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2004 US Presidential Election
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July 05, 2004
Kerry | Kerry Flip-flops On Northeast Dairy Compact

Campaigning in the Midwest Kerry tried to distance himself from New England yesterday. The Boston Globe reports Kerry said he no longer supported the Northeast Dairy Compact a program that propped up prices for New England dairy farmers:

”I plead guilty. I did vote for it, because I represented Massachusetts,” Kerry said. ”I was a United States senator, and I was working in a context that we were living in a number of years ago, and that’s the way we saw the world.

”We don’t see the world that way now,” he told the crowd at the Dejno farm. ”I guarantee you that as president, I’m not going to be president of New England, or president of Massachusetts; I’m running to be president of the United States of America. And I’m going to stand up for farmers in Wisconsin and Minnesota and Iowa and other parts of the country just as hard as I did before.”

The Northeast Dairy Compact provided financial support to New England dairy farmers, was strongly opposed in Wisconsin and dairy states elsewhere in the country.

From California Yankee.



Posted by Dan Spencer at July 5, 2004 11:01 AM | TrackBack
Comments

I know nobody else cares, but I’d really like to know more about Kerry’s ag policy agenda, supposing he has one. All that’s published is vague inuendo’s and cheery wording, content free. We need something different in farm policy and maybe he, or somebody, has some ideas. If he does, I sure wish he’d show it.

Chads

Posted by: chads at July 5, 2004 11:59 AM

So, he saying “I did that because it was politically expedient for me then. But, don’t worry, now I’ll do what’s politically expedient for me now - and that mean pandering to farmers in Wisconsin and Minnesota and Iowa this time.”

Posted by: samuelv at July 5, 2004 12:14 PM

As opposed to the blatant flip-flopping by the Bush Administration over steel tariffs. Nice to see we are being consistent here.

Posted by: Lakhim at July 5, 2004 02:09 PM

Well, it is different. Bush stated that the change in steel tariff policy came as a result of a change in industry conditions. You can disbelieve that if you want, but it’s at least arguable. Kerry doesn’t even pretend that his change of position on milk subsidies came a result of a change in conditions - he just has a different set of people to whom he needs to pander now.

Posted by: samuelv at July 5, 2004 02:28 PM

We call that a “bad excuse” where I come from. That is a flop and you know it.

Posted by: Lakhim at July 5, 2004 03:20 PM

At least Senator Kerry’s being honest for once. I find that surprisingly refreshing.

It’s not often I favorably compare Kerry to Bush; IMO, Kerry did a more honest flip-flop on dairy than Bush did on steel.

Posted by: Tomorrowist at July 5, 2004 04:54 PM

Please explain Bush’s flip flop on steel.

My understanding is that we had a policy dating from at least the Clinton administration and Bush changed it. How is that a flip flop for Bush?

Also, see what Kerry says about it when he’s in Idaho, or California, or Arizona, or Florida, or Texas, which are all big dairy states. The problem is he panders to the crowd he’s with, not some particular crowd.

Chads

Posted by: chads at July 5, 2004 05:08 PM

Per BBC, Bush imposed steel tariffs in March, 2002. He dropped those tariffs in December, 2003.

Posted by: Tomorrowist at July 5, 2004 06:07 PM

Bush did do the Steel tarrifs. However, a flip flop is no mere change in policy. A flip flop is wanting to be on both sides of the issue. He never said he was against those tarrifsf while he was signing them.

A flip flop is I voted for the bill before I voted against it

or

I am against abortion, life begins at conception, but I will never let a judge on the bench who is against Roe.

or

I was born with a gun in my hand, I love guns, shoot ‘em all the time, but I always vote for gun control.

See?

Posted by: jones at July 5, 2004 07:35 PM

Actually, I’ve been thinking about it today, and what Kerry did was take a non-position on a non issue. You see, the Northeast compact has already been superceded by a new Federal Milk Marketing Order. So basically, he made a statement that had actually no political ramifications whatsoever. Just like a lot of his other talking points, content free.

Chads

Posted by: chads at July 5, 2004 08:37 PM

So, I read up on the steel tarriff issue. What Bush did was take a bad idea that had a 3 year limit anyway and cancelled it a year early to prevent a trade war with the EU. How is that a flip flop. More than likely, he knew it would be controversial anyway, and when it turned out to be moreso than they had predicted it was time to cut it loose.

Chads

Posted by: chads at July 5, 2004 09:27 PM

Samualv is correct in his assertion of the change in steel tarif policy. Lakhim show a complete lack of understanding and the liberal mantra of repeating an incorrect assertion until his brain becomes like butter and the idea is implanted too deep. If the man voted for the New England milk policy and now claims he would help someone else…that is a flip flop my man…..what President Bush did was to change the policy after our industry got back on its feet again. Lakhim the steel industry in America is booming…where the hell is your head? Stuck in the sand again huh …

Posted by: dickD at July 5, 2004 10:50 PM

Actually, I’m fine with a president who freely admits that he’s always going to stick up for who he’s representing, regardless.

Of course, the way Kerry presents it, I’m begging to ask if maybe he didn’t look far enough into the future of his constituents to properly decide if the NE dairy compact was best for them.

Posted by: TBox at July 6, 2004 03:40 AM

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