I think Kerry did very well, but ...

[BattyDem]

I am unhappy with the way he answered the question from the woman who asked what he would say to a person who didn't want their tax dollars to fund abortion. He made it a moral issue when it didn't have to be. He personalized it too much and as a result, left himself open to a shot from Chimpy. It became about his beliefs, when it’s really a practical issue of running a government.

Every American can name at least one thing that they don't want their tax dollars to fund. You don't want you taxes to fund abortion ... he doesn't want his tax dollars to pay for a war he doesn't believe in ... they don't want their tax dollars to fund faith-based initiatives, etc.

If every American was allowed to pick and choose where their tax dollars went, the government would come to a grinding halt. The only way for the government to function fairly and properly is to pool the tax money and distribute it where it is needed most and where it will benefit the most people. That means we all have to accept that our tax dollars may sometimes pay for things we don't agree with, but we can't use our taxes as a means to impose our beliefs on other people. That's the price of living in a Democracy.

That’s what Kerry should have said. JMHO

In any case, I think he did a great job of letting people know the specifics of his plans and he came across as a caring person who understands what people are going through. I got the same feeling from him that I get when Clinton speaks - I felt like he was one of us ... you know what I mean? When Bush speaks, it always feels like he's talking down to the average person, like he's saying, "I know what's best for you and you don't, so just shut up and trust me."

Bush looked much better tonight than he did last week, but he still keeps repeating the same, old, tired talking points. When are his people going to write some new material? :eyes:

[RafterMan]

1. Aww come on

There's 25 days left.

Get your war face on.

[meisje]

2. Here we go!

[Catt03]

3. I agree with you

I understand that he needs to be balanced onthis issue but Iwish he would not discount women. They both talked about us (women) like we were children that needed to be guided about what we want....control over our bodies.

Kerry did a great job on every thing else. He will be a great president.

[soupkitchen]

4. This is how I would like to see the abortion issue framed.

YOu know, making abortions illegal is not going to stop abortions. It's just going to send women back to the back alleys, the back rooms and the needless deaths by infections.
And although I might not personally approve of abortion, I must tell you know that I would rather have my daughter have a safe abortion than die at the hands of a butcher.
That's the issue. Back alleys or safe facilities.

[BattyDem]

8. That's a great response ...

It reminds people of how things used to be and forces them to ask themselves if they really want to go back to the old ways.

[SoCalDemocrat]

5. I agree, I didn't like his response

He should of said that as President, in spite of his personal convictions one way or another, he will uphold the Constitution of the United States of America.

He said that, but in a very round about way that was extremely unclear. Bush won on this point, because he was clear in his response.

[venus]

6. I LOVED his response.

Kerry made it clear he did not think his faith should be a deciding factor in enforcing the law of the land. I think he said exactly what you wish he would have said. To many Americans abortion is a moral issue. Just as stem cell research and the death penalty and taking lives in a war. Many also believe life begins at conception but still feel women need to have the choice of abortion if necessary. On the other hand if tax payer dollars can be spent on stem cell, and war, and prisons, then why not abortion. It's not a black and white issue and Kerry has framed it better than any other politician so far IMO.

[gavodotcom]

7. You want him to say "If we can kill Iraqis, we can kill babies?"

That's simple relativism.

You can't do that with a thinking American, and you can't do that with people with religious convictions which preclude abortion, as it would appear the questioner was. And that's why the question was framed in the way it was.

Pro-life people don't want their tax money going towards killing little babies, which, one day, might prove to be little baby Jesus. How someone can be pro-life and pro-capital punishment is another matter.

Whether or not you believe Kerry's answer was suave enough is one thing, but in the real sense it was bouyed by the President's rebuttal. Kerry named two instances where abortion isn't black and white; partial birth abortions with the mother's life in risk and parental notification in cases of incest. Bush flat-out said that he's for the ban on partial-birth and parential notification, no matter what.

Bush framed the question in black and white, after Kerry CLEARLY showed the questioner the grey areas of the issue. Kerry showed America that the issue isn't so, and why he holds the secular and religious beliefs that he does. I'm not sure that a black and white president making decisions on grey issues is what most American voters are looking for, to be quite honest.

[BattyDem]

9. I agree that he did show the grey areas of the issue ...

and his rebuttal was great! It made Bush look anti-women when he presented the issue as totally black and white with no regard for the life of the woman involved. Kerry definitely scored points on that one.

But I don't know why you thought I meant that Kerry should say something like, "If we can kill Iraqis, we can kill babies." That's an extreme interpretation of the point I was trying to make, which is that we all pay taxes for things we don't believe in - and not all those things are life or death issues - so why should one person's beliefs be considered more important than another's when it comes to paying taxes? But ... if you're saying that if Kerry gave an answer like I suggested, the Bushies would have attacked him by claiming what he really meant was, "If we can kill Iraqis, we can kill babies" - then I have to concede that you're probably right. They would never pass up an opportunity to twist his words.

But hey, what can I say? I'm still a bit disappointed in his original answer, probably because I am so tired of fundies whining about their tax dollars going to things they don't support, when in fact, all of us have to pay taxes for things we don't support - so why is abortion always singled out? Frankly, as a woman, I get pissed off by that.

Ok, enough of my ranting about this one stupid question ... Kerry did a good job tonight - and I give him extra points for not laughing his ass off when Bush called him "Kennedy"! :evilgrin: