Town of Braintree

''I'm a liberal and proud of it

-- ''John Kerry. In his 20 years in the Senate, he's been a standard-issue Massachusetts liberal, with a lifetime rating from Americans for Democratic Action of 93 on their 0-100 scale. By contrast, the other Senator from the Bay State, Teddy Kennedy, has a lifetime rating of 88. ''That makes Kennedy the conservative of the two,'' chortled Republican National Chairman Ed Gillespie as he visited New Hampshire last week on an anti-Democratic strafing run.'' -- James Pinkerton, 1/26/04

-- ''On Key Votes, Kerry Voted 100% Of The Time With Senator Kennedy In 2001, 1999, 1998, 1993, 1992, 1989, 1988, 1987, 1986, and 1985. Over the course of his Senate career, Kerry has sided with Senator Kennedy 94% of the time for key votes.'' -- The Republican National Committee

-- ''Kerry And Kennedy Had Exactly The Same Low Rating From The American Conservative Union In Both 2001 (4%) And 2000 (12%). Kerry?’s lifetime rating from the ACU is 5.'' -- The Republican National Committee

-- ''Kerry then went on to promise that the 8 million to 12 million illegal aliens in the U.S. would be given a ?“path to citizenship?” in his first 100 days in office.'' -- Matt Hayes at FOXNews describes a promise made by John Kerry in a speech at the national conference of the race identity group La Raza (The Race).

-- ''I'm a Christian. I've read the Bible and I know you can find the clauses that go both ways (on gay marriage). I'm not here to argue that with you.'' -- John Kerry on March, 2004

''(John Kerry is a) down-the-line liberal who won election as Lieutenant-Governor by emphasizing his anti-war credentials.'' -- The Economist, 4/21/84

-- ''They talk about the top bracket and going after only those people in the top bracket. Well, the fact of the matter is a great many of our small businesses pay taxes under the personal income taxes rather than the corporate rate. And about 900,000 small businesses will be hit if you do, in fact, do what they want to do with the top bracket. That's not smart because seven out of 10 new jobs in America are created by small businesses. You do not want to tax them. It's a bad idea to increase the burden on those folks. The senator himself said, during the course of the primaries, that the Kerry plan would drive us deeper into deficit. Those were the senator's word about his running-mate.'' -- Dick Cheney in his debate with John Edwards

-- ''Of course (John Kerry) going to raise your taxes. You see, he's proposed $2.2 trillion in new spending. ... Now, either he's going to break all these wonderful promises he's told you about or he's going to raise taxes. And I suspect, given his record, he's going to raise taxes.'' -- George Bush in his third debate with John Kerry

-- ''Kerry has compiled a generally more liberal voting record. After winning election to the Senate in 1984, he ranked among the most-liberal senators during three years of his first term, according to National Journal?’s vote ratings. In those years - 1986, 1988, and 1990 - Kerry did not vote with Senate conservatives a single time?… Kerry had a perfect liberal rating on social issues during 10 of the 18 years in which he received a score, meaning that he did not side with conservatives on a single vote in those years. That included his 1996 vote, with 13 other Senate Democrats, against the Defense of Marriage Act, which prohibited federal recognition of states?’ same-sex marriage laws. -- The National Journal on Feb 27, 2004

-- ''(The) Nonpartisan National Journal Scored Kerry?’s Votes Most Liberal In Senate For 2003.'' -- Republican National Committee

-- ''I'm a liberal and proud of it''. -- John Kerry on July 21, 1991

By Teddy Kennedy,

TIME Poll: Bush Opens 5 Point Le

Kerry Loses Ground on the Economy, Health Care, War on Terrorism, Gender

TIME Poll: Bush Opens 5 Point Lead Against Kerry
Among likely voters, 51% support Bush, 46% support Kerry, and 2% support Nader
Friday, Oct. 22, 2004
President Bush has opened a 5 point lead against Senator John Kerry, according the latest TIME poll. If the 2004 election for President were held today, 51% of likely voters surveyed would vote for President George W. Bush, 46% would vote for Senator John Kerry, and 2% would vote for Ralph Nader, according to the TIME poll conducted by telephone from Oct. 19 ?– 21. Among all registered voters surveyed, Bush leads Kerry 50% to 43%.

