Democrat National Committee | Title: "Middle" | 30 Seconds

Republican National Committee ^ | September 13, 2004

[RWR8189]

Rhetoric

 

PRESIDENT BUSH: “We're creating jobs, good, high paying jobs for the American citizens.”

 

FIRST MAN: "The jobs that the President is talking about are low paying jobs. Those jobs can't support our country."

 

CHYRON: New jobs pay $9,000 less. Source: Economic Policy Institute, 1/21/04.

 

The Facts

 

Unemployment Down While Jobs And Household Wealth Up

 

Nearly 1.7 Million Jobs Created In Last Year; Unemployment Dropped To 5.4%. “U.S. employers added 144,000 workers to payrolls in August, the most since May and the first acceleration in five months, suggesting the economy is emerging from a midyear lull. The unemployment rate fell to 5.4 percent. The increase follows a revised gain of 73,000 jobs in July that was larger than estimated last month. Manufacturing employment rose 22,000 and the jobless rate decline[d] from 5.5 percent in July.” (Kevin Miller, “U.S. August Payrolls Rose 144,000; Jobless Rate Falls to 5.4%,” Bloomberg, 9/3/04; Joint Economic Committee Website, “1.7 Million New Jobs Since August 2003,” , Accessed 9/8/04)

 

Household Wealth Reaches Record $45.153 Trillion. “U.S. household wealth grew to a record-high $45.153 trillion in the first quarter of 2004, boosted by rising real estate and mutual fund values, the Federal Reserve said … In its quarterly ‘Flow of Funds’ report, the Fed said household balance sheets rose $665.5 billion over an upwardly revised $44.488 trillion figure for the fourth quarter of 2003 …” (“Household Wealth Reaches Record $45.153 Trillion,” Reuters, 6/10/04)

 

Third Parties Criticizes Kerry’s Claims On Jobs, Wages

 

FactCheck.Org Dissected Kerry Jobs Claim And Found It Lacking. “Now that the economy is growing and creating new jobs, John Kerry has been saying that the quality of those jobs is ‘much lower’ than the quality of jobs that have been lost. … A new set of numbers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics actually shows solid growth in employment in relatively higher-paying occupations including construction workers, health-care professionals, business managers, and teachers, and virtually no growth at all in relatively lower-paying occupations including office clerks and assembly-line workers. It’s the most detailed breakdown yet – looking at 154 different job and industry groupings.” (Annenberg Political Fact Check, “Economy Producing Mostly Bad Jobs? Not So Fast,” www.factcheck.org, 7/9/04)

 

ü      Private Sector Production Workers’ Wages Are Increasing As Well. “Take a look: Since Bush took office in January 2001, average weekly earnings of private-sector production workers have gone up nearly 8 percent – and that’s despite the eight-month economic recession that began in March 2001 and the long job slump that continued until August 2003. … Even after discounting those rising earnings to account for inflation, the average production worker’s buying power – before any tax cuts are figured in – still gained just over 1%.” (Annenberg Political Fact Check, “Economy Producing Mostly Bad Jobs? Not So Fast,” www.factcheck.org, 7/9/04)

 

ü      Claim That New Jobs Pay $9,000 Less Is Based On “Disputed Analysis From A Liberal Think Tank.” “In his acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention July 29 Kerry repeated a claim that the economy is creating jobs that pay $9,000 a year less than those they replace. He bases that on disputed analysis from a liberal think tank. … Kerry also said ‘wages are falling’ when in fact they are increasing.  It’s true wages haven’t kept up with inflation for the past several months. But even after adjusting for inflation they’re still higher than when Bush took office.” (Annenberg Political Fact Check, “Kerry’s Dubious Economics,” www.factcheck.org, 8/3/04)

 

