In this web voters’ guide,
you’ll find information about the candidates in the March 2 Democratic
presidential primary. (There is no Republican primary; President Bush has no
Republican challenger.) We compiled the guide by studying candidates’ voting
records, web sites, campaign material, media reports, and information from
organizations focused on specific issues.
New York
is one of 11 states holding primaries or caucuses that day; known as “Super
Tuesday,” it’s the biggest primary day so far in this campaign season. Some
tips on taking part:
Voting hours are noon
to 9 p.m., and only registered Democrats can vote. (It’s too
late to register for this election.) If you’re not sure whether you’re
registered or where you vote, go to the MonroeCounty website (www.monroecounty.gov), click on “Board of Elections” and then
on “Am I registered” or “Your polling site.” Or call the Board of Elections,
428-4550.
For our other
primary coverage, see our discussion of campaign issues and our endorsements.
Although only four Democrats are running (John Edwards, John Kerry, Dennis
Kucinich, and Al Sharpton),
nine candidates are on the ballot. Wesley Clark, Howard Dean, Richard Gephardt,
and Joseph Liberman dropped out of the race after the
deadline for removing their names. Also on the ballot is perpetual candidate
Lyndon LaRouche, an extremist non-Democrat.
In addition, you’ll find names of numerous people who
want to be delegates to the Democratic National Convention in July. The
presidential candidates themselves are listed vertically on the left side of
the ballot, followed by a list of delegates pledged to that candidate.
By voting for a presidential candidate, you help
determine how many delegates each candidate will get. Say, for example, 100
people voted — 75 for John Kerry and 25 for John Edwards. Kerry would get 75
percent of the five or six delegates in your congressional district and Edwards
would get 25 percent.
The delegates are on the ballot so you can select the
people who will represent the candidates at the Democratic National Convention.
The candidates are chasing 237 delegates in New York. Nationally, the candidate who gets the backing of
2,162 delegates will win the party’s nomination and be the Democratic candidate
for president.
If no delegates are listed after your candidate’s name on
the ballot, it means nobody in your congressional district petitioned to become
a delegate.
John Edwards
Worked as
a trial lawyer, with a focus on personal-injury cases, before being elected to
the US Senate in 1998.Serves on the Senate’s Small Business, Intelligence, and Judiciary
Committees and the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee. Has
made US job losses and economic disparity the cornerstones of his campaign. The
National Journal ranks his votes as more
liberal than about 60 percent of Senators, more conservative than about 35
percent.
Economy
Has criticized NAFTA and has
voted against some trade agreements that he felt did not protect US workers and
the environment. Wants strict enforcement of existing trade
laws.Voted against giving the president “fast-track”
authority in trade negotiations, which weakens Congressional input.
Wants to give a 10 percent tax cut to companies producing
goods and keeping jobs in the US and eliminate tax benefits for companies moving
their headquarters offshore. Wants to establish a matching-funds and tax-credit
retirement program for low and moderate-income Americans; extend unemployment
benefits; strengthen workers’ right to join labor unions, and raise the minimum
wage by at least $1.50. Wants Economic Revitalization Zones
to help regions affected by foreign trade.
Voted against the Bush tax cut and would repeal the cut
for wealthiest Americans; supports providing more benefits to low and
middle-income people. Would reinstate federal budget caps; reduce the number of
non-defense and non-homeland-security government employees; cut federal
subsidies for major oil companies and “millionaires operating farms.” Would create a commission “to examine and eliminate unneeded corporate
subsidies.”
Low-tax and pro-business interests — Americans for Tax
Reform, the National Taxpayers Union, the American Bankers Association — have
given him low ratings. He has won high ratings from labor unions.
Environment
Voted to protect the Arctic
National Wildlife Refuge; fought Bush’s weakening of clean air and water
standards and co-sponsored measure to reduce power-plant emissions; supports
increased fuel-efficiency standards and greater use of renewable fuels; wants a
moratorium on offshore drilling; wants the US to be a leader in international
efforts on global warming.
The League of Conservation Voters has given his voting
record moderate to high marks.
Foreign policy
Has criticized the Bush
administration for its “go-it-alone,” “arrogant” foreign policy and says he
wants the US to work with other nations to fight terrorism, resolve conflicts,
“rebuild societies based on democracy and freedom,” and promote “political
reform and human rights in places like Cuba, North Korea, and throughout the
Middle East.” Wants the US to “strengthen its commitment to
the Biological Weapons Convention and the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.”
