Kerry Slams Bush in New Iowa TV Ad
Friday, October 31 - By Liz Sidoti, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON - Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry accuses President Bush of being cozy with big business and slams him for giving tax cuts to the wealthy in a new TV commercial set to begin airing in Iowa on Friday night.

"Under George Bush we have a government that works for those at the top — not you," the Massachusetts senator says.

It's Kerry's first ad in Iowa in a month. The latest Iowa poll released Thursday shows him trailing former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean and Rep. Dick Gephardt of Missouri, who are fighting at the top.

The 30-second spot, which is slated to run in Des Moines and Cedar Rapids, features Kerry in a shirt and tie talking directly into the camera as sunshine streams through office windows. The campaign would not disclose the cost of the ad or say when it will stop airing.

As he has on the stump, Kerry advocates in the ad rolling back tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans and cracking down on corporate corruption.

"George Bush and Dick Cheney let polluters and oil companies rewrite our environmental laws. They defend the loopholes that let corporations avoid taxes by moving jobs overseas."

Bush's tax cuts and Republican tax proposals have been fodder for the other four Democratic presidential candidates who have run TV commercials — Dean, Gephardt, Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina and Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut.

Dean's latest Iowa ad, in which he criticized his opponents for not helping slow the rising costs of prescription drugs, stopped airing in Iowa on Friday after a 10-day run. No Gephardt ads currently are running there, but two Iowa spots by Edwards remain on the air.

Christine Iverson, a spokeswoman for the Republican National Committee, said Kerry should present his plans for the nation's future instead of criticizing Bush.

"He has no message and no agenda of his own. His default position is to attack the president," she said.


Ms Iverson, may I direct you to www.johnkerry.com where you will find John Kerry's message and agenda...

Vote for the Scariest Republican...

Stop The Madness...

BUSH 2000 SULLIVAN COUNTY CO-CHAIR SWITCHES PARTIES, BACKS JOHN KERRY!

George W. Bush’s 2000 Sullivan County Co-Chair, Allen Damren, has left his former party because of Bush’s failed policies and endorsed John Kerry for President. Damren is currently a school administrator in Claremont and, as an educator, Damren is especially troubled by Bush’s broken promises and lack of national leadership.

“As a county co-chair for Bush 2000, I was actively involved in his campaign efforts in New Hampshire. I saw George Bush make a number of campaign promises first hand. When he won, I had high expectations.” Said Damren “After three years and three million jobs lost I’ve given up on Bush and his broken promises. George W. Bush is driving this country in the wrong direction on education, health care, foreign policy and the economy. John Kerry has the values, experience and courage to lead America and has a proven record of standing up for ordinary Americans no matter what the obstacles.”

Damren is an experienced educator who understands the needs of America’s public schools and is disappointed with Bush’s failure to fully fund No Child Left Behind. As a part of his education plan John Kerry will oppose vouchers, strengthen early childhood education, reduce class size, modernize and repair our schools, and fully fund special needs education.

Damren is supporting Kerry because he has the courage and experience to take on George W. Bush and to win back the White House in 2004. “Out of all the Democratic candidates, he’s the one who can beat Bush. I am proud to support Senator John Kerry for President of the United States.” Damren’s endorsement is the latest example of John Kerry’s appeal across party lines, and his ability to beat George W. Bush. A recent poll released in mid-October showed John Kerry is the strongest Democratic candidate in a head-to-head match up with President Bush.

Honor the Memory of Paul Wellstone:

One year ago this week we lost a great champion for mental health and so many important issues: Senator Paul Wellstone. There is no better way to honor his memory then to pass the Senator Paul Wellstone Mental Health Equitable Treatment to Act of 2003. This important legislation will finally stop insurers from discriminating against people with mental illnesses. It would prohibit insurance companies from imposing treatment limitations or financial requirements on mental health benefits that are different than other medical benefits.

If you agree it’s time to tell insurance companies to stop discriminating against people with mental illness, join John Kerry and tell your government it is time to pass real mental health parity.

Click here to sign the petition...

Bush Awards Honor to Jackie Robinson
Wednesday October 29, 2003

WASHINGTON - President Bush signed legislation Wednesday awarding Congress' highest honor to Hall of Fame baseball player Jackie Robinson more than half a century after the former Brooklyn Dodger broke major league baseball's color barrier.

Here's the origin of the above story:

SENATE VOTES UNANIMOUSLY TO AWARD JACKIE ROBINSON THE CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL

Legislation introduced by Senators Kerry and McCain now goes to President’s desk

Friday, October 17, 2003

WASHINGTON, DC – The United States Senate today passed legislation posthumously awarding baseball Hall of Famer Jackie Robinson with the Congressional Gold Medal. The bill (S. 300), sponsored by Senator John F. Kerry (D-Mass.) and cosponsored by Senator John McCain (R-Ariz.) was approved unanimously this afternoon.

In a speech delivered from the Senate floor, Kerry stated: “Jackie Robinson once said that, ‘a life is not important, except in the impact it has on other lives.’ Jackie Robinson not only impacted lives, he impacted the very spirit of our country. He was more than a sports hero -- he was an American hero."

“And it is time for Congress to recognize his heroic contributions to the nation by awarding him the Congressional Gold Medal. The Congressional Gold Medal is the highest expression of Congressional appreciation and has been bestowed on great citizens like George Washington, Winston Churchill and Rosa Parks. I cannot think of a more deserving person to join this distinguished group than Jackie Robinson. "

“I would like to extend special thanks to Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig for his leadership on this very important issue.”

John Kerry fights to protect the Fishing Industry:

Statement Of Senator John Kerry to the Senate Subcommittee On Oceans, Fisheries And Coastr Guard Oversight Hearing On NMFS Magnuson National Standards Implementation
Wednesday, October 22, 2003

WASHINGTON, DC – Senator John F. Kerry (D-Mass.) submitted today for the record the following statement at the Senate Subcommittee on Oceans, Fisheries and Coast Guard oversight hearing on NMFS Magnuson National Standards Implementation:

Good morning. I want to thank Chairman Snowe for holding today’s very timely oversight hearing on NMFS’ implementation of the National Standards of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act).

Following passage of the 1996 amendments to the Magnuson-Stevens Act, NMFS issued revised National Standard Guidelines to provide technical guidance to the Councils in developing fishery management plans. However, implementation of these National Standards has been inefficient and a number of problems have been identified. The primary concern is that the Guidelines have not allowed for the management flexibility intended by Congress. In particular, we need to take a hard look at how NMFS and the Councils have implemented two of the National Standards:

** National Standard 1, under which overfishing and rebuilding standards are set; ** National Standard 8, under which socio-economic effects on fishing communities are addressed.

These implementation issues have come to light in ports around the nation, but no where are they more acute than in New England, where NMFS and the New England Fisheries Management Council are under court order to develop a Magnuson-compliant management plan known as Amendment 13.

The development of Amendment 13 has been plagued by conflict, scientific controversy, delays, and overly-stringent and inconsistent interpretations of the 1996 law.

Throughout this time, New England has had to cope with significant environmental and economic instability. Overfishing has continued on certain stocks, and fishing communities have experienced an ever-changing set of management decisions that have contributed to economic stresses on fishermen and fishing-dependent communities. In real terms, that means commercial fishermen cannot implement even a two-year business plan because they do not know how, when or where they will be allowed to work in the fishery. This uncertainty extends to the multi-million dollar shore-side infrastructure and local economies. In these difficult economic times it is imperative that NMFS bring about a reasonable and stable management plan that will allow businesses – from the small boat entrepreneur to the national seafood processor – the opportunity to compete in the American and world marketplaces.

Read more...

KERRY CALLS ON RUMSFELD TO ADDRESS MISTREATMENT OF WOUNDED TROOPS AT FORT STEWART, GEORGIA
October 12, 2003

Poor living conditions and back-logged medical care for military personnel at Ft. Stewart “raises serious concerns about the current stewardship of the American military,” says Kerry.

WASHINGTON, DC – Senator John F. Kerry (D-Mass.) today called on Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to give his personal attention to the treatment of wounded troops at Fort Stewart, Georgia. According to news accounts, more than 600 sick and wounded veterans of the U.S. war in Iraq are waiting for medical care at Fort Stewart. While they wait, they are being held in training barracks that lack basic accommodations.

“While I am heartened by reports today that additional medical personnel will soon be assigned to care for the reservists waiting for care at Fort Stewart, I am worried that these delays would arise in the first place,” stated Kerry in a letter sent today to Secretary Rumsfeld.

“The men and women of the American military deserve our highest respect. They have kept their commitment to this country in the face of enemy fire. We owe them the same loyalty when they return home and need our care. The failure to meet this obligation for the men and women at Fort Stewart raises serious concerns about the current stewardship of the American military.”