ü      Claim Not Supported By Figures Kerry Is Using. “Kerry bases his claim on an analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics data by the Economic Policy Institute. But the EPI figures don’t support what Kerry said, because they don’t actually compare new jobs and old jobs – only broad averages for entire industries. And as we reported July 9, other BLS numbers that compare occupation groups within industries tell a completely different story – showing higher-paying groups growing faster than lower-paying groups.” (Annenberg Political Fact Check, “Kerry’s Dubious Economics,” www.factcheck.org, 8/3/04)

 

Brookings Institution Economist Said Kerry’s Method Is “Very Misleading.” “Brookings Institution economist Barry Bosworth, a former Carter administration official, says Kerry’s approach is ‘very misleading:’ Bosworth: ‘We shouldn’t be in the business of trying to compare the rates of jobs lost to those gained because we just don’t have the information right now to do it. Trying to measure the gross flow of jobs is really futile.’” (Annenberg Political Fact Check, “Kerry’s Dubious Economics,” www.factcheck.org, 8/3/04)

 

Clinton Fed Appointee Said Kerry’s Effort To Talk Down Jobs Created Is “Overhyped.” “Economist Laurence H. Meyer – who was a Clinton appointee to the Federal Reserve Board – calls Kerry’s characterization an exaggeration. Meyer told FactCheck.org: ‘It’s overhyped … [T]he U.S. is rapidly seeing increasing productivity rates which will effect an increase in the standard of living.’” (Annenberg Political Fact Check, “Kerry’s Dubious Economics,” www.factcheck.org, 8/3/04)

 

Labor Dept. Veteran Said “Clearly” More Growth In High-Paying Sectors. “[R]andy Ilg, a staff economist at the Bureau of Labor Statistics who has studied the question of job quality for nearly a decade, says … ‘Over the last couple of years, if you look at it from a perspective of occupations within industries, clearly there has been more growth in occupation categories that pay above the median.’” (Annenberg Political Fact Check, “Economy Producing Mostly Bad Jobs? Not So Fast,” www.factcheck.org, 7/9/04)

 

Kerry Jobs Message Is “Exaggerated” Said Washington Post. “If Mr. Kerry’s [jobs] message seems exaggerated now, it will seem even less convincing soon. Job markets recover in three phases: As the economy picks up, employers ask workers to put in extra hours; when they’ve exhausted that option, they hire new workers; when new workers become hard to find, labor scarcity pushes wages upward. We are now well into the second stage and may be entering the third.” (Editorial, “Jobs And Mr. Kerry,” The Washington Post, 6/19/04)

 

Economy Reporter Said Kerry Claim “Goes To Far.” “[J]ohn Kerry goes too far when he says most of the new jobs created in the economy are low paying, dead-end jobs. … A careful review of the employment and wage data show the White House is right when it says a majority of the jobs that have been created in the past year pay more than average. … The Kerry camp points to the industry-specific hiring data collected by the Labor Department to bolster its claims that ‘bad’ new jobs outnumber ‘good’ new jobs. … The industry-specific data have limitations, however, because there’s no way of knowing how many of the new jobs are high-paying managers’ jobs and how many are low-paying production line jobs.” (Rex Nutting, “Middle-Class Jobs Are Missing,” CBSMarketWatch, 7/26/04)

 

New Republic Editor Jonathan Chait Says Kerry’s Attacks On Job Loss Are Off-Base.  “Kerry has relentlessly blasted Bush as the first president since Herbert Hoover to preside over a loss of jobs. Yet there isn’t even a remotely plausible theory as to how Bush’s policies have caused those job losses. The truth is that structural economic forces, not policy, have caused unemployment. … Not only is the jobs critique unfair, it has almost nothing to do with Bush and Kerry’s policy differences going forward. The recession, after all, seems to have ended, and jobs are rebounding.” (Jonathan Chait, Op-Ed, “Why This Election Isn’t All It’s Cracked Up To Be,” The Washington Post, 6/20/04)

 

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Rhetoric

 

SECOND MAN: "You can't raise a family on seven-eight dollars an hour with no benefits."

 

WOMAN: “If you can't maintain your standard of living or at least close to your standard of living, no it's not a recovery.”

