Former McCain Supporters: John McCain Said John Kerry Has Experience, Leadership to Be Commander in Chief

Kerry Supporters Highlight Similarities Between Kerry and McCain

HUDSON, NH – Former McCain supporters now supporting John Kerry were joined today by veterans and Kerry-Edwards supporters to say that they now support John Kerry for the same reasons they supported John McCain in 2000.

“John McCain has said that John Kerry possesses the leadership and the qualifications to be Commander in Chief and we couldn’t agree more,” said George Fleming, veteran and former McCain supporter. “It’s clear that Kerry and McCain share many of the same values and have fought numerous times together on key issues – such as campaign finance reform, ensuring better treatment of military families and ending corporate welfare.”

John McCain in Hudson today spoke to veterans at the local VFW hall about why they should support George Bush when in fact Bush has differed with McCain on how the war in Iraq should have been handled, privatizing social security, environmental reform and the energy bill.

“We were so disappointed when the Bush campaign in 2000 waged one of the worst smear campaigns I’ve ever seen attacking McCain’s service in Vietnam,” said Fleming. “Now Bush is doing it to Kerry and McCain has defended John Kerry against the attacks of a fringe Veterans group saying the attacks, which were financed by a prominent Republican donor were, ‘dishonest and dishonorable.’”

John Kerry was an original cosponsor of the McCain-Feingold campaign finance reform measure and successfully amended the measure in a way that allows future greater reforms. Kerry and McCain led a bipartisan effort to end taxpayer-subsidized corporate welfare. John Kerry teamed up with McCain in 2000 to get military families $28 million in additional allowance to those who were eligible for food stamps. They also fought together to investigate the POW and MIA Vietnam veterans issues, which was a difficult and strenuous task that McCain praised Kerry for his leadership and efforts in handling it.

“George Bush has turned his back on Veterans and America’s working families,” said Fleming. “John Kerry has the strength and experience this country needs from its President. There is a distinct choice in this election. George Bush has done nothing but divide our country and John Kerry and John Edwards can bring it together once again to build a stronger America, more respected in the world.”

John Kerry & John McCain Working Together in the Senate

John Kerry and John McCain have become great friends during their time in the Senate and have worked together on a number of issues important to America’s Veterans

John Kerry Worked to Pass McCain Feingold Reform Measures – John Kerry was an original cosponsor of the McCain-Feingold campaign finance reform measure which was signed into law. Kerry supported the measure and voted to ban «soft money» contributions to national political parties and restricting issue ads from targeting specific candidates within 30 days of the primary or 60 days of the general election. Kerry also successfully amended the measure in a way which may allow for even greater reforms in the future. [107th Congress, S. 27; S.Amdt. 160; Senate Roll Call Vote, #64]

John Kerry & John McCain Worked Together to End Corporate Welfare – John Kerry and John McCain led the bipartisan effort to end taxpayer-subsidized corporate welfare. “One prong of the attack on corporate welfare is the McCain-Feingold-Kerry Act, which was approved by the Senate Committee on Government Affairs in [1998 and] is a bipartisan effort…The Corporate Subsidy Reform Act, as it is known, would create a panel of experts, picked by the president and by Congress, to recommend reforms of existing subsidies to private companies.” John Kerry was tired of the average American taxpayer having to subsidize some of America’s largest corporations. “Kerry cited figures demonstrating that [from 1998 through2002] the total amount lost by the government from tax loopholes for corporations will eclipse total discretionary spending” of the entire federal budget. [Journal of Commerce, 1/13/98; AGI website - http://www.agiweb.org/gap/hearings/corpsub.html]

