Blue Mass Group

Reality-based commentary on politics.

Happy Anniversary John Kerry!

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It’s been 9 years since you’ve been lead sponsor on a bill that has become law.  Congrats.

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  1. I followed the race last fall in the 5th Congressional District and saw a lot of your postings here that tried to hail Ogo for being against the S-Chip program that funds kids health care, against a sane immigration policy and against changing course in Iraq.

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    p>Same old same old for Ogo. Part of the reason he lost last fall was because most voters just couldn’t figure out what he was saying on the issues. He had no opinions of his own and pretty much stuck to the RNC talking points. It showed, and didn’t sell well with the voters. Not last fall, and not this time, either.

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    p>As to the video above: How disingenuous can you get? Just because one’s name doesn’t appear on each legislation one has worked on, doesn’t mean the collaboration never happened.

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    p>John Kerry helped save Veterans Centers in MA from closing.  That didn’t get his name on a piece of legislation, but that matters to a lot of vets who need that care.

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    p>See, EaBo, being in Congress means more than just getting your name on a piece of legislation.  It means working to help people.  That’s what Democrats do and Republicans shrug and walk away from all the time.  

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    p>Kerry had legislation passed last week that puts money into helping people facing foreclosure. This may not be flashy, but it is helping real people. You know, the kind that confuse Ogo so much.

    • Could you link to the mortgage foreclosure bill and his sponsorship of it.  It won’t be too hard to find.  I suggest you start here: http;//thomas.loc.gov

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      p>Thanks

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      p>EaBo

      • http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/…

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        p>S.1784
        Title: A bill to amend the Small Business Act to improve programs for veterans, and for other purposes.
        Sponsor: Sen Kerry, John F. [MA] (introduced 7/12/2007)      Cosponsors (6)
        Related Bills: H.R.4253, S.1005
        Latest Major Action: 12/19/2007 Ordered placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 550.
        Note: For further action, see H.R.4253, which became Public Law 110-186 on 2/14/2008.

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        p>As is customary, one version was introduced in the Senate, the same bill in the House.  This bill was written by Kerry.  The House version was his bill submitted for that Chamber.  The reconciled bill bore the House designation.

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        p>You can see the events in the Senate SBA site that show hearings, and you can see the Congressional records Transcripts and they will show that this was Kerry’s bill. Incidentally, Olympia Snows of Maine agrees.

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        p>Another handy link that explains how this bill progressed:

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        p>http://www.govtrack.us/congres…

      • The other link is to another legislation JK wrote that passed.
        Anyway, here is a report on the foreclosure bill and I will gladly provide you with a Thomas link as soon as it is available:

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        p>http://www.allamericanpatriots…

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        p>Senate Passes Kerry Housing Legislation to Protect Veterans from Foreclosure

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        p>Victory on Kerry-Smith Mortgage Revenue Bonds Will Also Help 87,000 Families

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        p>04/10/2008 — Washington, DC – The Senate today voted 84 to 12 to pass the Foreclosure Prevention Act of 2008, which included Senator John Kerry’s provisions to protect active duty service members and their families from foreclosure, and Kerry’s Mortgage Revenue Bonds proposal to give localities new tools to help keep thousands more American families in their homes.

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        p>snip. More at link

            • Sorry I was unable to be on BMG from 3:15 pm until 5:50 am but here goes. As to Kerstin’s point, the bill she talks about is still in committee.  (NRSC 1 – Friends of Kerry[FOK] 0)

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              p>Now let’s look at John Kerry’s response at JohnKerry.com.

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              p>

              Passed Legislation to Combat Money Laundering: In 2001, Senator Kerry’s legislation, the International Counter-Money Laundering and Foreign Anticorruption Act, was enacted as Section 311 of the USA PATRIOT Act. It provides the tools the U.S. needs to crack down on international money laundering havens and protects the integrity of the U.S. financial system from the influx of tainted money from abroad. The legislation gives the Secretary of Treasury the discretionary authority to take targeted action against specific international money laundering threats including restricting or prohibiting their access to the U.S. financial system. [PL 107-56]

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              p>He got an amendment to a bill passed! Yeah for him but still he didn’t get one of his own bill’s passed.  (NRSC 2 – FOK 0)

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              p>

              Helping fishermen gain access to bankruptcy protections: In 2005, Senator Kerry successfully passed an amendment in the Bankruptcy Reform Act to make Chapter 12 of the Bankruptcy Code – which originally applied only to family farmers – applicable to fishermen. The amendment helps ensure that fishermen have the flexibility under Chapter 12 of the bankruptcy code to wait out the rebuilding of our commercial fish stocks. [PL 109-8]