 

CHYRON: 38 million in working families have no health care. Source: U.S. Census Bureau data, 5/04; Dept. of Labor testimony, 4/2/04.

 

CHYRON: Incomes decline for first time in 50 years. Source: The New York Times, 7/29/04.

 

The Facts

 

Access To Health Care Has Improved For Children And Those Without Insurance

 

Number Of Uninsured Children At “Lowest Level On Record” In 2003.  “The percentage of American children with no health insurance has dropped to the lowest level on record because of expanded state programs, the government said … Only 10.1 percent of U.S. children were uninsured last year, the lowest level ever recorded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In 1997, 13.9 percent were not covered by health insurance. … Around 2.6 million more children were insured last year than in 1997, the CDC said.”  (Daniel Yee, “CDC: Uninsured Children Hits Lowest Level,” The Associated Press, 6/30/04)

 

Under Bush Administration, 30% More Uninsured And Medically Underserved Individuals Are Receiving Care Through Community Health Centers. “Since 2001, the Bush Administration has increased the number of people served in health centers by almost 30%. When the President took office, there were approximately 3,300 health center sites serving approximately 9.6 million patients, including 4 million uninsured individuals. President Bush recognized the needs of the uninsured and medically underserved communities and promised to open or expand 1,200 health center sites to serve an additional 6.1 million Americans by 2006. By the end of March 2004, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will have opened or expanded 614 health center sites.” (“Fact Sheet: Expanding Access To Health Care For Millions Of Americans,” The White House, 5/25/04)

 

ü      President’s Budgets Are On Track To Fulfill His Promise Of Serving An Additional 6.1 Million Americans Through Community Health Centers By 2006. “The FY 2005 budget proposes an increase of $218 million, to open or expand 330 more health center sites to serve an additional 1.6 million people, leaving approximately 260 more community health center sites to add or expand to meet the President’s goal by 2006.”  (“Fact Sheet: Expanding Access To Health Care For Millions Of Americans,” The White House, 5/25/04)

 

Kerry’s Plan Takes Wrong Approach To Expanding Coverage, Will Do Little To Lower Costs

 

Kerry’s FEHB-Style Purchasing Pool Would Probably Attract Older, Sicker Individuals But Not Provide Enough Benefit For The Average Uninsured, Low-Income Person To Buy In.  “The basic problem with KerryCare is its impracticality. Take his commitment to provide federal employee-style health care to every interested individual or business. Since joining would be voluntary, the odds are that the older and less healthy would be overrepresented in the rolls. Further complicating matters is Kerry’s plan to make the insurance community-rated. This attempt at equity would further attract older, sicker patients (they would get a relatively good price on the insurance), while those typically without insurance – healthy, young men and women with low incomes – would balk at the cost.”  (David Gratzer, “From HillaryCare To KerryCare,” The Weekly Standard, 5/24/04)

 

Kerry’s Plan For Children’s Health Insurance “Is A Compact That Many States May Not Want Or Be Able To Afford.”  “Kerry would pay for his more costly plan by eliminating future tax cuts for the top 2 percent of taxpayers and would shift part of the cost of his health-insurance plan from Washington to state capitals, said Sarah Bianchi, national policy director for the Kerry campaign. Bianchi said Kerry would ‘strike a new compact with the states.’ But it is a compact that many states may not want or be able to afford. Kerry would have the federal government pay the full cost of health insurance for the 20 million children enrolled in Medicaid. In return, states would have to agree to expand the coverage of children in families with income up to three times the poverty level, cover their family members if the family’s income is less than twice the poverty level, and assure that very poor adults without children receive health insurance.” (Lawrence M. O’Rourke, “Wide Gulf Between Bush, Kerry Health-Care Plans,” Scripps Howard News Service, 6/28/04)

 

