"You're not going to agree with somebody 100% of the time, but if you get someone who wants to fix the tax code, who wants to fix No Child Left Behind and make our schools work, who wants an energy policy that makes sense and deals with global climate change, who wants to restore America's position in the world with responsible foreign policy, who wants to have health care that's universal for every American, by God, grab it, folks." -John Kerry on Air America Radio
In an interview on Air America this past week, Senator Kerry addressed the media's recent accusations that Barack Obama has somehow shifted on some of his positions, explaining that they've often been mis-characterized going in, and that Barack has not made any fundamental changes in his stand on the issues. He explained Obama's thinking on the FISA vote and their recent conversation about his plans to review it as President. The Senator also remarked on Obama's appeal to Independents and Republicans and the need to include them in the conversation. Obama has not shifted his position. What we're seeing is who he's been from the beginning, and the 'shift' that's been played in the media is not the reality.
Senator Kerry spoke with Mark Green on AAR's 7 Days in America about Barack Obama and why he has been a vocal supporter of the Democratic nominee, citing Obama's judgment and the promise of accountability in Washington. Everyone won't agree with every one of his positions all the time, the Senator explained, but an Obama administration will do a lot of good on a lot of issues that are important to most Americans. McCain, on the other hand, is following the same Bush policies that got us to where we are today. He's "living in the same voodoo economics land as Bush 41."
Senator Kerry cited the power of the internet as a means of getting the truth out, and called for people "on our side of the fence" to realize that even though we're not going to agree with our nominee 100% of the time, it's up to us to make sure we work to elect the candidate who represents the best interest of the American people.
Senator Kerry and Mark also discussed the Bush administration's broken promises going into Iraq and his broken policy now that we're there, and Maliki's recent call for a withdrawal timeline. The Senator spoke about his trip to the Middle East and his meetings with leaders of Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Israel, the increased tension surrounding Iran, and the fact that Bush's saber rattling and lack of diplomacy (and McCain's complicity) has made the region less safe.
They talked about McCain's flip-flops and the difference between the false accusations in 2004 and the fundamental shift in McCain's positions, and they discussed the possibility McCain might try to lie his way to the White House. As Mark noted, it's happened in the past.
The interview touched on a fairly wide range of topics, but it came down to the reasons it's critical to get Barack Obama in the White House, and our responsibility to get him there.
And typewriters. You'll have to listen for that.
Comments (1)
Posted by beachmom | July 13, 2008 3:57 PM
That was an awesome interview.