Mark Kennedy Lies
01/20/2006
DFL Press Release
David Ruth
This afternoon, Mark Kennedy claimed that Senate candidate Amy Klobuchar is “unwilling” to tell voters her views. The reality is that while Amy Klobuchar and the other Democratic candidates has been traveling the state talking to Minnesota families about why they should go represent Minnesota in the Senate, Mark Kennedy has been trying to hide the truth about his record of blindly rubberstamping whatever George Bush proposes. The bottom line is that Mark Kennedy has yet to meet a George Bush proposal that he didn’t like but continues to claim that he would be an independent voice for Minnesota,” - DFL Communications Director David Ruth.
KENNEDY CLAIMS TO BE INDEPENDENT…
Ø Last year, Kennedy’s Senate campaign said, “Congressman Kennedy, since he has been in the House, has always had an independent record.” [AP, 8/9/05
Ø Last month, Kennedy’s campaign manager said, “He’s run his own races, without a lot of Washington insiders paying a whole lot of attention to him, going back to his first race [AP, 12/2/05
…BUT IN REALITY, KENNEDY IS A TRUE BUSH LOYALIST
- Kennedy’s Bush Support Still One of Strongest In Minnesota. In 2005, Kennedy supported Bush’s position 87 percent of the time. Kennedy remains one of the strongest supporters of Bush’s position in the Minnesota delegation. In 2004, Kennedy was ranked first in the Minnesota delegation with a 97 percent score. [Star Tribune
- Kennedy Supported CAFTA, Which Will Hurt Minnesota… In July 2005, Kennedy voted for the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA), which passed by just two votes. The vote came after a long day that saw President Bush, Vice President Cheney and members of the Bush Cabinet pressuring Republicans to support the President and vote “Yes.” [Vote #443, 7/28/05; Star-Tribune, 7/28/05]
- Kennedy Supported Bush’s Budget, To the detriment of Minnesota families… In April 2005, Kennedy voted for passage of the $2.6 trillion budget conference report for 2006. The budget conference report, cut Medicaid spending by $10 billion, Spent Social Security surplus, Increased the national deficit by $167.5 billion over 5 years, paved the way for oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, cut funding for veterans’ health care by $13.5 billion over five years, and provided $106 billion in tax cuts for those who need it the least. [H Con Res 95, Vote #149, 4/28/05; House Budget Committee Democratic Caucus, “Summary and Analysis of FY 2006 Budget Resolution Conference Report,” 4/28/05]
- Kennedy Supported Final Passage of Budget That Cut Student Aid and Medicaid. Last month, Kennedy supported the final passage of the budget that cut $12.7 billion from student loan programs - the largest single cut in history. It imposed higher fees on students, increased the interest rate on parent loans and cut subsidies to lenders. The bill also cut Medicaid & Medicare by billions of dollars. [Vote #670, 12/19/05; Pioneer Press, 12/19/05]
Although Kennedy has claimed to oppose any benefit cuts in Social Security, he has also voted more than once for risky privatization proposals that would cut guaranteed benefits. Last year, Kennedy voted against a Democratic proposal to add a provision to the budget resolution stipulating that money from the Social Security Trust Fund could not be diverted to create private investment accounts. And in 2001, Kennedy voted in favor of privatizing Social Security by opposing an amendment prohibiting implementation of the final report of President Bush’s Commission to Strengthen Social Security. [Hibbing Daily Tribune, 8/25/05
KENNEDY VOTED THREE TIMES TO ALLOW DRILLING IN ANWR… Mark Kennedy’s campaign has said that he “has long opposed drilling in Alaska.” But in 2001, 2003 and 2005, Kennedy voted for the House version of the President’s energy bill, which included provisions to allow oil and gas exploration in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. [Kennedy Campaign Website, 11/10/05
Parade Of Bush Administration Leaders Campaigned for Kennedy…
Bush Raised $1 Million For Kennedy At Minnesota Event. In December 2005, while attending a fundraiser for him Bush called Kennedy a “down-to-earth fellow” who “brings common-sense values to Washington, D.C.” The event was held at the Minneapolis Hilton and is $1,000-a-plate. For a $10,000 donation, contributors can get a picture taken with Bush. [Star Tribune, 12/12/05; Star Tribune, 11/15/05; Pioneer Press
Cheney Headlined Fundraiser for Kennedy. In July 2005, Vice President Cheney traveled to Minnesota to attend a fundraiser for Kennedy. At the event, which was held at the Wayzata home of former Minnesota GOP chairman Bill Cooper, tickets cost $1,000 a person and couples could have their pictures taken with Cheney for $4,200. The event brought in roughly $300,000 for the campaign. [St. Paul Pioneer Press, 7/19/05; Star Tribune, 7/23/05, Kennedy 3rd Quarter FEC Report]
Mehlman Campaigned for Kennedy. In October 2005, Ken Mehlman, chairman of the Republican National Committee, campaigned for Kennedy in Minnesota. Mehlman said Minnesota represents his party’s “best opportunity” to pick up a Democratic Senate seat in 2006. Mehlman was in town for a volunteer luncheon at Kennedy’s Senate campaign office. [Star Tribune, 10/26/05]
###
David Ruth
Director of Communications
Minnesota DFL
(651) 251-6314 (o)
(612) 702-9473 (c)
(651) 251-6325 (f)
http://www.dfl.org