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The Democratic Party
  This week we saw more reasons why John McCain is not the right person to be president. Whether it's civil rights or the war in Iraq, McCain is out of touch and on the wrong side of the issues.

When it comes to foreign policy, John McCain may call himself a foreign policy expert, but the fact is his 100 years in Iraq would do little to make America safe. He has yet to propose a plan for Iraq going forward and has refused to weigh in on important issues General Petreaus has raised about the lack of political progress in Iraq. And during this week's Senate hearing with General Petraeus, McCain once against confused Sunni and Shiite extremists in Iraq. If he can't even get right key facts on the ground, how can we trust him to be our commander in chief?

Just the same, John McCain's record on civil rights is nothing to brag about. Though he'll embark on a so-called "Compassion Tour" later this month in an effort to reach out to African American voters, the fact is no campaign tour can make up for McCain's dismal record on civil rights issues during his 25 years in Washington.

Below are key points on John McCain's out-of-touch views on foreign policy and civil rights.

To ensure that your thoughts, comments, questions, or additional names to be added to this project go straight to my inbox, please email me directly at AliceGermond@dnc.org.

Thank you,

Alice Germond
DNC Secretary

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John McCain and General Petraeus' Testimony:

Main Point: John McCain should weigh in on General Petraeus' concern about the minimal political progress in Iraq and outline his plans for the future of Iraq. So far, his only plan is his willingness to keep our troops there for 100 years and launch political attacks at anyone who disagrees.

bulletMcCain has not offered his plan for the future of Iraq and he has failed to answer key questions:
bullet-- As president, would John McCain build permanent bases in Iraq? In defending his comments about keeping our troops in Iraq for 100 years, McCain said he was talking about a long-term troop presence similar to our presence in Germany and South Korea.
bullet-- How will he pay for a prolonged engagement in Iraq, which today costs $12 billion per month, while making Bush's tax cuts permanent?
bullet-- What would McCain do to pressure the Iraqis to make the political progress the surge was supposed to enable?
bulletLast weekend, Senator Lindsey Graham said John McCain does not want to do in Iraq what the Soviets did in Afghanistan: leave a vacuum that was filled by the Taliban. If McCain is concerned about what is happening in Afghanistan today, why didn't he join in signing a letter urging President Bush to refocus our counter-terrorism strategy on Afghanistan and Pakistan?
bulletMcCain said he's willing to keep our troops in Iraq for 100 years. One hundred years in Iraq is not a plan.[NH Town Hall meeting, 1/3/08; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vf7HYoh9YMM&e]
bulletJohn McCain offers nothing more than a third Bush term on Iraq, and that's the last thing the American people want.

John McCain, Sunnis, and Shiites:

Main Point: John McCain may say he's a foreign policy expert, but the fact is when it comes to Iraq he has repeatedly gotten key facts on the ground wrong and confused Sunni and Shiite extremists in Iraq.

bulletFor the fifth time in five months, John McCain confused Sunni and Shiite extremists in Iraq, referring to al-Qaeda in Iraq as a Shiite group during the Senate hearing with General Petraeus.
bulletMcCain has made this mistake on multiple occasions, including during a trip to the Middle East that was meant to burnish the Republican candidate's foreign policy credentials.
bulletThe truth is, McCain isn't misspeaking when he makes these mistakes. He is either showing he doesn't understand the facts on the ground in Iraq, or he is purposely conflating the threats posed by Sunni and Shiite extremists for political gain.
bulletAt the same time, John McCain has consistently attacked the intelligence and motives of people who disagree with his assessments of the situation in Iraq when he himself can't even get the basic facts on the ground correct.
bulletMcCain has also yet to say if he agrees with Ambassador Crocker's assessment that al-Qaeda in Afghanistan and Pakistan is a bigger threat to the United States than al-Qaeda in Iraq.
bulletJohn McCain has proven time and time again he offers nothing more than a third Bush term on Iraq-and that's the last thing the American people want.

John McCain and His Civil Rights Record:

Main Point: John McCain has distorted his record on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. While he says he championed establishing a holiday in honor of Dr. King, the truth is he has a long record of opposing the holiday.

bulletLast week, he acknowledged having made 'a mistake' when he opposed a federal holiday honoring Dr. King in 1983. But McCain fails to mention that after that he OPPOSED a state holiday for Arizona in 1987, OPPOSED a federal holiday in 1989, and voted to cut off funding for the Commission promoting Dr. King's holiday in 1994.
bulletWith the 40th Anniversary of the 1968 Civil Rights Act April 11, it's worth noting that McCain was the deciding vote against overriding President Bush's veto of the 1990 Civil Rights Act—the first defeat of a major civil rights bill in a quarter of a century.
bulletNow McCain is trying to defend his vote by saying he opposed quotas, when the bill had nothing to do with quotas.
bullet-- In fact, the 1990 bill would have expanded the reach of several discrimination laws and authorized monetary damages under the 1964 Civil Rights Act, which prevents employment discrimination. [1990 Senate Vote #276, 10/16/1990; 1990 Senate Vote #304, 10/24/1990; 1990 CQ Almanac, p. 60-S]
bulletIf McCain is such a champion of Martin Luther King, will he vote for the bill currently being considered in Congress to establish a commemorative coin honoring the civil rights leader?
bulletThough he'll embark on a so-called "Compassion Tour" later this month in an effort to reach out to African American voters, the fact is no campaign tour can make up for McCain's dismal record on civil rights issues during his 25 years in Washington.

