Kerry is candidate to beat Bush

Super Tuesday is only days away. With momentum building, 10 states including Connecticut will hold primaries on March 2. While John Kerry is the clear frontrunner, he still needs to win additional states and delegates to guarantee him the Democratic nomination.

John Edwards is still a powerful candidate in regional areas of the country and Governor Dean has kept his name on the ballot throughout the states. Long-shots Kucinich and Sharpton will also be on the ballots in most states.

John Kerry is clearly the best of the Democratic candidates, of both currently running and previously running candidates. He has experience, leadership, expertise on the issues and excellent positions on a majority of issues.

Senator Kerry has proven his ability to rally the Democratic base for his candidacy, while also appealing to moderate and swing-voters. He is a candidate who can rejuvenate the Democratic Party and, more importantly, a man who can defeat George Bush.

Kerry is a candidate with a strong military background, which makes him qualified to discuss issues concerning terrorism, war and homeland security. While it is evident John Kerry can debate and question the military policies of George Bush, the cornerstone of his candidacy is domestic policy.

Currently, Democrats as a whole have used the issue of foreign policy as the major talking point of the campaign. If the candidates continue to attack Bush on foreign policy and military matters, Democrats cannot win. However, if the focus is on the economy and domestic policy, Kerry can win a highly contested election.

Granted, the general election is a long time away, but the economy is struggling now. People are hurting and feeling the strains of the Bush economic policy in very real terms. John Kerry is best qualified to represent the Democratic Party on domestic affairs.

With nearly 20 years of experience in the United States Senate, Kerry has gained a reputation of being knowledgeable and honest about domestic issues. As a previous state official, he can identify with the mounting deficit problems facing the American states.

Given his experience on domestic policy and his knowledge of the legislative process, John Kerry will be unstoppable when he makes domestic policy, the economy and jobs the centerpiece of his campaign.

Even with Kerry concentrating his platform and speeches on foreign policy, the media currently views him as a very strong candidate. Howard Dean helped to revive a dormant Democratic Party, but he also made the primaries focus on the war in Iraq. As Governor Dean departs the race, Kerry will begin talking more about domestic policy.

Kerry should take a lesson from previous presidential campaigns. "It's the economy stupid," was the slogan for the 1992 Clinton/Gore campaign. Perhaps now, Kerry should follow suit and ask America, "Were you economically better off four years ago or are you better off under the current administration?"

Kerry is not afraid to rollback the Bush tax cuts, which benefited only the wealthiest one percent of Americans. By repealing the unjust tax cuts, America can spend needed money in areas of health care and education. Kerry will help struggling middle class families, while working to restore the nearly three million jobs lost under the Bush administration.

Senator Kerry will look to fully fund the No Child Left Behind Act so struggling local districts will not be over-burdened by unfunded federal mandates. Education will become a funding priority and not just a testing priority.

He will expand health care programs, so the nearly 40 million Americans without health care can have affordable access to prescription drugs, medical care and a high quality of life.

On Wednesday, the fiscal irresponsibility of the Bush administration even provoked Federal Reserve Chairman Greenspan to say Social Security will become financially unstable in a few years unless the President takes action. America needs a President who will work to ensure Social Security can still payout benefits for our generation.

Kerry is also well aware the promise of homeland security has fallen short of its goals under the Bush administration. The government has cut funding for local firefighters and police officers at the expense of military activity on several fronts. Kerry will work to reform the budget so our first lines of defense on the American streets come first in the American budget.

By repealing the Bush tax cuts and governing with fiscal responsibility, Kerry has the solutions to solving America's domestic problems. At the same time, he fully understands the international commitments of the United States and will complete our obligations in an objective and multilateral manner.

Kerry has proven himself as the moderate alternative to Howard Dean. He has also shown he is more experienced and knowledgeable in comparison to John Edwards.

As Super Tuesday rolls around, the most important thing for Democratic voters to do is to vote in the primary. This is especially important for college students who must prove to Kerry issues important to younger Americans deserve placement on the national agenda. Student issues deserve just as much attention as the issues of other major blocs of voters.

Kerry has shown a willingness to target young voters and first-time voters as a major part of his campaign. He will continue this trend if young people ask to be heard by turning out to vote. Hopefully, college students will unite behind Kerry in the realization that he is the strongest candidate on the issues and the strongest candidate to defeat George Bush in November.

Senator Kerry has shown his willingness to talk about foreign policy through three simple words: "Bring it on!" Bush has not even dared to issue a similar challenge for Democrats to debate him on domestic policy.

Whether Bush attempts to highlight domestic and economic concerns, as part of his campaign, is not yet known. Either way, Kerry is qualified, ready and willing to bring domestic issues to the forefront of the American agenda. When he does bring it on domestically, Senator Kerry is well capable of achieving victory.

Sources: www.johnkerry.com kerry.senate.gov