Last week?’s TIME poll found 48% of likely voters would vote for Bush, 47% would vote for Kerry, and 3% would vote for Nader. That poll was conducted Oct. 14-15 and included 865 likely voters.

Poll results will appear in the upcoming issue of TIME magazine, on newsstands Monday, Oct. 25. See methodology below for margin of error and sample size information.

Approval Rating: Bush?’s approval rating has risen to 53%, with 44% saying they disapprove of how he is handling his job. That is a four-point improvement over just last week, when Bush?’s negatives were even with his positives. In last week?’s TIME poll, the President?’s approval rating was at 49% approving and 49% disapproving of the way he was handling his job.
Terrorism Tied with Economy as Top Issue:
The war on terror is tied with the economy as the most important issue in the election, with 24% of registered voters saying terrorism is the most important issue and 24% saying the economy is the most important issue. Iraq was the top issue for 18% of respondents, followed by health care (14%) and moral values (14%), according to the poll.

Kerry Loses Ground on the Economy, Health Care, War on Terrorism, Gender:

The Economy: When asked who they trust more to handle the economy, 46% of registered voters said they trusted Bush, while 45% said they trusted Kerry. In last week?’s TIME poll, almost half (49%) trusted Kerry, while 43% trusted Bush more to handle the economy.

Health Care: When asked who they trust more to handle health care, 46% said they trust Kerry more, while 42% said they trust Bush. This is a five point drop for Kerry from last week?’s TIME poll, when over half (51%) trusted Kerry more to handle health care, and 38% trusted Bush.
War on terrorism: Over half (56%) of those surveyed trust Bush more to handle the war on terrorism, while 37% trust Kerry more to handle the war on terrorism. Last week the gap was more narrow, with Bush at 51% and Kerry at 40%.
Gender: Women are now evenly split, with 46% favoring Kerry and 46% favoring Bush. Two weeks ago, TIME?’s poll found 50% of respondents favored Kerry and 42% favored Bush. Among men, this week?’s TIME poll found Bush leads among men 54% to 39% for Kerry.

Iraq:Over half (51%) trust Bush more to handle the situation in Iraq, while 41% trust Kerry more.

Favorables of Bush, Kerry: When asked if they have a favorable or unfavorable opinion of President Bush, 51% say they have a favorable opinion of the President, while 42% have an unfavorable opinion of him.

When asked if they have a favorable or unfavorable opinion of Senator Kerry, 45% say they have a favorable opinion of the Senator, while 42% have a unfavorable opinion of him.
Independent.



By latest TIME poll

An election all about values

The puzzle of the 2004 election is why it should be as close as 2000. Why aren't the Democrats way ahead? After all, the vast bulk of middle- and working-class Americans are being financially squeezed between slowly rising wages and escalating costs for oil, healthcare, and education, and the war on terrorism is seen through the prism of TV news on Iraq, which focuses on horrific pictures of terrorist violence. Yet President Bush retains a narrow lead in many national polls and is doing well in many battleground states, and the Republicans continue to lead at the congressional level. What's up? The Democrats, you'd think, would be able to exploit the fact that many workers are no longer on an automatic escalator to the middle class. In the mid-1960s, when auto and steelworker unionists could enjoy a middle-class life with one paycheck, three quarters of them didn't have a high school degree. Today, when most people don't work in factories, American households still have a modest median income of roughly $43,000 a year. More people work in doctors' offices than in auto plants, and in dry cleaners than in steel mills. But their economic condition bears little resemblance to that of the suburban, college-educated professional we hear so much about. Middle-class and working-class incomes have barely budged in the past several decades, and a huge gap has opened up between the top 20 percent of the income spectrum, especially those with college degrees and advanced degrees, and those with only a high school diploma or who are high school dropouts.

By college-educated professional