On Iraq: Voted for use of military force in Iraq but at the time criticized the Bush “pre-emption
doctrine” and said that the US should act with an international coalition and only
if Iraq failed to adhere to UN resolutions regarding weapons
inspections and disarmament. Has since said that US policy in postwar Iraq has been “confused and chaotic.” Wants the UN and NATO involved in establishing a new
Iraqi government and wants a NATO-led multinational peacekeeping force to
insure order in Iraq. Wants “a transparent and open process” in awarding
contracts in Iraq.
On Israel: Considers himself one of Israel’s strongest allies in the Senate. “The Israeli
people deserve to live without the fear of terrorism,” he says on his website,
“in a Jewish state with Jerusalem
as their capital; and the Palestinian people deserve to live under a
representative government that fights terrorism and corruption and supports
fundamental freedoms.” “This is not the time to send mixed messages about the
special relationship between America and Israel,” he says on his website.
Jews for Peace in Palestine and Israel, American Muslims for Israel, and the US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation
have given his voting record low ratings.
Health care
Would expand and make health
care more affordable by offering tax breaks to offset insurance costs,
requiring parents to cover their children, and automatically enrolling children
under 21. Would establish insurance purchasing pools to lower
costs for small businesses. Would allow uninsured people 55 to 65 to buy
into Medicare and subsidize insurance for moderate-income workers between jobs.
Would prohibit misleading drug ads, permit consumers to buy safe drugs from
outside the US, and encourage hospitals’ use of technology for billing and
records-keeping to lower costs. Would double federal funding
for health clinics.Would increase federal share of
state Medicaid costs.
Abortion
Supports abortion rights and
has opposed anti-choice court and administration nominees. Wants
to “help lead a fight to pass a federal freedom of choice act.” Opposes
global gag rule and voted against banning abortions at overseas military
facilities.
Planned Parenthood and NARAL (National Abortion and
Reproductive Rights Action League) have given his voting record a “100,” the
Right to Life Committee “0.”
Civil liberties, civil
rights
Voted for
the Patriot Act. Opposed Bush
administration efforts to weaken affirmative action programs; has encouraged colleges and universities to eliminate
“legacy” policies that favor children of graduates. Opposed
far-right Bush court nominees such as Miguel Estrada. Supports
hate-crime laws and co-sponsored law prohibiting workplace discrimination based
on sexual orientation. Opposes the military’s Don’t Ask Don’t
Tell policy. Has said he supports “partnership benefits for committed
gay and lesbian couples” but has been less clear on civil unions and says he
opposes gay marriage.
The NAACP, Human Rights Campaign, and the National
Hispanic Leadership Agenda have given his voting record high ratings. The ACLU
has rated him in the 60-65 percent range. The Arab American Institute: low to
moderate. The Christian Coalition and American Conservative Union: low.
Urban issues
Would give tax credits to
businesses creating jobs in cities and other disadvantaged communities, expand
pre-school and after-school programs, establish new tax credits for low and
moderate-income people buying their first home, strengthen enforcement of the
Fair Housing Act, and strengthen the Section 8 housing-voucher program
Critics say
That he’s not ready for the presidency;
that his knowledge, particularly on foreign policy, is thin and his proposals
are vague, and that he has done little during his years in the Senate. That
despite his criticism of the Iraq war, he voted for it and said he was sure that
Saddam Hussein had chemical and biological weapons. That he is “a classic,
corporate-friendly, centrist New Democrat” (LA
Weekly), not the populist he says he is. That although he
has railed against attorneys who set up tax shelters, he has done so himself.
Republicans charge that his voting record is almost as liberal as Ted Kennedy’s
and Hillary Clinton’s.
John Kerry
Was
elected Massachusetts lieutenant governor in 1982 and US Senator in 1984. First caught national attention in early 1970s when,
after his military service in Vietnam (for which he received three Purple Hearts), he
became a strong anti-war activist and a spokesperson for Vietnam Veterans Against the War. Served as a prosecutor in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, and was an attorney in private practice. Is the
ranking member on the Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee and
on the subcommittees for East Asian and Pacific Affairs and for Oceans,
Fisheries, and the Environment. The National Journal ranks him as more
liberal than 87 of the Senate’s 100 members.
