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 Sens. Kerry and John Edwards prepare to take on George W. Bush and Dick Cheney |
Washington, D.C. -The Republican National Committee issued an anti-gay screed castigating Senator John Edwards shortly after he was selected as John Kerry's running mate. The piece, titled Who is John Edwards? was sent to reporters on Tuesday, only minutes after Kerry had publicly announced his choice of a Vice-presidential running-mate in Pittsburgh.
Claiming that John Edwards "doesn't share the priorities of American families," the 23-page attack document rages against Senator Edwards for his support for employment protections, equitable hate crimes enforcement and state-issued civil unions for same-sex couples. |
"Republicans insist on running a negative campaign that is dripping in pessimism and that is barren of vision," said Dave Noble, National Stonewall Democrats' Executive Director. "It is time for our community to hold the Republican National Committee accountable for its continuous attacks on our families."
When asked about the RNC piece, White House spokesman Scott McClellan called the attacks "perfectly legitimate" and "perfectly reasonable."
"It's perfectly legitimate to talk about the issues and the differences on those issues, as well as to discuss the record," McClellan told reporters. "There are individuals in this race who have records, and those records are a reflection of how they would lead in office."
"It is not perfectly reasonable to attack Democrats for upholding middle-class values," said Noble. "The majority of Americans support employment protections and equal enforcement of hate crimes laws, and it is the Bush campaign that is demonstrating how hateful and out of touch it truly is."
The following excerpt is from Who Is John Edwards?
issued by the Republican National Committee:
Edwards Doesn't Share the Priorities of American Families:
Edwards' Priorities On Social Issues:
Edwards Said He Would Not Support Defense Of Marriage Act. "I want to say a word in answer to the question you asked very directly. I would not support the Defense of Marriage Act today, if there were a vote today, which is the question you just asked Senator Kerry. I'm not sure what he said about that, but I would not vote for it." (CNN And The Los Angeles Times Democrat Presidential Candidates Debate, Los Angeles, CA, 2/26/04)
Edwards Said States Should Decide Civil Unions Status. "Palmieri said Edwards believes states should decide whether to allow civil unions, a legal status conveying many of the same benefits as marriage, that was first recognized in Vermont during the tenure of Gov. Howard Dean, a 2004 presidential rival." ("Edwards Heading To Atlanta," The [Raleigh] News & Observer Website, www.newsobserver.com , Accessed 5/8/03)
In 2001, Edwards Voted To Table An Amendment That Would Have Prohibited Use Of Public Funds For Needle Exchange Programs In D.C. (H.R. 2994, CQ Vote #328: Motion Passed 53-47: R 5-44; D 47-3; I 1-0, 11/7/01, Edwards Voted Yea)
In 2000, Edwards Voted For Amendment That Would Have Broadened Current Federal Hate Crimes Legislation. (S. 2549, CQ #136: Passed 57-42: R 13-41; D 44-1, 6/20/00, Edwards Voted Yea)
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