Kerry’s Catastrophic Reinsurance Pool Will Transfer Costs To Taxpayers Without Promoting More Efficient Spending.  “Mr. Kerry would partly take the burden off employers by making government responsible for 75% of the cost of catastrophic cases, those running up more than $50,000 in bills. He says these cases account for nearly 20% of private insurers’ costs. But then what? The cost is just transferred to taxpayers but there’s no injection of efficiency into incentives, no reason to imagine total costs won’t continue to grow wildly.” (Holman W. Jenkins, Jr., Op-Ed, “Faint, Desperate Hope For Health Care Leadership,” The Wall Street Journal, 3/17/04)

 

ü      In Fact, Kerry’s Plan Could Drive Up Health Costs And Premiums Because It Reduces Incentives For Employers To Control Costs.  “Having the government take over catastrophic health costs also is a slippery slope that would provide less incentive to employers to manage costs. There would, in fact, be an incentive for employers to get marginally high-cost workers off their rolls and into the federal till as soon as possible. This, in turn, could accelerate health costs and likely increase the premium costs for workers – exactly the opposite of Kerry’s intent.”  (Grace-Marie Turner, “The Kerry Plan,” Galen Institute, 3/5/04)

 

ü      Because Kerry Puts Mandates On Businesses In Order To Qualify For Reinsurance Pool, Large Employers With Many Part-Time Workers Probably Would Not Participate. “To qualify, companies would have to institute disease-management programs, which are designed to help reduce the long-term expense of such chronic illnesses as diabetes and heart disease. In addition, employers would have to offer health coverage to all workers, including part-timers. Employers, therefore, would have to weigh the cost of covering all workers against the benefit of the subsidy. Large employers with many part-time workers – such as Wal-Mart, for example – probably would pass, [health policy expert Ken] Thorpe said.”  (Marilyn Werber Serafini, “Targeting The ‘Worried Insured,’” National Journal Magazine, 2/7/04)

 

BusinessWeek Analysis Called Kerry’s Health Care Plan “Complex, Very Costly” And Said “The Biggest Downside To The Kerry Plan Is Its Massive Cost.”  (Howard Gleckman, Analysis, “Whose Plan Is Healthier?” BusinessWeek, 5/24/04)

 

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Rhetoric

 

SECOND MAN: "When you lose your good paying jobs, you lose middle class."

 

NARRATOR: "The Democratic National Committee is responsible for the content of this advertisement."

 

CHYRON: America can do better.

 

CHYRON: Paid for by the Democratic National Committee. www.Democrats.org. Not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee. The Democratic National Committee is responsible for the content of this advertisement.

 

The Facts

 

Kerry Repeatedly Voted For Higher Taxes On Middle Class

 

Kerry Has Said He Voted For Budget Bills Because They Were Only Ones That Had “Any Hope” Of Passing. “I decided to support the [Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act] after much consideration. In the end I was swayed by … the fact that it is the only package with any hope of enactment into law … We have no choice but to support this bill.” (Sen. John Kerry, Congressional Record, 6/29/93, p. S8267)

 

Kerry Voted Against Senate Passage Of 2001 Tax Cut, Which Included Marriage Penalty And Child Tax Credit. (H.R. 1836, CQ Vote #165: Passed 62-38: R 50-0; D 12-38, 5/23/01, Kerry Voted Nay)

 

ü      And Then Missed Final Passage Of  2001 Tax Cut To Deliver Commencement Address. (Kirk Victor, et al., “A Kerry Top 10,” National Journal, 1/30/04; H.R. 1836, CQ Vote #170: Adopted 58-33: R 46-2; D 12-31, 5/26/01, Kerry Missed Vote)

 

Voted Against Final Passage Of 2003 Tax Cut, Which Included Acceleration Of Marriage Penalty Relief And Child Tax Credit. (H.R. 2, CQ Vote #196: Adopted 51-50: R 48-3; D 2-46; I 0-1, With Vice President Cheney Casting A “Yea” Vote, 5/23/03, Kerry Voted Nay)

 