Economy
Voted for the North American
Free Trade Agreement; now says he wants a review of existing trade agreements,
wants to strengthen their enforcement and insure that future trade agreements
protect US labor and environmental standards. Wants to
strengthen efforts to open export markets such as Japan.
Supports increasing the minimum wage
and indexing it to inflation. Wants to strengthen manufacturing in the
US by offering a jobs-creation credit, reducing the tax rate on companies that
produce goods in the US, investing in new energy industries, increasing funding
for research and job training, and plugging tax loopholes that encourage
companies to move jobs offshore. Wants more assistance for
minority and women-owned small businesses and more federal contracts and loans
for small businesses.
Want to keep the middle-class tax cut but repeal tax cuts
for the wealthy; wants to lower capital-gains and dividend taxes for the middle
class and close loopholes that permit some corporations to avoid taxes.
Organizations promoting business interests and low taxes
(Americans for Tax Reform, National Taxpayers Union, American Bankers
Association, and the Chamber of Commerce) give his voting record low ratings.
Labor unions have generally given him high ratings, and he has been endorsed by
the AFL-CIO.
Environment
Is
considered one of the Senate’s strongest environmentalists. Led the fight in 2003 to protect the Arctic National
Wildlife Refuge and has voted to curb global warming, protect public forests,
clean up toxic waste, protect endangered species, and improve fuel economy. Wants to re-establish the US as an international leader in such
areas as global warming, marine resources, and biodiversity.Proposes “a new Manhattan Project”
relying on better fuel efficiency and renewable resources to make the US independent of oil from the Middle East. Wants to revitalize the Superfund to clean up
contaminated sites; supports stronger protection from air and water pollution;
wants federal transportation policies, housing initiatives, and funding for
open space to relieve traffic congestion and fight sprawl. Opposes
the logging of old-growth trees on public land.
The Sierra Club and League of Conservation Voters give
his voting record high ratings.
Foreign policy
Has strongly criticized
President Bush for unilateral actions that he says have alienated allies, for
disregarding international institutions and international law, and for his
policy of pre-emptive war. Calls for a “progressive internationalism,” building
alliances to fight nuclear proliferation and terrorism and foster “economic and
social progress” in poor countries. Says he would “restore diplomacy as a tool
of the strong” and would “treat the United Nations as a full partner.” Wants a “Presidential Envoy for the Islamic World” to strengthen
Islamic moderates.
On Iraq: Voted for legislation authorizing the use of force
against Iraq. Has since said that Bush misled Congress and the
public. Has criticized Bush for not creating a broad coalition for the war and
for not having an effective post-war plan to restore order and build stability.
On Israel and Palestine: Says Israel is “our most important ally” in the Middle East and that the US must “maintain a steady policy of friendship and
support for Israel.” Suggests that the US and allies provide technical assistance to
Palestinian security forces to help them “rein in” violent militant groups and
says Israel should respond “with steps to alleviate hardships on the
Palestinian people.” Says Israel must “meet its obligations” regarding settlements
and seems to criticize Israel’s construction of the security wall “off the green
line,” saying it hurts Israel’s long-term security and increases Palestinians’
hardship.
His voting record has received low ratings from Jews for
Peace in Palestine and Israel, the US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation,
American Muslims for Jerusalem, and Peace Action.
Health care
Would continue the nation’s
private, insurance-based health-care system but would strengthen Medicare and
make insurance affordable for those not covered by Medicare. Wants to add a
prescription drug benefit to Medicare and reduce the cost of prescription drugs
through such measures as bulk purchases. Wants to reduce
health-care costs due to waste, fraud, and high administrative costs.
Wants to let businesses and individuals buy into the federal health plan, which
offers greater coverage at lower cost than private plans. Wants
the federal government to help states expand coverage of the poor and make
health care more affordable by offering incentives for small businesses to
provide health-care coverage for all employees.Wants
more investment in drug-treatment programs and parity in mental-health care and
health-care coverage.
Abortion
Supports abortion rights and
says he would appoint only pro-choice justices to the Supreme Court. Voted against banning late-term abortions.Planned Parenthood and NARAL (National Abortion and Reproductive
Rights Action League) give Kerry’s voting record a 100 rating, the Right to
Life Committee a 0.
Civil liberties, civil
rights
Voted for the Patriot Act
but has since expressed concern about its effect on civil liberties and about
the treatment of Muslim and Arab immigrants. Supports
expansion of federal hate-crime law.
