SURVEY: KERRY IS A FLAMING LIBERAL! AND LIBERALS HATE AMERICA!
By BRIAN BLOMQUIST
NY POST
February 28, 2004 -- WASHINGTON - Democratic front-runner John Kerry
was rated the most liberal member of the U.S. Senate in an independent
survey yesterday - a distinction the Bush campaign will spread in
coming months.
The rating for Kerry comes at a bad time - just as he has nearly
clinched the Democratic primary contest - largely a battle for liberal
votes - and is beginning to look ahead to the general-election
campaign against President Bush, where moderate and independent voters
could make the difference.
Kerry was rated most liberal senator on the basis of his voting record
in Congress last year for abortion, against tax cuts, in favor of
spending and other issues, as scored by National Journal, a
distinguished independent policy journal.
"This proves the point that John Kerry's record matters, and John
Kerry has a lot of explaining to do about his voting record," said
Republican National Committee spokeswoman Christine Iverson.
Bush campaign spokesman Scott Stanzel said, "The rating speaks for
itself."
The National Journal put Kerry well to the left of the other
Democratic senator from Massachusetts, Ted Kennedy, a liberal stalwart
for decades. Kennedy came in 11th place in the "most liberal"
category.
Kerry will be hard-pressed to make the claim that last year's rating
was a complete aberration.
Elected to the Senate in 1984, Kerry scored among the most liberal
senators in 1986, 1988 and 1990, but in his second term, he cast a
more moderate voting record.
In 2002, he was rated the ninth most liberal senator, and the year
before, he was ranked the 12th most liberal senator.
On social issues, Kerry did not vote with conservatives once out of
138 votes scored by the National Journal.
"Anyone who knows John Kerry knows that this label doesn't fit," Kerry
campaign spokesman Chad Clanton said.
"He's a decorated Vietnam combat veteran, a former prosecutor and a
deficit hawk that's opposed his party and voted to shrink the
deficit."
In rating senators' votes in 2003, the National Journal looked at 62
votes in the Senate and 73 votes in the House. Kerry, who campaigned
much of last year, was absent for 37 of those votes.
But he was there for some of the key votes, including to fight against
money for Iraq, the budget and tax cuts, and the prescription-drug
benefit. He voted against all three.
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