ü      Kerry Has Voted Against Marriage Penalty Relief At Least 22 Times. (S. Con. Res. 13, CQ Vote # 178: Rejected 31-69: R 31-23; D 0-46, 5/23/95, Kerry Voted Nay; S. 1357, CQ Vote #552: Motion Agreed To 53-46: R 50-3; D 3-43, 10/27/95, Kerry Voted Nay; H.R. 2491, CQ Vote #556: Passed 52-47: R 52-1; D 0-46, 10/28/95, Kerry Voted Nay; H.R. 2491, CQ Vote #584: Motion Agreed To 52-47: R 52-1; D 0-46, 11/18/95, Kerry Voted Nay; S. 1415, CQ Vote #154: Rejected 48-50: R 5-49; D 43-1, 6/10/98, Kerry Voted Yea; S. 2312, CQ Vote #242: Motion Rejected 48-51: R 4-50; D 44-1, 7/29/98, Kerry Voted Yea; S. 1429, CQ Vote #230: Rejected 46-54: R 45-9; D 0-45; I 1-0, 7/29/99, Kerry Voted Nay; S. 1429 CQ Vote #247: Passed 57-43: R 52-2; D 4-41; I 1-0, 7/30/99, Kerry Voted Nay; H.R. 2488, CQ Vote #261: Adopted 50-49: R 49-4; D 0-45; I 1-0, 8/5/99, Kerry Voted Nay; S. Con. Res. 101, CQ Vote #68: Rejected 44-56: R 5-50; D 39-6, 4/7/00, Kerry Voted Yea; H. Con. Res. 290, CQ Vote #79: Adopted 51-45: R 51-2; D 0-43, 4/7/00, Kerry Voted Nay; H.R. 6, CQ Vote #82: Rejected 53-45: R 53-1; D 0-44, 4/13/00, Kerry Voted Nay; H.R. 6, CQ Vote #83: Rejected 53-45: R 53-1; D 0-44, 4/13/00, Kerry Voted Nay; H. Con. Res. 290, CQ Vote #85: Adopted 50-48: R 50-4; D 0-44, 4/13/00, Kerry Voted Nay; H.R.4810, CQ Vote #213: Rejected 20-79: R 1-53; D 19-26, 7/18/00, Kerry Voted Yea; H.R. 4810, CQ Vote #214: Adopted 54-45: R 54-0; D 0-45, 7/18/00, Kerry Voted Nay; H.R. 4810, CQ Vote #215: Passed 61-38: R 53-1; D 8-37, 7/18/00, Kerry Voted Nay; H. Con. Res. 83, CQ Vote #79: Adopted 50-50: R 49-1; D 1-49, With Vice President Cheney Casting A “Yea” Vote, 4/5/01, Kerry Voted Nay; H. Con. Res. 83, CQ Vote #86: Adopted 65-35: R 50-0; D 15-35, 4/6/01, Kerry Voted Nay; H. Con. Res. 83, CQ Vote #98: Adopted 53-47: R 48-2; D 5-45, 5/10/01, Kerry Voted Nay; H.R. 1836, CQ Vote #165: Passed 62-38: R 50-0; D 12-38, 5/23/01, Kerry Voted Nay; S. Con. Res. 95, CQ Vote #36: Rejected 47-52: R 1-50; D 45-2; I 1-0, 3/10/04, Kerry Voted Yea)

 

