Kerry-Edwards Campaign Releases Surprisingly Republican Book

The complaint that the candidates never address the issues took a huge beating on Monday when the Kerry-Edwards campaign posted a book-length policy paper on its website. Love it or hate it, it's there for the entire country to read and argue over. While much of it is photo-op pictures and previously delivered speeches, the section ending on page 123 is a detailed statement of objectives. And it has a few surprisingly Republican twists to it.

The devil, naturally, is in the details. What the Democrats want to do is laid out pretty well, but how they will achieve those things is less certain. But in a few spots, they surprise the reader with their desires. For example, when it comes to fighting pollution, the document says a Kerry administration would, "Employ flexible, market-based strategies to reduce utility plant emissions." [p.55] Whether this is code for emission-permit trading or some other approach, it is a huge break with the usual Democrat approach, which is to regulate and forbid. Moreover, this idea has been kicking around right-wing think-tanks for a generation.

When it comes to cutting pork from the federal budget, the Kerry crowd wants to "Create a constitutionally acceptable line-item veto power, to enable the president to kill pork-barrel projects unless Congress specifically re-enacts them." [p. 74] For a tax and spend party to suggest curbing spending is significant, for that same party to demand a line-item veto appears to be game, set and match to Mr. Reagan and his heirs.

And the Democrats have been held hostage by the teachers' unions and trial lawyers for decades, but perhaps, those two groups know when to accept a strategic withdrawal. For the teachers, there are the usual promises of more pay, but also "rigorous new tests for new teachers" [p.92] as well as "fast, fair procedures for improving or removing teachers who do not perform well on the job." [p.93] In days of yore, there was no acknowledgement that there were bad teachers.

In the case of medical malpractice suits, for instance, President Kerry would "oppose punitive damages except in cases where intentional misconduct, gross negligence, or reckless indifference; require that individuals making medical malpractice claims first go before a qualified medical specialist to make sure a reasonable grievance exists; require states to ensure the availability of non-binding mediation in all malpractice claims before cases proceed to trial; and support sanctions against plaintiffs and lawyers who bring frivolous medical malpractice claims, including a 'three strikes and you’re out' provision preventing lawyers who file three frivolous cases from bringing another suit for 10 years." [p.111] It may not end wasteful lawsuits, but it will slow the race to the courthouse.

Whether a Kerry administration will ignore these promises if elected is difficult to say. Even harder to predict is the degree of congressional cooperation it would enjoy. Be that as it may, there is a streak of 1980s Reaganism in the plan.


© Copyright 2004 by The Kensington Review, J. Myhre, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent.


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