Kerry Says White House Is Engaged in 'Extremism'
By DAVID M. HALBFINGER
Published: February 8, 2004
RICHMOND, Feb. 7 — Senator John Kerry on Saturday challenged Republican assertions that he was too liberal for America with a sharp-edged characterization of his own: that President Bush was pursuing an "extremist" agenda that was "fundamentally at odds with our history and our hopes."
As he rolled to victories in caucuses in Michigan and Washington, Mr. Kerry campaigned in Tennessee and Virginia, where he is hoping to shut out his two Southern-born rivals, Senator John Edwards and Gen. Wesley K. Clark, in primaries on Tuesday. And he unveiled a new speech in which he positioned himself in the "mainstream" and in favor of fiscal responsibility, law and order, a strong defense and aid to veterans.
"I want to make it clear: We Democrats will not run from a debate about who represents mainstream America," Mr. Kerry said at the Virginia Democratic Party's Jefferson-Jackson Day dinner here. "We welcome it."
The three major Democrats competing in the state all appeared at the dinner, as did the Rev. Al Sharpton, who followed Gov. Mark Warner of Virginia in addressing nearly 2,000 raucous party activists. But it was the gathering momentum of Mr. Kerry, whom Mr. Warner was expected to endorse Sunday morning, that provided the evening's backdrop.
"This administration has followed the extreme path of the first administration in the history of our nation, when we are at war, to give the highest tax cuts in history to the wealthiest Americans," Mr. Kerry said.
"It is no secret," he said, "that the extreme policies of this administration have watched and squandered goodwill, while manufacturing jobs in our nation are going overseas — three million jobs lost. The stock market, according to Elaine Chao, the secretary of labor, is the final indicator of an economy. That's their view of a world in which corporate profits have gone up 46 percent, while workers' pay increased only three cents on the hour, and workers lost $1,500 on the year. Well, let us make it clear — it is not our mark."
Posted by P6 at February 8, 2004 10:36 AM
Trackback URL: http://www.niggerati.net/mt/mt-tb.cgi/292
Comments
It's funny that they always use that term 'extremism' but never point out what they are talking about. Since P6 agrees with that characterization, perhaps he can explain.
The loss of manufacturing jobs is not a product of any policy of the president. In fact, as a percentage of GDP, manufacturing has remained the same. We are still producing the same output from the manufacturing sector as before. The 'loss' is a result of greater efficiency. Jobs are not commodities. They don't 'get sent overseas.' That is a ridiculous assertion.
As far as the 'extremism' charge, if the WH policies are 'extreme,' then why are those who are most often vilified as 'extremists' (libertarians, fiscal conservatives, Club for Growth, Wall Street Journal, National Review-types) all angry at Bush for abandoning his base?
It is probably a waste of effort on my part. He is trying to appeal to the stupid malinformed block.
I don't know who YOU'RE trying to appeal to. Your name-calling is starting to piss me off.
Sure I could explain, but I don'tthink you're really interested. You put some silliness in a comment, someone responds cogently with documentable facts and you move on to another post formed under the same mistaken(? I'm being charitable) impression that has been refuted over and over.
Repetition doesn't make it right. And if your insults push me into actual annoyance, I'll just ban you. But it won't be for your opinion. It'll be for your approach.
Posted by P6 at February 9, 2004 06:56 AM