Why Kerry?

lnelson

Why are you an avid Kerry supporter?
What quality in him do you see that compels you to support him?

Integrity, Integrity, Integrity?

He cheated on his first millionaire wife, then divorced to marry another millionaire who made him annull the marriage which conceived his children.

He back stabs his fellow soldiers after he returned from the war while they are still fighting. As he would say TIMING IS EVERYTHING.

His book Tour of Duty contradicts alot of what he is telling us now.

Wrong WAR, Wrong TIME, Wrong Place Mr. Kerry

His senate record swings for and against on many issues.

I have been researching as much as possible on Kerry and I have to say I don't trust him as far as I could throw him. He is another self absorbed politican just like Clinton. I never trusted him either. He's running for President because he can.

The media is so biased you really never get the full story. Instead of thinking like what is good for the country people are so divided by party line democrat or republican why not just American.

There are so many contradictions with this guy.
I am not saying Bush is a saint because he isn't.
What I am saying is with all the people in America are these the best we have? I sincerely hope not. Yet for this election between these two candidates Bush is sticking by what he believes, enforces it even through adversity and is making drastic changes in places no one would have thought.

In 2000 when he was elected no one could have imagined what was going to happen. That one event changed us and the President views of what is important to us. We were in a recession prior to Bush becoming elected, jobs were already lost, companies were fleeing to find a better place to do business then 9/11.

These are my opinions and should not be considered as those of other forumites.

Lisa

nohr4u1yr

Bravo! xclap

ray a

Excellent, Lisa.

mwild31

Hi Lisa

I'm changing my vote from Bush to Kerry. Not as an avid fan but as the best choice between the two. As Marc mentioned on another post - I am a GDI. I'm voting Republican in several contests in the state (including Governor), but not for President (or Senator). As I have said on another post - this reevaluation came about this past weekend & with reflection on what I (one lonely - potentially x;-) - voter) want for the country. I think it's fair to say that both sides - pro Bush and pro Kerry have their "stick it to 'em points" & each side enflames the other. I haven't heard much about Kerry cheating in the past(other than from internet sites (drudge report) & foreign newspapers owned by Rupert Murdoch x;-)) - but if it is true, well, at least he wasn't a drunk. Backstabbing his fellow soldiers while they were still fighting is one way of looking at it or instead getting involved in the political process to help end the war AND - hey at least he showed up for duty. See, they are all "stick it to 'em" points. Pro-Bush supporters bob and Pro-Kerry supporters weave & then the dance continues. Ultimately, we are alone in the voting booth or filing out our absentee ballots & we all have to make our decision in that moment.

There is one thing that I hope all of us on here can agree on, I'm just happy to live in America and have the right to vote - absentee ballots, electronic voting, etc. So many countries don't afford their citizens the right or have really rudimentary methods for voting - can you imagine having your finger nail marked with black ink to signify you voted? Finally, and I don't know about everyone, but election day can't come soon enough for me! x:-)

celeste

Ditto mwild31 - very well said! And when was the budget was balanced? Believe it or not, I am even Republican.

Dasher

[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON 10-19-04 AT 03:55PM (CST)[/font][br][br]MWild31, I am so very impressed by your thoughtful analysis and your ability to change when you see it differently.

While I too will be voting for Kerry -- if anyone could help me see that Bush would be a better choice, I would not be afraid to change. I love this country and the high ideals we try to live up to and by. Of course, it is not perfect -- but when I look at the last few years it is hard for me to believe that we have come to this.

Shadowfax

I don't like Kerry for a lot of reasons, but 'he cheated and divorced his first wife?' I thought he was widowed. If this is true (cheat) that gives me one more reason to dislike him. Are you sure?

celeste

We all have our faults. Things happen that the outside world have no way of knowing the history. Things happen that doesn't necessarily make someone a bad person, they happen for a reason. Trust me I know. I try not to judge.

lnelson

This is not where I got my information but it is unbiased.

[url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Kerry[/url]

Shadowfax

Thanks for the link, it was veryinteresting. I didn't see there that JK had 'cheated' but was surprised to learn he had a 14 year marriage with two children annulled. Guess that's a Ma/Catholic/silver serivce perk. There are lots of things I don't like about W as well, but I do feel safer as a person and as a country with W at the helm than JK, and for me, that is the only issue that matters this time up.

