Kerry: Vote for Change

WASHINGTON — John Kerry, the Democratic presidential nominee in 2004 and a possible candidate in 2008, says his party does have a message for the electorate: Vote for change.

“Don’t let anybody tell you we Democrats don’t know what we stand for,” the Massachusetts senator said in comments prepared for delivery Wednesday to the Communications Workers of America. “Give this country a Democratic Congress and you will see a difference on Day One, and a fundamental change of direction for Washington.”

Democrats have come under increasing criticism for lacking a unified message that would allow them to capitalize on Republicans’ political problems in this November’s midterm elections.

In an AP-Ipsos poll in March, Democrats had an 11-point lead over Republicans on which party people want to see in control of Congress.

Kerry’s key points: “Tell the truth; fire the incompetents; find Osama bin Laden and secure our ports and homeland; bring our troops home from Iraq; obey the law and protect our civil rights.

“Stop subsidizing big oil and start investing in energy alternatives; make access to affordable health care a right and not a privilege; reduce the deficit and respect work over wealth; chase the money changers from the temple of democracy; and invest in education and fight for American jobs that restore the American dream.”