In his letter, Kerry called on Rumsfeld to give his personal attention to “this issue of basic welfare for our troops,” and demanded responses to the following questions:

"What specific actions are being taken to remedy this situation? How did this back-log happen in the first place? What changes are being instituted to make sure this doesn’t happen again? Does this indicate that the capacity of DOD hospitals is over-burdened with casualties from Iraq?"

The full text of Kerry’s letter to Rumsfeld here...

John Kerry stands up for what is right:

Kerry Severs Ties in Religion Flap
By NEDRA PICKLER, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON - Democrat John Kerry broke ties with an Arizona legislator who had endorsed his presidential campaign amid allegations that the lawmaker was trying to use religion to win over supporters of rival Joe Lieberman.

The Arizona Republic reported Wednesday that state Democratic Rep. Ben Miranda was trying to persuade backers of Lieberman to switch allegiance because the Connecticut senator, who is Jewish, does not campaign on Friday nights and Saturdays in observance of the sabbath.

Lieberman campaign manager Craig Smith issued a statement Wednesday morning calling on Kerry to "take swift action to rebuke these statements and disassociate himself from these individuals who have used these tactics on his behalf."

That's just what Kerry did. Kerry spokesman Robert Gibbs issued a statement that said the campaign investigated the matter and found that no campaign staffers were responsible, but the campaign "severed its association" with Miranda.

"We have expressed our deepest regrets to Senator Lieberman, a friend of Senator Kerry's for many years, and made it clear that, of course, Senator Kerry deplores and will not tolerate the injection of religion into this race in any manner whatsoever," Gibbs said.

Dean defended his record on minorities yesterday after Sharpton's attack. However, Dean seems to be a bit behind the times with this statement:

"He is one of a group of up-and-coming African-American leaders in this country and to have him endorse me, I think verifies I am a strong supporter of the things the African-American community really has to have. Affirmative action and opportunity are two of those things," Dean said.

Jesse Jackson sought the Democratic nomination in 1984 and 1988, and several of this year's hopefuls have sought his son's backing. The younger Jackson traveled to Charleston, S.C., with Dean earlier this month and appeared at several campaign events.

Jesse Jackson has been an African American Leader for years. Jackson is not up and coming, he is already there!

***IMPORTANT PRIMARY DEADLINE -- TAKE ACTION -- PASS IT ALONG****

I've been doing some research (along with Jim of Independents for Kerry)
into the deadline dates for party affiliation changes for states with
CLOSED primary/caucuses.

I just got the email TODAY from the State of NEW HAMPSHIRE. The deadline
for anyone who is NOT NOW a Democrat, but wishing to vote in the
Democratic Primary is FRIDAY OCTOBER 31.

We have less than two days to get the word out on this....the race is
close; John Kerry needs all the votes he can get. Let's get those
Independents to change over and vote for John Kerry, so he can win New
Hampshire, the nomination, and ultimately PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES!

Thanks...
Sandra Dearie

Lieberman's Risky Ads
By Howard Kurtz - Wednesday, October 29, 2003

Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman launched his first television ads of the presidential campaign yesterday, but he wound up delivering a mixed message on Iraq.

In one of two spots airing in New Hampshire, the Connecticut Democrat, sitting in a diner, says that "$87 billion is a lot of money for Iraq -- too much, in fact. That's the price we're paying because George Bush antagonized our allies and had no plan to win the peace."

But then Lieberman has to explain why he backed Bush's $87 billion proposal for Iraq and Afghanistan. "We had to make a choice. I didn't duck it. I didn't play politics. I voted to support our troops and finish the job." The ad suggests this was a courageous vote, but 86 other senators voted aye, too.

Lieberman aides view the commercial as something of a risk, given the strong opposition to the war among many Democratic primary voters. "He's making clear in this ad that while he didn't necessarily agree with the fact that the Bush administration had no plan for Iraq, he thinks we absolutely, positively have to support our troops there on the ground," said spokesman Jano Cabrera. Most of the spending would be military in nature, with $20 billion earmarked for rebuilding Iraq.

In the other TV spot, Lieberman says: "The Republicans are talking about billions of dollars in new tax breaks for corporations. It's unbelievable. They're going to ransack the whole Social Security trust fund if we don't stop them."

The reference is to a proposal by GOP members of the House Ways and Means Committee. Lieberman touts his middle-class tax cut and a tax hike "for those who can afford it" -- described by his Web site as families earning more than $196,000 a year.

Sharpton Aims for Dean...

Sharpton Calls Dean's Agenda 'Anti-Black'
By Brian Faler - Special to The Washington Post
Wednesday, October 29, 2003

Democratic presidential candidate Al Sharpton launched a blistering attack on Howard Dean yesterday, accusing his rival of promoting an "anti-black agenda."

"Howard Dean's opposition to affirmative action, his current support for the death penalty and historic support of the NRA's [National Rifle Association's] agenda amounts to an anti-black agenda that will not sell in communities of color in this country," Sharpton said in a statement.

He said his comments were in response to a news report yesterday that Rep. Jesse L. Jackson Jr. (D-Ill.) plans to endorse Dean, the former Vermont governor and presumed front-runner for the 2004 Democratic nomination. Sharpton has had a long-standing rivalry with the congressman's father, Jesse L. Jackson, who twice ran for president.

"Any so-called African American leader that would endorse Dean despite his anti-black record is mortgaging the future of our struggle for civil rights and social justice," Sharpton said.

His statement cited a 1995 interview in which Dean appeared to question the need for affirmative action programs based solely on race. "I think we ought to look at affirmative action programs based not on race but on class," Dean said on CNN's "Late Edition."

Responding to Sharpton's comments, Dean's deputy campaign manager, Andi Pringle, said: "Governor Dean has always been a strong supporter of affirmative action, and he believes there is still a great need for affirmative action in America."

Until now, the Dean campaign's brushes with racial issues have been less vitriolic. Earlier this year, some critics, noting that Dean comes from a heavily white state and campaigns extensively via the Internet, questioned his ability to reach low-income and minority voters.

In a Sept. 9 candidates forum in Baltimore, Dean said he was "the only white politician that ever talks about race in front of white audiences." Several rivals pointed to speeches that disproved Dean's assertion, which Sen. John Edwards (D-N.C.) called divisive.

Donna Brazile, who managed Al Gore's 2000 presidential campaign, yesterday dismissed Sharpton's attacks as a ploy to boost his standing in the polls.

"I think Dean's record on civil rights issues, on affirmative action -- his willingness to talk about race in a very inclusive way -- has been refreshing," said Brazile, who is African American. "These long-shot candidates, all they're doing is taking aim at the top tier because they're frustrated. I think Reverend Sharpton should keep his focus on ideas."

IMHO: Donna Brazile seems to be a bit confused on Dean's record.

TOMORROW MORNING!

Live Online Chat with Former Ambassador Joseph Wilson- the man who blew the whistle on faulty intelligence in Iraq- and on White House retaliation against his wife.

This Wednesday, October 29, at 11:00 am EST

The following (after my salutation) is John Kerry's description of what happened, who blew the whistle, and why this chat is important, in helping remind us of: HOW DISHONEST AND CORRUPT THE BUSH MIS-MINISTRATION IS!

WAY TO GO JOHN KERRY!!!

Joe Wilson gained national prominence when he brought to light the Bush Administration's bogus claims that Saddam Hussein tried to buy uranium from Niger.

The first President Bush appointed Wilson as Ambassador to two African countries. Under President Clinton, Wilson was in charge of African Affairs at the National Security Council. President George W. Bush's Administration sent Wilson to Africa to investigate claims that Saddam Hussein was seeking to buy materials for weapons of mass destruction.


Now’s your chance to ask Joe Wilson about the yellow cake, the White House leak, and Niger Uranium…he’ll also address questions about his time in Baghdad, his diplomatic career, and what’s to be done about our current situation in Iraq.
To join the chat, log on to http://www.johnkerry.com/chat/
Please send this email to 5 friends now and ask them to log on to the chat -
or email a question in advance to chat@johnkerry.com

Visit RestoreHonesty.com for more from Joe Wilson

Related Links
Kerry Calls for Special Counsel in Wilson Investigation

JohnKerry.com


Paid for by John Kerry for President

STATEMENT COMMENDING SENATOR KERRY, CONGRESSMAN KUCINICH FOR STANDING UP TO THE NRA

Washington, DC - Michael Barnes, President of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence united with the Million Mom March, issued the following statement commending Senator John Kerry and Representative Dennis Kucinich's comments on gun issues in Sunday's presidential debate:

"Senator John Kerry and Representative Dennis Kucinich demonstrated very strongly last night at the Democratic debates that candidates need to show they won't stand for the extremist gun lobby's assault on America's basic gun safety protections. I want to commend the two candidates for using their concluding remarks to call attention to the radical efforts being pursued by the extreme gun lobby right now in our nation's capitol. The gun lobby's push to end the ban on assault weapons and to secure sweeping legal immunity for the gun industry are shameful and should be stopped."

