2004 Presidential Campaign Blog

"Not True" New Kerry-Edwards 2004 TV Ad

New Ad Reveals Truth Behind Bush Health Care Attacks

Washington, DC – The Kerry-Edwards campaign takes to the airwaves this week with a new 30-second television ad revealing the real reason George W. Bush attacks the Kerry health care plan.

It’s because W’s wrong choices have done nothing to bring down costs or the uninsured and led to the largest Medicare premium hike in history – giving the president nothing to run on but desperate, misleading attacks that he hopes will hide the truth.

“When it comes to health care, George Bush’s wrong choices have taken America in the wrong direction,” said Kerry-Edwards campaign spokesperson Phil Singer. “Thanks to his wrong choices, costs are skyrocketing and seniors are paying more for prescription drugs while drug companies get a billion dollar giveaway. The truth is, John Kerry will move America in a new direction with a health care plan that cuts costs for families and businesses and expands access to quality care.”

The Kerry-Edwards health care plan will lower family premiums by up to $1,000 a year, cut waste from the system, lower the cost of prescription drugs to provide real relief to seniors and use targeted tax cuts to extend affordable, high-quality coverage to 95 percent of Americans, including every child. And because John Kerry and John Edwards believe that everyone's health is equally important, they will provide all Americans with access to the same coverage that members of Congress give themselves.

Called “Not True,” the new ad will air in battleground states across the country beginning this week. It can be viewed at www.johnkerry.com

THE FACTS:

Title: “Not True”
Type:  :30 TV
Date:  9/16/04
Paid for By: Kerry for President

AD SCRIPT

Narrator: “George Bush's healthcare attack against John Kerry: ‘Not true.’  The Kerry plan gives doctors and patients the power to make medical decisions, not insurance company bureaucrats.  The Bush record.  A $139 billion giveaway to the drug companies. A record 17 percent increase in Medicare premiums. 5 million more Americans without health insurance.  George W. Bush. Wrong on healthcare. Wrong for America.”

John Kerry: “I'm John Kerry and I approve this message.”

"Wrong Choices" New Kerry-Edwards 2004 TV Ad

New Kerry Ad: Bush’s Wrong Choices have Weakened Us Here at Home

Washington, DC – Continuing to outline the clear choice in this race, the Kerry-Edwards campaign Wednesday unveiled a new television ad highlighting George W. Bush’s wrong choices in Iraq. These choices have costs us $200 billion and counting, and as a result, shortchanged America on everything from education to health care.

The ad, “Wrong Choices,’ is part of the campaign’s effort to talk about how America is moving in the wrong direction because of the choices of George W. Bush over the last four years.

“George Bush has made the wrong choices for four years – including choosing to go it alone in Iraq without a plan to win the peace,” said Kerry-Edwards campaign spokesperson Phil Singer. “This choice has cost us $200 billion and moved America in the wrong direction. John Kerry and John Edwards will move America in a new direction with a better plan to create and keep jobs in America, lower health care costs, reduce the deficit and restore our respect in the world.”

“Wrong Choices” will begin airing this week as part of the campaign’s $50 million ad buy and is available for viewing at www.johnkerry.com
SCRIPT: 

“Wrong Choices”

Narrator

George Bush.
$200 Billion for Iraq.
In America, lost jobs and rising health care costs.
George Bush’s wrong choices have weakened us here at home.
The Kerry Plan.
Stop tax incentives for companies that ship jobs overseas.
Lower health care premiums by up to a $1000 per family.                         
Reduce the deficit to protect Medicare and Social Security.
Stronger at home. Respected in the world.

John Kerry

“I’m John Kerry and I approved this message.

John Kerry Town Hall Meeting on Health Care

John Kerry to Hold Town Hall Meeting on Health Care at Anoka Hennepin Technical College Thursday

SAINT PAUL, MN – John Kerry will hold a town hall meeting Thursday, August 26, at Anoka Hennepin Technical College, where he will discuss skyrocketing health care costs, the squeeze on middle-class families and the Kerry-Edwards plan to expand access to affordable health care for families and businesses.