ü      And Against Expanding Child Tax Credit At Least 18 Times. (S. Con. Res. 95, CQ Vote #36: Rejected 47-52: R 1-50; D 45-2; I 1-0, 3/10/04, Kerry Voted Yea; S. Con. Res. 23, CQ Vote #108: Adopted 56-44: R 50-1; D 6-42; I 0-1, 3/26/03, Kerry Voted Nay; H. Con. Res. 95, CQ Vote #134: Adopted 51-50: R 49-2; D 1-47; D 0-1, With Vice President Cheney Casting A “Yea” Vote, 4/11/03, Kerry Voted Nay; H.R. 2, CQ Vote #196: Adopted 51-50: R 48-3; D 2-46; I 0-1, With Vice President Cheney Casting A “Yea” Vote, 5/23/03, Kerry Voted Nay; H.R. 2, CQ Vote #179: Passed 51-49: R 48-3; D 3-45; I 0-1, 5/15/03, Kerry Voted Nay; S. Con. Res. 23, CQ Vote #106: Rejected 48-52: R 47-4; D 1-47; I 0-1, 3/26/03, Kerry Voted Nay; H.R. 1836, CQ Vote #165: Passed 62-38: R 50-0; D 12-38, 5/23/01, Kerry Voted Nay; H. Con. Res. 83, CQ Vote #86: Adopted 65-35: R 50-0; D 15-35, 4/6/01, Kerry Voted Nay; H. Con. Res. 83, CQ Vote #98: Adopted 53-47: R 48-2; D 5-45, 5/10/01, Kerry Voted Nay; H.R. 2014, CQ Vote #160: Passed 80-18: R 51-4; D 29-14, 6/27/97, Kerry Voted Nay; S. Con. Res. 57, CQ Vote #151: Motion Agreed To 57-43: R 50-3; D 7-40, 5/23/96, Kerry Voted Nay; H. Con Res. 178, CQ Vote #159: Adopted 53-46: R 53-0; D 0-46, 6/13/96, Kerry Voted Nay; S. Con. Res. 13, CQ Vote #178, Rejected 31-69: R 31-23; D 0-46, 5/23/95, Kerry Voted Nay; H. Con. Res. 67, CQ Vote #296: Adopted 54-46: R 54-0; D 0-46, 6/29/95, Kerry Voted Nay; S. 1357, CQ Vote #552: Motion Agreed To 53-46: R 50-3; D 3-43, 10/27/95, Kerry Voted Nay; H.R. 2491, CQ Vote #556: Passed 52-47: R 52-1; D 0-46, 10/28/95, Kerry Voted Nay; H.R. 2491, CQ Vote #584: Motion Agreed To 52-47: R 52-1; D 0-46, 11/18/95, Kerry Voted Nay; S. Con. Res. 63, CQ Vote #66: Rejected 42-58: R 42-2; D 0-56, 3/23/94, Kerry Voted Nay)

 

For Higher Taxes On Social Security Benefits At Least Eight Times:

 

ü Twice For Clinton’s $241 Billion Tax Hike On Social Security Benefits. (H.R. 2264, CQ Vote #190: Passed 50-49: R 0-43; D 49-6, With Vice President Al Gore Casting The Tie-Breaking Vote, 6/25/93, Kerry Voted Yea; H.R. 2264, CQ Vote #247: Adopted 51-50: R 0-44; D 50-6, With Vice President Al Gore Casting The Tie-Breaking Vote, 8/6/93, Kerry Voted Yea)

 

ü Three Times To Keep Hike In Clinton Plan. (S. Con. Res. 18, CQ Vote #57: Motion Agreed To 52-47: R 0-43; D 52-4, 3/24/93, Kerry Voted Yea; S. Con. Res. 18, CQ Vote #59: Motion Agreed To 55-44: R 0-43; D 55-1, 3/24/93, Kerry Voted Yea; S. 1134, CQ Vote #169: Motion Agreed To 51-46: R 1-41; D 50-5, 6/24/93, Kerry Voted Yea)

 

ü Three Times Against Repealing 1993 Increase. (S. Con. Res. 57, CQ Vote #142: Adopted 50-48: R 49-4; D 1-44, 5/22/96, Kerry Voted Nay; H.R. 8, CQ Vote #188: Adopted 58-41: R 54-1; D 4-40, 7/13/00, Kerry Voted Nay; S. Con. Res. 23, CQ Vote #94: Rejected 48-51: R 48-3; D 0-47; I 0-1, 3/25/03, Kerry Voted Nay)

 

Kerry Supported Higher Gas Taxes 11 Times:

 

