As the 2004 Presidential elections in November
approach, the Democratic Party has begun its primary
elections to narrow down the Democratic runners to
one candidate who will go up against Bush for the
Presidency.
The primaries for the Democratic candidacy have
been narrowed down to four who are the front-runners
for the spot.
General Wesley Clark, Gov. Howard Dean,
Sen. John Edwards, Sen. John Kerry,
Congressman Denis Kucinich and the Rev. Al
Sharpton are running for the Democratic presidential
candidacy. All of their names will be present on the
ballot, though we have only focused on the three frontrunners
Dean, Edwards and Kerry. In California, our
primary elections are to be held on March 2.
Eligible California voters who are registered in
either the Democratic or Independent party will not
only vote for the candidate of their choice, but also on
the propositions that have made it on the ballot,
Propositions 55, 56, 57 and 58.
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Gov. Howard Dean
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Sen. John Edwards
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Sen. John Kerry
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EXPERIENCE
Dean is most well-known for his governorship in
Vermont since 1991. He is also a physician who received his B.A. from Yale
University and a medical degree from Albert Einstein College of Medicine
in New York City. He served in the Vermont House and later became
lieutenant governor.
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EXPERIENCE
John Edwards graduated from North Carolina
State University and obtained a law degree with honors from the University
of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He became a senator in the U.S. Congress
in 1998 where he also served as a member of the Select Committee on
Intelligence.
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EXPERIENCE
After graduating from Yale University, Kerry
entered the Navy and served in Vietnam. He was a co-founder of the Vietnam
Veterans of America and became a spokesperson for the Vietnam Veterans
Against the War. Served as Massachusetts lieutenant governor between
1982-84 and U.S. Senator since 1984.
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PLATFORM:
Education: Offers
a Success By Six plan, which offers a strategy to support early childhood development. Dean believes
that our current system allows many kids to start so
far behind others that they are unable catch
up.
Economy: Seeks to rebuild the American
economy based on four points: 1. Repeal Bush’s tax cuts and use that money
to pay for social services, 2. Set the nation on the path to a balanced
budget, 3. Create a more fair and simple taxing system, 4. Make sure that
Social Security and Medicare are properly funded for the next generation.
Foreign Affairs/Security: Against the war on Iraq, wants to defeat the
threats of terrorists, strengthen alliances, increase the amount of people
that benefit from the world’s economy.
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PLATFORM:
Education: Edwards has a plan
to increase the quality of education in the U.S. This involves in
investing in America’s teachers, create new after-school programs,
strengthen the quality of high schools, and make the option of college
ready and available to everyone.
Economy: Edwards’ plan to
increase the economy includes creating good jobs in the U.S., bring jobs
back to the communities that have lost them, help working Americans build
wealth, establish corporate responsibility, strengthen the rights of
working Americans, and to create a tax code that reflects our values.
Foreign Affairs/Security: Edward wants to track down and stop terrorists,
tighten our border security, protect our most vulnerable targets, and
improve our domestic readiness.
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PLATFORM:
Education
:Is creating the New National Education Trust Fund that will
guarantee that the Federal government meets its obligation to fully fund
education priorities. He wants higher teacher pay for higher standards to
universal after-school care.
Economy: Includes reviving
American manufactoring, providing a tax relief to the middle class,
protecting the American worker, closing the pay gap and expanding economic
opportunity for women.
Foreign Affairs/Security:
Includes winning peace in Iraq, securing Afghanistan, promoting American
security and democracy and giving our military the support and tools that
it needs for success.
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