What: John Kerry to Hold Town Hall Meeting on Health Care at Anoka Hennepin Technical College

When: Thursday, August 26, 2004

Where:

Anoka Technical College Auditorium A
1355 West Highway 10
Anoka, Minnesota 55303

THE KERRY-EDWARDS PLAN: A STRONGER AMERICA THROUGH MORE AFFORDABLE HEALTH CARE
Significant Increase in Uninsured Underscores Need for Leadership that Puts Middle-class First

Today’s release of the new Census numbers paints a grim picture of George Bush’s failure to address rising health care costs. Since Bush took office, the number of uninsured has skyrocketed, with 1.4 million Americans having lost their health insurance in the last year alone:

5.2 million more Americans without health insurance under President Bush – 1.4 million in the last year alone. In 2003, an additional 1.4 million people joined the ranks of the uninsured. There are 5.2 million more people without health insurance than in 2000. In total, 45 million people are uninsured. Since 2000 there are:

• 397,000 more African Americans without health insurance
• 1.4 million more Hispanics without health insurance
• 2.2 million more women without health insurance

The number of uninsured has risen in every income group. The number of uninsured rose for every income group:

• 556,000 people with incomes under $25,000 lost health insurance
• 185,000 people with incomes from $25,000 - $50,000 lost health insurance
• 323,000 people with incomes from $50,000 - $75,000 lost health insurance
• 324,000 people with incomes over $75,000 lost health insurance

Kerry-Edwards Health Care Plan

John Kerry and John Edwards have a real plan to ensure reliable, high-quality care, as well as alleviate health care costs for America’s families and businesses. Their plan will:

Save workers up to $1,000 with premium relief. The Kerry-Edwards plan will provide relief for employers who do the right thing by offering their employees quality health care coverage with choices. Their plan will help make health care more affordable for all employers and employees by having the federal government pick up 75 percent of catastrophic costs – providing approximately 10 percent, or up to $1,000, in annual savings for America’s families.

Provide tax credits to make health insurance more affordable. The Kerry-Edwards plan will provide tax credits to make health insurance more affordable for small businesses, Americans between the ages of 55 to 64, and low to middle-income workers buying into the new Congressional Health Plan. These tax credits total $177 billion over ten years – more than twice as generous as the health care tax credits proposed by Bush.

Cut administrative costs by eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse. Approximately $350 billion is spent on non-medical costs – principally the costs of the paper work burden, including those costs associated with the preparation, submission, calculation and payment of bills. Kerry and Edwards will cut administrative costs by ensuring electronic paperless claims. They’ll also encourage greater use of technology to simplify and streamline paperwork so doctors can spend more time with patients and less time filling out forms. While cutting costs, Kerry and Edwards will improve the quality of care delivered by helping reduce medical errors and encourage greater disease management and prevention efforts.

Expand quality, reliable health care coverage. John Kerry and John Edwards’s plan will allow Americans to access the same range of affordable health care plans that members of Congress get today. Also, their health care plan will expand state-based programs to insure all children and millions of adults by picking up the full cost of more than 20 million children enrolled in Medicaid. In exchange, states would have to expand eligibility for children’s coverage, as well as expand coverage for families and adults.

Make prescription drugs more affordable. Prescription drug costs have increased by 17 percent in the last year alone. Kerry and Edwards will cut prescription drugs costs by allowing the federal government to negotiate better prices through the Medicare program; permitting the reimportation of safe, FDA-approved drugs; supporting incentives to allow generic drugs to get to market faster.

Push Congress to finally pass a real Patients’ Bill of Rights – one that allows Americans to hold HMOs accountable for decisions that harm patients by denying necessary medical care. Other critical patient protections Kerry and Edwards will support include (1) a right to see the specialists they need; (2) a right to real emergency protections; (3) a real external appeals process that allows patients to appeal a HMO decision; and (4) whistleblower protections that allow health care workers to report quality problems without fear of retaliation.

Reduce medical malpractice premiums. John Kerry and John Edwards oppose punitive damages – unless intentional misconduct, gross negligence, or reckless indifference to life can be established. Kerry and Edwards also support a series of reforms to get rid of the frivolous lawsuits clogging the health care system by (1) requiring a qualified specialist to certify that a case has merit before it can move forward; (2) working with states to ensure the availability of non-binding mediation in all malpractice claims before cases proceed trial; and (3) preventing and punishing frivolous lawsuits by putting in place tough, mandatory sanctions, including a “three strikes and you’re out” provision that forbids lawyers who file three frivolous cases from bringing another suit for the next 10 years.