John Kerry & John McCain Teamed Up For Better Treatment for Military Families — In 2000, Kerry voted for the McCain amendment to provide a further $28 million to service members for an additional allowance to military families who are eligible for food stamps—a problem John Kerry wants to end.. Kerry was a cosponsor of John McCain’s Troops-to-Teachers Program Improvement Act which would provide stipends to members of the military who have recently retired or been discharged and are interested in becoming teachers. As recently as 2002, John Kerry voted for another pay raise for the men and women in the Armed Services. The 2002 vote provided “$10.4 billion for military construction and family housing” and “authorizes a new special compensation program which provides significantly enhanced compensation for military retirees with 20 or more years of service who incurred a qualifying combat-related disability.” [106th Congress, S.4 & S. 389; Office of Senator John Warner; Senate Roll Call Vote 1990 # 214;1999 #26; 2000 # 61; 2002 #239]

Kerry & McCain Work for Higher CAFE Standards – Kerry teamed with John McCain to propose an historic increase in the nation’s fuel efficiency standards. The measure, strongly opposed by President Bush and the automotive industry, would substantially increase the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards while both improving the environment and lessening America’s dependency on foreign oil. “Kerry, McCain propose new fuel rules–Automakers fight increased standards–U.S. Sens. John Kerry and John McCain have reached a joint proposal to increase the Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards to 36 miles per gallon by 2015 from the current fleet average of 24 m.p.g.” [Detroit Free Press, 3/8/02]

John Kerry and John McCain Led the Bipartisan Investigation into Vietnam POW/MIA – John Kerry and John McCain, both veterans of the Vietnam War, teamed up to investigate the issue of POW/MIA’s in Vietnam. Kerry was Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on POW-MIA Affairs and traveled to Vietnam on several occasions to search for evidence of American POW/MIA’s in Vietnam. Kerry and McCain “doggedly investigated” an important and volatile issue which some described as an “unglamorous task that nobody else wanted.” After the investigation, the bipartisan committee ultimately declared that there were probably soldiers left behind in Vietnam, but there was no compelling evidence that any were still alive.” Regarding the investigation, John McCain said, «John Kerry handled the chairmanship of that committee with tremendous skill and sensitivity.» [Boston Globe, 6/21/03; Congressional Quarterly Weekly, 4/24/03; The Hill, 11/29/00; The New Republic, 6/3/02]

McCain Praises Kerry’s Work for POW/MIA Issue – «Senator Kerry handled the hearings with consummate skill and patience,’ says committee member John McCain, a Republican from Arizona who was a seven-year POW and who disagreed with Kerry&. McCain says that Kerry's patience and ability to compromise produced a document that he would have thought impossible. ‘I come from a different political philosophy, but I find him an honest, sincere, dedicated individual, who devoted a year of his life to this.’ » [Providence Journal-Bulletin, 4/3/94]

Kerry and McCain Strongly Supports Reforming VA Concurrent Receipt Policy – John Kerry strongly supports ending the ban on Concurrent Receipts for disability and retired pay. In the Senate Kerry has cosponsored the legislation to end the ban and strongly supported its unanimous passage—despite the threat of veto from the Bush-Cheney Administration. “John Kerry, a decorated Vietnam War veteran, joined with his fellow Vietnam combat veterans in the United States Senate — Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), Sen. Max Cleland (D-GA), Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-NE) and a decorated veteran of World War II and Citadel graduate – Sen. Fri
tz Hollings (D-SC) — wrote to President Bush to express their deep concern with public reports that the White House staff may recommend to the President that he veto the FY 2003 National Defense Authorization Act if the conference report includes strong language authorizing the concurrent receipt of veterans' disability pay and military retirement pay.” [107th Congress, S.2051; Kerry press release10/16/02]

McCain vs. President Bush on Key Issues

Iraq

McCain Feels that Mistakes Were Made in Iraq. “I think several [mistakes have been made]. One was the lack of sufficient troops there which allowed the looting to take place, which established kind of a lawless environment. I think any law enforcement person would tell you that the environment is a very important aspect of it. The fact that we island-hopped and left certain areas of towns and cities around Baghdad as well as in the Sunni Triangle alone. I think it’s because we probably didn’t make sufficient plans to turn over the government as quickly as possible and a level of expectation that probably was unrealistic, which led to a certain amount of disappointment, but a lot of it had to do with lack of sufficient troop strength at the time that ‘combat phase’ was over.” [McCain, NBC News, “Meet the Press,” 5/16/04]