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Delegate Selection Process
As you already know, the February 5th Primary was a resounding success for the Democratic Party. We had record turnout here in New Jersey and our early estimates are that we have hundreds of thousands of newly registered Democrats. There's still a chance for you to go to the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver as a delegate or alternate.

The February 5th primary elected 70 delegates and 12 alternates in 20 Delegate Districts. There are still an additional 45 at-large delegate and alternate spots to be filled. If you're interested in becoming a delegate or alternate, download the "Statement of Candidacy" form here and fax it to us or fill out the on-line version here.

To get more information about the Democratic Convention in Denver click here.

 



 New Jersey’s Democratic Women are Ready to Lead...

Click here to REGISTER today!

Create your own custom learning experience with a variety of exciting workshops on topics including women’s health and wellness, personal and career development, political involvement and financial management. Highlights include a health fair and mini-spa, an art gallery showcasing the work of exceptional women artists and crafters, and dynamic speakers including:

 
Jon S. Corzine - Governor of the State of New Jersey
Naomi Judd - Award-Winning Entertainer and Author
Suze Orman - Television Host, Author, Columnist & Writer/Producer


 



 ...and Ready to Run
The Center for American Women in Politics at the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers University is going to be hosting a Ready to Run event. All women seeking public office or working on campaigns in NJ are encouraged to attend. Click here for more info.
 


 



 Gov. Corzine Signs Two Bills to Help Working Families
Gov. Corzine last week signed two bills designed to help New Jersey’s working families. The first bill will expand the New Jersey Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) to nearly 300,000 additional families ensuring that those who need our help the most will receive it. The second bill permits free tax preparation centers (VITA sites) to offer Alternative Refund Anticipation Loans (A-RALs) to low income New Jersey filers without high fees or interest charges. The new guidelines will crackdown on predatory lending practices and help protect New Jersey taxpayers from those that would take advantage of them when they are in need.

http://www.nj.gov/governor/news/news/2008/approved/20080212.html

 



 Congress Passes Economic Stimulus Bill
The House and Senate moved swiftly to pass an economic stimulus package this month with Senators Lautenberg and Menendez both voting for the measure along with our seven Democratic Members of Congress. The bill will give rebates to more than 130 million households this spring and help the economy now when it needs it most.

Our Democratic Congress worked to get this bill through and welcomed the support and input from across the aisle. The leadership in the House and Senate have shown that they don’t want partisan bickering and are more than willing to work with their Republican colleagues to fix the problems that face our nation.

Some highlights:

Provide rebates to 3.8 million New Jerseyans
Provide a total of $3.2 billion in rebates to New Jerseyans
Provide rebates to more than a million New Jersey seniors
Provide rebates to 250,000 disabled veterans across the country

http://menendez.senate.gov/newsroom/record.cfm?id=292865

http://www.pascrell.house.gov/display2.cfm?id=12853&type=Bills%20Views

 


 

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With mounting excitement about the presidential nominating process and the Democratic Convention in Denver, the Democratic National Convention Committee (DNCC) is well into the planning process. Recently, they unveiled their new website www.DemConvention.com featuring a dynamic look and including extensive Spanish language content. I thought you would be interested in this information and am forwarding it to you this week.

In addition to the new website, the DNCC also publishes a monthly newsletter called the Mile High Monthly, which includes updates and news on the Convention planning process and events leading up to Convention week - August 25-28, 2008. I encourage you to sign up for the newsletter if you wish by going to www.DemConvention.com.

www.DemConvention.com also provides up to the minute news and features on the blog and information on volunteer opportunities, delegate selection and the nominating process. Leading up to the Convention and during Convention week, the website will serve as a one stop shop for everything from delegate travel to social networking. The goal is to bring as many participants as possible into the Convention process through online engagement so that netroots activists all across the country will be able to participate in the Denver experience.

I hope you are all doing well and I hope you will be a frequent visitor to www.DemConvention.com.

To ensure that your thoughts, comments, questions, or additional names to be added to this project go straight to my inbox, please email me directly at AliceGermond@dnc.org.

Thank you,

Alice Germond
DNC Secretary

 

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 This page was last updated: 04/14/2008 03:47 PM