NUMBERS ONE AND TWO: Voted Twice For Clinton/Gore Btu Tax, Increasing Gas Prices 7.5 Cents Per Gallon. (S. Con. Res. 18, CQ Vote #40: Rejected 46-53: R 43-0; D 3-53, 3/18/93, Kerry Voted Nay; S. Con. Res. 18, CQ Vote #53: Motion Agreed To 55-44: R 0-43; D 55-1, 3/23/93, Kerry Voted Yea; Patrick Burns, “Activist Handbook 2000: Gasoline Tax,” Citizens For A Sound Economy, 7/20/00)

 

NUMBERS THREE AND FOUR: 1993 Clinton/Kerry Tax Plan Increased Gas Taxes. (H.R. 2264, CQ Vote #190: Passed 50-49: R 0-43; D 49-6, With Vice President Al Gore Casting The Tie-Breaking Vote, 6/25/93, Kerry Voted Yea; H.R. 2264, CQ Vote #247: Adopted 51-50: R 0-44; D 50-6, With Vice President Al Gore Casting The Tie-Breaking Vote, 8/6/93, Kerry Voted Yea)

 

ü      NUMBER FIVE: Voted To Kill An Amendment That Would Have Eliminated Gas Tax Increase From Budget Resolution. (S. 1134, CQ Vote #167: Motion Agreed To 50-48: R 0-43; D 50-5, 6/24/93, Kerry Voted Yea)

 

ü      NUMBERS SIX, SEVEN, EIGHT, AND NINE: Voted At Least Four Times Against Repealing Clinton 4.3-Cent Increase In Gas Tax. (H.R. 2937, CQ Vote #111: Motion Rejected 52-44: R 52-1; D 0-43, 5/9/96, Kerry Voted Nay; H.R. 2937, CQ Vote #112: Motion Rejected 54-43: R 53-0; D 1-43, 5/14/96, Kerry Voted Nay; S. 1173, CQ Vote #26: Motion Rejected 18-80: R 16-37; D 2-43, 3/11/98, Kerry Voted Nay; S. 2285, CQ Vote #80: Motion Rejected 43-56: R 43-12; D 0-44, 4/11/00, Kerry Voted Nay; Senate Republican Policy Committee, “White House Unjust Firings/Gas Tax, Minimum Wage, Team Act,” 5/9/96)

 

NUMBER TEN: 1994: Supported Half-Dollar Increase In Gas Tax. (Jill Zuckman, “Deficit-Watch Group Gives High Marks To 7 N.E. Lawmakers,” The Boston Globe, 3/1/94)

 

NUMBER ELEVEN: In 2000, Kerry Voted Against Suspending The 18.4-Cent Gas Tax For 150 Days. (H.R. 8, CQ Vote #183: Motion Rejected 40-59: R 40-15; D 0-44, 7/13/00, Kerry Voted Nay)

 

Former Opponents, Including VP Pick, Criticized Middle Class Tax Plan

 

Sen. John Edwards Implies Kerry Tax Plan Will Only Work For Privileged Few. “I’ve been looking forward to the time when this is a two- person race and people will focus on Senator Kerry and myself. … I believe if that happens, the choice that I give voters, which is different than Senator Kerry, is somebody who comes from them, who understands the problems that they have in their life, who understands what the loss of a job means, who has both trade policy and tax policy that will work for all Americans and not just a privileged few. And I think there are real differences between us.”  (CNN’s “Larry King Live,” 2/17/04)

 

Former Opponent Wesley Clark Said Kerry Tax Credits Would Give Middle Class Less Than $100 In Relief. “Clark said Kerry’s proposal would help only middle-class families with kids in college. ‘Most middle-class families don’t have kids in college,’ Clark said. … ‘Senator Kerry … [doesn’t] have the leadership to stand up to millionaires,’ said Clark. ‘[He] talks about middle-class tax cuts, but it’s just rhetoric. The majority of families would not get any tax cut … and the average tax cut would be less than $100.’” (Mike Glover, “Clark Seeks Distinction On Taxes, Mettle,” The Associated Press, 2/8/04)