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              p>See above. (NRSC 3 – FOK 0)

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              p>

              Stopping Child Exploitation: Senator Kerry’s child exploitation bill (S. 2155, introduced in the 109th Congress) – entitled Masha’s Law – became law in the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006. The Kerry legislation, inspired by the tragic story of a 13-year-old girl who was sexually-exploited by her adopted father, will help prevent child exploitation by increasing the civil statutory damages available to a victim of child exploitation and ensuring that victims of child pornography whose images remain in circulation after they have turned 18 can still recover when those images are downloaded. [PL 109-248]

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              p>See both above. (NRSC 4 – FOK 0)  Boy this is fun…..

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              p>

              Fighting for Massachusetts’ Fishermen: Senator Kerry secured $13.395 million in federal disaster assistance for Massachusetts fishermen as part of the Omnibus Appropriations Bill signed by the President in December 2007. This funding will provide assistance to the Massachusetts groundfishing fleet, which is struggling to survive in the face of significant cuts in fishing effort. [P.L. 110-161]

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              p>See all of the above. (NRSC 5 – FOK 0)

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              p>

              Assisting the Military and Our Veterans: In 2007, Senator Kerry’s legislation was included in the FY 2008 Department of Defense Authorization Conference Report to authorize the construction of a joint Department of Defense/Veterans Administration military eye injury center of excellence. This “center of excellence” will allow those that have suffered from one of the more common injuries from Operations’ Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom, to receive seamless care and treatment. [PL 110-181] Also in 2007, Senator Kerry secured an additional $19 million for the Department of Veterans Affairs readjustment counseling services in the FY 2007 Supplemental Appropriations Conference Report. This funding provided for additional outreach efforts to those transitioning from military to civilian life from Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom [PL 110-28].

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              p>See everything above. (NRSC 6 – FOK 0)

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              p>

              Ethics Reform: Senator Kerry’s bill – the Congressional Pension Accountability Act – passed as part of the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act of 2007. The Kerry law denies pensions to any current or future Member of Congress who is convicted of serious ethics crimes such as bribery. This legislation is based on the 2005 case of Representative Randy “Duke” Cunningham who kept his federal pension of approximately $40,000 per year after pleading guilty to bribery and tax evasion charges. [PL110-81]

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              p>Ditto… (NRSC 7 – FOK 0)

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              p>

              Addressing the Humanitarian Crisis in Burma: In October 2007, the Senate passed S. Res. 339, a Kerry resolution regarding violence in Burma. As the military crackdown intensified in early October, the Senate resolution called on the Burmese authorities to bring an end to violence, release political prisoners, and open dialogue in order to solve the crisis. Passage of this resolution put Congress on the record in opposition to the atrocities occurring in Burma.

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              p>Oooohhh “it’s the sense of the Senate”…  still not a law..(NRSC 8 – FOK 0).

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              p>Let’s just look at the rest all together.

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              p>

              HELPING SMALL BUSINESSES:

              Assisting Reservists Called to Active Duty: The Veterans Entrepreneurship and Small Business Development Act of 1999 included Kerry’s Military Reservists Small Business Relief Act (S. 918). The legislation created a program at the Small Business Administration to allow reservists who own businesses who are called to active duty, or business owners who have a key employee called to active duty, to access low-interest disaster loans in order to mitigate financial hardships or ruin, as happened to reservists during Desert Storm. [PL 106-50]

              Boosting the Economy Following September 11th: The Department of Defense and Emergency Supplemental Appropriations for Recovery from and Response to Terrorist Attacks on the United States Act of 2002 included provisions of Kerry’s American Small Business Emergency Relief and Recovery Act (S.1499). The provisions provided $75 million to lower fees on 7(a) loans in order to use the private sector to make loans to companies across the country that were adversely impacted by the terrorist attacks of 9-11. The legislation pumped approximately $3 billion into local economies. [PL 107-117]

              Holding the TSA Accountable to Contracting Laws: In 2007, Kerry passed legislation to increase contracting transparency at the Transportation Security Administration by ending the exemption from Federal Acquisition Regulations it was granted in the aftermath of the September 11th attacks. The legislation mandates that the TSA meet the government-wide 23 percent small business contracting goal. The bill was included in the Consolidated Appropriations bill that was signed into law on December 26, 2007. [PL 110-161]

