2004 Democratic Presidential Primary Elections to be Held March 2

MARIA KORNALIAN
El Vaquero Staff Writer
February 18, 2004

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.

Gov. Howard Dean	Sen. John Edwards	Sen. John Kerry

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.	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.	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.
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.	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.	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.