[Andy Baker]

John Kerry appears to be a good guy. But I disagree with him on many issues.

1. Likes: compared to other politicians, he relates to the people pretty well. He definitely could improve in this area, but he is better than Bush with regard to charisma.
2. Dislikes: I disagree with the majority of his voting record. The money allocation / income generation / budget issues are different than what I would prefer. As a fellow Catholic, I disagree with his stance on abortion. I dislike the fact that he claims that he would defend our country well, but has seemed to vote against most defense budget items (he voted against many defense programs that we currently use).
3. I would like and respect him more if he simply stuck to what he is. While I still disagree with his voting record, he seems to be trying to appear more moderate these days. This may earn votes, but his character suffers.
4. I thought that his DNC speech was excellent. Sure, he rushed through many points, but he had to get it done. He was sweating, passionate, and clear. He laid out the issues and sold a good story. Up until that speech, I have not seen him give a good one. He hit a home run, I thought.
5. I disagree with him for many of the issues. Lowering the taxes on middle class and small businesses is great, but where is the $$ coming from to fund a socialized healthcare industry? He would have to raise taxes greatly on the upper class (who already have a drastically higher tax bracket, btw), raise taxes on large corporations (you know... the companies that put many of us to work), and decrease spending in many areas. I agree with his plan to bring other countries to help with Iraq, but we don't need to cow-tow to France and Germany to do this. I agree with his positions on early childhood development (Early Head Start, etc.).
6. It is going to be an interesting campaign. Hopefully, the voter turnout will be high.

Andy B.