Anoka, MN - Democratic Presidential nominee John Kerry Thursday held a town hall meeting with voters from the Twin-cities area where he emphasized the Kerry-Edwards plan to expand access to affordable health care and bring down costs for families and businesses.

"Issues" New Kerry-Edwards 2004 TV Ad

NEW AD: “George Bush. Denounce the smear. Get back to the issues.”

Washington, DC – With the Bush-Cheney campaign more intent on using its tired, old smear tactics than addressing the concerns of the American people, the Kerry-Edwards campaign Sunday unveiled a new television ad exposing the recycled Bush-Cheney attack campaign and urging the president to give the American people what they deserve – a discussion about the issues they face every day.

After four years of failed Bush policies, middle-class Americans are struggling. Good paying jobs have disappeared in record numbers. Health care costs have skyrocketed. American soldiers are fighting in Iraq, and America has failed to become as safe as we can be.

Yet even with so much work to do, the president is not talking about solutions. Instead, he and Karl Rove have flipped back to the well-worn smear page of their campaign playbook, last used against John McCain in 2000, and stood silent while their backers attack the service and honor of John Kerry and America’s veterans.

“This Bush backed smear is a case of Déjà vu for those who follow Rove and the president, but it is not what the American people deserve,” said Kerry-Edwards campaign manager Mary Beth Cahill. “John Kerry knows America can do better than lies and smear. That is why he and John Edwards have released a detailed plan to make America stronger at home and respected in the word. Their plan will strengthen the economy for middle-class families, create and keep good paying jobs in America, cut health care costs and make America stronger and more secure. That is what voters want to hear, not lies and smears, and it’s time the president realized that.”

In the 2000 Republican primary, then candidate Bush refused to disavow or condemn hateful and vicious attacks on McCain’s military record. The president is now doing the exact same thing – sitting silent while “Swift Boat Veterans for Bush” smear Kerry’s military service with proven lies.

Despite McCain calling the attacks on Kerry “dishonest and dishonorable,” Bush has yet to denounce them, just like he has yet to articulate his plan and vision for a second term.

The new Kerry-Edwards ad is titled “Issues” and can be downloaded at www.johnkerry.com/

THE FACTS:

Title: “Issues”
Type:  30 sec TV
Date:  8/23/04
Paid for By: Kerry for President

“Issues”

TEXT OF AD:

John Kerry:  “I’m John Kerry and I approve this message.”

Narrator: “American soldiers are fighting in Iraq.”

Narrator: “Families struggle to afford health care.”

Narrator: “Jobs heading overseas.”

Narrator: “Instead of solutions, George Bush’s campaign supports a front group attacking John Kerry’s military record.  Attacks called smears, lies.  Sen. McCain calls them dishonest.”

Narrator: “Bush smeared John McCain four years ago.  Now, he’s doing it to John Kerry.”

Narrator: “George Bush:  Denounce the smear.  Get back to the issues.  America deserves better.”

St. Paul Saints Bobblelection 2004

The St. Paul Saints did their part to capture the mood fo the Twin Cities during the presidential season. As fans entered the ballpark, they chose a George W. Bush or John Kerry bobblehead doll. John Kerry was the winner in St. Paul and George W. Bush won the national vote.

USA Today Story

Kerry and Edwards Unveil New Book - “Our Plan for America: Stronger at Home, Respected in the World”

Grand Rapids, MI – Continuing their cross-country tour Monday, John Kerry and John Edwards unveiled their vision of a stronger America, titled “Our Plan for America: Stronger at Home, Respected in the World.” The 252-page book, complete with speech excerpts and photos from the trail, offers a comprehensive look at the optimistic Kerry-Edwards plan to build a stronger, more secure America and the values and experiences at the heart of it.

The book is organized around four urgent challenges facing America: keeping America safe and strong; reviving the American economy and providing more opportunity for middle-class families; fixing our health care system by holding down costs and expanding access to coverage; and charting a path to energy independence.