"The ban on assault weapons will expire next year if the president and Congress fail to act. An overwhelming majority of Americans want to keep AK-47s and UZIs off our streets and out of our neighborhoods. Candidates for public office should stand with the majority of Americans for sensible safety protections. America's families need leaders who will fight the gun lobby's radical agenda. Thank you, Senator Kerry and Representative Kucinich, for standing with the American people."

Following are excerpts of the concluding remarks made by the two candidates in last night's Democratic Presidential Debate in Detroit:

Senator Kerry: "There's a front-page story in today's Washington Post that says that Democrats are going to try to run away from the issue of gun safety."

"I don't think that we can get elected nationally if we are not prepared to stand up against powerful special interests and make it clear that, whether it's the NRA or any other special interest, we're prepared to stand for our principles.

"All across this country, we have too many people who die each year from guns. So let me make it plain: I am for the assault weapons ban. I'm for the Brady Bill. I'm for making sure we stand up for gun safety in this country. We cannot be a party that retreats in an effort to try to court votes and not save lives."

Kerry's new book details his philosophy

October 27, 2003

BY STEVE NEAL SUN-TIMES COLUMNIST

It's a political tradition. On their respective roads to the White House, Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton outlined their agendas in best-selling campaign books.

Before launching their presidential candidacies, Gen. Wesley Clark, the Rev. Al Sharpton, and Sen. Joe Lieberman (D-Conn.) weighed in with their campaign books.

In A Call to Service: My Vision for A Better America (Viking, $24.95), Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) tells his story and gives an indication where he would take the country if elected as the next president. It's a thoughtful book and worthwhile reading for anyone interested in the Democratic presidential race.

Article continues...

I received my copy of the book about 10 days ago....I recommend it to any John Kerry supporter!

HOW TO BE A BORROW-AND-SPEND REPUBLICAN

(THESE RULES ARE HUMOR...NOT TO BE USED BY ANY DEMOCRATS FOR POLITICAL GAIN; Goodness knows they're being used too much by cheap-labor Republicans already!)


1. Always favor the Greedy Rich. Ignore the Responsible Succeeders, like Kerry and Kerry-Heinz, the Kennedys, Ted Turner and George Soros...they care about the little people too much. Whatever you do, make sure you favor the Greedy Rich...they are your biggest campaign financers (bribers).

2. Politics is a game: play to win at all costs. No matter who you have to lie to or steal from (except the Greedy Rich...always follow Rule 1).

3. Pretend to be the Freedom Party. By claiming to be anti-government, anti-tax, you can deceive the middle class and the poor into thinking that you're actually lowering their tax burden! All this while you give more of their money away in fat government contracts and corporate subsidies!

4. As you steal more from the poor and the middle class, they won't have as much money and so you won't be able to get as much from them. Borrow the difference!

5. Whatever you do, DON'T ever point out that deficit spending is a HIDDEN TAX that leads to higher unemployment, higher interest rates, and higher inflation for the middle class. Hey, you don't get bribes by being honest with EVERYONE, do you?

6. Don't worry about bankrupting the country. If the country falls apart, the greedy rich can always move to Switzerland or Grand Cayman. Heck, most of their wealth is hidden there already!

7. Try to get as many of the moralist groups on your side as you can. Don't do this by practicing true morality (like giving up lying or stealing...that would cause you to lose your bribes!) Instead, get their support by prohibiting the right of people to own their bodies or to have privacy in what they do in their own bedrooms.

IMPORTANT NEWS FOR ALL WHO PLAN TO VOTE FOR JOHN KERRY IN THIS PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARY!!!!

I credit Jim Witkins and Sandra Dearie and
www.independentsforkerry.org for this information, as well as the SC4Kerry@yahoogroups.com message board owners and contributors.


"2004 Presidential Primary Election Guidelines for Independent Voters
IMPORTANT NOTE: Each state has different guidelines for the 2004 Presidential Primary Election.

To vote for John Kerry in some state primaries and caucuses voters MUST be registered as a Democrat even if they consider themselves Independent's, Republican's, etc. Find your state below to learn if you need to register as a Democrat to support John Kerry...

Dates and info subject to change.

Special thanks to Sandra Dearie, another Kerry supporter, for helping to compile this info."

Don't worry: not all states require registration in the party that you vote in the primary for (open primary vs. closed primary), the general Presidential election is open to ALL registered voters (please vote for the Democratic candidate in 2004!), and if you usually prefer to vote in the primary of another party, you can always switch back later if you live in a closed primary state.

Kudos to Kucinich!

Kucinich Seeks to Stop Dean's N.H. TV Ads

Democratic presidential hopeful Dennis Kucinich is demanding that New Hampshire television stations stop broadcasting ads from rival Howard Dean, arguing that the spots distort the records of both candidates.

Earlier this week, Dean began airing two 30-second spots in New Hampshire criticizing his opponents' record on the war in Iraq and prescription drug benefits. While highlighting his opposition to the war, the former Vermont governor says "the best my opponents can do is ask questions today that they should have asked before they supported the war."

Dean does not name his rivals.

Kucinich, the Ohio congressman and the only candidate who voted against the resolution authorizing the war, took exception to the spots.

"I am proud of my record of opposition to the war on Iraq and the occupation of Iraq, and I will not stand by while a fellow Democrat distorts my record and his own," Kucinich said Friday.

"Dated Dean, Married Kerry" Great Idea for a Bumper Sticker. Thanks for the Idea!

You can make your own bumper stickers at http://www.bumperstatements.com/

Here are some other good suggestions that were e-mailed to me some time ago:

2004 Bush reelection bumper stickers

Bush/Cheney '04: Apocalypse Now!
Bush/Cheney '04: Because the truth just isn't good enough.
Bush/Cheney '04: Compassionate Colonialism
Bush/Cheney '04: Deja-voodoo all over again!
Bush/Cheney '04: Four More Wars!
Bush/Cheney '04: Leave no billionaire behind
Bush/Cheney '04: Lies and videotape but no sex!
Bush/Cheney '04: Or else.
Bush/Cheney '04: Over a billion Whoppers served.
Bush/Cheney '04: Putting the "con" in conservatism
Bush/Cheney '04: Thanks for not paying attention.
Bush/Cheney '04: The economy's stupid!
Bush/Cheney '04: The last vote you'll ever have to cast.
Bush/Cheney '04: This time, elect us!
Bush/Cheney '04: We're Gooder!
Bush/Cheney: 1984 Now
George W. Bush: A brainwave away from the presidency
George W. Bush: It takes a village idiot
George W. Bush: The buck stops Over There
Let them eat yellowcake! Vote Bush!
Bush/Cheney '04: Peace & Prosperity Suck -- Big-Time
Vote Bush in '04: "I Has Incumbentory Advantitude"
Vote Bush in '04: "Because every vote counts -- for me!"
Vote Bush in '04: "Because I'm the President, that's why!"
Vote Bush in '04: Because dictatorship is easier.
WWJB: Who Would Jesus Bomb??

Eleven States take on the EPA...

States Try to Force EPA to Regulate CO2
By NOREEN GILLESPIE, Associated Press Writer

HARTFORD, Conn. - Eleven states asked a federal appeals court Thursday to force the Environmental Protection Agency to regulate greenhouse gas emissions.

The EPA said in August that it lacked authority from Congress to regulate greenhouse gases. It also denied a petition to impose controls on auto emissions.

The states who filed the court petition say the federal Clean Air Act requires the EPA to regulate gases like carbon dioxide.

"What we need is a national solution," Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal said. "And that is why we are taking this action today. We are doing so as a last resort."

A message seeking comment was left Thursday with the EPA's media office.

Massachusetts Attorney General Thomas Reilly said gases are causing serious environmental and health problems.

"You're seeing the erosion of our beaches. You're seeing salt water contaminate our drinking water. You see damage to our infrastructure, to our roads and our causeways and our bridges," he said.

By refusing to regulate greenhouse gases, the EPA is reversing the position it held during the Clinton administration, the states said.

"The vacuum of leadership on global warming by the Bush administration is a betrayal of the best interests of the American people," New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer said.

North Dakota's attorney general, Wayne Stenehjem, said he was considering requests from the coal industry for the state to oppose the lawsuit. Coal mining and electricity production are major industries in North Dakota, and carbon dioxide regulation would make coal-generated electricity more expensive.

The attorneys general of the 11 states are all Democrats; Stenehjem is a Republican.

The states involved in Thursday's court action are Connecticut, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington. California is filing separately.

The action was filed in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia.

Read John Kerry's Environmental Plan...

Wise words from Bill...

Clinton Urges Dems Against Divisiveness

WASHINGTON - Former President Clinton urges his party's presidential candidates not to question the Democratic credentials of their rivals and avoid tactics that divide the party.

"I don't believe that either side should be saying 'I'm a real Democrat and the other one's not,' or 'I'm a winning Democrat and the other one's not,'" Clinton said in an interview in the November issue of American Prospect, a liberal magazine.

