( - promoted by jmelli)
Everyone here at Blue Jersey knows about the vast differences between me and my opponent. I voted against the war in Iraq and want our troops home. My opponent continues to maintain that he’d still have voted for the war. I fully support stem cell research. My opponent voted against funding such research six times. I’ve stood up to protect a woman’s right to privacy and choice. My opponent has consistently supported Bush’s anti-choice judges. I’ve been campaigning on a positive agenda, while my opponent relies on the Rove playbook of personal destruction.
But what does it all mean, outside of the political horserace? Well, here is what it means to me: From day one, a Democratic Senate would push a positive agenda to change this country’s direction. It’s just that simple.
And it all starts with stem cell research. Earlier this year, President Bush vetoed legislation to expand stem cell research. I am proud to stand with America’s medical and scientific communities against Bush’s shameful and ideologically misguided stem cell policy. We must help science prevent, treat and cure debilitating diseases and ailments such as Parkinson’s, Multiple Sclerosis, juvenile diabetes, spinal cord injury and Lou Gehrig’s Disease. As someone whose own family has been touched by Alzheimer’s, my commitment to stem cell research is both a personal cause and a pressing policy objective. A Democratic majority in the Senate will act to lift Bush’s restrictions on stem cell research – unlocking, once and for, all the life-saving potential of this groundbreaking science.
Another major change will be the direction we take on the minimum wage - which hasn’t been increased in a decade. I believe that those who work hard to make a living deserve the simple reward of security in their job and fairness in the workplace. I’ve repeatedly pushed for increasing living wages. In fact, I co-sponsored the Fair Minimum Wage Act – which would raise the minimum wage to $7.25. In a Democratic-led Senate, that bill would finally become law.
When we take back Congress, we’ll also work towards making college more accessible and affordable for the next generation of leaders. As the first in my family to attend college and law school, I realize how important it is to make this a reality for more young people. Bush’s budget for next year would eliminate Perkins loans for 14,000 low-income students in New Jersey. Pell Grants are likely to be frozen for the fifth year in a row. A Democratic Senate would make college tuition tax-deductible on a permanent basis. It would work to cut interest rates for student loans and expand Pell Grants. A Democratic Majority will fight to provide first-rate opportunities and ensure that each and every New Jerseyan has the chance to succeed.
Another major difference – when the Democrats take control – will be making our nation more energy independent. Global warming is more than a mere “inconvenient truth” and a threat to our environment, economy and lives. It is the issue that will define our generation’s success. Yet, Bush and his Congressional cohorts continue to stick their heads in the sand. In fact, loyal Bush footsoldier Senator James Inhofe - who recently repeated his claim that global warming is a giant hoax – currently chairs the committee in charge of the environment. I’ve called for an Apollo-style energy plan to wean our nation off its dangerous addiction to foreign oil. I do not believe the answer to solving our energy problems lies in drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Reserve or off the Jersey shore, but rather through focusing investments in a diversified energy portfolio. We must invest in alternative sources of energy – such as photovoltaic and wind – which are the wave of the future. The Bush administration gave us an energy bill that awarded the oil industry billions in tax breaks at a time when it is already earning record profits. Given a majority in the Senate, Democrats would create a cleaner environment with initiatives for energy-efficient technologies and incentives for domestic alternatives such as biofuels. Our plan would help our country kick its addiction to foreign oil by 2020.
With Democratic control of the Senate, we can protect Social Security from Bush’s plans to privatize it. Just this week, Bush proclaimed – once again – his pledge to revive a privatization scheme. We will work to eliminate that option once and for all, so we can focus on a productive, bipartisan approach that reinvests in the program. Social Security remains one of our government’s greatest success stories. And a Democratic Senate will work to strengthen it, not dismantle it – so it can continue to serve future generations of retirees, as well as it provides for today’s seniors.
Ultimately, the key to changing the direction of the country is changing the direction in Iraq. All of our goals – from stem cell research to the minimum wage from energy independence to Social Security – will be possible once America is able to free itself of the yoke of our entanglement in Iraq. It’s time to bring our troops home – safely and soon. More than 2,800 American troops have made the ultimate sacrifice to our nation. We cannot afford to lose one more American life in a conflict whose chief advocates have no clear plan for victory. Well over $300 billion has been spent in Iraq. That's money that could have been far better used strengthening our families and communities here at home.
A Democratic Senate will push to begin phased redeployment to bring our troops home. We will bring international partners together to help address the crisis in that country, so that Iraq can be rebuilt. This will serve Iraq better by forcing it to take responsibility for its own security. And it will free our country up to focus on the more immediate threats to our national security, such as neglected vulnerabilities at our ports and chemical facilities.
On the campaign trail, I’m often asked about the first thing I would do if elected. But that is far too narrow a question to ask. Anyone wondering what difference a Democratic Senate will make should think instead of the first cure that can be achieved once we lift Bush’s restrictions on stem cell research. Think about the first minimum wage worker who might breathe a little easier when their paycheck shows a long overdue raise. Think, as I do, of the first soldier who will be reunited with their family and friends after returning home from Iraq.
We must not lose sight of the fact that this election is about very real issues and the way those issues impact the lives of every single New Jerseyan.
Please stand with me and my fellow Democrats – all across the state and the nation – on Tuesday, November 7th so we can continue standing up to President Bush and standing up for New Jersey.
Ten days from now, we will change the course of our nation. |