Criticizes the Bush administration’s
stand on affirmative action in higher education.Wants
stronger enforcement of fair-housing and fair-lending laws. Supports
funding for faith-based “charities or centers” providing social services.
Voted against the Defense of Marriage
Act, which denies federal recognition of same-sex marriages; supports civil
unions but opposes legalization of gay marriage.Opposed
the Clinton administration’s “Don’t Ask Don’t
Tell” policy for the military.
The NAACP, National Hispanic Leadership Agenda, and Human
Rights Campaign have given his voting record high ratings; the ACLU and the
Arab American Institute moderately high, and the Christian Coalition and
American Conservative Union low.
Urban policy
Wants more
federal funds for education, particularly for urban and rural schools and for
after-school programs. Wants to
expand Head Start and dramatically increase federal funding for low-income
housing.
Critics say
That he has waffled or not
taken a clear stand on trade and on the US role in the world — especially on Iraq, supporting the Bush use-of-force plan and insisting
that Saddam was a threat but criticizing President Bush now. That he criticizes
Bush for taking donations from big corporations and lobbyists but is a big
recipient himself — taking donations from telecommunications interests and
the securities industry, for example, and then voting for measures they
support.
Dennis Kucinich
Was elected mayor of Cleveland in 1977 when he was 31; the next year, he became
embroiled with Cleveland’s banks when they insisted that the city, facing a
large budget deficit, sell its municipally-owned utility company. When he
refused, the banks forced the city into default, and he was defeated in the
1979 mayoral race. But his stand on preserving muni
power was later viewed by many people as correct and courageous. He served on
the Cleveland City Council from 1970 to 1975 and again from 1984-85; was
elected to the Ohio Senate in 1994 and to Congress in 1996. He chairs the
Congressional Progressive Caucus. The National Journal has ranked him as among
the most liberal members of the House.
Economy
Wants the US to withdraw from NAFTA and the
World Trade Organization.Wants a public works program, similar to Franklin Roosevelt’s WPA,
to increase employment.Wants to raise the minimum
wage to at least $8.50 an hour.Would eliminate the
Bush tax cuts that benefited the wealthy and close corporate tax loopholes.Wants universal free preschool and free college tuition at
state colleges and universities.
Unions such as AFSME, the United Auto Workers, and SEIU
give his voting record very high marks, often 100 percent. Business groups and
groups pushing for low taxes — Americans for Tax Reform, the National
Taxpayers Union, the Chamber of Commerce, and the American Bankers Association
— give him low ratings.
Environment
Would strengthen
environmental laws, increase penalties for polluters, and encourage development
of renewable energy (wants 20 percent of US energy to come from renewable sources by 2010). Has received high ratings from the Public Interest Research Group,
the Sierra Club, and the League of Conservation Voters.
Health care
Is the sole candidate
calling for true universal health care. He wants a
“single-payer,” non-profit, national health-insurance plan that would cover
everyone (paid for by the government, not patients and their insurance plans).
Money would come from current government health-care funds and from a tax on
employers that he says would cost them less than they pay now for employees’
health-care coverage.
Opposes the Bush Medicare bill because it does not
address rising drug prices, reduces prescription-drug coverage for many
seniors, and prohibits importing drugs from Canada.
Abortion rights
In the past, has been
consistently anti-choice. Voted to prohibit the use of
federal funds for most abortions and to make it a criminal act to take a
teenager across state lines for an abortion without parents’ consent.
Voted against requiring federal employees’ health-care plans to cover
prescription contraceptives. Voted for the “global gag rule”
barring funds for foreign non-governmental organizations that perform abortions
or provide abortion counseling or referrals.
In 2003, however, his stance changed, and he voted in
favor of lifting the ban on military personnel obtaining abortions from
military hospitals overseas, and against the bill to criminalize late-term
abortions. He says he has “had a journey on this issue” and that he now
“wholeheartedly supports a woman’s right to choose” and “will only support
someone for the Supreme Court if he or she agrees to uphold Roe v. Wade.”
In the past, has received high ratings from the National
Right to Life organization and low marks from Planned Parenthood and the
National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League. Planned Parenthood
currently gives his voting record a “mixed” rating.
Foreign policy
Wants the US to “re-establish the United States as a cooperative partner with the
world in matters of world peace.”Proposes a Department of Peace to search for non-violent
solutions to international problems.
