NationStates Jolt Archive


Election issues

Snowboarding Maniacs
05-10-2004, 22:41
I'm tired of all the accusations being flung around that have been repeated by so many people this election season, so here I'm going to take some of the issues that I think of offhand, see what I can find about them, and include sources. If anyone has any objections or arguments to what I post, and wants to refute any point, include sources. If your information isn't verifiable, I don't want to hear it. Here goes.

$87 Billion
Kerry: I actually did vote for the $87 billion before I voted against it

Kerry was referring to a measure he co-sponsored that would have provided the $87 billion while also temporarily reversing Bush's tax cuts for those making $400,000 a year or more. That measure was rejected 57-42.
Source: http://www.factcheck.org/article.aspx?docid=155

Kerry Absent 70% of the time
This one is rather painful for me to post, but I'm being as objective as possible in this post, so here it is.
Official records show Kerry not present for at least 76% of public hearings held during his eight years on the panel, and possibly 78% (the record of one hearing is ambiguous).

Kerry points out that most meetings of the Intelligence Committee are closed and attendance records of those meetings aren't public, hinting that his attendance might have been better at the non-public proceedings. But Kerry could ask that his attendance records be made public, and hasn't.
However, toward the end of the page in the same article, it shows that the Bush ad is still somewhat misleading.
The Bush ad also says Kerry was absent for every single Intelligence Committee meeting during the year "after the first terrorist attack on the World Trade Center." That's true. The official records list four public hearings in 1994 -- the year after terrorists set off a truck bomb in the Trade Center's underground garage -- and Kerry is listed as attending none of them. However, those who don't listen carefully to the exact wording of the ad might get the impression that Kerry skipped Intelligence Committee hearings even after the second terrorist attacks -- on September 11, 2001. That would create a false impression. In fact, Kerry left the committee months before the 9/11 attacks.
Source: http://www.factcheck.org/article.aspx?docid=241

Kerry's 1971 Senate Anti-War Testimony
This one is pretty tough to sum up in a paragraph or two. I recommend you follow this link (http://www.factcheck.org/article.aspx?docid=244) and take 5 or 10 minutes to read through it yourself.
Also, here (http://www.c-span.org/vote2004/jkerrytestimony.asp) is the entire testimony.

OK, that's enough for me for now, anything else anybody wants to talk about? If you do, let me know, and I'll see what I can find about it. Please keep this thread as civil as possible. I'm looking for intelligent conversation. Also, if anybody knows of any other good unbiased websites to double check facts easily, please let me know.
BastardSword
05-10-2004, 22:50
http://www.c-span.org/vote2004/jkerrytestimony.asp
Your link of speech

http://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1121957/posts
My link

Close but eh.

Very good presentations. I agree that the statements used against Kerry are mostly inaccurate.

Fact check wouldn't open page for me. Server not found...
Snowboarding Maniacs
05-10-2004, 22:55
I just double checked all my links...one didn't work for me, I fixed it. All the rest worked fine, so I don't know why it was giving you problems... :confused:
BastardSword
05-10-2004, 23:01
I just double checked all my links...one didn't work for me, I fixed it. All the rest worked fine, so I don't know why it was giving you problems... :confused:
Seems fixed now.
Snowboarding Maniacs
05-10-2004, 23:11
OK, time for me to go eat now...hopefully when I get back there'll be some good discussion going on. :)
Snowboarding Maniacs
06-10-2004, 01:55
*bump*