has not been as good a thing as it sounds. Ironcially, "No child left behind" has caused more to be left behind, without a teacher, or in overcrowded classrooms, or lacking some subjects. In many states, especially poorer ones or poorer regions of all states, there are teacher shortages in many grades and subjects because there are not enough teachers who meet the standards. Some of the standards they have set are red tape that is not really necessary and is a burden on everyone. I think it's better to have more teachers who have not been to all the specific classes than to have not enough to go around. No, his 'funding' will not pay for every single teacher's extra training, or give her the time away from her family to do that. I have friends and relatives who are teachers and they are frustrated by this 'program.' Like a lot of things the government does, it may sound good, but the red tape holds it down.

 

[RocknRollKitty]

looks like he's gonna be in my area tommorrow morning

http://www.wavy.com/Global/story.asp?S=2062020

It's gonna be a hard sell, being it's a big military base!

 

[Moonlit_Angel]

No, abortion is definitely not the sole reason I'm voting for Kerry (although I personally do like the fact that while he has his personal beliefs, he doesn't see that it's his place to force them on anyone else-and that's all I'll say in regards to that, 'cause god knows I've debated this issue more than enough already).

A while back, somebody on another board had posted a voting record of Kerry's, and from what I noticed of it, I could agree with a good deal of it. That's one reason I'm voting for him. Another reason is that I feel Bush has just totally made things regarding the whole situation in Iraq and all that worse, and as a result, I'd like to have someone else give this whole ordeal a try now, see how they'd handle it.

As for the gay marriage thing-while it's true that Kerry's just supporting civil unions at this time and I'd like it if he was for treating gay marriage exactly the way a straight marriage is treated and all that, he has been smart enough to not support an amendment banning gay marriage altogether. Seriously, when Bush came out in support of that amendment, that really, really made any potential respect I could've had for him go way, way down, and I just cannot vote for a guy who would support a flat out ban on letting people be happy together. I just can't. Especially considering the fact that I knew some people who that ban would've affected. And it just really confused me how a president who claimed he'd give people in Iraq equal rights supported trying to take them away here at home. This is actually the issue that really set in stone who I'd be voting for this November, not the issue of abortion.

Those are some reasons why I'm going to be supporting Kerry. I'm not falling all over the guy-personally, if I had the power to do so, I'd make it so Clinton could run again. But that's not the case, Kerry's here and running, and out of the two, I just feel he'll be better for the job of presidency.

Angela

 

[verte76]

I agree Angela, I'm for gay marriage also and I'm glad that Kerry doesn't support a ban on it. Like Kerry, I'm a practicing Catholic, and I have my beliefs, but I don't want to tell other people they should share my views. Rock'N Roll Kitty, I will do more research on "No Child Left Behind". Government regulations were driving everyone crazy when I was working in a hospital with charts, so I certainly won't claim that all government stuff is great. It can stink.

 

[Salome]

Can he rebuild the relationship the US has with the vast majority of the world? (the US' standing in the world has most certainly dropped significantly since Bush has been in).

not being a US citizen this is the main question on my mind

I have often read on this forum that the US is hated all over the world anyway because of some kind of jealousy and spite
though that might be true in some countries, it certainly isn't true over here in Europe
fact is that the way the USA is regarded over here has changed a lot and mainly for the negative
personally I blame this on it having something to talk about in the press when we can regard the US in a less favourable way (so the press milks this image), but it also has to do with Bush really being disliked all over the place
the sad thing is that I even doubt it's because of his actions (when Clinton makes it over here on some kind of visit he is being treated like a rockstar and he didn't do much that concerns us) but it's mainly about his media personality

I guess in the end the US elections shouldn't be influenced by how their current president is being regarded outside the USA
but it is the reason that more people than usual are interested in what will happen in november this time around

 

[RockNRollDawgie]

I don't love Kerry. He's just the lesser of two evils.

 

[Dreadsox]

This has not been as good a thing as it sounds. Ironcially, "No child left behind" has caused more to be left behind, without a teacher, or in overcrowded classrooms, or lacking some subjects. In many states, especially poorer ones or poorer regions of all states, there are teacher shortages in many grades and subjects because there are not enough teachers who meet the standards. Some of the standards they have set are red tape that is not really necessary and is a burden on everyone. I think it's better to have more teachers who have not been to all the specific classes than to have not enough to go around. No, his 'funding' will not pay for every single teacher's extra training, or give her the time away from her family to do that. I have friends and relatives who are teachers and they are frustrated by this 'program.' Like a lot of things the government does, it may sound good, but the red tape holds it down.

I agree with some of this and disagree with some of it. I absolutely support teacher testing and standards for the posisitons in which teachers are going to teach. This should be the highest priority of anyone who has concerns about the quality of education children in this country are receiving.

I also agree that there needs to be standards of accountability for the education people are payintg tax money for. No Child Left Behind is a catchy phrase. The problem that I have with it is that we are NOT funding anything other than the testing in many states. Yes the budget increased for education, however, the increases have gone to the TESTING COMPANIES to create and grade the testing.