"I think it is highly counterproductive to spend a great deal of time trying to identify the wings of the party and having each wing criticize each other."

Democratic front-runner Howard Dean has identified himself as being "from the Democratic wing of the Democratic Party," a claim that has drawn criticism from several of his rivals, including Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, who has argued that Dean is too liberal to defeat President Bush.

Wesley Clark, who recently indicated his party affiliation, also has come under criticism from backing Republican presidents in past elections.

Clinton argued that Democrats walk a fine line.

"We can't win if people think we're too liberal. But we can't get our own folks out if people think we have no convictions. So the trick is to get them both."

"Dated Dean, Married Kerry"

A Vision Of Things
By John P. Gregg - Valley News Staff Writer

U.S. Sen. John Kerry's presidential campaign got a small boost yesterday from an Upper Valley lawmaker. State Rep. Ruth Bleyler, a Lyme Democrat, decided to back the Massachusetts Democrat after initially endorsing former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean earlier this year.

Bleyler, a retired environmental scientist and first-term lawmaker, said Kerry's experience in international relations and “statesman”-like presence prompted her to switch candidates.

“He's somebody you can look at and say, ‘Yes, I want you to be talking to other countries and other nations and doing the right things,' ” Bleyler said. “I also think Kerry has a grasp of a big picture, and has more of a vision of things as a whole than Dean does.”

Kerry can thank Bleyler personally this weekend. He's slated to attend a house party in Hanover on Saturday. Because he continues to trail Dean in several New Hampshire polls, the Kerry campaign is also promoting a new bumper sticker trying to get more converts. “Dated Dean, Married Kerry,” it says.

Former Ambassador Wilson Endorses Kerry

By DAVID TIRRELL-WYSOCKI, Associated Press Writer

CONCORD, N.H. - Former Ambassador Joseph Wilson, who accused the Bush administration of manipulating intelligence to exaggerate the threat from Iraq, endorsed Democrat John Kerry for president on Thursday.

In a conference call with New Hampshire reporters, Wilson said he and Kerry have shared the experience of challenging their government — Wilson when he questioned the "rush to war" with Iraq, Kerry when he challenged America's role in Vietnam.

Speaking from Washington, Wilson said Kerry's actions, coming when he was a 23-year-old Vietnam War veteran, makes him stand out in the Democratic presidential field.

"John Kerry did the same thing after he came out of Vietnam, I did it at the age of 53 ... with a long and distinguished career behind me," Wilson said. "John Kerry did it at the very beginning of his career.

"I know how these sorts of things test one's mettle," he said. "To have stood up and said what he did, at the time that he did, in my judgment, sets him apart from the other candidates."

Wilson and the Bush administration have been at odds since he accused the White House of manipulating intelligence to exaggerate the threat from Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein.
Afterward, the Justice Department began a criminal investigation to determine who in the administration leaked the identity of Wilson's wife, Valerie Plame, an undercover CIA operations officer.

Plame's identity was revealed in a July 14 column by syndicated columnist Robert Novak, who said he got the information from two senior administration officials.

Wilson, former ambassador to the West African nation of Gabon, said he has long been a Kerry supporter and has contributed $2,000 to the campaign this year. He said he has been advising Kerry on foreign policy for about five months and will campaign for Kerry, including a trip to New Hampshire next month.

John Kerry Statement on Senate Action against a Woman’s Right to Choose
October 21, 2003

Washington, DC - John Kerry said, “This vote is a step backwards for women as George Bush’s stealth agenda to roll back the right to choose is pushed forward. The Supreme Court has already struck down as unconstitutional similar legislation because it does not allow an exception for the health of a mother and I am hopeful that the courts will immediately review it again. This is further evidence that we can't afford a president who refuses to commit to appoint judges who will uphold the right to choose and the right to privacy. It is time for a President who will have the courage to stand up to the right wing assault on the rights of women.”

Women For Kerry

Thank You John!

Kerry Releases Names of Big Fund-Raisers

WASHINGTON - Following President Bush's lead, Democratic presidential hopeful John Kerry has released names of his biggest campaign fund-raisers.

Kerry's Web site has the names of about 110 people who raised more than $50,000 for his campaign.

Bush also releases the names of fund-raisers who have solicited at least $50,000. There were about 290 names on Bush's list as of Sept. 30, his latest update.

Kerry, a Massachusetts senator, is challenging others in the nine-member Democratic field to release the names of their biggest fund-raisers as well. In a written statement released Tuesday, Kerry said he hoped all the candidates "will show their commitment to transparency."

Bush and Kerry are both going beyond what the Federal Election Commission requires.

Under FEC rules, candidates must disclose names of anyone who donates more than $200. They do not have to give the names of those who help raise the money unless they're on the campaign payroll.

The Washington Post said, “Mr. Kerry's release of the names puts him in the forefront of meaningful disclosure".


Keep them coming John! We know you can Beat Bush!

Kerry talks policy with Boston students
Outlines new college funding platform

BY KATHRINE SCHMIDT
Daily Staff Writer

John Kerry, Democratic primary presidential candidate, addressed approximately 200 Boston area students at Harvard's Kirkland House on Monday.

This group of Boston students, said coordinator of Students for Kerry at Northeastern Makeese Motley, "sends a communal message that we believe in John Kerry".

The organization of Tufts Students for Kerry, was well-represented. "We really try to energize students, get them active in realizing how important this race is," senior Liz Richardson said.

Although the Tufts Democrats does not specifically endorse a primary candidate, many members attended the event to generate interest and enthusiasm.

The reception served as a unique student opportunity before each of the primary candidates is interviewed by Chris Matthews for "Hardball", a MSNBC program to be filmed at Harvard this week.

Kerry discussed his presidential platform and encouraged students to participate in politics. Continued...

Mommy Dearest doesn't like the Democrats...

Barbara Bush Blasts '04 Democratic Field
By SAM HANANEL, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON - Former first lady Barbara Bush doesn't think much of the nine Democrats vying to challenge her son, President Bush, in next year's election.

"So far, they are a pretty sorry group, if you want my opinion," Mrs. Bush said Monday in an interview on NBC's "Today" show. "This is the world according to Barbara Bush, not George, not George H.W., not anybody."

Someone needs to let GW know that he should not go crying to mom to stick up for him!

New on JohnKerry.com...

Environmentalists for Kerry...

Environmental Policy Address
"I’m here today to lay out a comprehensive vision for how we create a cleaner and greener America. How we can repair the environment today and protect it for tomorrow. This is a cause that I care about a great deal and one that I’ve fought for all my life." More...

Kerry Offers Six-Point Environmental Plan
By HOLLY RAMER, Associated Press Writer

DURHAM, N.H. - Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry unveiled a six-point plan Monday to reverse President Bush's environmental policies, arguing that the Republican leader has "put pollution ahead of preservation."

Speaking outdoors at the University of New Hampshire, the Massachusetts senator faulted Bush for sacrificing the nation's natural treasures in the name of short-term profit.

Kerry's plan calls for:

- Reinvigorating the Superfund cleanup program, establishing a task force to identify toxins in communities and coordinate transportation and housing policies to control traffic congestion and sprawl.

- Thorough evaluation before remote public lands are opened to new uses, reinstatement of the protection of roadless areas in national forests and stronger requirements that those who lease public land return it to its original state after energy, grazing or timber operations.

- Reversal of Bush's changes to federal Clean Air laws.

- Coordinating efforts with states and cities to tackle water quality problems, encourage the use of water in industrial, urban and farming operations and restore wetlands and watersheds by enforcing the Clean Water Act.

- Development of an international climate change strategy.

- Creation of an Energy Security and Conservation Trust to reduce dependence on Middle East oil. He also wants to increase fuel efficiency and ensure that 20 percent of electricity comes from renewable sources by 2020.

"George Bush is the kind of politician who would cut down a tree and then climb on the stump that remains and give a speech about conservation," Kerry said. "George Bush has put pollution ahead of preservation, campaign contributions ahead of conservation, special interests ahead of America's interests."

Kerry Announces Job Stimulation Package

Sat Oct 18, 8:07 PM ET
By MIKE GLOVER, Associated Press Writer

DES MOINES, Iowa - Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry offered an education and job stimulation package Saturday that would provide tax credits for anyone who took vocational training or college courses to improve job skills.

"Our economy can turn around, and it will turn around, but we need to put jobs back at the top of the nation's agenda," Kerry said. "For most people, a jobless recovery is just a fancy term for recession."

Kerry, a Massachusetts senator, toured a community college job training site in Waterloo, Iowa, as he spelled out what he would do to support job training and education and invest in high-tech industries likely to create jobs. He put no price tag on the idea.

His proposal includes giving $25 billion to the states in each of two years to help avoid soaring college tuitions that have blocked many from higher education and tax credits for college tuitions and vocational training.

