Kerry's Senate record

[Jason W]

Went through the 1st and 2nd session of the 108th Congress to see exactly what his senate record looked like. These are some of the few things that Kerry was actually there to vote for. Out of the 600+ votes, Kerry was there to vote on about 5% of them.

Source: http://www.senate.gov/pagelayout/legislative/a_three_sections_with_teasers/votes.htm

Vote: 00063
Vote Date: March 25, 2004, 05:39 PM
Measure Title: A bill to amend title 18, United States Code, and the Uniform Code of Military Justice to protect unborn children from assault and murder, and for other purposes.
Kerry (D-MA): Nay

Vote: 00402
Vote Date: October 21, 2003, 05:09 PM
Measure Title: A bill to prohibit the procedure commonly known as partial-birth abortion.
Kerry (D-MA): Nay

Vote: 00400
Vote Date: October 17, 2003, 04:49 PM
Measure Title: An original bill making emergency supplemental appropriations for Iraq and Afghanistan security and reconstruction for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2004, and for other purposes.
Kerry (D-MA): Nay

Vote: 00399
Vote Date: October 17, 2003, 04:19 PM
Statement of Purpose: To reduce the amount appropriated for reconstruction in Iraq by $600,000,000 and to increase the amount available to the Iraqi Civil Defense Corps by $50,000,000, the amount available for Afghanistan by $400,000,000, and the amount available for Liberia.
Kerry (D-MA): Nay

Vote: 00397
Vote Date: October 17, 2003, 02:19 PM
Statement of Purpose: To prohibit the use of funds for the involuntary deployment overseas in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom of members of the National Guard and Reserves who have been involuntarily deployed for more than six months during the preceding six years.
Kerry (D-MA): Yea

Vote: 00395
Vote Date: October 17, 2003, 11:43 AM
Statement of Purpose: To establish a National Commission on the Development and Use of Intelligence Related to Iraq.
Kerry (D-MA): Nay

Vote: 00394
Vote Date: October 17, 2003, 10:38 AM
Statement of Purpose: To provide funds for the prevention, treatment, and control of, and research on HIV/AIDS.
Kerry (D-MA): Nay

Vote: 00392
Vote Date: October 17, 2003, 10:02 AM
Statement of Purpose: To promote the establishment of an Iraq Reconstruction Finance Authority and the use of Iraqi oil revenues to pay for reconstruction in Iraq.
Kerry (D-MA): Nay

Vote: 00391
Vote Date: October 17, 2003, 09:44 AM
Statement of Purpose: To achieve the most effective means of reconstructing Iraq and to reduce the future costs to the American taxpayer of such reconstruction by ensuring broad-based international cooperation for this effort.
Kerry (D-MA): Nay

Vote: 00386
Vote Date: October 16, 2003, 03:39 PM
Statement of Purpose: To prohibit the use of funds for any contract or other financial agreement or arrangement with any entity that pays compensation in the form of deferred salary to certain United States Government officials.
Kerry (D-MA): Nay

Vote: 00199
Vote Date: May 23, 2003, 12:03 PM
Statement of Purpose: To extend the Temporary Unemployment Compensation Act of 2002, to provide additional weeks of temporary extended unemployment compensation, and to make extended unemployment benefits under the Railroad Unemployment Insurance Act temporarily available for employees.
Kerry (D-MA): Nay

Vote: 00165
Vote Date: May 15, 2003, 04:28 PM
Statement of Purpose: To encourage the investment of foreign earnings within the United States for productive business investments and job creation.
Kerry (D-MA): Nay

I'm curious to see how he voted in his earlier years.

[MuddyJEEP.com]

now...someone with info on kerry....job well done

[blackrsx]

good post :thumb:

[protegeownzj00]

so you have the mission statement of each bill but no clear details.... :ugh2:

[Leo]

Seriously, anyone who knows anything about government knows that these were votes that were decided overwhelmingly one way or another.


more distractions.

