Letter:Republicans use Kerry quotes out of context (Daily Lobo)
Editor,
In today’s political forum, so much of what is passed through the media contains partial information and disinformation.
Nowhere is this more true in than the recent Republican attempt to portray John Kerry as a flip-flopper. Using partial and out-of-context information, conservative pundits have tried to cast doubt on Kerry’s political career. The great majority of the 37 flip-flops the Republican media cling to are based on superficial information or quotes, which are then juxtaposed against another quote selectively tailored to meet the needs of the flip-flop argument.
In these articles, dissimilar, dated and unrelated events are whittled down and cast as the whole story.
The conservatives would have us believe that Kerry flipped from a stance that abortion is a states’ issue to the stance it is a federal issue. That’s No. 17 on the GOP’s list of flip-flops, and a simple look at the facts dissolves this argument. The purported flip-flop uses a statement Kerry made in 1972 and one he made in 1985 when he said “Those of us in (federal) government have a special responsibility to protect this right (abortion).”
A seeming flip-flop right? Why would Kerry say abortion should be left to the states in 1972? Probably because it was not until 1973 that the Supreme Court decreed abortion was a federally-protected right for women. Before that, it was left for the states to decide.
The difference in Kerry’s statements is not a reflection of change in his policy, but a change in the laws of the United States and the rights of Americans. Bush may not respect the decisions of the Supreme Court in regards to abortion, but that doesn’t make them irrelevant.
Another tool in the conservative media’s attempt to slander Kerry’s record is to use simple disinformation. Their account of Kerry’s purported flip-flop on the No Child Left Behind Act – No. 8 on the GOP’s list – is a cold-cut example of this tactic.
The act was one of the cornerstones of Bush’s 2000 campaign in which he billed himself as an “education president.” In 2001, Kerry voted in support of the act. Conservatives contend Kerry then flip-flopped when he recently said he was going to “make the president accountable for making a mockery of No Child Left Behind.” Even on its face, this argument can hardly be taken as a legitimate flip-flop.
Kerry’s statement is an obvious criticism of Bush’s support for his administration’s legislation, not a criticism of the act.
Further, history backs Kerry’s criticism of Bush. After the passing of the bill, the Bush administration failed to even propose adequate funds to support the No Child Left Behind act. In every fiscal year since the passage of the bill, the Bush administration’s budget has fallen $6-7 billion short of funding the obligations set forth in Bush’s legislation.
Not funding a bill that was the cornerstone of his presidential campaign? Sounds more like a Bush flip-flop.
Terri-Nikole Baca
Morgan Pierce
Nathan Cobb
UNM College Democrats