Kerry said the help to the states is needed because a sour economy and deep tax cuts pushed by President Bush have left them with cumulative budget shortfalls of up to $90 billion.

Friday October 17, 2003 - News from the MSNBC Embed:

WHAT ARE THE FIREFIGHTERS DOING?

On Thursday, two of three events were firefighter-related. The International Association of Fire Fighters is Kerry’s only AFL-CIO union endorsement (he’s the only candidate other than Gephardt to get one). I’ve been told firefighters would be knocking on doors and campaigning in every congressional district across the country. But Rick Sherman, a firefighter in Davenport, Iowa, said that so far his fire department “isn’t actually working with the campaigns.” Moreover, he is “still undecided” about who he is going to vote for. On the flip side, several of the firefighters with whom I spoke said they were definitely voting for Kerry, mostly because of his war record. They said they get pamphlets with talking points about why they should vote Kerry and convince others to do the same. IAFF president Harold Schaitberger said that he reaches out to firefighters across the country (to talk about John Kerry) by “e-mail, going to meetings and talking to firefighters about being active and engaging their spouses and families to vote for Kerry in the caucus.” He said that firefighters “understand politics from the ground up and they know how to build yard signs, go door to door and do phone banks.” There are 1,500 members of the IAFF in Iowa. There are approximately 80,000 Democratic caucus voters. Schaitberger said the IAFF is very active for the Kerry campaign in Iowa, New Hampshire, Michigan, Arizona, South Carolina and Oklahoma. “We’re going to focus attention and resources where it counts — in the early states.”

ANOTHER AFL-CIO ENDORSEMENT?

Schaitberger said, “I think we will see other AFL-CIO affiliates endorse John Kerry’s campaign soon.” He said that Kerry is working hard at courting these but would not comment or speculate on which unions they would be.

LINN COUNTY

It’s the second biggest county (behind Polk) in Iowa and an important area for the Kerry campaign. A Kerry campaign aide working in Iowa said the campaign is well-positioned and they are not paying attention to polls. “Polls are less accurate in caucus than in the general election,” this political aide said, pointing out that Kerry has four legislative endorsements in Linn County compared to two for Gephardt and one for Dean.

I have been watching the PoliticsNH 105 List for months. As John Kerry continues to add endorsements on this list all the other candidates have not. When I first started watching this list in July, Dean had 8 endorsements from the PoliticsNH 105. Today Dean still has 8 endorsements from the PoliticsNH 105 List and Kerry has 23. Kerry leads with the most endorsements on this list and that speaks volumes over the Polls!

Pat Russell goes for Kerry giving him a bigger lead on the PoliticsNH.com 105 list...

Former Keene Mayor Patricia Russell today announced her decision to back John Kerry in his campaign for President.

Russell is a member of the PoliticsNH.com 105 list and her endorsement gives Kerry an even larger lead among NH Democratic party elites.

The first woman elected mayor of Keene, Russell is currently a member of the New Hampshire Liquor Commission. Russell served four years as mayor, six years on the Keene City Council, and six terms in the New Hampshire House. Russell also was a member of the Democratic National Committee from 1975 through 1987.

(10/17/03)

Kerry promotes his plan for catastrophic care
October 16, 2003 - Mason City Globe Gazette - by John Skipper

MASON CITY, IA -

U.S. Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., said Wednesday his national health insurance plan creates federal funding to help pay costs of catastrophic illnesses.

Kerry, meeting with The Globe Gazette editorial board, said he would finance new health-care initiatives by eliminating Bush tax cuts targeted for the top two income brackets but would retain the others.

"I don't want to get rid of the whole Bush tax cut. I don't want to penalize the middle class, nor do we need to," said Kerry. Under his plan, tax cuts would be eliminated for persons making $200,000 or more annually.

Former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean and U.S. Rep. Richard Gephardt of Missouri, two of Kerry's chief rivals for the nomination, have both advocated scrapping the entire Bush tax-cut program and using the money to help finance health care reforms, said Kerry.

He said his plan for national health insurance would cost $75 billion a year, about one-third of what Gephardt's would cost.

A major part of his program is creation of a $35 billion federal fund that would pay 75 percent of the cost of every catastrophic illness in a company's health insurance pool. Through his plan, the government would help pay claims of $50,000 or more.

While these represent only four-tenths of 1 percent of all claims, they represent 20 percent of all health insurance payouts, said Kerry.

He said a big advantage to his plan is that health care premiums would be reduced by about 10 percent across the board.

Kerry took his message to senior citizens earlier Wednesday when he spoke to a crowd of more than 100 that gathered in the Mason City Room of the public library.

Calling his program a "Compact With the Greatest Generation," he said, "senior citizens should be able to count on Medicare and Social Security, on affordable prescription drugs and on quality options for long-term care."

He pledged to work for a prescription drug benefit that would be part of Medicare.

"Prescription drug costs are rising by almost 20 percent a year. A lot of that is because the big drug companies are gouging seniors while making millions for their top executives," he said.

Hart aide returns to NH for Kerry...

Sue Casey, who partnered with Jeanne Shaheen to engineer Gary Hart’s 1984 New Hampshire primary win will return to New Hampshire to be a senior advisor to the Kerry campaign. A native of Somersworth, Casey was an organizer in New Hampshire for Ted Kennedy in 1980 and went on to serve as a top adviser on Gary Hart’s 1988 and Bob Kerrey’s 1992 presidential campaigns.

Sue Casey’s experience gives us an enormous boost,” said Kerry's New Hampshire State Director Ken Robinson. “She knows presidential campaigns, she knows New Hampshire, and because of her years as a local elected official, she understands the relationship between politics and the lives of ordinary people.”

Casey, who now lives in Denver, Colorado, was elected to the Denver City Council in 1995 and served for six years. She spent this past year as a candidate herself, for Mayor of Denver. Casey is also author of the grassroots campaign memoir, Hart and Soul.

Kerry Bloggers Whack A Troll Here...

Dean, Kerry Exchange Insults Over Iraq

By HOLLY RAMER, Associated Press Writer

CONCORD, N.H. - Democrat Howard Dean and John Kerry traded insults Monday over the war in Iraq, with Kerry faulting his presidential rival for a lack of policy and Dean complaining that "we wouldn't be there if it weren't for Democrats like Senator Kerry."

Read the entire article, then read my commentary:

This argument just never gets old for the Doctor and his followers. Why are they so averse to placing the blame where it clearly belongs? The Bush administration told the American people that our national security was under imminent threat, and warned of consequences if immediate action was not taken.

John Kerry needs to make no apologies for his vote. He voted to protect our national security based on intelligence that he received; as a United States Senator, that is what he was called upon to do. He is also correct in being highly critical of a President who did not do almost anything he was called upon to do leading up to the Iraqi invasion. The President mislead the American people, failed to build a coalition, did not let inspectors run their course, and – perhaps, worst of all, did not seem to have a plan beyond the first two weeks of the invasion.

We must place the blame for this quagmire where it belongs: the Bush administration for their manipulation, not John Kerry’s vote. If we fail to do that, George W. Bush will have four more years to continue the destruction of our democracy.

DEAN'S 'URBAN LEGEND'

By WILLIAM SAFIRE
October 13, 2003
OP-ED COLUMNIST

WASHINGTON

The persistence of a quotation he insists is an "urban legend" is evidently infuriating Howard Dean.

Read more waffling from the Doctor here.

Click on the Picture to Send this Postcard -

John Kerry suggested today on This Week with George Stephanopoulos, that the American people are being to say, "Who is ready to be President?".

Watch This Week with George Stephanopoulos - October 12, 2003
REAL 56K DSL | WMV 56K DSL

John Kerry is Ready To Go!

John Kerry Calls on Bush and Cheney to Apologize

John Kerry appeared on ABC’s “This Week” today, and called on President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney to apologize to Americans for misleading the country with respect to reasons for going to war with Iraq.

Kerry stood by his vote on the Iraq War Resolution, asserting that he voted for the security of the country. He said that the Bush administration “did not do almost anything correct” leading up to the war, did not give legitimacy to the inspections, and did not do enough to bring other countries to our side. Not doing enough to build a coalition has overextended our troops, making them less safe and causing us great risk. He was further critical of the Bush administration for starting the war on its own timetable, and for not having a plan to win the peace.

Kerry stated that he certainly does not believe that the vote would cost him the nomination, instead placing the blame where it belongs: on the Bush administration, for rushing to war rather than going to war as a last resort.

Regarding the upcoming primaries, Kerry said he believes he can take on George W. Bush in a way that no other candidate can. As we face a serious set of international challenges, he believes that it is important to have a nominee of the Democratic Party who is ready to be the President, with experience in foreign affairs, national security, and military affairs.

I believe that too, Senator Kerry -- you are "the whole package!"

Debunking the “Aloof ” Charge

Those who describe John Kerry as “aloof” don’t really know him. So say some of the Senator’s college buddies who debunk that myth, while describing a man who has always shown great ambition and determination.