As a teacher, I support the ideas, but am distressed that we are truly offering MUCH MUCH less to our students than we were four years ago. The money is not going to programs that help kids but to testing. You are not going to improve education by contionuously testing.

On this issue, I am disappointed in the president, and I believe Kwerry would be a better choice, if education were the only issue I were voting on.

 

[RocknRollKitty]

I really believe in most cases it's not the teacher the person who is the problem, but the curiculum (sp?) and list of things that must be taught while neglecting other things. These things are set not by teachers but by school systems or even the states. For example I have heard both teachers and older students lament that a lot of things are not taught/learned because there is no time because everything (at least in my state) is so catered to and based upon the SOL's and only the things that will be on that test. Then, basically after they are over in March, it's a downhill cruise, and by May, almost nothing new is being taught and they don't do much until school lets out in June when the obligatory 180 day schedule (which also has to do with federal funding) expires. There is SO much more that could be, and needs to be taught in that time! The teachers' hands are tied, regardless of what gov't mandated classes they have or have not attended. There are things kids want to learn, but it is not part of the set curiculum based on the current standards!

We have kids graduating not knowing important things like the basic years of historical wars, simple geography, or that you don't put an apostrophe to denote plural, only possession or a contraction. I can't say how annoyed it makes me to continue to see people type "I like these song's" or a store put up signs that say "cake mix's 2 for $1" when it should be songs and mixes! We are graduating functional illiterates with limited knowledge of basic skills and facts. More money than ever is being put into education, and less is being done with it! Money alone is not the anwer!

 

[pax]

Let's get the thread back to Kerry. You can start a new thread about education reforms if you like.

 

[verte76]

I don't love Kerry either. He is closer to what I believe than Bush is. I am basically a liberal, but I try not to be too doctrinaire. I believe in being pragmatic as well. It's also important to me to realize I don't know everything. After all I'm the one who made the stupid mistake about Connecticut's electoral votes in another post.

 

[LoveTown]

I'm not a Kerry lover I just don't support George Bush and therefore I'm going to vote for the person running against him. However, please keep in mind if the person running against him was way out of line with my moral, poltical and ethical values I would not vote for them either.

 

[verte76]

I wouldn't vote for anyone who didn't share my political and ethical values either. Kerry is acceptable to me. Not great, mind you, but acceptable.

 

[luvsU2]

Being an environmentalist, I cringe and shudder in outrage at what Bush has allowed happen to our environment. Yes, I believe Kerry has many faults but I believe he will provide our country with the leadership that we desperately need.

 

[RocknRollKitty]

However, please keep in mind if the person running against him was way out of line with my moral, poltical and ethical values I would not vote for them either.

Kerry is all those things to me, so it's impossible for me to vote for him.

 

[Dreadsox]

Let's get the thread back to Kerry. You can start a new thread about education reforms if you like.

I believe I answered the question in realtion to the candidates and their posisitions....

Could you please explain to me how we are to answer a question about Kerry without discussing the issues?

Am I allowed to say I like Kerry based on his education positions?

 

[Dreadsox]

I also believe that Kerry has a more comprehensive plan, based on what I have read, for dealing with enriched uranium. Terrorists are NOT going to go out and make their own materials to use nukes. They are going to try and aquire these materials from the relativbely few nations that can produce them. I believe Kerry has a better plan for dealing with this problem.

I also disagree with the characterization of my post as teachers need more money. Read what I wrote, that is not what I said. I said we are offering less to our kids because the $$$ is being spent on testing.

 

[Dreadsox]

I also believe that Kerry has a more comprehensive plan, based on what I have read, for dealing with enriched uranium. Terrorists are NOT going to go out and make their own materials to use nukes. They are going to try and aquire these materials from the relativbely few nations that can produce them. I believe Kerry has a better plan for dealing with this problem.

I also disagree with the characterization of my post as teachers need more money. Read what I wrote, that is not what I said. I said we are offering less to our kids because the $$$ is being spent on testing. Anyone who has been following ed reform and NCLB is aware that the funding did not come through the way it was promised to the democrats when NCLB passed. It was funded enough to test. This is another issue in which I believe Kerry as president would run differently. I think he would fund it, so that we do not just test kids, but fund it so that there can be improvements as well. Kerry, has a plus in his column from me on this issue.

 

[pax]

No, of course you can respond to questions about Kerry. I just didn't want the thread to go too far afield.

I also remind the un-Kerry-fans in this thread that we have a lovely anti-Kerry thread just down the forum a bit.

 

[womanfish]

i would like a president who can string a sentence together without me cringing.

 

[anitram]

I'm not American, but if I were, I would likely vote for him over a Green candidate on account of the fact that Bush has got to go. That is priority #1.

As for why I think he is the better candidate?