It is divided into two sections. Section one has three chapters, “Security,” “Opportunity,” and “Family.” Each chapter details elements of the Kerry-Edwards plan to build a stronger America. Section two is composed of key speeches Kerry and Edwards have given throughout the course of this campaign.

With plan in hand, Kerry and Edwards will continue their trip across the country, talking directly with the American people about their vision for a stronger, more respected America. The plan will also be shared with those who cannot make it to their stops. Today, the campaign is delivering the plan to Democratic leaders and supporters in states across the country. It can also be downloaded by interested citizens everywhere on the John Kerry web site.

2004 Democratic National Convention Web Site

Boston, MA - Since the opening gavel of the 2004 Democratic National Convention on Monday afternoon, the official Convention website has received more than 16 million hits from visitors across the globe.

Thousands of viewers logged on to the website, www.dems2004.org, to get up-to-the minute information, view live and archived video web streams, and participate in interactive video chats with Convention speakers. The website's servers have transferred an incredible 1.4 terabytes (1,400 gigabytes) of data to 242,303 computers.

The most popular area of the site has been the continuous, cutting-edge live video stream of the Convention stage. The DNCC website has served a total of over 157,000 video streams, accounting for 3,710 hours of total viewing time.

"It was our goal to make this Convention the most interactive in the history of the Democratic Party," said Rod O'Connor, CEO of the DNCC.  "The fact that, in just the first 24 hours of Convention week, this many people are tuning in and actively participating through the website is strong evidence that we're well on our way to achieving that goal."

In all, 1.4 million individual pages were viewed on computers around the world. At the busiest time, the website was receiving 400 hits per second and broadcasting 2,868 simultaneous streams.

More than 2,600 new people signed up to receive the DNCC "E-Delegate"email since Monday, joining thousands of others who will get regular updates of Convention action in their email inboxes.

Kerry Edwards 2004 Web Site Launch

Kerry Edwards Minnesota Headquarters Grand Opening

"Today, July 21st, would have been Paul Wellstone's 60th birthday." said former Vice President Walter Mondale at the grand opening of the Kerry Edwards Minnesota Headquarters. The University Avenue location served as the offices for the Wellstone for Senate 2002 campaign.

"Lifeline" New Kerry-Edwards 2004 TV Ad

New Ad Highlights Kerry-Edwards Economic Plan for a Stronger America

Washington, DC – The Kerry-Edwards campaign today released a new 30-second television ad emphasizing the Kerry-Edwards plan to build an economy that works for America’s families, creating new and better jobs, ending incentives to ship American jobs overseas and investing in the workforce and industries of the future.  The spot is part of the campaign’s strategy to communicate to voters the Kerry-Edwards vision for a stronger America – good paying jobs, affordable health care, energy independence and a respected America that leads strong alliances around the world.  The ad is part of the buy announced at the beginning of the month.

“John Kerry and John Edwards will provide new leadership to make America stronger at home and respected in the world,” said Campaign Manager Mary Beth Cahill. “They believe that a stronger America begins at home and that for American, tomorrow can always be better than today.  They have a real plan to improve the economy, make health care affordable, end our dependence on Mideast oil and strengthen national security.  On their watch, America and America’s families will grow stronger.”

The new ad, “Lifeline,” features John Kerry speaking directly to the camera about the Kerry-Edwards economic plan for America.  He emphasizes that his plan begins by putting an end to tax incentives that are encouraging American companies to ship jobs overseas.  The plan invests in new technologies like alternative fuel sources that’ll be a job engine in the future.  And it focuses on educating our children.  The Kerry-Edwards ticket represents a new team for a new, stronger America. 

“Lifeline” can be viewed online at www.johnkerry.com.  Script and back-up can be found below.

Script:
“Lifeline”
TEXT OF AD:

John Kerry: “I’m John Kerry and I approved this message.”
John Kerry: “I’ve proposed a new economic plan for America. It begins by putting an end to tax incentives that are encouraging American companies to ship jobs overseas.”
John Kerry: “It invests in new technologies like alternative fuel sources that’ll be a job engine in the future.
John Kerry: “And it focuses on educating our children”
John Kerry: “You can read the whole plan yourself at JohnKerry.com. Jobs aren’t just statistics, they’re the lifeline for America’s families.”