[blackrsx]

so you have the mission statement of each bill but no clear details.... :ugh2:

this is important as well - there could have been many useless riders along with them, I think the bigger issue is his appearance (or lack there of) at Senate votes

[Jason W]

Seriously, anyone who knows anything about government knows that these were votes that were decided overwhelmingly one way or another.


more distractions.
Ok? What's your point? Kerry was in the minority most of the time. Not all of them were landslides either.

Vote: 00063
Yeas: 61
Nays: 38

Vote: 00402
Yeas: 64
Nays: 34

Vote: 00400
Yeas: 87
Nays: 12

Vote: 00399
Yeas: 55
Nays: 43

Vote: 00397
Yeas: 82
Nays: 15

Vote: 00395
Yeas: 67
Nays: 32

Vote: 00394
Yeas: 56
Nays: 43

Vote: 00392
Yeas: 52
Nays: 47

Vote: 00391
Yeas: 55
Nays: 44

Vote: 00386
Yeas: 65
Nays: 34

Vote: 00199
Yeas: 50
Nays: 49

Vote: 00165
Yeas: 75
Nays: 25

[Leo]

ok, provide the ENTIRE text of the resolutions so we can discuss each one.
line by line.

[MuddyJEEP.com]

ok, provide the ENTIRE text of the resolutions so we can discuss each one.
line by line.
why, I dont think any of them has lines stating :
"I hate Bush, he sucks"

[Leo]

why, I dont think any of them has lines stating :
"I hate Bush, he sucks"


I sense a fear to debate issues.

[Jason W]

ok, provide the ENTIRE text of the resolutions so we can discuss each one.
line by line.
You're welcome to go look for them. I have 20 years of senate votes to look over.

[MuddyJEEP.com]

I sense a fear to debate issues.
uh...yea.....ok, sure you do :kekegay:

[CovertPenguin]

I sense a fear to debate issues.

you dont even debate u post someone elses information.. or idea

[Leo]

In an ad released July 8 the Bush campaign attacks John Kerry for missing many Senate votes but still finding time " to vote against the Laci Peterson law that protects pregnant women from violence." It's literally accurate, but artfully worded to avoid tipping off viewers to the real controversy over the bill Kerry opposed -- the legal right to abortion.

What Kerry and 34 other Democrats actually voted against was the "Unborn Victims of Violence Act ." The new law recognizes an "unborn child" as a second victim if injured or killed during certain federal crimes of violence against the mother. The bill was backed by anti-abortion groups while opponents called it an attempt to undermine abortion rights. Kerry voted for an alternative measure to accomplish the same end but without making specific reference to an "unborn child."

The ad is also misleading when it says Kerry "missed a vote to lower health-care costs by reducing frivolous lawsuits against doctors." It is true that Kerry missed that vote -- two, actually. But as we've noted before, most studies show that capping damage awards to victims of medical malpractice won't do much to slow the rising cost of health care. Besides, Kerry's vote would not have made a difference either way.

And when the ad faults Kerry for missing a vote to fund our troops, it leaves out the fact that the bill passed both houses of Congress without a single vote against it.


Analysis



The ad is true enough when it says Kerry has missed the great majority of Senate votes while campaigning for President. Where it twists the facts is in its descriptions of the bills it cites to support its argument that Kerry's priorities are misplaced.


Bush Cheney '04

"Priorities"

Bush: I'm George W. Bush and I approve this message.

Announcer: Leadership means choosing priorities. While campaigning, John Kerry has missed over two thirds of all votes.

Missed a vote to lower health-care costs by reducing frivolous lawsuits against doctors.

Missed a vote to fund our troops in combat.

Yet, Kerry found time to vote against the Laci Peterson law that protects pregnant women from violence.

Kerry has priorities. Are they yours?

Against "Protections for Pregnant Women?"

It’s a fact that Kerry voted against what the Bush ad refers to as the Laci Peterson law (H.R. 1997). The measure passed and Bush signed it into law April 1.

However, what the new law actually does is increase penalties for violence against a "child in utero" by making it a separate federal offense when the mother is the victim of certain federal crimes of violence -- such as an assault in a federal park or on a military base. Its sponsors even named it the "Unborn Victims of Violence Act," and anti-abortion groups that lobbied for it call the crime "fetal homicide."