McCain Feels that There is No Strategy For Transfer of Power in Iraq. “Finally, and perhaps most importantly, we need a political strategy. We do not currently have one. With no one identified to lead Iraq after the transfer of sovereignty, and with some questioning even the date for the handover, there is a political vacuum in Iraq today. We need to reduce the uncertainty as soon as possible by announcing our plan for events after June 30.” [McCain Speech To the Council on Foreign Relations, 4/26/04]

9/11 Commission

McCain Co-Sponsors Legislation to Create Independent Body to Investigate September 11. Along with Sen. Lieberman, McCain introduced legislation to create a 14-person National Commission on Terrorist Attacks that would be separate from legislative bodies. The plan allowed for the top four members to be chosen by President Bush and the rest of the commission would be appointed by “the chairmen and top-ranking minority members of key congressional committees.” “I think the American people deserve it, just as they deserved a thorough and complete investigation with the assassination of President Kennedy, just as they needed a Tower Commission after Iran-contra, just as they needed a commission after the assassination of Abraham Lincoln,” McCain said. [USA Today, 12/24/01; AP, 12/21/01]

Bush Initially Opposed to Independent 9-11 Commission. Bush opposed an independent inquiry into 9/11, arguing it would duplicate a probe conducted by Congress. In July 2002, his administration issued a “statement of policy” that read “…the Administration would oppose an amendment that would create a new commission to conduct a similar review [to Congress’s investigation].” [Statement of Administration Policy, Executive Office of the President, 7/24/02; Los Angeles Times, 11/28/02]

Patients’ Bill of Rights

Bush Backs Limited Patients’ Bill of Rights, Less than McCain’s Proposal. George Bush has announced his support for a patient protection legislation drafted by Sens. Bill Frist (R-TN), John Breaux (D-LA) and James Jeffords (R-VT). The legislation written by Frist-Breaux-Jeffords does not allow for patients to sue in state court. In addition the law would not allow for punitive damages and cap all damages at $500,000. There is no estimate for how many American would be covered by the Frist-Breaux-Jeffords legislation but the Washington Post reports that it would be less than the alternative written by McCain-Edwards, which expand protections to 160 million Americans. [New York Times, 2/7/01; Washington Post, 5/15/01, emphasis added]

Energy Policy

McCain: “The Energy Bill is the Worst Case of Pork-Barreling and Vote-Buying I’ve Seen.” Senator John McCain (R-AZ) has been one of the most vocal critics of the energy bill “It’s a leave-no-lobbyist-behind bill,” said McCain. He added “the energy bill is the worst case of pork-barreling and vote-buying I've seen.” McCain added, “This legislation is very timely because if we pass it, Thanksgiving will come early for the Washington special interests. The American public will be presented with an enormous turkey stuffed with their tax dollars.” McCain stated that with so much pork in the energy bill he felt like “a mosquito in a nudist colony.” [San Jose Mercury News, 11/15/03; San Francisco Chronicle, 11/21/03; Boston Globe, 11/21/03; Salt Lake Tribune, 11/21/03]

Environmental Policy

Bush Broke Promise, Appeased Coal and Oil Industries Campaign Donors. In a March 2001 letter to Republican Senators, Bush said he decided to back off this campaign pledge to regulate carbon dioxide emissions from power plants after encountering strong resistance from the coal and oil industries, as well as Republicans. “I do not believe, however, that the government should impose on power plants mandatory emissions reductions for carbon dioxide, which is not a 'pollutant' under the Clean Air Act,” Bush wrote in his letter. [AP, 3/13/01; Washington Post, 3/14/01; Bush letter to Senator Chuck Hagel, 3/13/01]

McCain Co-Sponsor a Bill to Restrict Carbon Dioxide Emissions. McCain introduced legislation to greenhouse emissions and reduce them using a market-based trading mechanism, limiting carbon dioxide, mercury, nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxide emissions. [Los Angeles Times, 10/7/01; Environment and Energy Daily, 8/6/01]