Ok, you got me. I'm John Kerry.
DISGUSTED? Weeks ago, John Zogby pointed out
on his website that 47% of democrats don't just disagree with Bush--they
personally despise him. Among undecideds, Bush's job approval rating is 30%.
Thus, Zogby gives Kerry a 80-100 point advantage in the electoral college. In
4 years, we have gone from the largest federal budget surplus we have ever had
to the largest deficit we have ever had; From the largest job growth we have
ever had, to the first president since Herbert Hoover to have a net decline of
jobs during his tenure. Investors have done worse than during the Wategate
years.
Bush's Chairman of the Council of Economic advisors believes that outsourcing
is good for the country (don't laugh, he said it); Certainly, we could find
someone in Bangalore, India who could do a better job.
====================
1. Social Security Surplus
BUSH PLEDGES NOT TO TOUCH SOCIAL SECURITY SURPLUS... "We're going to
keep the promise of Social Security and keep the government from
raiding the Social Security surplus." [President Bush, 3/3/01] ...BUSH
SPENDS SOCIAL SECURITY SURPLUS The New York Times reported that "the
president's new budget uses Social Security surpluses to pay for other
programs every year through 2013, ultimately diverting more than $1.4
trillion in Social Security funds to other purposes." [The New York
Times, 2/6/02]
2. Patient's Right to Sue
GOVERNOR BUSH VETOES PATIENTS' RIGHT TO SUE... "Despite his campaign
rhetoric in favor of a patients' bill of rights, Bush fought such a
bill tooth and nail as Texas governor, vetoing a bill coauthored by
Republican state Rep. John Smithee in 1995. He... constantly opposed a
patient's right to sue an HMO over coverage denied that resulted in
adverse health effects." [Salon, 2/7/01] ...CANDIDATE BUSH PRAISES
TEXAS PATIENTS' RIGHT TO SUE... "We're one of the first states that
said you can sue an HMO for denying you proper coverage... It's time
for our nation to come together and do what's right for the people.
And I think this is right for the people. You know, I support a
national patients' bill of rights, Mr. Vice President. And I want all
people covered. I don't want the law to supersede good law like we've
got in Texas." [Governor Bush, 10/17/00] ...PRESIDENT BUSH'S
ADMINISTRATION ARGUES AGAINST RIGHT TO SUE "To let two Texas
consumers, Juan Davila and Ruby R. Calad, sue their managed-care
companies for wrongful denials of medical benefits ‘would be to
completely undermine' federal law regulating employee benefits,
Assistant Solicitor General James A. Feldman said at oral argument
March 23. Moreover, the administration's brief attacked the policy
rationale for Texas's law, which is similar to statutes on the books
in nine other states." [Washington Post, 4/5/04]
3. Tobacco Buyout
BUSH SUPPORTS CURRENT TOBACCO FARMERS' QUOTA SYSTEM... "They've got
the quota system in place -- the allotment system -- and I don't think
that needs to be changed." [President Bush, 5/04] ...BUSH
ADMINISTRATION WILL SUPPORT FEDERAL BUYOUT OF TOBACCO QUOTAS "The
administration is open to a buyout." [White House spokeswoman Jeanie
Mamo, 6/18/04]
4. North Korea
BUSH WILL NOT OFFER NUCLEAR NORTH KOREA INCENTIVES TO DISARM... "We
developed a bold approach under which, if the North addressed our
long-standing concerns, the United States was prepared to take
important steps that would have significantly improved the lives of
the North Korean people. Now that North Korea's covert nuclear weapons
program has come to light, we are unable to pursue this approach."
[President's Statement, 11/15/02] ...BUSH ADMINISTRATION OFFERS NORTH
KOREA INCENTIVES TO DISARM"Well, we will work to take steps to ease
their political and economic isolation. So there would be -- what you
would see would be some provisional or temporary proposals that would
only lead to lasting benefit after North Korea dismantles its nuclear
programs. So there would be some provisional or temporary efforts of
that nature." [White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan, 6/23/04]
5. Abortion
BUSH SUPPORTS A WOMAN'S RIGHT TO CHOOSE... "Bush said he...favors
leaving up to a woman and her doctor the abortion question." [The
Nation, 6/15/00, quoting the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal, 5/78] ...BUSH
OPPOSES A WOMAN'S RIGHT TO CHOOSE "I am pro-life." [Governor Bush,
10/3/00]
6. OPEC
BUSH PROMISES TO FORCE OPEC TO LOWER PRICES... "What I think the
president ought to do [when gas prices spike] is he ought to get on
the phone with the OPEC cartel and say we expect you to open your
spigots...And the president of the United States must jawbone OPEC
members to lower the price." [President Bush, 1/26/00] ...BUSH REFUSES
TO LOBBY OPEC LEADERS With gas prices soaring in the United States at
the beginning of 2004, the Miami Herald reported the president refused
to "personally lobby oil cartel leaders to change their minds." [Miami
Herald, 4/1/04]
7. Iraq Funding
BUSH SPOKESMAN DENIES NEED FOR ADDITIONAL FUNDS FOR THE REST OF
2004... "We do not anticipate requesting supplemental funding for '04"
[White House Budget Director Joshua Bolton, 2/2/04] ...BUSH REQUESTS
ADDITIONAL FUNDS FOR IRAQ FOR 2004 "I am requesting that Congress
establish a $25 billion contingency reserve fund for the coming fiscal
year to meet all commitments to our troops." [President Bush,
Statement by President, 5/5/04]
8. Condoleeza Rice Testimony
BUSH SPOKESMAN SAYS RICE WON'T TESTIFY AS 'A MATTER OF PRINCIPLE'...