Read how these men recall their days at Yale with John Kerry in today’s New Haven Register.

Students unite for John Kerry

by Dana Schowalter, News Reporter
October 10, 2003

Students who support Democratic Sen. John Kerry's presidential campaign met Thursday to discuss ways to attract student voters to their cause. They hope to encourage students to vote for the Massachusetts senator, or at least for a Democrat, to replace current United States president George Bush.

Students said they hope to support the campaign by educating students about the issues of the upcoming election, including Kerry's plan to improve education.

"He wants to, actually wants to, fund education, which almost seems like a revolutionary idea these days," said Mike Pfohl, UW-Madison senior and co-chair of Students for John Kerry.

It's great to see young people getting involved in the campaign!

To read more of this article, please click here

Kerry peddles health insurance plan
By HOLLY RAMER The Associated Press

NEWMARKET - Democratic presidential hopeful John Kerry pitched his health insurance plan to a small business Friday while blasting the nation's largest private employer for its "disgraceful" treatment of employees.

The Massachusetts senator was explaining his plan to workers at Russound when one asked how he could help part-time employees of large retail chains who are ineligible for benefits.

Linda Mariotti didn't mention a particular chain, but Kerry did, accusing Wal-Mart Stores Inc. of luring workers in with the promise of health insurance then urging them to enroll in government health programs for the poor.

"They advertise Medicaid for their workers rather than provide them absolutely with the help. I think it's disgraceful, and I think we need a president who's prepared to help shed light," Kerry said. "I think Wal-Mart's health care practices are unconscionable, and the way they treat employees is not fair."

Wal-Mart and other companies that employ such practices should be punished by losing some of their tax deductions, Kerry said.

"They throw a lot of money around, they get a lot of things happening, but it ain't necessarily good for the community," he said. "We need to stand up and demand they behave corporately responsibly."

A spokeswoman for Wal-Mart said Kerry "simply does not know what he is talking about.

"It's irresponsible," said Mona Williams, vice president for communications. "I don't know where Sen. Kerry's getting his facts, but someone better do their homework before he talks about Wal-Mart again."

Similar allegations were raised during the recall election in California. During one debate, Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante accused Wal-Mart of giving workers "official documents to go and apply for food stamps and public health care."

Williams said that isn't true. The company does provide workers who are applying for loans or social services with a number to call to have their income verified, she said.

Wal-Mart has about 1.1 million employees in the United States and about 300,000 overseas. More than 90 percent have health insurance, Williams said, 50 percent through the company and the rest through spouses and other sources.

Of those participating in the company's plan, 40 percent had no medical insurance when they were hired, she said.

Kerry's visit to Russound, which designs and installs home audiovisual systems, came on the first day of a five-day swing through New Hampshire focusing on health care.

Kerry's $80 billion plan would allow others to buy into the health care plan that covers Congress and would expand government programs for children and the poor. The centerpiece is a proposal to have the federal government pick up the cost of catastrophic care, which would lower premiums by $1,000 per policy.

Move over Arnold, John Kerry is coming to the Big Screen...

Kerry emerges on big screen
From: The Boston Globe - By Tatsha Robertson - 10/9/2003

NEW YORK -- As a movie star enters the political arena on the West Coast, a presidential candidate from the East Coast finds himself on the big screen. Three documentaries focusing on the life of Senator John F. Kerry and his years as a Vietnam soldier are being produced this year.

"Brothers in Arms," a 68-minute documentary film featuring Kerry and five of his crewmates during the Vietnam War was finished in New York on Tuesday night and was being screened yesterday in New York for reporters. A film about the death of one of Kerry's good friends on a swift boat during the Vietnam War is being played in film festivals across the country and will air on public television stations on Nov. 11. And the documentary filmmaker George Butler, a close friend of Kerry, is making a film about the Democratic presidential campaign.

Two books are also in the works. Douglas Brinkley, a historian, is finishing a biography on Kerry that is scheduled to be released in January. The Massachusetts Democrat is writing a book on policy that is due out Oct. 27.

Will the extra exposure coming from a flurry of multimedia ventures centering around Kerry's life aid him in his presidential bid?

"That remains to be seen," said Kelley Benander, a spokesperson for the Kerry campaign.

Paul Alexander, the director of "Brothers in Arms," said Kerry's life in Vietnam is so visual and dramatic that it's perfect for film.

Brinkley, the author of "Tour of Duty: John Kerry and The Vietnam War," said Kerry's story of a war hero turned antiwar spokesman has the threads of a fascinating narrative.

"For me, I was trying to tell a story of Vietnam, and Kerry's story is a great vehicle," said Brinkley.

What makes Kerry's story especially interesting, Brinkley said, is that the young, Vietnam hero from Massachusetts became a dynamic spokesperson for Vietnam Veterans Against the War, which Brinkley claims had a profound impact on US disengagement of Southeast Asia.

While Benander said Kerry is independent of all the ventures except his own book, he cooperated and participated in interviews for the various projects. And Kerry received a lot of screen time in "Brothers in Arms," a film that does not focus on Kerry alone but on relationships among the crew on the swift boat that he commanded along the dangerous Mekong Delta.

Long-winded but emotional at times, Kerry's comrades in "Brothers in Arms" discuss the dangers and tranquillity of Vietnam and their lives after the war.

Alexander, a journalist and the director of "Brothers in Arms," got the idea about a documentary on Kerry and his crew after writing a book about John McCain in 2002. During his reporting, Alexander noticed McCain and the other men who had been imprisoned with him at the infamous prison dubbed "Hanoi Hilton" during the Vietnam War shared a unique bond. "I figured it must be because they were in the Hanoi Hilton together," he said. When he wrote a piece about Kerry for Rolling Stone, he discovered that crew shared a similar bond.

"I figured it wasn't because of Hanoi Hilton, but it's this bond these guys have that served in Vietnam, and they all have it. And I figured this has to be a great story too with Kerry," Alexander said.

Starting in July, Alexander along with Iris Rossi, who produced the film, spent weeks traveling across the country interviewing Kerry and his friends. Alexander financed the movie and does not know where the movie will show. He said the film is not meant to be political but a tale about the bond between ordinary men who experienced something extraordinary together.

Today at a luncheon in San Francisco, John Kerry brought down the house when he said "I'm going to pump you up, you Cal-i-fornia Democrats!”

Read more about that luncheon here...

GOOD NEWS FOR KERRY IN 2004 PRIMARIES!

I have learned through private sources that many of New Hampshire's people are getting most of their news about John Kerry from Massachusetts television stations, and this is having a positive impact on their knowledge of Kerry's positions regarding Veterans!

I will give Dean credit for having some impact on New Hampshire's voters (honesty is something I can never shed, not for political or any other reasons). But Kerry is having a very strong impact on New Hampshire, and is showing New Hampshire voters that there is really only one candidate who wants and knows how to keep Veterans' benefits from being trashed by Bush's policies. Only a war hero with an extensive legislative record on behalf of Veterans is able to do this.

The "$500 billion dollar surpluses as far as the eye can see" that Clinton/Gore left us have been turned into $500 billion to maybe even a TRILLION dollar deficits as far as the eye can see by Bush's tax giveaway to the wealthy. The HIDDEN TAXES that deficit spending causes (higher unemployment, inflation, and interest rates), especially at this huge level, are a deep TAX BURDEN on the middle class that Bush doesn't want you to know about.

To have middle class Veterans facing these hidden taxes ON TOP OF the reduced VA funding, broken promises on repealing the Disabled Veterans' Tax and many other issues of importance to Veterans is a real slap in the face to those who have valiantly taken on the dangerous risks of fighting for our freedom.

We are working on plans for a March on Washington to protest the Federal Government's refusal to repeal the Disabled Veterans' Tax. On 11-11-03 at 11.

All people who are willing to help us protest this broken promise by the Bush Administration are invited to help us out.

NOTE: The Veterans organizations who are working on this do not want this to be turned into an anti-Bush or pro-Kerry rally (even if many of us are angered by Bush's other policies). This protest is specifically being designed as an issue rally for Veterans and Veteran sympathizers, not a candidate rally. We may express our other views privately, but publicly we will be protesting the anti-Veteran policies, not the person or presidency, of George W. Bush and the House Republican leadership.

I am working with Veterans for their issues, with their needs in mind (even if their needs do not always match my own) because this is a VERY IMPORTANT STEP in Coalition Building. Some Veterans are undecided right now on who to vote for next year, or whether they will vote at all (though some are leaning toward Kerry). I am a firm believer in "what goes around comes around". I don't like seeing Veterans treated this way, and I will help them with their problems, even if it means I don't get to carry a Kerry sign or an anti-Bush sign at the time. Carrying a "Repeal the Disabled Veterans Tax" sign is enough for me. These are real, living, breathing people who are getting "s*it" on just like most of the rest of us are.