JudyT929

Why Kerry? Because he is the candidate of the PARTY that best reflects my personal views on major issues that I care about such as abortion/
death penalty/gun control/education/environment/
gay rights/security/etc

Basing a major decision such as choosing a president should not be based on whether or not that man is married/divorced/gay/straight/black/white/purple or whatever personal labels you might see. Take the personal issues out of the equation and vote with your brain not your emotions.

I agree in 2000 when Bush became president (not elected by the people)no one knew what was going to happen. How many people would have voted for him if he had said up front "I'm going to attack Iraq whether it's necessary or not"?

celeste

Well said Judy!!! xclap

dchr9203

Oooh! I disagree! The personal issues are important and should be considered when making an informed voter decision. Someone's personal reputation and how they've conducted themselves personally is a greater testament to their integrity and honor than anything else. Clearly, that are alot of uninformed opinions about the issues, but thank God (oops did someone find the offensive - too bad!) I live in a country where we're free to have them.

Whirlwind

> Instead of thinking like what is
>good for the country people are so divided by
>party line democrat or republican why not just
>American.
>


Well, lnelson, on the ballot I'll be marking in two weeks, "American" won't be a choice, but Democrat or Republican will be. I will vote for John Kerry in this election because he is the duly nominated candidate of the party that best represents my core values, period.

celeste

I will also be voting for John Kerry and I am a Republican!

AZHR

Hmmm...It sounds like some of you take the "easy way out" by simply marking all Democrats or all Republicans on your ballots. Whatever the party says is good enough for me....

Whirlwind

Yeah, I generally - but not always - vote the straight Democratic ticket, but it's not the easy way out. Voting my conscience, which I do not hold out as superior to anyone else's, often causes me to vote against my own financial and professional self-interest.

Don D

In this life I will not understand how anyone can personally claim that the Democrat party represents the core values they believe in. Socialism, the very decay of family values, abortion on demand, partial birth abortion, bigger and more government, taking my money and redistributing it to those who the government determines have less than me, tax and spend and tax and spend, one world order, government medicine and healthcare, 'the global test', destruction of the definition of marriage as a religious recognition of one man and one woman, removal of God and anything Godly from our schools and other institutions.

I am very afraid of people who have those principles as their personal ones. If they prevail, we will have gone the way of the Roman Empire and America will be less than a mere memory ten years after. Those who claim to be afraid of George Bush should be mighty afraid of the reflection they see in the mirror.

Thank God we have the right to go into the booth soon and make our individual choices.

irenesmsaclaims

Lest it be forgotten, millions of people were against the Vietnam war. The opposition grew exponentially for several years, until the government had no choice but to pull out. John Kerry was only one of many who spoke out against a war which then and in retrospect was very wrong. The fact that he was a veteran makes it even more unfair to be critical of him for opposing the war. I'm not sure what the history books today say, but the people and the government of South Vietnam did not want us there.

We should be more cognizant of hipocracy in our choice of a national leader, and the issues confronting us. Why isn't anyone talking about Bush's girlfriend having an abortion? Right, who cares about the past??

AZHR

"Why isn't anyone talking about Bush's girlfriend having an abortion? Right, who cares about the past??"

Because I'm sure you'd be one of the first to say, "It's the woman's right to choose", regardless of what George Bush (or any other father) may have wanted.

Whirlwind

In response, let me just sing a few bars of the Barney Song: "I scare you, you scare me, we're a happy fa-mi-ly...."

Aw, c'mon, Don -- the only time I'm afraid when I look in the mirror is when a bad hair day and a hangover coincide on the same morning. Let's not pi$$ on each other's values, okay?

Don D

I'm not pissing on your values. If you'll read my post all I'm saying is that I cannot imagine sharing them. If there is anything in my post that inaccurately describes liberalism and the platform of the Democrat party, please point it out to me. And that's the first I've heard about 'Bush's girlfriend having an abortion'; but, if she did, it should give the Democrats a feeling of exhillaration, not disdain for him or her.

