First Door on the Left

The General President of the International Association of Fire Fighters, AFL-CIO (IAFF), Harold Schaitberger, issued the following statement today after President Bush unveiled new political ads that use images of fire fighters in September 11, 2001 attacks for political gain:

– As Bush Trades on Heroism of Fire Fighters, His Homeland Security Funding Cuts Hurt Fire Fighters and Communities –

“I’m disappointed but not surprised that the President would try to trade on the heroism of those fire fighters in the September 11 attacks. The use of 9/11 images are hypocrisy at its worst. Here’s a President that initially opposed the creation of the Department of Homeland Security and now uses its first anniversary as cause to promote his re-election. Here is a President that proposed two budgets with no funding for FIRE Act grants and still plays on the image of America’s bravest. His advertisements are disgraceful.

“Bush is calling on the biggest disaster in our country’s history, and indeed in the history of the fire service, to win sympathy for his campaign. Since the attacks, Bush has been using images of himself putting his arm around a retired FDNY fire fighter on the pile of rubble at ground zero. But for two and a half years he has basically shortchanged fire fighters and the safety of our homeland by not providing fire fighters the resources needed to do the job that America deserves.

“The fact is Bush’s actions have resulted in fire stations closing in communities around the country. Two-thirds of America’s fire departments remain under-staffed because Bush is failing to enforce a new law that was passed with bipartisan support in Congress that would put more fire fighters in our communities. President Bush’s budget proposes to cut Homeland Security Department funding for first responders by $700 million for next year and cuts funding for the FIRE Act, a grant program that helps fire departments fund equipment needs, 33 percent by $250 million. In addition, state and local programs for homeland security purposes were reduced $200 million.

“We’re going to be aggressive and vocal in our efforts to ensure that the citizens of this country know about Bush’s poor record on protecting their safety and providing for the needs of the people who are supposed to respond in an emergency.”

I am surprised that Bush’s campaign would want to advertise on the basis of 9/11. If anything, it just places emphasis on this administration’s imcompetence. The attacks did, after all, occur on their watch. The ads also serve as a reminder that the criminal responsible for the attacks is still at large, after 2 1/2 years.

I would think that Bush would want people to forget all about 9/11.

WASHINGTON - Sen. John Kerry is a whopping $100 million behind President Bush in ready cash as he embarks on the next phase of his White House campaign, and dependent on outside groups he can’t legally control to help close the gap.

At the same time, Kerry’s aides say he brought in a record $1.2 million over the Internet in less than 24 hours after locking up the Democratic presidential nomination with a near-sweep of the Super Tuesday primaries and caucuses.

They cite that as evidence the Massachusetts senator can raise additional millions quickly and compete financially with Bush through this summer’s political conventions. Federal spending restrictions take effect for the general election campaign in the fall.

Kerry himself sounded like a man scrapping for every last dollar on Wednesday.

“George Bush has about $200 million and he’s going to start advertising tomorrow,” he told an audience in Orlando, Fla. “We need to be able to answer him,” he added, appealing for donations of “$10, $20, $50, $100.” Federal law allows donors to contribute up to $2,000 to an individual candidate.

In its most recent public report, the Kerry campaign said it had $2.1 million cash on hand as of Feb. 1, with debts of $7.2 million. Since then, while fund raising has improved, Kerry has had to fight his way through more than two dozen primary and caucus states, running costly television advertising in several of them.

Howard Dean said during his campaign that he had no doubt that there were at least two million Americans who were willing to donate $100 each in order to send George Bush back to Texas. Now that John Kerry has the nomination locked up, it is time to send the money to him. If you do not feel comfortable contributing directly to the Kerry campaign, you can always contribute to the Democratic National Committee. Do it right now while you are thinking about it. Do it for the future of your country!

SAN FRANCISCO, March 3 — Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.), under fire from gay Democrats for opposing same-sex marriage, has promised that if elected president he would grant state-sanctioned gay couples the same 1,049 federal benefits married heterosexuals enjoy, according to people who met here with Kerry last Friday.

Kerry, who personally opposes gay marriage, said for the first time he would bestow all federal benefits such as the right to file joint income taxes and collect survivor benefits to same-sex couples who unite legally in civil unions, domestic partnerships and even marriage under their state laws. Kerry made the comments at a gay fundraiser in San Francisco’s Nob Hill neighborhood.

Until Friday’s event, Kerry had talked mostly in general terms of providing federal benefits and the “same basic rights” to same-sex couples.

“It’s the first time in history that a presidential candidate has ever supported full and equal protection for same-sex couples,” said state Rep. Mark Leno, a San Francisco Democrat and an early Kerry supporter who attended Friday’s fundraiser and queried Kerry about his position. “He told me that he would grant all 1,049 federal rights to same-sex couples in whatever legal union their states recognize,” said Leno, who has sponsored a bill that would legalize gay marriage in California.

Kerry spokeswoman Stephanie Cutter did not dispute Leno’s characterization of the meeting, but said Kerry was responding to very specific yes or no questions put to him. She portrayed his answer as in keeping with his general support for “providing federal benefits for state-recognized same-sex couples. . . . He has not reviewed the over thousand benefits but stands by his commitment to equality.”

Kerry is carefully trying to reach a middle ground in one of the most explosive political, cultural and legal debates of 2004, his advisers say. He has been inundated with complaints from gays since he told the Boston Globe last week that he supported a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage in Massachusetts as long as it contained a provision for civil unions. His home state is set to begin performing gay weddings May 17.

Wow. This would make John Kerry the first candidate for any major political office to advocate full federal benefits for same sex couples. Of course couples would only receive these benefits if the state in which they reside recognizes their union. This will never happen in most states, at least not in my lifetime.