Kerry and other abortion-rights advocates called the measure a backdoor attempt to challenge legal abortion by defining a fetus as a human being with legal protection. Kerry (and nearly half the Senate) supported a different measure that would have had the same effect without making reference to an "unborn child." That measure -- called the "Motherhood Protection Act'' by its sponsors -- would have made it a separate offense to inflict violence that “causes the termination of a pregnancy or the interruptions of the normal course of pregnancy.” It failed in a 49-50 vote with 43 other Democrats supporting it, along with Independent Sen. Jim Jeffords and four Republicans.

When the Senate passed the "unborn victims" measure, Kerry was among 38 senators voting against it, including 2 Republicans.

Missing in Action on Healthcare Costs?

Kerry did miss two votes on bills to limit medical malpractice awards, but there's little support for the claim that the bill in question would have lowered health-care costs as the ad states. Kerry's absence made no difference in the outcome anyway.

The President says that putting caps on damage awards in medical malpractice lawsuits would reduce healthcare costs by 5-9% without adversely affecting the quality of care. Yet most studies show that capping malpractice awards would have little overall impact on medical spending. For a full discussion of this, see our earlier article .
Kerry's vote would have made no difference in the outcome. Each bill would have failed with or without his presence. He missed a vote Feb. 24 on a motion to invoke cloture and thus cut off a Democratic filibuster against a bill to place caps on damage awards in medical malpractice lawsuits against obstetricians and gynecologists. And April 7 he skipped a cloture vote on a similar bill to curb awards against emergency and trauma center personnel as well as obstetricians and gynecologists.

Senate Democrats did not need Kerry’s vote to block either bill – the President fell far short of the 60 votes needed on both occasions. The February vote was 48 for, 45 against, and the April vote was 49 for, 48 against.


Missed a Vote to Fund Troops? So What?

It’s also true, as the Bush ad claims, that Kerry missed a vote to authorize defense spending and thereby "fund our troops in combat." In fact, he missed two votes. He missed one vote on an amendment (S. Amdt 3260) to authorize an extra $25 billion as a "contingent emergency reserve fund" for possible use to support operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. Kerry also missed the vote on the overall $420 billion Pentagon authorization bill (S. 2400).

However, Kerry’s absence had no practical effect. The larger authorization bill (S. 2400) passed 97-0 on June 23. Kerry was one of three senators who missed the vote. The other two were Republicans. Kerry was one of five senators who missed the 95-0 vote on June 2 to authorize the extra $25 billion "reserve fund." The missing five included two Republicans.


Sources



U.S. House of Representatives, 108th Congress, 2nd Session H.R. 1997 “Laci and Conner’s Law” or “ Unborn Victims of Violence Act 2004” Introduced 7 May 2003.

U.S. Senate Roll Call Votes 108th Congress – 2nd Session H.R. 1997 Vote #63 25 March 2004.

Juliet Eilperin, “Bills to Change Fetus’s Status Gain Support; Measures Expanding Crime Victim Designation Call Backdoor Curbs on Abortion Rights,” The Washington Post 19 July 2003.

S. Amdt 2858 to H.R. 1997 Introduced 25 March 2004.

U.S. Senate Roll Call Votes 108th Congress - 2nd Session S.2061 Vote #15 Introduced 24 Feburary 2004.

U.S. Senate Roll Call Votes 108th Congress - 2nd Session S. 2207 Vote #66 Introduced 7 April 2004.

U.S. Senate Roll Call Votes 108th Congress - 2nd Session S. Amdt 2858 Vote #61 25 March 2004.

S. Amdt 3260 to S. 2400 Introduced 2 June 2004.

U.S. Senate Roll Call Votes 108th Congress – 2nd Session S. Amdt 3260 Vote #106 2 June 2004.

U.S. Senate, 108th Congress, 2nd Session S. 2400, “National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2005” Proposed 11 May 2004.

U.S. Senate Roll Call Votes 108th Congress - 2nd Session S.2400 Vote #146 Introduced 23 June 2004.