He sounds clearly intellectually superior to Bush, he is eloquent and well spoken. He is not surrounded by ideologues and dinosaurs with agendas, and is capable of thinking for himself. He does not come across as a moron. With him, IMO, Americans would be better off on the world stage, because nobody on the planet should be excited by 6 billion people hating 300 million on account of a ridiculous administration and their horrid policies. I believe his stance on environmental protection is weak compared to the leftists like the Greens, but at the very least it is not as destructive as that of Bush. I believe he will not pursue religious right wing legislation, nor pander to the religious right. I believe he is better for racial equality and for the poor. I don't think he will create appalling tax cuts for his rich fat cats at the expense of the middle and lower classes.

Just a few reasons.

 

[RocknRollKitty]

I also disagree with the characterization of my post as teachers need more money. Read what I wrote, that is not what I said. I said we are offering less to our kids because the $$$ is being spent on testing.

I didn't say YOU did, I meant that seems to be the government's idea of how it works, but it doesn't.

I also remind the un-Kerry-fans in this thread that we have a lovely anti-Kerry thread just down the forum a bit.

Where?!

No I'm serious, what's the name of it? I didn't know about it. Kerry was in town today, but I wouldn't drive 2 inches, much less 20 miles, to see him. The heat, the crowd, the kids, I wouldn't do that for anybody (except Bono )

 

[Diemen]

I don't love Kerry either, but I do tend to agree with him on a lot of issues.

Gay marriage: He may not agree with it personally, he may think it's wrong, but he recognizes that it's not his place (or the government's) to tell anyone they can't do something simply because he doesn't agree with it. Bush and clan are still in complete denial about homosexuality. They were trying to constitutionally ban something by forcing an amendment through that had absolutely nothing to do with the Constitution and everything to do with bigotry, prejudice and irrational fear, and a clear violation of the separation of church and state.

Conservatives have long blamed homosexuality and the supposed promiscuity rampant in them as a major cause of the rise of AIDS. If this is what they believe, then wouldn't it be in their best interest to promote gay marriage so we are supporting the idea of monogamous, committed relationships? No, that would be showing too much....what's the word, oh yes, compassion, for their fellow human beings and countrymen.

And that's one of the main reasons I will be voting for Kerry - because Bush has not followed through AT ALL on the platform he was elected under - which was the platform of "compassionate conservatism." Oh, I've seen the conservatism, but what I've noticed a very pronounced LACK of is compassion. He has shown absolutely NO compassion for homosexuals whatsoever. Zero, none. In fact, what I have seen is quite the opposite of compassion - contempt and cruelty. Any president who tries to flat out deny equal rights to a portion of the populace should not be allowed to continue to serve his country, in my eyes.

And then there's the war in Iraq. I won't get into too much detail, but I have yet to hear Bush apologize for any mistakes. Oh sure, Colin Powell has apologized and some of his other underlings have, but I think when mistakes are made on the magnitude they were made leading up to and during the war in Iraq, the man in charge should be able to face his people and take some of the blame himself. Instead he remains curiously silent.

Kerry went to war in Vietnam, fought bravely and was highly decorated, but also had the courage to stand up to what he believed were big mistakes. I admire the fact that he wasn't so wrapped up in this fake "patriotism" that silences any criticsm against a country or it's government. We need more healthy debate and criticism, and if anything what I have seen from the Bush administration is a tendency to ignore and resist criticism and attempts to gain the whole truth (the administration was originally against an independent commission to investigate 9/11, and up until recently still distanced itself from the commission's findings and recommendations). I believe Kerry will lead a more open and honest administration, that is more receptive to the people.

Bottom line, I don't feel Bush is being as honest as a president should be. I do feel that he is probably trying to do what's best for the country, but in my eyes he has not succeeded. It's time for someone new.

 

[kariatari]

I wasn't a Kerry fan to begin with (I caucused for Kucinich), and I have been considering going green. However, I can safely say that Kerry has won my vote.

I like his plan for full funding of NCLB. I feel that the education system has to be held accountable to something and now that most people and politicians agree that the initial plan was flawed and underfunded, I have confidence that they can develop a plan that will work better. Not perfectly, but better.

I admire Kerry's stance on abortion, as I have the same sentiment.

I love that John Edwards is a sexy bitch. *swoon*

I believe that John Kerry is much more qualified in matters of national defense than Bush and will surround himself people who care about living in not only a secure United States of America, but a secure world.

The US healthcare system is an absolute mess. While I would love to see a candidate with a single-payer system on his/her platform, I know that there's no way we could make the transition in the span of one presidential term. Thus, I think Kerry's plan for covering all children is a step in the right direction.

I also like that Kerry would keep the 9/11 pannel for another 18 months to evaluate progress on recommendations to reform and improve intelligence.

 

[TheWho4Life]

I... really....really... dont like Kerry... sorry guys. But I love Bush and if I could vote I would vote for him. But I don't know much about this, I was just sharing my thoughts.

 

[Moonlit_Angel]

to what anitram and Diemen said. .

Angela