              Providing Aid to Small Business Owners Affected by Drought: Senator Kerry passed legislation to make non-agricultural small businesses hurt by drought eligible for SBA disaster loans, ending SBA’s practice of letting non-farm businesses fall through the cracks in years past, giving all small business-owners in drought-stricken areas access to low-interest disaster assistance through the SBA. The bill, the Small Business Drought Relief Act of 2005 (S.1463), passed as an amendment to the Department of Defense Authorization bill. [PL 109-163]

              Working to Increase Small Business Energy Efficiency: In June 2007, Kerry passed two amendments to the CLEAN Energy Act to help small businesses (S.A. 1706). The provisions create loans for small firms to invest in renewable sources of energy, create incentives for greener business operations, and hold the Bush Administration accountable for implementing energy efficiency programs that Congress established in 2005. The provisions were based on legislation Kerry introduced in July 2007, the Small Business Energy Efficiency Act of 2007. The bill was signed into law on December 19. [PL 110-140]

              Helping Veteran-owned Small Businesses: In February 2008, Senator Kerry’s bill – the Military Reservist and Veteran Small Business Reauthorization and Opportunity Act, S. 1784 – was signed into law. The bill improves outreach and assistance programs for veteran-owned small businesses. This legislation increases the funding authorization for the Office
              of Veteran Business Development from $2 million today to $2.5 million over three years, creates an Interagency Task Force to improve coordination between agencies in administrating veteran small business programs, and permanently extends the SBA Advisory Committee on Veterans Business Affairs. [Public Law 110-186]

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              p>The first five were amendements.  (NRSC 13 – FOK 0)

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              p>According to Thomas.loc.gov public law 110-186 was House Resolution 4253.

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              p>

              H.R.4253
              Title: To improve and expand small business assistance programs for veterans of the armed forces and military reservists, and for other purposes.
              Sponsor: Rep Altmire, Jason [PA-4] (introduced 12/4/2007)      Cosponsors (3)
              Related Bills: H.RES.921, S.1784
              Latest Major Action: Became Public Law No: 110-186 [GPO: Text, PDF] COSPONSORS(3), ALPHABETICAL [followed by Cosponsors withdrawn]:     (Sort: by date)

                   Rep Buchanan, Vern [FL-13] – 12/4/2007
                   Rep Chabot, Steve [OH-1] – 12/4/2007
                   Rep Velazquez, Nydia M. [NY-12] – 12/4/2007

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              p>So to sum it up and to use Bob’s nomenclature. NRSC 14 – FOK 0)

              • …proves you can answer questions when you want to, Eabo. But you do have a pattern of avoiding the tough, inconvenient questions, and I’m not the only one who has ever point that out.

  2. Of course you do know that being a successful and effective Senator is about a lot more than having your name top and front on legislation. It shouldn’t need to be stated… but it is.

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    p>I personally have plenty of issues with what John Kerry has done over the years, but the number of bills with his name on them is pretty far down the list of my concerns. As it should be yours. How about complaints with more substance to them?

  3. I have to agree that Kerry has not done that much, the argument that being in the minority prevented him from doing anything is flawed, since Kennedy got Kennedy/McCain and No Child Left Behind passed while being a Senator in the minority. Kennedy has brought all sorts of great pork to Massachusetts and he consistently is a legislative leader fighting for progressive policies. I have some reservations about his character but that stuffs over forty years old now so I’m a bit more willing to forgive.

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    p>I definitely do not always agree with good ole Ted but I definitely think he is on whole an effective Senator.

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    p>Kerry just isn’t one, never has been one, and to be honest since he lost in 2004 has become even less relevant as one. That loss basically made him a lame duck.

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    p>Its time to move past that and Massachusetts can and should do a whole lot better, too bad we keep getting Ogo who I like for his service to his country but doesn’t thus far seem to have the ideas or the intellect to be a Senator. But then again Kerrys been there for 19 years and neither does he.  

    • Much as it pains me to agree with jconway (we disagree on just about everything else) he’s right on the money here. Kerry is wholly ineffective on just about everything except putting his foot in his mouth.

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      p>Many of the items cited by his campaign staff in this and other BMG posts are essentially “gimme’s” that would be afforded just about any Senator from MA.

      • Hey man its never painful to agree when we know we’re both right đŸ˜‰

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        p>Senator Windbags ineffective its as simple as that. And its time for him to go.  

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