[GVT/POLITICS] Loaded Liberals

http://www.washingtontimes.com/national/inbeltway.htm

July 15, 2004

Inside the Beltway

By John McCaslin

THE WASHINGTON TIMES

Loaded Liberals

For a Southerner's take on the Democratic ticket of Sen. John Kerry and Sen. John Edwards, let's check in with Rep. Jack Kingston of Georgia, vice chairman of the House Republican Conference.

Sir, tell us how you really feel.

"I would rather have my president know NASCAR from a church softball game than know sauvignon blanc from brie and merlot," he begins.

Are you suggesting this pair of Johns trying to unseat George W. Bush and Dick Cheney doesn't connect with the average Joe?

"Never before has the Democrat Party chosen the first- and fourth-most-liberal members of the Senate to represent it in the presidential campaign. It is even more liberal than the disastrous Mondale-Ferraro ticket of 1984," he said, referring to Walter Mondale and Geraldine Ferraro.

"If you think this through a minute, John Kerry scored a 97 percent liberal rating in 2003 [by the National Journal]. He beat out Barbara Boxer from California. He beat out Hillary Clinton. Hillary Clinton got an 89 percent liberal rating. And Ted Kennedy.

"Now, if I was to ask the good folks in Texas, well, who is the most liberal member of Congress, of the Senate, they are always going to say Ted Kennedy. Well, not so. John Kerry has the 97 percent rating, and Kennedy is sitting at a mere 88 percent, almost a moderate by John Kerry's standards," he says.

"And then Tom Daschle, a guy we like to curse quite often back home for his stances, he is at 80 percent. So here is John Kerry, 97 percent; Tom Daschle, 80 percent."

Anything else that bugs you about Mr. Kerry?

"How many guys do you know over 60 years old who know how to snowboard?" Mr. Kingston asks. "To me, if you have a guy that age and he knows how to snowboard, he has not only too much money, but he has too much time on his hands as well."

How much money is too much money?

"I do not know if my colleagues know this story, but one time Mrs. [Teresa Heinz] Kerry got some parking tickets for parking in front of a fire hydrant. Now, what would you do if you were a liberal Democrat?

"Under that circumstance, you would think, I would pay the fine. In fact, I would send a little more because I believe in government, and I want to help subsidize government," he says. "No, instead they simply moved the fire hydrant. Now ... that is some serious money."

•John McCaslin, whose column is nationally syndicated, can be reached at 202/636-3284 or jmccaslin@washingtontimes.com.
 

FREEBIRD

Has No Life - Lives on TB
What I love is when you get people like Kerry, Edwards, the Kennedys, etc. trying to pass themselves off as "working class" when I doubt they've ever broken a sweat working a day in their lives.

I won't go into my other disagreements with these people, but let's just say that they sure don't represent me or anyone I know or want to know.
 
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