I would just like to let everyone know that I stand corrected. Kerry did not miss 70% of his votes in Congress. I was so terribly, terribly wrong. The official count instead stands at 64%. I have gone back and changed my previous post. I would also like to point out that Gephardt, who miraculously got away with missing 91%, has since dropped out of the race. Kerry's second in terms of missed-votes. Shouldn't he be second in something else, too?
Next, I would like to share a quote I read today. I find it particularly worthwhile with respect to this campaign. Considering Kerry has flip-flopped on several issues, speaking out against legislation that he previously supported in hopes of winning over democratic voters (and unfortunately, it's working...), I find it particularly important to emphasize the fact that Howard Dean signed the Civil Unions bill in Vermont shortly before his fifth re-election. The bill was immensely unpopular and it almost cost him the election, but it has since been lauded as one of the many positive moves of his career.
Dean says, and often in reference to that particular incident, that "The true test of leadership is having the courage to stand up for what you believe even when it's not popular." This statement could never be applied to the current front-runner. Kerry may repeat a variation of it endlessly in his speeches and rallies, but his record - were it to speak for itself and were people actually to listen - indicates that either he does not stand up for what he allegedly "believes in," or, even more frightening, that he "believes in" the same thing as our current President.
With that in mind, I will close with the following:
- Martin Luther King Jr.