The Current Online

by Courtney Kuns

U.S. Senator (North Carolina)

Background Information
Edwards gained notoriety in North Carolina as a successful trial lawyer. In 1998, the state sent him to the U.S. Senate.

Political Allies
Black Rep. Albert Wynn; Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson; North Carolina Democrat Congressional Delegation; actor Ashton Kutcher and more than 200 former and current city and state office holders in make-or-break Iowa

Political Fumbles
So far, he’s squeaky clean. Edwards’s credibility to pro-Iraq voters might be damaged with his vote against approving Bush’s request for $87 billion in aid for Iraq. He told Meet the Press he does not approve of gay marriage.

Issues at a glance A: Occupation of Iraq B: Economy C: Environment D: Health Care E: Civil Liberties

A: Like Bush, Edwards stresses the importance of winning our war on terror. Our winning strategy includes, pumping up homeland security, securing the world’s greatest military, rebuilding Iraq and working globally to end production of WMDs. Edwards supports measures used to collect information on “terrorists.” The data collected should be analyzed and utilized to prevent future terrorist acts. Part of his homeland security initiative includes the addition of an office of individual liberties.

B: Edwards has it bad for the middle class. He’s defended them as a trial lawyer for 20 years. He plans to cut taxes of companies who keep business in the states. Edwards has many ideas that he claims protect American corporate employees from the dishonesty of the executives they work for. He also plans to reform labor laws, increase hourly wages and extend unemployment benefits. Edwards will fight for enforcement of U.S. trade agreements with other countries’- in particular, China.

C: Edwards boasts of increasing fuel-efficiency standards, using renewable resources for energy production and enforcing environmental laws. Like Joe Lieberman, he fought against Bush’s rollbacks to the Clean Air Act and oil exploration in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. America needs to align with other world leaders to protect the earth’s environment as a whole, according to Edwards.

D: Edwards says health care expenses must decrease. At the same time the quality must increase. The nation has a responsibility to provide health care for all children, uninsured low-income employees, the unemployed and the elderly. The nation also has a responsibility to increase the amount of resources found in hospitals and medical clinics.

E: He seeks equality in college admissions and hiring. Edwards will focus efforts on sealing the gender and racial pay gap. Racial profiling in law enforcement must also cease. Like the other candidates, he seeks a serious approach to end and prevent crimes of hate. The war on terrorism has taken away civil liberties that he feels we must get back. Did Edwards forget that he voted “yes” for the USA PATRIOT Act?

See also:

• Wesley Clark
• Howard Dean
• John Edwards
• John Kerry
• Dennis Kucinich
• Joe Lieberman
• Al Sharpton

by Courtney Kuns

U.S. Senator (Connecticut)

Background Information
Lieberman practiced law during his decade-long tenure as a Connecticut state senator – a position obtained only three years after graduating, in 1967, from Yale School of Law. From 1983 to 1988, he served Connecticut as attorney general before being elected to U.S. Senate, where he remains today. Lieberman was the Democratic Party’s vice presidential bid in 2000, alongside presidential bid Al Gore.

Political Allies
14 members of Congress, including Sen. Chris Dodd and Sen. Tom Carper; Uniformed Professional Fire Fighters of Connecticut; and game show host Monty Hall

Political Fumbles
Like Gephardt, Lieberman took the minority position of his party when he supported the invasion of Iraq. Some consider him too conservative for the Democratic party.

Issues at a glance A: Occupation of Iraq B: Economy C: Environment D: Health Care E: Civil Liberties

A: Fully supported the Iraq War and has been pushing for an invasion for years. Feels Iraq must place in power qualified leaders of their choosing. America must provide physical and political security for as long as democracy is not established. Lieberman seeks resolution and restoration of democracy to the Muslim world. Yasser Arafat hinders resolution, according to Lieberman, who called for his removal from power. In 2002, Lieberman and Sen. John McCain wrote legislation developing the Department of Homeland Security. Lieberman is promoting his Service Members and Veterans Bill of Rights, which guarantees predictable deployments, competitive pay, quality education and more.

B: Lieberman supports a balanced national budget that’s within the nation’s means. During Clinton’s presidency, he supported both deficit reduction and balanced budget plans as well as the elimination of federal welfare. Technology, small business, a strong working class and affirmative action catalyze economic improvement. Lieberman held strong opposition to Bush’s tax cuts, so strong, that he proposed an alternative solution in Congress.

C: As Connecticut attorney general, Lieberman claims he battled oil companies and illegal toxic disposal. He molded Clinton-era amendments to the Clean Air Act and was rewarded for those efforts by the Sierra Club. His environmental goals mirror the mainstream environmental agenda of the Democratic Party. No environmental agenda is unique to Lieberman, but he did draft his own bi-partisan proposal to curb global warming.

D: Lieberman believes in a step-by-step approach to increasing the number of insured Americans. He has voted regularly to limit damages that can be assessed in lawsuits against the insurance industry.

E: Lieberman supports the PATRIOT Act. He is also for women’s right to choose, ending discrimination and ending racial profiling. Lieberman drafted the International Religious Freedom Act, which promotes religious freedom worldwide. He has extensive plans to reform immigration, so America can uphold the rights of immigrants as well as the “American dream.”

