MOUNT PLEASANT, S.C., 3 September 2003 — John Kerry, maintaining that “George Bush’s vision does not live up to the America” the decorated war hero once defended, officially declared his candidacy for the Democratic presidential nomination yesterday.
Using the aircraft carrier USS Yorktown as a backdrop, the Vietnam War veteran presented himself as the alternative to the Republican leader — and the Democrat with the credentials to emerge from the crowded field of nine aspirants and seize the party’s nomination.
“In challenging times we need leadership that knows how to make America safer, that knows how to put America back to work,” Kerry told the crowd. “The president has misled America and he has made our path more difficult as a result.”
The four-term senator made his formal announcement after months of campaign-style appearances and debates with fellow Democratic presidential hopefuls.
“I reject George Bush’s radical new vision of a government that comforts the comfortable at the expense of ordinary Americans,” Kerry said. “George Bush’s vision does not live up to the America I enlisted in the Navy to defend.”
John Forbes Kerry has the initials of a one-time Democratic president — JFK — and a comparable pedigree — Ivy League education, commander of a small Navy craft during wartime and Massachusetts senator. Perceived as the front-runner early on in this campaign, that notion evaporated in the heat of rival Howard Dean’s summer surge.
While the bulk of his speech was aimed at Bush, Kerry also took aim at his Democratic foes. “Some in my party want to get rid of all tax cuts — including those for working families,” he said. “That’s wrong. We need to be on the side of America’s middle class and I’ve proposed a tax cut for them because it’s the right way to strengthen our economy.”
Dean has used an aggressive anti-Washington theme to gain momentum, coupled with his staunch opposition to the US-led war against Iraq. The former Vermont governor, who has called for repealing all of Bush’s tax cuts, vaulted to a 21-point lead over Kerry in New Hampshire.
“Today, with confidence in the courage of our people to change what is wrong and do what is right, I come here to say why I’m a candidate for president of the United States,” Kerry said.
Kerry was joined by crew members of a Navy gunboat he commanded in Vietnam, where he won a Silver Star, Bronze Star and three Purple Hearts. Introducing Kerry was former Sen. Max Cleland of Georgia, who lost both legs and an arm in Vietnam combat. It is all part of Kerry’s core argument that his military experience gives him unique credibility among the Democratic contenders to confront Bush on national security issues.
“I am running so we can keep America’s promise — to reward the hard work of middle class Americans,” Kerry said.
