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Three things that John Kerry
could have said to win the election
By Jim Forbes
1. Resolution to Use Force Against Iraq
When asked how he would have voted on the Iraq resolution John Kerry should have answered with: “Of course I would have voted no on the resolution to use force against Iraq knowing what I know today. I am not sure it has been worth even one American life to go to war against Iraq if Iraq did not have weapons of mass destruction, had no connections to al Queda and was not an imminent threat. It is even worse knowing as we now do that the invasion would be poorly planned and the Bush assumptions would nearly all be wrong. There is no question I would have voted no knowing all that I know today.
2. A Women’s Right to Choose
When asked if he supports a women’s right to choose, John Kerry should have answered with: “What is an article of faith for me is not something I will legislate onto others. But what I intend to do will do more to reduce abortions in this country than overturning Roe v. Wade. I call it my Pro-Life Plan. It goes to why women have abortions. It goes to their needs. First, tens of thousands of abortions occur because the mother lacks health insurance. I intend to bring health insurance to 40 million Americans, many of whom fall into this category. Second, prospective mothers are worried about health insurance for their children. There are already ten million children without insurance. Under my Pro-Life Plan and my health insurance initiative, no child will be without health insurance. This will be a great relief to many perspective mothers. Third, economic insecurity contributes to thousands of abortions each year. Just in 2002 there were 55,000 more abortions than in 2001 because of the economic downturn and high unemployment. Through our economic plan John and I plan to put millions of workers back to work, and not at the same miserably $5.50 per hour that many currently work at. We intend to raise the minimum wage to at least $7.50 per hour so that perspective mothers at least have a fighting chance to care for their babies.
"Look, I am against abortion as much as anyone, but just talking about it or threatening to outlaw it won’t decrease abortions. We need to take action that addresses why people have abortions, not just threaten to imprison them. So rather than risk appointing judges who may overturn Roe verse Wade and a women’s right to choose, I intend to implement laws that will help women choose to have their baby."
3. Fiscal Discipline
When asked how he was going to pay for his proposals Kerry should have said, "Look, I want to enact every plan we have, but I also know that the best way to grow the economy and generate revenues for my plans is to bring fiscal discipline to Washington first. This is something President Bush has clearly not done. As anyone can tell from reviewing my senate record, I am probably one of the most fiscally conservative senators in the senate today. I have voted for every balanced budget amendment and deficit reduction act that has reached my desk, and this is the kind of president I will be. While Dick Cheney believes that Reagan proved deficits don't matter, I believe the opposite. I believe Clinton proved that deficits do matter, and so do surpluses, and if the federal government is running a surplus or breaking even, it is the best thing we can do for the economy.
"George Bush is a spendthrift and he can argue all he wants that it was 9/11 or the recession or whatever. The fact is, he has not vetoed a single spending bill and has grown the size of government by $500 billion per year, the most of any president. Meanwhile, he has slashed taxes to the very wealthy who don't need the money, reducing revenues while raising spending. I will be as fiscally responsible as a president as I have been as a Senator, and all you have to do is look at my record to see how I have voted."