Kerry charges 'smear' effort, defends farm record

[Karmadillo]

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/archive/2004/01/17/politics1421EST0537.DTL

<edit>

"It's obvious that my campaign is moving because two of the other candidates have chosen in the last few days to engage in a smear effort on my farm policies," he told supporters.

Warning that criticism of the campaign will grow with his standing in the polls, he said, "Prepare yourself for the politics of fear."

Kerry said he has long argued for targeting subsidy payments to smaller family-style operations, trimming back payments to large corporate farmers. He said that roughly 60 percent of subsidy payments go to roughly 10 percent of the nation's farmers.

"Something is wrong when you spend $225 billion over 20 years for farm subsidies and you lose 274,000 farmers," he said. "Last year, Iowa lost 2,500 farmers."

Kerry has been endorsed by Iowa Agriculture Secretary Patty Judge, who defended his record on farming.

more...

[blm]

1. Iowa's Sec. of Agriculture endorsed Kerry.

.

[NewYorkerfromMass]

6. and now everyone knows that

Ha ha. Without this little distraction that endorsement would have been lost in the winds of the plains. Now it's front and center: Farmers support Kerry.

[Feanorcurufinwe]

2. This attack from Dean and Gephardt will backfire.

First, the undecideds who are making up their minds now are turned off by negative campaigning. Second, the small farmers who are supposed to respond to the attack are the ones who would be helped by Kerry's policies. Dean and Gephardt are simply defending the status quo of corporate welfare for Archer-Daniels-Midland.

[sandnsea]

9. As is Harkin

He honestly is a big ag whore. It's great to be able to bring home those ag dollars, but I bet farmers would be thrilled to have the money actually get to them for a change.

[Mattforclark]

3. Kerry is now my #2

Previously I didn't really have a clear preference after Clark, but now I do. Kerry is absolutely right that we need to eliminate subsidies to corporate farmers. But I am also very wary of subsidies to family farmers as well, and it almost sounds like he wants to increase them for family farmers, but it (is not clear/is Iowa politics). I will research this more later.

Thanks.

[Feanorcurufinwe]

11. I love it

you are now going to be researching Kerry's farm policies -- so will alot of folks in Iowa -- who probably wouldn't have done so without the attack from Dean and Gep.

Who said politics was boring?

[maddezmom]

4. if the Ag Secretary is defending him

don't think it'll amount to much, except he'll get to repeat that he's been smeared at each of his stump speeches.

[sandnsea]

8. Only in 1 Iowa paper

And the article is right along the lines of this one. Strong statement about Kerry fighting corporate ag subsidies and statement from the Secy. I don't think this one is going to fly.

[maddezmom]

10. maybe it's time for LTTE about his record n/t

[Egnever]

5. LOL the king of smear cries foul

This stuff is rich

[Feanorcurufinwe]

12. What a bullshit, unsubstantiated charge.

Just what is the 'smear' that you claim the Kerry campaign has spread?

[sandnsea]

7. Great, right back at 'em

Quick, sharp, targeted. When Iowa farmers get this message, they'll go to Kerry in droves. It's exactly what they've wanted somebody to do for them for years.

[jpgpenn]

13. Kerry is a fine one to be crying "smear"

Kerry was my number 2 up until recently now he is at the bottom with Lieberman, all because of a "smear" he and his campaign chose to use on Clark.

Looking back on the way things have swayed, Kerry has been everywhere in his message, willing to say anything at anytime for a vote. Very sad.

[Karmadillo]

14. I wonder how Harkin feels about this

Kerry has apparently been an ally of Harkin's on farm issues. The following comes from a comparison of the candidates' positions on agriculture.

http://www.agriculture.com/default.sph/AgNews.class?FNC=goDetail__ANewsindex_html___51180___1

<edit>

John Kerry, Massachusetts Senator

Like Dean, he wants more funds for conservation, and rural community development.

He, too, wants a packer ban and would use USDA to prevent discriminatory pricing.

Like Edwards, he wants USDA to compensate farmers hurt by mad cow disease.

Kerry has been a strong backer of Iowa Senator Tom Harkin's farm policies. At the League of Rural Voters forum in November, Kerry said that he would put "people like Neil Harl and Darryl Ray" at the table making farm policy. Harl is an economist and law professor at Iowa State University. Ray is an ag economist at the University of Tennessee.

more...