It is a very sad night in California for Democrats! Please show John Kerry your support and donate -



Help John Kerry beat George Bush and the Republicans!

Recall Arnold!

John Kerry will be in California tomorrow - read about it here...

Kerry has stated that Dean and Bush are both wrong about taxes.


'No coincidence that Dean’s rival, Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry has more and more made taxes a central theme of his campaign.
In order to move toward a balanced federal budget, Dean would roll back the tax cut packages enacted in 2001 and 2003.
But getting rid of the middle-class portion of the tax cuts is “bad economics and it’s bad social policy,” Kerry argues. “Last time I looked the problem in America was not that the middle class has too much money.” '

Bush II has twice given away too many tax cuts to the rich, and we've seen where that leads us (we should have learned our lesson already with Reagan/Bush I) with less money in the hands of the middle class, and perpetually high deficits and unemployment.

The DISHONEST EXCUSE that BUSH II and his cheap-labor and borrow-and-spend cronies on Capital Hill gave for not extending tax cuts to the poor is that families which make less than $26,000 a year do not pay taxes. NOT TRUE! You pay 7.5 cents on the first dollar you earn working for someone else, and double that (over 15%) working for yourself, for FICA and HI. Not counting income taxes on larger amounts (which kick in well below $26,000 for most families!) The rich stop paying for FICA with large incomes.

John Kerry has observed that payroll taxes (FICA and HI) represent the largest burden on low wage workers and the businesses which hire them. That is why he is determined to repeal these regressive taxes on the poor, and finish the job that any President who runs on a platform for lower taxes for the middle class and the poor should do.

John Kerry knows that we can balance our budget in other ways besides continuing to hurt the middle class. Repealing the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy are a good place to start.

Read more...

Pascrell Endorses Kerry's Campaign

WASHINGTON - Democratic Rep. Bill Pascrell endorsed John Kerry's presidential bid Tuesday and said he would co-chair Kerry's campaign in his home state of New Jersey.

Pascrell's endorsement is the 16th in the House for Kerry, a Massachusetts senator. He also has been endorsed by two of his Senate colleagues — Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts and Dianne Feinstein of California.

Pascrell will lead Kerry's New Jersey campaign with state Sen. John Adler.

Wesley Clark's Campaign Manager Quits
By RON FOURNIER, AP Political Writer

WASHINGTON - Wesley Clark's campaign manager quit Tuesday in a dispute over the direction of the Democratic presidential bid, exposing a rift between the former general's Washington-based advisers and his 3-week-old Arkansas campaign team.

Donnie Fowler told associates he was leaving over widespread concerns that supporters who used the Internet to draft Clark into the race are not being taken seriously by top campaign advisers. Fowler also complained that the campaign's message and methods are focused too much on Washington, not key states and the burgeoning power of the Internet, said two associates who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Spokesmen for the campaign declined comment.

Read more...

Go Red Sox!



Senator John Kerry and former New Hampshire Governor Jeanne Shaheen, take a break from the campaign trail to watch game three of the American League Divisional Series playoffs between the Boston Red Sox and the Oakland Athletics on Saturday, October 4th at Fenway Park in Boston.

AP Photo/Chitose Suzuki

Kerry supporters get involved...

10 calls by October 10!

Kerry's Boston HQ has launched National Phone-a-thon week, October 3-October 10.

Our goal - to call 10,000 undecided voters in NH and persuade them that John Kerry is the best candidate.

We need your help - we need 1,000 volunteers to send an email to phoneathon@johnkerry.com and agree to "adopt" 10 NH undecided voters. You will join our peer-to-peer network and help make the difference in the first-in-the-nation primary. We will send you an email with your list of NH voters.

Your task - to get your adopted voters to support John Kerry (and to tell the campaign they do!)

You have been asking how you can help...here is one way YOU can impact who is in the White House in 2005!

I'll be calling my 10 undecided NH voters starting tomorrow... how about you?

Tomorrow in Iowa John Kerry will unveil his plan to protect Medicare and Social Security...
Kerry to Unveil Medicare Plan for Seniors
By Mike Glover, Associated Press Writer

DES MOINES, Iowa - Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry has a plan to protect Medicare and Social Security and increase access to prescription drug coverage for seniors.

He was laying out the details Monday at a seniors' center in Council Bluffs, and currying favor with one of the most important groups in Iowa's leadoff precinct caucuses on Jan. 19.

Iowa has one of the country's largest percentages of elderly, who traditionally vote in higher numbers than any other age group.

"You have earned the best of America and we need to make sure you get the protection and health care you deserve," Kerry said in remarks prepared for delivery Monday and obtained by The Associated Press.

Kerry's "compact with America's seniors" is a statement of principles he would follow in handling elderly issues. He said it sends a clear message of commitment to dealing with seniors.

Kerry said his proposal would:

- Ensure the financial stability of Medicare and Social Security. — Offer a "real" prescription drug benefit under Medicare.

- Boost long-term care coverage for seniors and offer new options to keep the elderly out of nursing homes.

- Push community involvement efforts, such as mentoring programs designed to draw on the experience of seniors.

A case of "a "poor" choice of words" or something more? Is this really the time to have an "evolving position on the Middle East"?

Rivals Target Dean's Blunt Comments
Unscripted Remarks On Key Issues Seen As Big Liabilities
By Jim VandeHei - Washington Post Staff Writer - Thursday, October 2, 2003

Presidential candidate Howard Dean has excelled throughout his political career by speaking bluntly, usually unscripted, about the problems facing the country. Now, his words are coming back to haunt him on the campaign trail.

Dean's rivals and some Democratic strategists see the former Vermont governor's comments past and present as among his biggest liabilities. Sens. John F. Kerry (Mass.) and Joseph I. Lieberman (Conn.) and Rep. Richard A. Gephardt (Mo.) are turning Dean's words against him almost daily, calling into question his commitment to Democratic causes such as Medicare and the Middle East, and portraying him as a flip-flopper on other issues. Since running for president, Dean has switched his position on at least three politically sensitive topics: Social Security, free trade and the Cuba trade embargo. In all three cases, his new position comports with the views of the key voters he is courting.

"Howard Dean has tried to reinvent his record on a lot of issues in this campaign because time after time . . . he is on the wrong side of seniors and working families," Kerry said recently.

If the charges stick, they could undermine Dean's appeal as the political outsider willing to tell it like it is, strategists said.

"He'd have to go a long way to alienate" his committed supporters, many of whom are new to politics, said Democratic strategist Joe Lockhart, a former spokesman for President Bill Clinton. "The problem for him is he can't win with just those people. He needs some of the people who regularly participate in the process. Those people still have reservations, and this back-and-forth plays into those reservations."

From debates to television interviews, Dean's words are becoming an unwelcome distraction for his campaign. On CBS's "Face the Nation" last weekend, Dean spent most of his time fending off attacks generated by other candidates over Social Security, Medicare and trade. "I have changed on some of the issues," Dean said. "That's one of the hallmarks of who I am: I am a doctor; I believe that if you have a theory and a fact comes along that changes the theory, then you throw out the theory." Dean faced similar scrutiny in last week's debate in New York, prompting the Vermont Democrat to caution his opponents that Bush, not he, is the "enemy" in this campaign.

Weeks of relentless pounding are showing few signs of eroding Dean's support among Democratic voters. Recent polls show Dean leading in New Hampshire and Iowa, two key early testing grounds. Dean is also on pace to raise more than twice, and perhaps three times, as much as his nearest rivals this quarter and is continuing to draw easily the largest crowds of all the candidates.

Joe Trippi, Dean's campaign manager, said the criticism is backfiring, as supporters and donors rally around the Vermont Democrat after each personal attack. Dean's advisers, however, noted that if Gephardt and the others spend millions of dollars on ads focused on these issues, they anticipate Dean's poll numbers will drop. Trippi said the trick now is to communicate Dean's positions clearly amid the onslaught.

Dean's comments over the past decade show that, perhaps more than any other candidate in the field, he has switched or modified key positions as a presidential contender. Because he rarely speaks from scripts, he also tends to make more off-the-cuff statements that land him in hot water. Kerry recently said Dean makes way too many verbal "gaffes" to be president.

Dean is getting hit the hardest over Medicare. Gephardt and others have accused Dean of siding with then-House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) in the 1995 fight to slow the growth of Medicare from 10 percent to 7 percent. Dean last weekend said the charge is false, but it is not.

Although Dean never explicitly said he was siding with Gingrich, he did endorse a GOP proposal, backed by the then-speaker, to slow Medicare's growth. He told a Vermont newspaper in 1995 that he could "fully subscribe" to slowing the rate of the program's growth to 7 percent, which would have been tantamount to cutting Medicare spending.

