By Patricia Wilson | May 16, 2004
LAS VEGAS (Reuters) - Democratic White House hopeful John Kerry on Sunday offered a populist economic agenda of middle-class growth and opportunity as an alternative to President Bush's "special favors" for the wealthiest Americans.
Kicking off a three-day swing through Nevada, Kansas and Oregon with a speech to the International Brotherhood of Teamsters annual conference in Las Vegas, Kerry hoped to refocus the campaign on the economy and other domestic issues.
His chosen messages of the past two weeks -- education and health care -- were often muted by the news from Iraq: an abuse scandal at a U.S.-run prison in Abu Ghraib and the beheading of an American civilian.
In his remarks to the 1.4 million-member Teamsters union, Kerry did not mention Iraq by name, but paid tribute to U.S. troops "over there doing their duty today." His themes were jobs, health care, taxes and trade.
"America is still being built by everyday men and women who work hard and do what's right," Kerry said. "They don't ask for special favors -- all they want is a fair and decent chance to be able to get ahead."
Kerry wants to roll back Bush's tax cuts for those earning more than $200,000 a year and use the savings to pay for his $650 billion, 10-year proposal to provide 27 million more Americans with health care.
But the Massachusetts senator said 98 percent of Americans and 99 percent of U.S. businesses would still get tax cuts. Bush and his Republican allies have portrayed Kerry as a typical tax-raising liberal.
"We know that the measure of a strong economy is a growing middle-class where every American has a chance to work and an opportunity to succeed," Kerry said. "For three years, the American people have been asking this White House, 'What are you going to do about this? For three years, they've looked at you almost with scorn, certainly with indifference and basically said: 'You're on your own."'
GEPHARDT GETS V-P SUPPORT FROM TEAMSTERS PRESIDENT
The Teamsters union endorsed Kerry after its first choice, Missouri Rep. Richard Gephardt, pulled out of the race for the Democratic presidential nomination. Teamsters president James Hoffa told reporters on Sunday he had recommended Kerry tap Gephardt as his vice presidential running mate.
Kerry has voted for trade agreements that the Teamsters opposed but Hoffa said: "I know he feels we have to change the way we do business. In the future he will have a different record."
Kerry assured the conference that he would enforce terms of trade pacts to create a level playing field for American workers and contended that the Bush administration had failed to do so.
"This is not a philosophical question about free trade or protectionism," he said. "It is just a common sense question -- why aren't we enforcing our own laws on behalf of our own workers and businesses."
Kerry would use a combination of tight fiscal policies and tough enforcement to reduce a record $500 billion U.S. trade deficit that he called "not right." He said he would institute a 120-day review of all trade pacts and use U.S. trade laws and the World Trade Organization to stop China and Japan from manipulating their currencies to gain a competitive advantage.
The Bush campaign says the administration is aggressively fighting trade cases while pursuing a policy of open markets it says will best encourage U.S. exports.
"John Kerry has long been an advocate of free trade agreements," said Bush campaign spokesman Steve Schmidt. "His rhetoric is at odds with his record."
Kerry told the Teamsters he would insist on labor rights and environmental provisions in global trade talks and said he would renegotiate terms of a new agreement with five Central American countries to include them.
LAS VEGAS (Reuters) - Democratic White House hopeful John Kerry on Sunday offered a populist economic agenda of middle-class growth and opportunity as an alternative to President Bush's "special favors" for the wealthiest Americans.
Kicking off a three-day swing through Nevada, Kansas and Oregon with a speech to the International Brotherhood of Teamsters annual conference in Las Vegas, Kerry hoped to refocus the campaign on the economy and other domestic issues.
His chosen messages of the past two weeks -- education and health care -- were often muted by the news from Iraq: an abuse scandal at a U.S.-run prison in Abu Ghraib and the beheading of an American civilian.
In his remarks to the 1.4 million-member Teamsters union, Kerry did not mention Iraq by name, but paid tribute to U.S. troops "over there doing their duty today." His themes were jobs, health care, taxes and trade.
"America is still being built by everyday men and women who work hard and do what's right," Kerry said. "They don't ask for special favors -- all they want is a fair and decent chance to be able to get ahead."
Kerry wants to roll back Bush's tax cuts for those earning more than $200,000 a year and use the savings to pay for his $650 billion, 10-year proposal to provide 27 million more Americans with health care.
But the Massachusetts senator said 98 percent of Americans and 99 percent of U.S. businesses would still get tax cuts. Bush and his Republican allies have portrayed Kerry as a typical tax-raising liberal.
"We know that the measure of a strong economy is a growing middle-class where every American has a chance to work and an opportunity to succeed," Kerry said. "For three years, the American people have been asking this White House, 'What are you going to do about this? For three years, they've looked at you almost with scorn, certainly with indifference and basically said: 'You're on your own."'
GEPHARDT GETS V-P SUPPORT FROM TEAMSTERS PRESIDENT
The Teamsters union endorsed Kerry after its first choice, Missouri Rep. Richard Gephardt, pulled out of the race for the Democratic presidential nomination. Teamsters president James Hoffa told reporters on Sunday he had recommended Kerry tap Gephardt as his vice presidential running mate.
Kerry has voted for trade agreements that the Teamsters opposed but Hoffa said: "I know he feels we have to change the way we do business. In the future he will have a different record."
Kerry assured the conference that he would enforce terms of trade pacts to create a level playing field for American workers and contended that the Bush administration had failed to do so.
"This is not a philosophical question about free trade or protectionism," he said. "It is just a common sense question -- why aren't we enforcing our own laws on behalf of our own workers and businesses."
Kerry would use a combination of tight fiscal policies and tough enforcement to reduce a record $500 billion U.S. trade deficit that he called "not right." He said he would institute a 120-day review of all trade pacts and use U.S. trade laws and the World Trade Organization to stop China and Japan from manipulating their currencies to gain a competitive advantage.
The Bush campaign says the administration is aggressively fighting trade cases while pursuing a policy of open markets it says will best encourage U.S. exports.
"John Kerry has long been an advocate of free trade agreements," said Bush campaign spokesman Steve Schmidt. "His rhetoric is at odds with his record."
Kerry told the Teamsters he would insist on labor rights and environmental provisions in global trade talks and said he would renegotiate terms of a new agreement with five Central American countries to include them.
