Thomas Sowell: Missing years -

Townhall.com ^ | July 31, 2004 | Thomas Sowell

[UnklGene]

Missing years -

Thomas Sowell

July 31, 2004

We all know that Senator John Kerry was in the Vietnam war. He repeatedly reminds us of it at every opportunity. He also repeats the great things he will accomplish when he becomes President of the United States. What he says very little about is what he has actually accomplished in the three decades in between.

That is very appropriate because he has accomplished very little in his 19 years in the Senate. Can you name a single piece of major legislation that has Senator Kerry's name on it? Don't be embarrassed if you can't because there is none.

What was John Kerry doing before he became a Senator? He tells us that he was a prosecutor. What he does not mention is that he was also lieutenant governor when Michael Dukakis was governor of Massachusetts.

This is the same Michael Dukakis who ran for President in 1988 while trying to run away from his liberal-left record, and who tried to cover up his typical liberal anti-military bias by being photographed in a tank. The picture looked so phony that it backfired.

This is the same Michael Dukakis who came out of the Democratic convention with a double-digit lead over the elder George Bush in the polls -- until his liberal track record became public knowledge, including his allowing violent criminals weekend furloughs from prison.

John Kerry's track record as the most liberal Senator from the country's most liberal state is likewise being covered up with images and rhetoric. Whether or not history will repeat itself on election day remains to be seen.

It is considered an "attack" or "negative advertising" to tell people the plain truth that John Kerry's voting record in the Senate was ranked more liberal than that of Ted Kennedy. It was not Republicans who made these rankings but a liberal organization as well as a non-partisan research group.

Like Dukakis back in 1988, the Kerry campaign is waving aside "labels" as irrelevant. But "irrelevant" is itself a label -- and one used to avoid confronting the question of whether the charge of being a liberal is true or false.

Liberals are not some new and exotic species. They have been around for a long time and their positions are well known on issues ranging from racial quotas to military policy. That is why so much effort has gone into camouflaging those positions at the Democratic convention and in the Kerry campaign.

What are those issues and what is the camouflage?

Foremost in this age of international terrorism is the issue of military defense and intelligence-gathering. Ever since the days of George McGovern back in 1972, liberal Democrats have been for cutting back spending on the military and on the intelligence agencies.

John Kerry has voted time and again to do both. Now he is among those loudly criticizing the inadequacies of the agencies he voted to weaken.

It is not just a question of cutting money to those agencies. Liberals have also voted to hamstring our intelligence agencies by limiting their scope at home and abroad.

Jamie Gorelick on the 9/11 Commission that is so critical of these agencies for not sharing information was a Justice Department official in the Clinton administration and it was she who forbad the FBI from sharing information with the CIA.

As for taking military action, liberals have been for outsourcing such decisions to the United Nations, where nothing decisive will ever be done, militarily or otherwise. That is what makes the UN so convenient for liberals.

How can such a record of weakness be covered up? By using the word "strong" -- again and again. The Democratic convention was dominated by banners saying "A Strong America." John Kerry used the word "strong" or "strength" a dozen times in his 50-minute speech.

Other speakers at the Democratic convention likewise keep loudly repeating the word "strong." They clench their fists again and again. Jimmy Carter did it. John Kerry did it. Even Senator Joe Lieberman did it. It is orchestrated disinformation.

The big question is: Will it work?

[Diogenesis]

Was this another week that Berger was not in prison?

Yup.

And another week that Gorelick -who arranged the 911 Atrocities through her "wall-
continues in power.

Nothing to see here. Move on.

[truth_seeker]

Rkight to the point, clearly, as usual.

[EdReform]

Ping

[GailA]

hanoi john has had 19 years to author legislation to "fix" our broken intelligence community.

19 years to purpose better Veterans health care legislation, 19 years to to author MIA/POW bills, all he authored were 'feel' good pat you on the back bills.

And this was ALL LONG before GW was either governor of Texas much less president.

hanoi john has been AWOL on national security and defense for 2 decades!

[evad]

Sowell is a clear thinker and as usual, nail it right on.

Maybe sKerry's got some kind of Christ complex, everything he's done sofar is just prep work for the main event.

[rodguy911]

You are not allowed to bring up his record thats unfair,divisive and un-American,blah,blah,blah it never ends with the rats.