"Again, this is not her personal preference; this goes back to a
matter of principle. There is a separation of powers issue involved
here. Historically, White House staffers do not testify before
legislative bodies. So it's a matter of principle, not a matter of
preference." [White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan, 3/9/04]
....BUSH ORDERS RICE TO TESTIFY: "Today I have informed the Commission
on Terrorist Attacks Against the United States that my National
Security Advisor, Dr. Condoleezza Rice, will provide public
testimony." [President Bush, 3/30/04]
9. Science
BUSH PLEDGES TO ISSUE REGULATIONS BASED ON SCIENCE..."I think we ought
to have high standards set by agencies that rely upon science, not by
what may feel good or what sounds good." [then-Governor George W.
Bush, 1/15/00] ...BUSH ADMINISTRATION REGULATIONS IGNORE SCIENCE "60
leading scientists—including Nobel laureates, leading medical experts,
former federal agency directors and university chairs and
presidents—issued a statement calling for regulatory and legislative
action to restore scientific integrity to federal policymaking.
According to the scientists, the Bush administration has, among other
abuses, suppressed and distorted scientific analysis from federal
agencies, and taken actions that have undermined the quality of
scientific advisory panels." [Union of Concerned Scientists, 2/18/04]
10. Ahmed Chalabi
BUSH INVITES CHALABI TO STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS...President Bush
also met with Chalabi during his brief trip to Iraq last Thanksgiving
[White House Documents 1/20/04, 11/27/03] ...BUSH MILITARY ASSISTS IN
RAID OF CHALABI'S HOUSE "U.S. soldiers raided the home of America's
one-time ally Ahmad Chalabi on Thursday and seized documents and
computers." [Washington Post, 5/20/04]
11. Department of Homeland Security
BUSH OPPOSES THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY..."So, creating a
Cabinet office doesn't solve the problem. You still will have agencies
within the federal government that have to be coordinated. So the
answer is that creating a Cabinet post doesn't solve anything." [White
House spokesman Ari Fleischer, 3/19/02] ...BUSH SUPPORTS THE
DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY "So tonight, I ask the Congress to
join me in creating a single, permanent department with an overriding
and urgent mission: securing the homeland of America and protecting
the American people." [President Bush, Address to the Nation, 6/6/02]
12. Weapons of Mass Destruction
BUSH SAYS WE FOUND THE WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION..."We found the
weapons of mass destruction. We found biological laboratories...for
those who say we haven't found the banned manufacturing devices or
banned weapons, they're wrong, we found them." [President Bush,
Interview in Poland, 5/29/03] ...BUSH SAYS WE HAVEN'T FOUND WEAPONS OF
MASS DESTRUCTION "David Kay has found the capacity to produce
weapons.And when David Kay goes in and says we haven't found
stockpiles yet, and there's theories as to where the weapons went.
They could have been destroyed during the war. Saddam and his henchmen
could have destroyed them as we entered into Iraq. They could be
hidden. They could have been transported to another country, and we'll
find out." [President Bush, Meet the Press, 2/7/04]
13. Free Trade
BUSH SUPPORTS FREE TRADE... "I believe strongly that if we promote
trade, and when we promote trade, it will help workers on both sides
of this issue." [President Bush in Peru, 3/23/02] ...BUSH SUPPORTS
RESTRICTIONS ON TRADE "In a decision largely driven by his political
advisers, President Bush set aside his free-trade principles last year
and imposed heavy tariffs on imported steel to help out struggling
mills in Pennsylvania and West Virginia, two states crucial for his
reelection." [Washington Post, 9/19/03]
14. Osama Bin Laden
BUSH WANTS OSAMA DEAD OR ALIVE... "I want justice. And there's an old
poster out West, I recall, that says, 'Wanted: Dead or Alive.'"