Whirlwind

In the interest of time, I'll just pick one - family values. Here's an example of how I perceive the Republican party to be showing concern for family values: Shamefully, in my own state, the Republican-controlled legislature cut the CHIP program, which is basically assistance with health insurance for poor kids whose families aren't quite poor enough for Medicaid. Now all of these uninsured kids are either being taken to emergency rooms for routine illnesses, where treatment costs exponentially more than it would in a primary care setting, or their medical conditions are being allowed to worsen to the point where they are much more debilitating and expensive to treat. And of course, those unpaid emergency treatment bills are ultimatly being passed on to the taxpayers anyway, but at a much greater cost than if the ailments were treated when and how they should have been. It's a Republican two-fer: Worse care at higher costs. But, then again, the Republican party thinks it's more important for kids to have heterosexual parents than to have decent primary health care, much like they think it's more important to save embryos than kids who have already actually been born. The Republican message: Lady, when it's in your uterus, it's our business; after that, good luck.

Have a nice day. I must go ply my trade; let's see...what was it again? Oh, right: HR.

jmcaa

Whirlwind,
As a woman I resent your last statement. A woman and/or man's choice is BEFORE you have sex. Once you have chosen to embark upon having sex, there could or could not be consequences. I believe it is cowardly to have an abortion. Face the consequences, if you end up getting pregnant AFTER you have made the CHOICE to have unprotected sex, then you should have the baby and give it up for adoption if you don't want it.

I believe the CHOICE to be made is BEFORE not after sex.

I'm sure there are plenty of people who disagree with me. I feel sad for the over 800,000 women who chose to have an abortion in 2000 and the loss of 800,000 children who should have been born. Abortion is a selfish act.

ray a

jmcaa,

There are plenty of us people who agree with you too.

dchr9203

GOT THAT RIGHT! I'M IN YOUR TEAM!

MaryHR

Very well said Don

JudyT929

I think you strongly mis-state the values to further your own agenda Don. You see abortion on demand; I see a womans' right to make a decision about HER body, HER life. You see a decay in family values, if that is referring to gay marriage I see civil rights at work and will never comprehend how anyone could fear this. You see bigger and more government I see equality for more people than just the wealthy. Government medicine and healthcare? Our healthcare system has gone through so many evolutions in the 20+ years I've had dealings with it and believe it will and should continue to change-with or without the governments aid. Destruction of the definition of marriage? I don't believe that is the goal. No one is telling you what to believe, nor asking you personally to accept a gay union. Why shouldn't 2 Gay people in a "commited relationship" have the same LEGAL rights as 2 heterosexuals? Isn't that unconstitutional? Like saying that "all men are NOT created equal"? As far as God in schools, thats just not the place anymore than the workplace. I went to a catholic school all my life and religion was a big part of the agenda but I realize that not all people share that agenda/belief and they should not be forced to accept my beliefs. How would you feel if your children or grandchildren had to listen or read teachings of Buddha or Allah or whomever?

We all have a right to believe whatever we want, I may disagree with you but I'll fight for your right to think as you do.

smsbookkeeper

Very well stated. I agree with everything you said, Judy, and I will be voting for Kerry in order to keep my freedom not to share someone else's philosophy or religion.

jmcaa

That woman's right to make a decision about HER body and HER life took place when she DECIDED to have unprotected sex.

Whirlwind

You keep mentioning a woman's choice to have unprotected sex. In the first place, a woman may choose to have "protected" sex, but birth control isn't 100% effective. Secondly, a woman does not choose to be raped by a stranger, an acquaintance, or a family member. And yes-yes-yes I know that the vast majority of abortions are not the result of rape, but I would echo the same argument that the anti-gun control people espouse, namely, that if you start limiting abortions there will very soon be no abortions except for unsafe, illegal ones.

In your response to my earlier post, you stated that women who choose to have unprotected sex should just have the baby and give it up for adoption. As someone who works in an environment with severely, multiply handicapped children, I can tell you that babies with these kinds of conditions are born disproportionately to mothers who are unable to care for them, and they're not very readily adopted.