See also:

• Wesley Clark
• Howard Dean
• John Edwards
• John Kerry
• Dennis Kucinich
• Joe Lieberman
• Al Sharpton

by Courtney KunsU.S. Senator (Massachusetts)

Background Information
John Kerry was born in 1943 on the Denver military base where his father, an Army Air Corps volunteer in World War II, was stationed. After graduating from Yale University, Kerry entered the navy and served as a lieutenant in Vietnam. Disillusioned, he returned home from Vietnam in 1970 and became an outspoken critic of the war. He was a co-founder of the Vietnam Veterans of America and a leader of the Vietnam Veterans Against the War. Following a law career in Boston, he was elected lieutenant governor of Massachusetts in 1983. The following year, he ran a PAC-free campaign and was elected to the U.S. Senate, a position that he retains.

Political Allies
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., president of the Waterkeeper Alliance and an influential attorney for other environmental organizations; Chicago Teamsters Local Union 705; International Association of Firefighters; Irwin Jacobs, CEO of San Diego’s Qualcomm; Planned Parenthood, which gave Kerry a 100% approval rating on his 1995-2002 congressional voting record

Political Fumbles
Kerry voted for the Iraq War. This has damaged his credibility among Democratic voters, a group that overwhelmingly opposed the war.

Issues at a glance A: Occupation of Iraq B: Economy C: Environment D: Health Care E: Civil Liberties

A: Although he would have preferred to give diplomacy a greater opportunity, Kerry supported the Iraq War. Opposed to sending more American troops to Iraq, he wants the international community to become more involved in the occupation.

B: In an interview with MoveOn.org, Kerry said, “The first thing we have to do is roll back the Bush tax cut for the wealthiest Americans. Fiscally responsible tax cuts for working families can grow the economy.” Not to be mistaken for an economic liberal, in 1995 he voted yes to eliminate the federal welfare system.

C: He supports renewable energy and increased funding for climate change research. He has typically voted along moderate environmentalist lines in congress.

D: His goal by 2010 is to reduce the number of uninsured Americans by 2/3 through tax credits and purchasing pools. He also wants to create a report card system to measure the service quality of health plans and providers.

E: Kerry believes that racial profiling should be prohibited and wants to expand hate crime laws. He voted in support of the PATRIOT Act.

See also:

• Wesley Clark
• Howard Dean
• John Edwards
• John Kerry
• Dennis Kucinich
• Joe Lieberman
• Al Sharpton

by Courtney Kuns

Former Governor of Vermont

Background Information
Howard Dean was born in 1948 to a wealthy New York family. He graduated from Yale in 1971 and started working on Wall Street, a position he left a few years later to complete a medical degree and set up an internal medicine practice with his wife in Vermont. Retaining his career as a practicing physician, he served as a Vermont state representative and lieutenant governor from 1983-91. The death of Vermont’s Republican governor in 1991 propelled Dean into the state governor seat and effectively ended his medical career. Elected to four more consecutive terms, he received national attention during his tenure as governor for turning Vermont’s large deficit into a surplus, instituting a successful health care program and signing America’s first civil union law for gays and lesbians.

Political Allies
The majority of American labor unions; Reed Hastings, CEO of Netflix; Rep. Neil Abercrombie (D-Hawaii); Jesse Jackson; Kurt Schmoke, dean of Howard University Law School; Martin Sheen, actor and political activist

Political Fumbles
While being interviewed by Tim Russert on Meet the Press, Dean denied saying he supported raising the social security age to 70. He wrote an article proposing this in 1995.

Issues at a glance A: Occupation of Iraq B: Economy C: Environment D: Health Care E: Civil Liberties

A: Dean has been a relentless and outspoken opponent of the Iraq War. At the New Mexico primary debate, he criticized Bush for lying about Iraq possessing weapons of mass destruction and having a connection to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. He believes that the pre-emptive strike doctrine is unethical and sets a dangerous precedent that other countries may follow. MoveOn.org quotes Dean as saying, “On my first day in office, I will tear up the Bush doctrine and rebuild a foreign policy consistent with American values.” However, now that the U.S. has already invaded and occupied Iraq, Dean says that we need to rebuild Iraq and establish order but should withdraw the bulk of American troops and internationalize the running of the occupation.

B: In a comprehensive economic plan, available on his website, he proposes a two-year $100 billion fund, which is designed to add one million new jobs to the economy. This includes an immediate increase in minimum wage to $6.65 an hour. His first step to balance the national budget would be to repeal the Bush tax cut to secure the future of Medicare and Social Security. He also wants to crack down on corporate tax shelters, loopholes and subsidies.

C: He wants to promote the use of renewable energy sources, work on countering urban sprawl and require trade agreements to include strict and enforceable environmental standards.

D: Dean wants to apply a similar health care model on a national level to the one he established in Vermont, in which 96.4% of the population has coverage. This would include guaranteed coverage for everyone under age 25 in a family that is 300% above the poverty level (around $55,000 a year) and prescription benefits for every senior citizen. At the South Carolina primary debate, Dean said, “Between 25 and 65, subsidize small businesses, don’t give the tax credits to the big corporations, subsidize individuals who need help buying health insurance, and then help individuals who work for companies that don’t do it”

E: Dean’s website quotes him saying, “The government must protect Americans against terrorism while protecting civil liberties every step of the way.” If elected, he will oppose any expansion of the PATRIOT Act or efforts to remove time limits and will work to repeal the unconstitutional portions of the law. He would also direct his attorney general to withhold federal funds from state and local law enforcement agencies engaging in racial profiling, including the targeting of Arabs and Muslims.

See also:

• Wesley Clark
• Howard Dean
• John Edwards
• John Kerry
• Dennis Kucinich
• Joe Lieberman
• Al Sharpton