My fellow voters, in this election season, America finds itself at a crossroads. In one direction lies the politics of the past, offering this country a kind of leadership based on special interests, a lack of vision for the future of our nation and a sense that America exists to serve the government in Washington, not the other way around.

In the opposite direction lies the politics of tomorrow, grounded in what is perhaps the radical belief that government is there for the benefit of its citizens and the certainty that, in order to succeed in the world of tomorrow, a new approach, and a new man to carry that approach forward, is the top priority for America today.

My fellow voters, that man is Bill Bradley.

Bill Bradley challenges Americans to be better people, to accomplish more and to care more. He stands for health care for those without it, racial unity and helping children escape poverty. Bill Bradley wants to reform campaign finances, help working families and provide real gun control. He is a true Democrat and challenges Americans to join him in moving forward on issues of prosperity, justice, freedom and equality.

Bill Bradley is a true advocate of civil rights. In 1964, a civil rights act was passed, and Bill Bradley wants that law enforced, to protect the rights of all Americans, including minorities such as homosexuals, African Americans, and Native Americans. He wants the Confederate Flag to be taken down, because it symbolizes a time in our history or racial hatred. He supports same-sex partnerships, affirmative action and the rights of all people no matter their race or sex.

Bill Bradley comes through loud and clear on social issues. He is a staunch advocate of education and wants to improve schools by providing more teachers and more funding. He is for improving or closing low performing schools so parents can send their children to a higher performing school. His education plan allocates $40 billion over the next ten years and promises to improve the education system. He wants to spend $400 million per year for community colleges and tech jobs, because he believes that everyone deserves an education past high school and that the skills learned in these institutions will help better the lives of millions of Americans.

Bill Bradley is pro-family and wants more mentoring programs, day care facilities and better health care for children. He believes that health care should be accessible to all and wants to reform America’s current health care system. He is for extended maternity stays, and will continue fighting for this. He wants to fund more money on youth anti-smoking campaigns and research into the causes of youth smoking. He is for universal health care and health insurance coverage. These are the issues that are important to him, because they are the real issues for the real people who are America.

On matters such as drugs, Bill Bradley holds the position that we should provide more drug treatment than drug busts. He wants to tackle the demand, and in addition to the supply. He is for tough gun control policies and believes that gun control is a necessary step to controlling crime. He believes tough gun laws and tough leadership will stop child tragedies. He knows that gun control leads to safer schools, and wants to register guns and limit buyers to one per month. He is a tough enemy of hate crimes based on race or gender, and a strong defender of civil rights. Bill Bradley believes in equality for every American. He has, throughout his career, been an environmentalist and wants to preserve our world for future generations.

Bill Bradley is for the working family. On issues of farming, he believes that farms have no safety net and wants to open them up to new foreign markets. He wants to raise the minimum wage, have more unions, and low-income tax cuts.

Bill Bradley is for putting government to work for the people. He believes in tax reform. To him, tax reform does not mean tax cuts that would help only the rich at the expense of the poor, it means simplifying taxes and cutting the deficit and putting money where it belongs. He is for preserving Social Security and wants more government involvement in public assistance programs.

On issues of defense and foreign policy, Bill Bradley understands that the Cold War is over. He wants to cut the defense budget while improving the pay of our military personnel. He is in favor of caution when it comes to international intervention and believes that Americans need to take care of themselves before they can help others. He is for bringing back the test ban treaty and for banning many harmful and unnecessary weapons. He believes that the United Nations and not the United States is the world’s policeman—The U.S. does not have the wisdom or resources to do the job that the U.N. is supposed to be doing.

My fellow voters, Bill Bradley’s idea of politics is that politics is a means to an end, not an end in itself. He is straightforward, has no secrets, and he doesn’t promise things he can’t deliver. Bill Bradley’s philosophy can be summed up simply: respect people and deal with the big questions facing them. Bill Bradley puts Americans first.




Outline of issues for bill bradley

Bill Bradley Issues

A. Civil Rights
1. Stop discrimination against same sex partnerships
a. Doesn’t support marriage but does support domestic partnership to provide legal and financial rights like marriage b. Should be protected under the 1964 civil rights act
2. U.S. should acknowledge African-American suffrage
a. Acknowledge contributions from the African-American contributions
3. Take down the Confederate Flag
4. Worked hard to protect Native American’s interests and rights
B. Defense
1. Make military pay attractive again
a. Raise benefits and pay, pay respect-cut back on weapons to help pay
2. Post Cold War defense budget (smaller)
a. No longer have U.S.S.R. to worry about in Europe
b. Eliminate weapons systems from cold war era
3. U.N. not the U.S. is the world’s policeman
a. We don’t have the wisdom or the resources, never give up our troops and integrate more into a U.N. operation to settle ethnic disputes
4. Bring test ban treaty back…pass it
a. Believes we should control nuclear weapons
5. Voted against SDI, Trident II, Seawolf, F-18, and B-2’s
6. Voted for landmine ban, CIA disclosure, and dismantlement of nuclear and chemical weapons in Russia
C. Education
1. Use budget surplus for more teachers and more head start programs
a. Double the $8 billion spent on Title 1 schools
b. Offer $7,500 in annual scholarships to high school seniors who commit to teaching for 5 yrs
c. Will add 400,000 children to head start programs
2. Measure performance; close lowest performing schools
a. Persistent low performing school with either be given new leadership or closed and reopened as charter school; parents can send their children to a higher performing school
3. Education excellence begins with 60,000 new teachers
a. Need teachers who are able to teach new and up to date skills
4. Education plan: $40 billion over the next 10 yrs
5. Scholarships and loans to create 60,000 new teachers
a. In the next decade we will lose 2.2 million teachers, he plans to add 60,000 new teachers by giving them loans and scholarships
6. $400 million per year to community colleges for tech jobs
a. Used to improve programs and help learn new skills
7. Voted for National Service and Summer Youth Programs
8. Voted against school prayer; yes for condom distribution
D. Health Care
1. Disabled should not be punished for working
a. They will not lose their health care benefits
2. Help HIV infected with Ryan White Act and health centers
a. Fully funded, large sums of money to community health care centers and clinics
b. Pass a bill to help HIV positive people receive access to health care
3. Fought for longer maternity stays; will fight longer
4. Controlling smoking is a key to health reform
a. Will spend more money on anti-smoking campaigns
b. Fund more research into the causes of youth smoking
5. All Americans should have access to affordable health care
a. Will help elderly get drug prescriptions at a lower cost
6. $650 billion dollars over the next 10 yrs for children’s mandatory health coverage
a. Children in families earning less than $50,000 per year will be fully or partially subsidized
7. Universal Health care and health insurance coverage
E. Drugs and Gun Control
1. More funds for drug treatment; tackle demand not supply
2. Tough gun laws and tough leadership to stop child tragedies
3. Gore was a conservative Congressman who voted with the NRA
4. Ban gun sales in residential neighborhoods
5. Gun control leads to safer schools
6. Register guns; limit buyers to one per month
F. Business and Farming
1. Family farms have no safety net
a. Open new foreign markets
2. Raise minimum wage; more unions; low-income tax cuts
3. Soil erosion causes more damage than floods