[basil]

The one thing that continually amazes me is that John Kerry spent only FOUR (4) months in Viet Nam. He spent much longer than that trashing the war and the military, harming the men who were still serving.

I don't care how many purple hearts he got--I don't even care that they were awarded under curious circumstances. What I don't get is how he is able to be viewed as a Viet Nam war hero!

[KC Burke]

Actually, I think it was four months of a second tour. As I recall, he spent his first tour (I assume 11 months) at sea on a large ship where he was a junior officer assigned to maintance and stores. His job was to watch the enlisted scrub the deck and re-paint, etc. He wanted away from that sort of duty and the Swift Boats were only doing off-shore work during his first tour.

About the time he requested his second tour and small boat command, they were beginning to run them up the rivers. He wanted out from under supervision and that was understandable, most hotdogs are like that.

[evad]

>>What I don't get is how he is able to be viewed as a Viet Nam war hero!<<

It's been a carefully orchestrated marketing ploy by JF'nK and his sycophants since even before the VN war.

It's all non substantial smoke and mirrors, media driven, RAT enabled, elitist propaganda.

Thing is, it only works on people who don't think or have the intellect or desire to ask a question. Unfortunately that's roughly half the voting public.

[swilhelm73]

It bares constant repeating, John Kerry is the most leftwing candidate to ever win an American major party nomination.

The facts, namely Kerry's voting record, speak for themselves. One can only hope the Republicans are smart enough to minimize the "flip-flopper" attack angle and focus on the leftist one.

On an amusing note, Kerry's extremist position on abortion is so far out of the mainstream, that it almost singlehandedly cost the Democrat candidate for governor of MA the election.

[MeekOneGOP]

It is considered an "attack" or "negative advertising" to tell people the plain truth that John Kerry's voting record in the Senate was ranked more liberal than that of Ted Kennedy. It was not Republicans who made these rankings but a liberal organization as well as a non-partisan research group.

I keep hearing Kerry is more Liberal than fat teddy, but according to the ACU that's not exactly the case.

Can anyone link me to the source of the research folks saying "more liberal that Ted Kennedy?" Thanks.

Now back to our regularly scheduled Freep!:

---

Kerry-Edwards are the #1 and #4 most LIBERAL Senators.
They are THE MOST LIBERAL ticket ever!:

John Kerry's Rating

Senator John Kerry (D)
Massachusetts
Democrat, Years of Service: 19

ACU Ratings for Senator Kerry:
Year 2003	13
Year 2002	20
Lifetime	5

---

John Edward's Rating

Senator John Edwards (D)
North Carolina
Democrat, Years of Service: 5

ACU Ratings for Senator Edwards:
Year 2003	13
Year 2002	30
Lifetime	12

---

Well, they're ALMOST left of Ted!:

Ted Kennedy's Rating

Senator Edward Kennedy (D)
Massachusetts
Democrat, Years of Service: 33

ACU Ratings for Senator Kennedy:
Year 2003	10
Year 2002	0
Lifetime	3

[MeekOneGOP]

Thanks for the ping!

Turn your speakers up, then
click here or on the pic, lol !

[basil]

It matters not to me if he spent his entire life aboard a ship at sea. He spent only 4 months in Viet Nam. In those 4 months, he managed to get 4 purple hearts--wonder what the odds are on that happening?

And again--how does that make him a "Viet Nam Veteran Hero"?

[dennisw]

btttttttt

[ReleaseTheHounds]

I'm surprised Sowell doesn't make the point that, ever since Dukakis, liberals don't want the word "liberal" even used anymore. They changed their title to "progressive" and hope that nobody will make the connection.

He should also point out that it was Gore who introduced Willie Horton into the Dukakis campaign, not the Republicans or George H. W. Bush.

Let's hope the Republicans invest some of those $ they've been hoarding to educate the ignorant voting populace -- they need to know this stuff.

[tjg]

I'm interested to see how effectiively the Bush campaign will exploit the 'missing years'.

It's why US senators don't generally make good presidential candidates; the record is all there in black and white. Kerry is trying to ignore it, but will Bush let him? I believe it will determine the election.

[TexasCajun]

Thomas Sowell Bump!