Kerry Challenges Bush to Weekly Debates

AP ^ | 8/26/04 | MARY DALRYMPLE

[Rescue1]

Kerry Challenges Bush to Weekly Debates

By MARY DALRYMPLE, Associated Press Writer

ANOKA, Minn. - John Kerry (news - web sites) challenged President Bush (news - web sites) on Thursday to weekly debates from now until Nov. 2 on campaign issues like education, health care and national security.

"America deserves a discussion like we're having here today, which I'm prepared to have with this president every single week from now until the election," the Democratic presidential candidate said.

Kerry issued the challenge while speaking about health care at Anoka Hennepin Technical College, fielding questions from a group of more than 200 people, some of them self-described undecided voters.

The Kerry campaign picked Anoka County for its known political independence, drawing the audience from counties surrounding Minneapolis and St. Paul. Anoka County voted for presidents Clinton and Bush, as well as independent former Gov. Jesse Ventura, and tends to be a bellwether for statewide candidates.

The Bush-Cheney campaign rebuffed the debate challenge.

"There will be a time for debates after the convention, and during the next few weeks, John Kerry should take the time to finish the debates with himself," responded Bush-Cheney spokesman Steve Schmidt.

"This election presents a clear choice to the American people between a president who is moving America forward and a senator who has taken every side of almost every issue," he said.

The Commission on Presidential Debates has scheduled three presidential debates to be held on college campuses in the battleground states of Florida, Missouri and Arizona in late September and October.

Kerry used the health care forum to highlight new figures released by the Census Bureau (news - web sites), which showed the ranks of the poor and uninsured grew last year, the third straight annual increase for both categories.

"Today confirms the failure of President Bush's policies for all Americans. While George Bush (news - web sites) tries to convince America's families that were turning the corner, slogans and empty rhetoric can't hide the real story," Kerry said.

Kerry also defended himself from Republican charges that he wavers in his convictions on major issues.

"It's standard Republican playbook," Kerry said in response to a voter's question. "They just say it, and if you spend enough money and say it enough, people like you are going to ask the question."

Kerry said Bush has been the one flip-flopping over the last four years — standing against the Homeland Security Department, then embracing it; fighting against the Sept. 11 commission, then endorsing it; promising to fund his new education law, then failing to.

After his response got a standing ovation, Kerry said, "That's why it would be great to be talking about this every week."

[Fzob]

"There will be a time for debates after the convention, and during the next few weeks, John Kerry should take the time to finish the debates with himself," responded Bush-Cheney spokesman Steve Schmidt.

This tells me Republicans are much better at one liners. And that Kerry is desperately trying to change the subject to anything but his record.

Other than that it a desperate move by Kerry so he can start saying Bush is afraid to debate him.

[Skip Ripley]

Each day brings another grandstanding, panic induced misstep from the Kerry camapign.

The internal state-by-state numbers must look much worse than what the national polls are showing

[P8riot]

The can't get their schedules together. Kerry's got too much time on his hands not representing the good people of Taxachussetts. On the other hand the president has a country to run.