Would approve the Kyoto Treaty on
Global Climate Change, the Landmine Treaty, the Nuclear Non-Proliferation
Treaty, and the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty.Wants
the School of the Americas — whose record includes training
brutal military personnel from Central America — shut down.
On Iraq: Has consistently opposed the US war and occupation. Wants the UN
to take over peacekeeping operations, management of Iraq’s oil industry, and awarding of
all contracts for rebuilding the country. In 1998, however, he voted in favor of the Iraq Liberation Act, which
spelled out Saddam Hussein’s record and called for regime change. In 2000 he
opposed sanctions against Iraq but later endorsed them as an alternative to war.
On Israel and Palestine: Voted “present” on a House resolution expressing
“solidarity with Israel.” Wants an “even-handed approach,” supporting both
the State of Israel and a Palestinian state, supporting the security of both
Israelis and Palestinians.Wants “global financial aid
to the Palestinian people as they move toward Statehood.”Wants the US to “ask Israel to stop building walls… to tear
down the walls… to not participate in the building of any new settlements.”
Jews for Peace in Palestine and Israel give his voting record relatively high marks;
American Muslims for Jerusalem and the Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation, high
marks.
Civil liberties, civil
rights
Is the only candidate who
voted against the Patriot Act and wants it revoked.Supports both civil unions and marriage for gays and lesbians.
Opposes the death penalty for federal crimes and supports legalization of
marijuana. On the other hand, he has voted in favor of a constitutional
amendment banning flag-burning. and in favor of
impeaching President Clinton.
The American Civil Liberties Union, Americans for
Separation of Church and State have given his voting record generally high
ratings. The NAACP, Human Rights Campaign, Arab American Institute, and
National Hispanic Leadership Agenda have given him high ratings. The Christian
Coalition and the American Conservative Union give him extremely low marks.
Critics say
That this vegan,
spiritual-friend-of-Shirley-MacLaine is a “fringe
candidate,” that some of his stands are extreme. That he’s a perpetual
candidate, running to get attention (18 races in 35 years, beginning with a run
for Congress when he was 25). That he has accomplished little in his seven
years in Congress. Early in his political career, he was accused of
race-baiting early for some of his actions when he supported a white Republican
running for mayor against African-American Carl Stokes. He opposed establishing
a holiday honoring Martin Luther King.
Al Sharpton
Ordained
Pentecostal minister, outspoken and often controversial activist. His record includes work with such organizations as
Operation Breadbasket and, in the 1980s, serving as the high-profile advocate
for Tawana Brawley, a black teenager who charged,
falsely, that she had been abducted and raped by white policemen. Has supported Republicans such as Al D’Amato and George Pataki “to
send a message to the Democrats.”
Economy
Wants taxes used for
economic development, schools, and protection of voters’ rights “before we ship
our dollars overseas to places such as Iraq and Afghanistan.” Wants to end the Bush tax breaks for the
wealthiest citizens and increase tax breaks for low and middle-income people.
Foreign policy
Criticizes
the Bush administration for “inflammatory and provocative language.” Says the Bush administration’s doctrine of
pre-emption is “dangerous and traditionally un-American.” Believes
the US must “heal the rift that we have
caused with allies in the United Nations and those that may not be allies.”
On Iraq: Opposed the war in Iraq. Wants a multinational effort for
peacekeeping and reconstruction.
On Israel-Palestine: Calls for “a balanced approach.”
Health care
Supports a
constitutional amendment guaranteeing all Americans the right to equal,
high-quality health care.
Abortion
Supports
abortion rights.
Civil rights, civil
liberties
Citing qualified voters who
were prevented from voting in the 2000 presidential election, he wants a Right
to Vote amendment to the constitution to insure that all votes are counted,
that the votes of members of the Electoral College reflect the popular vote in
their district and state, and to provide election-day registration.
Supports gay marriage.
Other issues
Supports
an amendment guaranteeing children equal, high-quality public education.Wants statehood for the District of Columbia.
Critics say
That he is a gadfly seeking
publicity; that he has not only supported Republicans in election campaigns but
has turned his 2004 presidential campaign over to Roger Stone, whom the Village Voice describes as “a longtime
Republican dirty-tricks operative” who “led the mob that shut down the
Miami-Dade County recount and helped make George W. Bush president in 2000.”
That his campaign has been almost entirely financed by Republicans intent on,
as the LA Weekly puts it, frightening
moderate Democrats.
This article appears in Feb 25 – Mar 2, 2004.