[Leo]

you dont even debate u post someone elses information.. or idea


sorry, I don't read from limbaugh.com

[Mobil1]

texasleo, your posts have led me to believe that you are a left wing extremist who is supporting kerry simply because you dislike george bush. you do nothing but post propaganda and then dismiss facts as "distractions" when they are written out in plain english. :-/

[Leo]

texasleo, your posts have led me to believe that you are a left wing extremist who is supporting kerry simply because you dislike george bush. you do nothing but post propaganda and then dismiss facts as "distractions" when they are written out in plain english. :-/


How am I a left-wing extremist?


I am anti-Bush, sure.

But please provide something I have written about abortion, or the militray, or religion or anything that backs up your assertion.

[Mobil1]

How am I a left-wing extremist?


I am anti-Bush, sure.

But please provide something I have written about abortion, or the militray, or religion or anything that backs up your assertion.maybe left wing extremist isnt the right wording...how about left wing propagandist? :D

http://www.houston-imports.com/forums/showthread.php?t=113993 this is the thread that led me to believe this...

seriously, how can you simply dismiss john kerry's voting record as a distraction? it is the clearest window we have in to what sort of president he will be and how well he and a dominantly republican congress will work together...if george bush had been a senator before he was president i would have scrutinized his voting record just as harshly as i do kerrys, kerry could be the next president of the united states for heavens sake...his political decisions deserve to be put under a microscope.

[Jason W]

How am I a left-wing extremist?


I am anti-Bush, sure.

But please provide something I have written about abortion, or the militray, or religion or anything that backs up your assertion.
Please. You post nothing but copied articles. Relying on others to come up with your arguements.

Let's review your threads in this forum this far:

Group Attacks Kerry's War Record (http://www.houston-imports.com/forums/showthread.php?t=114031) - article
Dear Big Media, (http://www.houston-imports.com/forums/showthread.php?t=114004) - article
Bush is incompetent (http://www.houston-imports.com/forums/showthread.php?t=113993) - article
Bush & Kerry should debate military service (http://www.houston-imports.com/forums/showthread.php?t=113996) - article (which btw leaves out the fact that Kerry applied for a student deferment to study in Paris, when being denied this he signs up for the US Navy Reserves)
Where Was George? (http://www.houston-imports.com/forums/showthread.php?t=113714) - article
Bush Wore a Ribbon He Did Not Earn (http://www.houston-imports.com/forums/showthread.php?t=113866) - article
Bush should have reacted differently (http://www.houston-imports.com/forums/showthread.php?t=113963) - article
Did bush protect America or Israel? (http://www.houston-imports.com/forums/showthread.php?t=113934) - article
Vietnam-era 'chickenhawks' (http://www.houston-imports.com/forums/showthread.php?t=113842) - article
George Bush's medals (http://www.houston-imports.com/forums/showthread.php?t=113845) - here's a change, link

article, article, article... on and on.

I'll give you one thing though, you are no extremist. The authors of your articles are the extremists.

[Leo]

maybe left wing extremist isnt the right wording...how about left wing propagandist? :D

http://www.houston-imports.com/forums/showthread.php?t=113993 this is the thread that led me to believe this...

seriously, how can you simply dismiss john kerry's voting record as a distraction? it is the clearest window we have in to what sort of president he will be and how well he and a dominantly republican congress will work together...if george bush had been a senator before he was president i would have scrutinized his voting record just as harshly as i do kerrys, he could be the next president of the united states for heavens sake...his political decisions deserve to be put under a microscope.



Kerry has to stand by his record. Remember that Cheney voted in support of Apartheid when he was in congress. Or did he?

And, Paul, you have no idea what it is to be a left-winger.
Left-wingers hate America, Christianty, Cops, and the Military.

I love my country and I know that it is the greatest in the world.
I am a Christian.
I support the police and am in favor of strong tactics such as were used in NYC during the '90s.
I strongly support our troops and feel that they are overworked and underpaid. Even though they are in a war that I disagreed with from the start, it does not mean that they are wrong. They are actually are bravest patriots. Many of them understand that Iraq is a lost cause yet they continue to work hard every day.


