Past votes may dog Kerry campaign
Democrat's support of Bush at issue
Washington Post.com | 24 Feb 04 | Jim VandeHei
In the stump speech he delivers virtually every day, Sen. John F. Kerry (Mass.) stirs the Democratic faithful by railing against current trade practices and slamming President Bush's policies on education, civil liberties and Iraq.
But the Democratic front-runner does not mention how he, as senator, supported the president on all four issues, helping cement in law what he often describes as flawed government policies.
Kerry's past support for policies he now condemns is complicating his run for the White House, strategists from both parties say, and could prove problematic in a general election showdown with Bush. The president himself seized on this contrast in his opening attack on Kerry at a dinner last night of the Republican Governors Association.
Tony Coehlo, chairman of Al Gore's 2000 presidential campaign, said it is "critical" that Kerry "clearly" explain his votes "before the public perceives him as a flip-flopper." If not, Bush "will tag him," Coehlo said.
To differentiate himself from Bush, Kerry faults the president on the "implementation" of the laws governing education, trade, civil liberties and the military operation in Iraq. Kerry says Bush underfunded the No Child Left Behind education law; abused the search and seizure powers of the USA Patriot Act; rushed to war once granted congressional authorization; and failed to crack down on abuses by U.S. trading partners.
'Can't run from his record'
"This is the biggest 'say one thing, do another' administration in the modern history of our country," Kerry said in a telephone interview yesterday. He stood by his votes but blasted Bush for the way he implemented the new laws.
Because Kerry essentially advocates trimming, tweaking or tightening these Bush policies, voters seeking more dramatic changes might turn to independent presidential candidate Ralph Nader as they did in 2000, some Democrats say.
On his new Web site, Nader lists the Bush policies Democrats such as Kerry supported in Congress, and asks: "At what point do you stop relying on a party to be an opposition party and start asking what else needs to be done to put some spine into Washington politics?"
At the same time, Bush's political team plans to turn Kerry's votes for the Bush agenda against the four-term senator if he becomes the Democratic nominee. "Kerry can't run from his record," said Terry Holt, spokesman for the Bush campaign.
Already, Bush's political team is compiling laudatory remarks Kerry has made about White House policies and might spin some of them into television ads defending the president, according to Bush campaign officials. "When he makes the case against things he voted for, it highlights the fact he's hypocritical," said Republican National Committee Chairman Ed Gillespie.
Sen. John Edwards (N.C.), Kerry's chief rival for the nomination, is framing his campaign around the Massachusetts senator's support for free-trade policies, including those enacted by the Bush administration. With job losses, especially in the manufacturing sector, already a key issue of the 2004 election, Edwards is blaming trade policies such as the North American Free Trade Agreement for much of the current economic problems. Kerry voted for NAFTA in 1993 under President Bill Clinton and has since been a consistent free-trade advocate. Edwards, who was elected in 1998, said he opposed NAFTA, though he rarely raised the issue until recently.
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Democrat's support of Bush at issue
Washington Post.com | 24 Feb 04 | Jim VandeHei
In the stump speech he delivers virtually every day, Sen. John F. Kerry (Mass.) stirs the Democratic faithful by railing against current trade practices and slamming President Bush's policies on education, civil liberties and Iraq.
But the Democratic front-runner does not mention how he, as senator, supported the president on all four issues, helping cement in law what he often describes as flawed government policies.
Kerry's past support for policies he now condemns is complicating his run for the White House, strategists from both parties say, and could prove problematic in a general election showdown with Bush. The president himself seized on this contrast in his opening attack on Kerry at a dinner last night of the Republican Governors Association.
Tony Coehlo, chairman of Al Gore's 2000 presidential campaign, said it is "critical" that Kerry "clearly" explain his votes "before the public perceives him as a flip-flopper." If not, Bush "will tag him," Coehlo said.
To differentiate himself from Bush, Kerry faults the president on the "implementation" of the laws governing education, trade, civil liberties and the military operation in Iraq. Kerry says Bush underfunded the No Child Left Behind education law; abused the search and seizure powers of the USA Patriot Act; rushed to war once granted congressional authorization; and failed to crack down on abuses by U.S. trading partners.
'Can't run from his record'
"This is the biggest 'say one thing, do another' administration in the modern history of our country," Kerry said in a telephone interview yesterday. He stood by his votes but blasted Bush for the way he implemented the new laws.
Because Kerry essentially advocates trimming, tweaking or tightening these Bush policies, voters seeking more dramatic changes might turn to independent presidential candidate Ralph Nader as they did in 2000, some Democrats say.
On his new Web site, Nader lists the Bush policies Democrats such as Kerry supported in Congress, and asks: "At what point do you stop relying on a party to be an opposition party and start asking what else needs to be done to put some spine into Washington politics?"
At the same time, Bush's political team plans to turn Kerry's votes for the Bush agenda against the four-term senator if he becomes the Democratic nominee. "Kerry can't run from his record," said Terry Holt, spokesman for the Bush campaign.
Already, Bush's political team is compiling laudatory remarks Kerry has made about White House policies and might spin some of them into television ads defending the president, according to Bush campaign officials. "When he makes the case against things he voted for, it highlights the fact he's hypocritical," said Republican National Committee Chairman Ed Gillespie.
Sen. John Edwards (N.C.), Kerry's chief rival for the nomination, is framing his campaign around the Massachusetts senator's support for free-trade policies, including those enacted by the Bush administration. With job losses, especially in the manufacturing sector, already a key issue of the 2004 election, Edwards is blaming trade policies such as the North American Free Trade Agreement for much of the current economic problems. Kerry voted for NAFTA in 1993 under President Bill Clinton and has since been a consistent free-trade advocate. Edwards, who was elected in 1998, said he opposed NAFTA, though he rarely raised the issue until recently.
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