Kerry
is loosing lot of Pakistani and Muslim votes
real fast - reason is pretty simple. It is very hard to make a
difference between Bush and Kerry. Kerry has the same stand on
Patriotic Act and the War. He is not providing any plans that
would act as a catalyst to the economy. So, if all is even b/w
Bush and Kerry on issues like war and patriotic act, the
thinking is that bush is at least close with Pakistan.
Reply From Kerry's Campaign
Hi Asif: I am glad to see your e-mail and your
concern about the lack of clarity on Kerry's positions. I hope
you can pass along my response
to your membership.
Pakistani Americans and Muslim Americans should know
that there are major differences between Bush and Kerry. I
think most people in our community would agree that the vote
they cast on Nov 2nd will be the
most important vote of their lives. If you look
beyond the headlines and the sound bites, Kerry has outlined a
broad policy on how to win the war on terrorism and build
strong alliances with modern and moderate Muslim states like
Pakistan. In my dealings
with the campaign it also also become clear that Kerry wants a
long term partnership with Pakistan and not the opportunistic
relationship being
promoted by the Bush administration since 9/11. I think the
opportunistic nature of the current relationship is
highlighted by the lack of clarity among Pakistani Americans
as to what would happen to the relations between the two
countries if Osama Bin Laden were killed or captured in a
second Bush term.
I have outlined below the major policy talking points
we have been provided by the campaign for Pakistani American
and Muslim American outreach.
Kerry campaign Policy talking points for
Pakistani-Americans:
1. John Kerry understands the importance of our
relationship with Pakistan—and not just for the short term.
While George Bush treats Pakistan merely as a temporary ally
in the “war on terrorism,” John
Kerry will build on our long-standing friendship to forge a
long-term relationship based on a wide range of common values
and interests between our two countries.
2. When it comes to democracy in Pakistan, George Bush has
utterly failed to match his rhetoric to reality. He says he
wants to support democracy in the Muslim world, but has
undermined democracy in a nation which has struggled to
establish democratic norms over the past thirty years.
3. Our goal is to have free nations with open
societies in which there is no place for terror or the support
of terror. We need to build up our relationship with the
people of Pakistan as well
as its government.
4. John Kerry will try to bring greater balance to our policy
toward Pakistan. He will work with President Musharraf’s
government in the near-term, but will also promote the social,
political and economic institutions that are the foundation of
democracy – or of any decent government.
5. John Kerry recognizes that regional stability (and
America’s national interests) depend on a Pakistan that is
economically successful, militarily secure, and at peace with
its neighbors. He will treat Pakistan’s success as America’s
success.
6. John Kerry will make sure that the United States
does all that it can to encourage India and Pakistan to make
peace, the best guarantee of Pakistan’s security needs. He
will not (as Bush has done) treat
Pakistan merely as a crisis to be managed.
7. Pakistan has a tradition of a moderate and
tolerant Islam. Pakistan can be the bridge between the West
and the Muslim world—and John Kerry will recognize the
importance of this effort.
8. Most importantly, John Kerry will stay engaged with
Pakistan. He will not repeat the mistakes of the past, when
the US disengaged from Pakistan following the end of the Cold
War. John Kerry will not walk
away from a progressive, modernizing Pakistan once the war on
terror has been won: there is far too much at stake.
Kerry campaign Policy talking points for Muslim-Americans:
In this section I quote directly from the document
"Our Plan for America" which I have attached to this e-mail
(its relatively large at 1.4MB) and which can be found on the
Kerry website at www.johnkerry.com. Here is the text of what
is on pages 16 and 17 of
this document:
America needs a major initiative in public diplomacy
to support the many voices of freedom in the Arab and Muslim
World.
To improve education for the next generation of Muslim Youth,
we need a cooperative international effort to compete with
radical madrassas.
Democracy will not take root overnight, but America
should speed that day with a strategy that aims at breaking
down the economic and cultural isolation of much of this
region, and supports local efforts
to promote democracy, trade, tolerance, and respect
for human rights.
We will:
1. Undertake a major initiative in public diplomacy
to advance our interests and support voices of freedom in the
Arab and Muslim World.
2. Lead an international effort to build schools and
social services organizations that can marginalize radical
organizations.
3. Support human rights groups, independent media,
and labor unions working to build democracy and civil society
throughout the Arab and Muslim World.
4. Reward governments that work toward the spread of
freedom and democracy in the region, not those that work
against it.
Kerry's Major Domestic/Foreign Policy Priorities that
would impact South Asian Americans including
Pakistani-Americans:
I also think its important for Pakistani-Americans to
look at the overall domestic/foreign policy agenda of the two
campaigns and make an assessment of who represents their best
interest.
Attached is information from a one-pager we had
prepared for our "South Asians for Kerry" breakfast that was
held in New York on July 9th and was attended by John Kerry,
John Edwards, Hillary Clinton and Chuck Schumer.
Pakistani-Americans raised more than half of the
nearly $1mm in funds that were raised for this event. I would
also like to point out that John Kerry addressed a lot of
these issues during his 45 minute speech that day.
1. End the Ashcroft Era: Kerry will end the Ashcroft
abuses and protect America without taking our freedoms away.
John Kerry will stop holding detainees indefinitely without
cause and will restore their
basic legal rights. By striking a proper balance
between national security and civil liberties, Kerry will
focus on terrorism laws that actually work.
2. Promote Fairer, Faster Immigration Procedures: John Kerry
believes that family reunification should be the main focus of
immigration policy. He supports speeding up the naturalization
process and reducing the wait for family visas. He will also
fight for earned legalization and the DREAM Act.
3. Protect and Expand Civil Rights: Kerry has spent
his career fighting against racial and religious
discrimination, and will heal the divides created by Bush’s
narrow-minded policies. John Kerry
is a strong supporter of laws that require harsher penalties
for the types of hate crimes committed against South Asian
Americans after
9/11.
Kerry also co-authored the “Workplace Religious
Freedom Act,” a bill that would prohibit on-the-job religious
discrimination and offer protection to Hindus, Muslims and
Sikhs.
4. Create Jobs and Improve America’s Economy: Kerry
will create jobs and enhance America’s competitiveness by:
1) reducing the high employer health-care costs that
discourage new hiring; 2) promoting R&D in new
technologies; 3) re-training workers; and 4) closing
unfair tax loopholes that encourage companies to move
overseas.
John Kerry will not penalize companies for competing
globally. He simply thinks it is unfair to have tax laws that
actually reward companies for taking jobs overseas.
Kerry will help South Asian small business owners and
entrepreneurs by:
1) subsidizing the cost of employee health insurance
through refundable tax credits of up to 50 percent of
coverage; and 2) promoting programs that foster the growth of
minority-owned businesses.
5. Strengthen U.S. Relations with South Asia: John
Kerry is a respected foreign policy expert with 19 years on
the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He supports strong
U.S. – South Asia ties and increased
strategic and military cooperation between the two
regions.
John Kerry is a leader in the global fight against
AIDS and is committed to addressing the problem in South Asia.
6. Enact Affordable Health Care and Reduce Medical
Malpractice Premiums: Kerry’s innovative health care plan will
help doctors and patients, not give away more money to big
insurance companies. Kerry’s
plan will make malpractice insurance more affordable
by requiring an impartial review of lawsuit claims before they
get filed and by eliminating punitive damages except in the
most egregious cases. He
will also fight for the 40 million uninsured which
includes twenty percent of South Asian Americans living in
America.
Send your comments and suggestions to
info@aopp.org