The link above is to provide a description of what had happened under Bush, it may have been assemled by someone who is a left-winger, but that does not make it untrue.

[Leo]

I'll give you one thing though, you are no extremist. The authors of your articles are the extremists.


I'm sure that they are extremists, but how do you refute what they have written.

You can start a thread where we actually discuss issues and how people feel about them.
There will be no need to copy/paste or even a need to provide sources.

[MuddyJEEP.com]

I'm sure that they are extremists, but how do you refute what they have written.

You can start a thread where we actually discuss issues and how people feel about them.
There will be no need to copy/paste or even a need to provide sources.
I would think by now we all know how each of us feels......I started the political doo in hopes of others seeing some facts and really tryning to understand some issues in hopes of them getting smarter and voting on facts instead of all the hearsay.......then it went to its own forum and we see the same people hashing it out....I am as guilty as any.....I doubt very seriously that ANY vote has been swayed by all of this

[Mobil1]

And, Paul, you have no idea what it is to be a left-winger.
Left-wingers hate America, Christianty, Cops, and the Military. left wingers....hate....america? they hate christianity? they hate cops and the military?

tell me youre kidding. left wingers do not hate america or any of the other things you have listed. they simply feel different about them than moderates or right wingers do. :eh:

i just wish people would stop posting opinions and start debating relevant facts, its what ive been asking people in this forum to do from the beginning.

i dont care what side the opinions are coming from, limbaigh, oreilly, whichever left wing editors or commentators, it doesnt matter, its still an opinion. :(

[blackrsx]

i just wish people would stop posting opinions and start debating relevant facts, its what ive been asking people in this forum to do from the beginning.

i dont care what side the opinions are coming from, limbaigh, oreilly, whichever left wing editors or commentators, it doesnt matter, its still an opinion. :(

opinions are what make the world of politics go round my friend - if everything were cold hard facts then there would be no need for a government since computers would long ago have replaced every decision maker :-/

[Mobil1]

opinions are what make the world of politics go round my friend - if everything were cold hard facts then there would be no need for a government since computers would long ago have replaced every decision maker :-/but the problem with debating issues armed with nothing but opinion is that nothing is ever solved. if we were to analyze kerrys senate record using only the facts we could come to firm conclusions as to why he voted the way he did and what it could mean for the future of our country if he is elected president. by debating from a bias point of view we accomplish nothing, we should be collectively analyzing the pros and cons of both candidates instead of just slinging mud at them.

[95PreludeSi]

I have previously reviewed Kerry's senate voting record, particularly the parts which he "flip-flopped" his stance. Given the time and state of the country I can't say I would have voted any different in any of those issues.

Texasleo was correct in that for those records you posted one must read every line of the bill in order to really know what Kerry was voting for or against. The title doesn't necessarily describe every line in a bill.

[95PreludeSi]

but the problem with debating issues armed with nothing but opinion is that nothing is ever solved. if we were to analyze kerrys senate record using only the facts we could come to firm conclusions as to why he voted the way he did and what it could mean for the future of our country if he is elected president. by debating from a bias point of view we accomplish nothing, we should be collectively analyzing the pros and cons of both candidates instead of just slinging mud at them.


The problem is the majority of people have their minds made up and will not and cannot be rationalized with.

[MuddyJEEP.com]

I have previously reviewed Kerry's senate voting record, particularly the parts which he "flip-flopped" his stance. Given the time and state of the country I can't say I would have voted any different in any of those issues.

Texasleo was correct in that for those records you posted one must read every line of the bill in order to really know what Kerry was voting for or against. The title doesn't necessarily describe every line in a bill.

very true indeed...they like to hide a bunch of bs issues in with popular bills, hoping they get passed in blanket form......there were reasons he chose to vote how he did......when he decided to show up....

[CovertPenguin]

sorry, I don't read from limbaugh.com

Too bad i dont.. and too bad u still have no intellectual opinion of ur own..