[President Bush, on Osama Bin Laden, 09/17/01] ...BUSH DOESN'T CARE
ABOUT OSAMA "I don't know where he is.You know, I just don't spend
that much time on him... I truly am not that concerned about
him."[President Bush, Press Conference, 3/13/02]
15. The Environment
BUSH SUPPORTS MANDATORY CAPS ON CARBON DIOXIDE... "[If elected],
Governor Bush will work to...establish mandatory reduction targets for
emissions of four main pollutants: sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide,
mercury and carbon dioxide." [Bush Environmental Plan, 9/29/00]
....BUSH OPPOSES MANDATORY CAPS ON CARBON DIOXIDE "I do not believe,
however, that the government should impose on power plants mandatory
emissions reductions for carbon dioxide, which is not a 'pollutant'
under the Clean Air Act." [President Bush, Letter to Sen. Chuck Hagel
(R-NE), 3/13/03]
16. WMD Commission
BUSH RESISTS AN OUTSIDE INVESTIGATION ON WMD INTELLIGENCE FAILURE...
"The White House immediately turned aside the calls from Kay and many
Democrats for an immediate outside investigation, seeking to head off
any new wide-ranging election-year inquiry that might go beyond
reports already being assembled by congressional committees and the
Central Intelligence Agency." [NY Times, 1/29/04] ...BUSH SUPPORTS AN
OUTSIDE INVESTIGATION ON WMD INTELLIGENCE FAILURE "Today, by executive
order, I am creating an independent commission, chaired by Governor
and former Senator Chuck Robb, Judge Laurence Silberman, to look at
American intelligence capabilities, especially our intelligence about
weapons of mass destruction." [President Bush, 2/6/04]
17. Creation of the 9/11 Commission
BUSH OPPOSES CREATION OF INDEPENDENT 9/11 COMMISSION... "President
Bush took a few minutes during his trip to Europe Thursday to voice
his opposition to establishing a special commission to probe how the
government dealt with terror warnings before Sept. 11." [CBS News,
5/23/02] ...BUSH SUPPORTS CREATION OF INDEPENDENT 9/11 COMMISSION
"President Bush said today he now supports establishing an independent
commission to investigate the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks." [ABC News,
09/20/02]
18. Time Extension for 9/11 Commission
BUSH OPPOSES TIME EXTENSION FOR 9/11 COMMISSION... "President Bush and
House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) have decided to oppose
granting more time to an independent commission investigating the
Sept. 11, 2001, attacks." [Washington Post, 1/19/04] ...BUSH SUPPORTS
TIME EXTENSION FOR 9/11 COMMISSION "The White House announced
Wednesday its support for a request from the commission investigating
the September 11, 2001 attacks for more time to complete its work."
[CNN, 2/4/04]
19. One Hour Limit for 9/11 Commission Testimony
BUSH LIMITS TESTIMONY IN FRONT OF 9/11 COMMISSION TO ONE HOUR...
"President Bush and Vice President **** Cheney have placed strict
limits on the private interviews they will grant to the federal
commission investigating the Sept. 11 attacks, saying that they will
meet only with the panel's top two officials and that Mr. Bush will
submit to only a single hour of questioning, commission members said
Wednesday." [NY Times, 2/26/04] ...BUSH SETS NO TIMELIMIT FOR
TESTIMONY "The president's going to answer all of the questions they
want to raise. Nobody's watching the clock." [White House spokesman
Scott McClellan, 3/10/04]
20. Gay Marriage
BUSH SAYS GAY MARRIAGE IS A STATE ISSUE... "The state can do what they
want to do. Don't try to trap me in this state's issue like you're
trying to get me into." [Gov. George W. Bush on Gay Marriage, Larry
King Live, 2/15/00] ...BUSH SUPPORTS CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT BANNING
GAY MARRIAGE "Today I call upon the Congress to promptly pass, and to
send to the states for ratification, an amendment to our Constitution
defining and protecting marriage as a union of man and woman as
husband and wife." [President Bush, 2/24/04]
21. Nation Building
BUSH OPPOSES NATION BUILDING... "If we don't stop extending our troops
all around the world in nation-building missions, then we're going to
have a serious problem coming down the road." [Gov. George W. Bush,
10/3/00] ...BUSH SUPPORTS NATION BUILDING "We will be changing the
regime of Iraq, for the good of the Iraqi people." [President Bush,
3/6/03]
22. Saddam/al Qaeda Link
BUSH SAYS IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO DISTINGUISH BETWEEEN AL QAEDA AND
SADDAM... "You can't distinguish between al Qaeda and Saddam when you
talk about the war on terror." [President Bush, 9/25/02] ...BUSH SAYS
SADDAM HAD NO ROLE IN AL QAEDA PLOT "We've had no evidence that Saddam
Hussein was involved in Sept. 11." [President Bush, 9/17/03]
23. U.N. Resolution
BUSH VOWS TO HAVE A UN VOTE NO MATTER WHAT... "No matter what the whip
count is, we're calling for the vote. We want to see people stand up
and say what their opinion is about Saddam Hussein and the utility of
the United Nations Security Council. And so, you bet. It's time for