Dean is trying to blur the issue by saying he sided with Clinton in the fight because Clinton eventually signed a bill, in 1997, trimming Medicare's growth. But that bill scaled back the growth by $115 billion over five years, compared with the $270 billion over seven years that Dean had advocated. In 1995, Clinton opposed the plan endorsed by Dean. Jeremy Ben-Ami, Dean's policy adviser, said Dean was not alone among Democrats backing changes to Medicare in 1995, but that was a minority view in the party.

On Social Security, Gephardt and others have criticized Dean for saying in the 1990s that he wanted to raise the program's retirement age to 70, and, as recently as June, he said he would "entertain" lifting it to 68. Since then, Dean has switched his position and now opposes any change in the age at which one can receive full retirement benefits. Under current law, the retirement age varies from 65 years and two months to 67, depending on when one was born.

On trade, Dean is getting hit by Gephardt for expressing too much support for free trade and by Kerry for not expressing enough. Gephardt is seizing on Dean's verbal support in the 1990s for the North American Free Trade Agreement and for allowing China into the World Trade Organization, which broke down trade barriers for China. Dean now wants to renegotiate NAFTA and to demand stiffer labor standards, and he frequently condemns China's trade practices.

Kerry has hit Dean for suggesting the United States should demand that its trading partners meet U.S. environmental and labor standards, which would dramatically curtail foreign trade because most nations could not meet them. Dean has since backtracked and has said other nations should "eventually" meet U.S. standards, but he has not stated how quickly. "He's an impatient person," Ben-Ami said. "He tends to talk about [forcing countries to adopt U.S. labor standards] as soon as possible, rather than being a matter of decades."

Dean's advisers said the candidate sometimes get himself in trouble by choosing the wrong words. They said his evolving position on the Middle East is a perfect example.

On the Middle East, Kerry and Lieberman have accused Dean of sending mixed signals regarding the peace talks. He has. Dean told a New Mexico audience several weeks ago that the United States should not pick sides in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. When asked a few days later by The Washington Post if he stood by his comment, Dean backtracked, saying the United States should pursue an "even-handed" approach.

Soon after, under pressure from the Jewish community, an influential Democratic constituency that considers the use of phrases such as "even-handed" as a softening of the U.S. government's pro-Israel stance, Dean emphasized that his Middle East policies would be no different from Clinton's.

Dean also generated controversy by calling the suicide bombers of the Islamic Resistance Movement, or Hamas, soldiers, not terrorists, and by suggesting that Israel should dismantle the "enormous" number of Jewish settlements in the West Bank. He has since said negotiators should decide the settlement issue.

In all four issues, Dean aides chalked up the miscommunication to a "poor" choice of words.

We need a leader who is strong on his positions, strong on the issues and who thinks before he speaks. We need John Kerry!

Kerry criticizes Dean, Bush environmental records
By Lisa Falkenberg, Associated Press Writer, 10/1/2003

DALLAS -- Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. John Kerry on Wednesday criticized the environmental records of fellow Democrat Howard Dean and President Bush, accusing the former governors of striking a deal in the 1990s to ship nuclear waste to a poor Hispanic town near El Paso.

Kerry said Dean, when he was the Vermont governor, signed a compact in 1993 with Maine and Texas to send nuclear waste to Sierra Blanca, a plan opposed by civil rights groups. Bush was the governor of Texas at the time

"He clearly reflected an insensitivity to that community," Kerry said during a campaign stop at a Dallas housing project.

The Massachusetts senator criticized the decision to "dump nuclear waste into a poor community far away from where you live because you can do it. I think George Bush was wrong and I think Howard Dean was wrong."

Kerry said he voted against the measure in the Senate. The Sierra Blanca plan was scrapped in 1998 after the Texas environmental agency determined a geologic fault under the proposed dump would have made it unsafe.

Officials with the Bush campaign and the Republican National Committee did not immediately return phone calls Wednesday.

Dean spokeswoman Tricia Enright said Dean had a stellar environmental record in Vermont and rejected the criticism that Dean was insensitive to the people of Sierra Blanca.

She said Texas officials selected the site and that the plan included strict safety standards. Enright pointed out that the plan was overwhelmingly passed by Congress and signed by President Clinton.

"To utilize this and exploit the people who live in these communities for political gain is unseemly," Enright said. "Maybe this is a way he thinks he can jump-start his campaign. Fortunately, I think the American people know better."

If elected, Dean would seek a nonpolitical solution to the nuclear waste storage issue based on science and safety, Enright said.

Kerry, who cast himself as the early front-runner, has been frustrated by Dean's fund-raising success and retired Army general Wesley Clark's momentum. Polls show him trailing Dean in New Hampshire, a state Kerry must win.

Kerry spoke against a pattern in the United States of putting waste dumps and other environmentally dangerous sites near minority neighborhoods. If elected, he said he would create environmental empowerment zones that would get funding for cleanup, adequate housing and ensuring air and water quality.

Bush, Kerry said, "has sat on his hands while hardworking minority Americans have been subjected to more of these choices that place sludge sites, dumps, toxic waste, chemicals and lead and asthma into the lives of our children."

Kerry made his comments while touring a West Dallas neighborhood called Green Leaf Village that was once a barracks-style, segregated housing project contaminated with lead.

The area has since been cleaned up and is now covered with 70 Habitat for Humanity homes and KB homes.

White House facing revolt within GOP
The Boston Globe - By Robert Kuttner, 10/1/2003

IN JUST A FEW weeks the political tide has turned dramatically against President Bush. His popularity ratings have dipped below 50 percent. His policies are under fire on the Iraq war, the economy, and the budget mess. Moreover, Bush is facing an escalating revolt from within his own party. A little-noted indicator is that Republican senators and House members are no longer willing to take unpopular votes merely because the White House demands them. Lately the administration has lost several key votes that were billed as Republican tests of loyalty:

*Moderate GOP legislators defected on administration plans to privatize air traffic controllers and make special security training for flight attendants optional. This week, embarrassed Republican floor leaders in the House will send the bill back to committee rather than lose a floor vote.

*Republican House leaders had to pull one administration bill allowing "comp time" as an alternative to overtime pay. A majority of senators blocked a second scheme to disqualify more workers from receiving overtime pay.

*At least 90 Republican congressmen of all stripes are resisting White House efforts, on behalf of the pharmaceutical industry, to block cheaper prescription drug imports from Canada. In order to win narrow House passage of the administration's Medicare amendments, the GOP leadership agreed to a separate vote on drug importation, which carried by a wide margin. Now the administration is trying to reverse this loss via the back door by disparaging the safety of drug imports.

*Conservative House Republicans joined with liberal Democrats in narrowing assaults on civil liberty and due process in the so-called Patriot Act, which was rushed through Congress after the attacks of 9/11. In the appropriations bill for the Justice Department, the Republican House added language opposed by the administration limiting searches of libraries and warrantless snooping of people's homes.

*A mass bipartisan revolt in both the House and Senate will overturn the administration's proposed FCC regulations that would have made it easier for media conglomerates to merge. The House and Senate have passed slightly different versions of resolutions of disapproval.

Not long ago the administration could have reversed these losses with threats of vetoes. No more. Republicans in Congress are as upset as Democrats about revelations of the use of intelligence on Iraq for political purposes. They are joining Democrats in giving serious scrutiny to the $87 billion the administration wants to bail out Bush's Iraq policy. There is bipartisan embarrassment at the Iraq contractor profiteering. Bush is even having a harder time enforcing party loyalty on behalf of far-right appointees to the federal bench.

Why this shift? Suddenly Bush's own reelection is seen as at risk, and Republican legislators are more worried about saving their own seats. They have walked the plank for Bush one time too many.

Until recently Republican control of Congress in the 2004 election was seen as a sure thing. Now, however, it looks as though both chambers are up for grabs, especially if Bush's own reelection is in jeopardy. Congressmen and senators are keen detectors of shifts in voter sentiment since their own survival depends on it. Bush's reversal of fortune is occurring on multiple fronts.

First, public opinion is turning dramatically against Bush's war. When legislators return to their districts, they hear from constituents unhappy about the deaths, the unanticipated financial cost, and the extended disruption of the lives of reservists.

Second, there is distress about the economy. The jobs hemorrhage is continuing, and more people are losing health coverage. For all the talk about new prescription drug benefits for seniors, that legislation is blocked and is minimal in any case. It is stalled, in part because some Republicans and most Democrats are unwilling to privatize Medicare as the price of a new drug benefit.

Third, many Republican legislators are appalled at the cost of the three immense tax cuts that the White House demanded. The nation is on the edge of a real fiscal crisis. It's one thing to bestow tax breaks on business allies; another to create so much red ink that interest rates head skyward and the dollar tanks.

Finally, the press has stopped giving Bush a free ride, and 9/11 no longer serves as a mantra to turn aside all challenges.

When Bush's popularity ratings were in the stratosphere, Republican legislators contentedly basked in his warmth. The White House political operation could threaten to discipline Republican legislators who defected, refusing favors and even threatening challenges in primaries. Those days are simply gone. Nothing succeeds like success. And nothing fails like failure.