Public Policy Issues in 2004

Bush and Kerry differed on a wide range of issues. In some cases, the two candidates were diametrically opposed. On other issues, the differences between the two were not quite as sharp, perhaps being a matter of degree. In some cases, important differences existed in the emphasis that they placed on different issues. Some of the more salient issues in 2004 are discussed below.

Foreign policy and national security

The war on terror was a critical issue in 2004, partly because of the September 11 terrorist attacks and partly because of the war in Iraq. Kerry was critical of the way in which the Bush administration conducted the war in Iraq, as was discussed in the section on the first Bush administration. Kerry voted for the 2002 congressional authorization to use force against Iraq, and he agreed with Bush that Saddam Hussein was a threat, but Kerry argued that Bush rushed into Iraq without building an adequate international coalition and without a sufficient plan for the occupation and rebuilding Iraq after the war. Bush defended his policy, arguing that he had done the right thing by invading Iraq when he did and that a new regime in Iraq would help to bring peace to the region.

In addition to disagreements over Iraq, Bush and Kerry differed over other aspects of foreign policy and national security. Kerry was critical of some aspects of the Patriot Act, legislation which Congress passed upon Bush's urging following the September 11 attacks in order to increase the ability of law enforcement agencies to investigate terrorist threats in the U.S. (Rosenbaum 2004 ). Also, Bush supported development of a anti-ballistic missile defense, which Kerry opposed. In general, Kerry seemed to approach foreign policy with more emphasis on cooperation with other nations, whereas Bush seemed more inclined to have the U.S. act on its own (Bennet 2004).

Economic issues

Many of the disagreements between Bush and Kerry on the economy represented differences over how the performance of the nation's economy should be evaluated rather than differences over specific economic policy issues. Kerry claimed that the Bush administration had done a poor job in managing the economy, especially when it came to creating jobs (Stevenson 2004; Frankel 2004). Bush argued that the nation's economy had recovered from a recession that was already beginning when he came into office. These represented differences in performance appraisals, not policy issues. However, there were some differences on specific economic issues. For example, Kerry proposed a substantial raise in the minimum wage, which Bush opposed (Rosenbaum 2004). Also, many government regulations on business were relaxed during the first Bush administration, and Kerry was critical of a number of these changes (Brinkley 2004). Kerry also criticized the large budget deficits that developed during the first Bush administration, claiming that they would hurt economic growth in the long run. However, many observers felt that Kerry's strategy for reducing these deficits was no better than what Bush proposed.

Taxes

Kerry criticized the tax cuts that Bush supported during his first administration, claiming that the cuts were too heavily slanted toward those with high incomes (Stevenson 2004; Frankel 2004). Kerry also argued that the large tax cuts enacted during the first Bush administration were responsible for the large deficits in the federal budget. Kerry proposed raising taxes on those with incomes that were over $200,000. Bush defended his tax cuts and claimed that they were beneficial for the economy. He further argued that the tax cuts enacted during his first administration that were scheduled to expire in the future should be made permanent.

Health care

In his first administration, Bush proposed and Congress enacted legislation that added a prescription drug benefit to Medicare. Kerry criticized the way in which that legislation was drawn up, arguing that it was too beneficial to pharmaceutical companies and did not go far enough in its benefits for Medicare recipients (Toner 2004). Bush criticized Kerry's proposals as too expensive. Kerry also favored making it easier for Americans to obtain prescription drugs from Canada, where they were cheaper, while Bush opposed such actions. Finally, Kerry proposed policies aimed at substantially reducing the number of Americans without health insurance coverage, while Bush again criticized Kerry's proposals as too expensive and supported more modest policies (Connelly and Weisman 2004).

Social security

Bush supported partial privatization of social security, which would have allowed individuals to place some of their social security contributions into their own personal accounts; he claimed that this would help to restore the long-term soundness of the system. Kerry opposed any privatization of social security, arguing that it would undermine the fiscal health of the system (Andrews 2004).

Environment

In general, Kerry favored stronger government action to protect the environment than did Bush. For example, Bush refused to sign the Kyoto Protocol, an agreement negotiated by a number of countries that called for reductions in the production of greenhouse gases in order to reduce global warming (Barringer 2004). Bush argued that complying with the agreement would have damaged the American economy. Kerry criticized Bush for failing to do enough to reduce greenhouse gas production, although Kerry agreed that the Kyoto Protocol was flawed in its present form (Rosenbaum 2004). Bush also supported oil exploration in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), arguing that the U.S. needed new energy sources and that drilling could be done without significant damage to wildlife; Kerry opposed drilling in ANWR (Rosenbaum 2004). Kerry also promised to reverse changes that the Bush administration made in air pollution regulations (Barringer 2004; Kerry 2004).

Education

The "No Child Left Behind" education bill that was proposed by Bush in his first administration was largely enacted by Congress. Congress did not, however, provide for vouchers to allow parents with students in failing schools to place their children in different schools, something that Bush favored and Kerry opposed. Kerry also pushed for greater federal funding of the "No Child Left Behind" act (Rosenbaum 2004).

Abortion

Bush opposed legalized abortion, except in cases of rape, incest, or situations where the mother's life was in danger. Kerry supported legalized abortion. Bush also favored outlawing so-called "partial birth" abortions, while Kerry said that he would do so only if there was an exception to allow such abortions in cases where the mother's health was at risk from the pregnancy (Rosenbaum 2004).

Gay marriage

Bush opposed allowing gays to marry and supported a constitutional amendment to prevent states from permitting it. Kerry also opposed gay marriage, but he also opposed a constitutional amendment to prohibit it, stating that he would allow states to decide on their own whether to allow such marriages. Both candidates supported some form of civil union, which would give gays partners some legal rights that they currently lack (Rosenbaum 2004).

Capital punishment

Bush supported the death penalty for first-degree murder. Kerry opposed the death penalty, except in cases of terrorism (Rosenbaum 2004).

Civil Rights

Differences between Bush and Kerry were primarily a question of emphasis rather than direct differences on policies. For example, Kerry included a major section on civil rights issues in his platform, in which he pledged to nominate as federal judges only those who would uphold current civil rights laws (Kerry 2004). Bush did not have a section on civil rights in his platform and rarely addressed the issue.

Not all of these issues received significant exposure in the campaign, even during the debates. Environmental or civil rights issues, for example, were not widely discussed by the campaigns or during the debates. Of course, targeted groups often received information on particular issues. For example, environmental groups were critical of the Bush administration's policies and generally supportive of Kerry's candidacy, and messages from these groups probably reached most if not all members of these groups and other environmental activists.