Kerry would win if election was now

(CBS) If last year�s presidential election were being held today, the results might well be different than the results of a year ago. 41% of registered voters say that if the 2004 election were being held today, they would cast their ballot for Democratic candidate John Kerry, while 36% say they would vote for President George W. Bush. 13% say they would vote for someone else, and 6% wouldn�t vote at all.

IF 2004 ELECTION WERE HELD TODAY�
(Registered Voters)

John Kerry

41%
George W. Bush

36%
Someone else

13%
Not vote

6%

In this poll, 12% of registered voters said they didn�t vote in 2004. Among those who did vote, 45% said they voted for Kerry last year, and 46% said they voted for President Bush. 2% reported voting for Nader, and 7% won�t say for whom they voted.

If the election were held this year, both candidates would retain more than eight in ten of the voters who supported them last year, according to this poll. But President Bush would lose about 3% of those who said they voted for him last year to his Democratic opponent. And although none of those who supported Kerry last year would now vote for Bush, 13% say they would support another candidate. But among voters who either didn�t vote in 2004 or voted for another candidate, or refused to say for whom they voted, Kerry leads Bush by 34% to 11%.

IF 2004 ELECTION WERE HELD TODAY�
(Registered Voters)

In 2004, voted for: Kerry
John Kerry

81%
George W. Bush

-
Someone else

13%
Not vote

4%

In 2004, voted for: Bush
John Kerry

3%
George W. Bush

84%
Someone else

7%
Not vote

3%

In 2004, voted for: Other/didn't vote
John Kerry

34%
George W. Bush

11%
Someone else

23%
Not vote

16%

For detailed information on how CBS News conducts public opinion surveys, click here.

This poll was conducted among a nationwide random sample of 936 adults, including 828 registered voters, interviewed by telephone October 30-November 1, 2005. The error due to sampling for results based on the entire sample and the sample of registered voters could be plus or minus three percentage points.

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This is our moment of truth. You and I have to make it absolutely clear that we won't stand for Republican Swift Boat style attacks on Jack Murtha.

Yesterday, an extraordinary congressman, former Marine Drill Sergeant and decorated Vietnam veteran, spoke out on the war in Iraq. He didn't come to that moment lightly. He spoke his mind and spoke his heart out of love for his country and support for our troops. No sooner had the words left his lips than the vicious assault on his character and patriotism began.

Today, in a statement on the Senate floor, in interviews with the national media, and in this message to you, I am seeking out every opportunity to defend a brave American hero that the Republican attack machine has set their sights on.

I urge you to do the same. Whether you agree or disagree with Jack Murtha is irrelevant. These despicable attacks on Jack Murtha's patriotism and courage must be met with an enormous public outcry. Call your local talk radio show, write a letter to the editor, phone your members of Congress - join me in acting now to reject these Swift Boat style attacks on Jack Murtha.

It disgusts me that a bunch of guys who have never put on the uniform of their country have aimed their venom at a marine who served America heroically in Vietnam and has been serving heroically in Congress ever since. No matter what J.D. Hayworth says, there is no sterner stuff than the backbone and courage that defines Jack Murtha's character and conscience.
Dennis Hastert -- the Speaker of the House who never served -- accused Jack Murtha of being a coward. Well let me tell you, Jack Murtha wasn't a coward when he put himself in harm's way for his country in Vietnam and earned two purple hearts -- he was a patriot then, and he is a patriot today. Jack Murtha's courage in combat earned him a Bronze Star, and his voice should be heard, not silenced by those who still today cut and run from the truth.

Instead of letting his cronies run their mouths, the President for once should stop his allies from doing to Jack Murtha what he set them loose to do to John McCain in South Carolina and Max Cleland in Georgia.

The President should finally find the courage to debate the real issue instead of destroying anyone who speaks truth to power as they see it. It's time for Americans to stand up, fight back, and make it clear it's unacceptable to do this to any leader of any party anywhere in our country.

I urge you to join today in a massive public outcry that rejects the attempt to demonize and destroy anyone who dares to disagree with George W. Bush's aimless stay for as long as it takes policy on Iraq.

Please act now. Call and email your elected officials. Flood talk radio with calls rejecting these vicious smear tactics. Send a letter to the editor.

Express your outrage about the tired old Rovian Swift Boat style attacks on Jack Murtha.

Sincerely,
John Kerry

MY REPLY:

Dear Senator Kerry:

I absolutely agree with everything you wrote, and I have been posting my views on political message boards, as well as emailing Duncan Hunter, and I've written a four-page letter to Congressman Murtha himself.

Now I must address YOUR response to the attacks on Congressman Murtha.

I thank you for your defense of him; however, I felt it was very, VERY weak. (By the way, please pass this on to Senators Clinton and Reid so they might get a clue into what makes the majority of Americans tick).

For years now, Democrats, including yourself, have openly expressed their opposition to the Iraq war, but you haven't had one single idea to fix the problem, and when asked WHY you voted for it (before you voted against it), you all give some lame, limp, meaningless excuse.

NOW is the time to aggressively defend Congressman Murtha and his plan for leaving Iraq. Bush HAS NO PLAN. MURTHA DOES. It's really quite a simple concept.

Although I'm beginning to lose patience with you all, let's regroup and start over. Today is the first day of the rest of our lives.

I realize that most of you fell down on the job and didn't really scrutinize the Bush intelligence (this term is found in the dictionary under oxymoron and/or just plain old moron).

You were probably busy and didn't have time to read thousands of pages of documents. That's understandable. What's even more understandable is that as President of the United States, there's a preconceived notion that this person is, in fact, ethical and honorable. We now know that is not the case. We now know that he possibly took America to war on the blood of thousands of 9/11 victims simply to insure a successful Presidency. NOW is the time to admit that you, as well as every intelligent, thinking American and the entire WORLD, were FOOLED by this man because he was so blatant and aggressive in his pursuit of this war, it simply never occurred to any of you that you were dealing with a man who planned on attacking Iraq before he was even (s)elected President. (See
http://www.tompaine.com/articles/20...went_to_war.php,)

NOW is the time to expose the true character and motives of this prior alcoholic who never received professional help for his addiction. He comes across as a simple man because he IS a simple man, in every sense of the word. His simplicity extends to the largest deficit in American history, and his tactics remind me of a teenager who recklessly maxes out Daddy's credit card because he has no responsibility for the bill, given that Daddy will pay it.

NOW is the time to embrace Congressman Murtha's plan, since it DOES make sense, reflects an actual THOUGHT PROCESS taking place, and is the thing that most Americans want. This man is not some 5-deferment draft dodger or Air National Guard absentee. He's a decorated Purple Heart recipient, who has devoted his entire life to helping the military and veterans.

NOW is the time to reveal an administration who would place the lives of a CIA agent in jeopardy and with everyone who ever worked with her, simply because her husband exposed the TRUTH.

NOW is the time to reveal the administration's press secretary's Plamerizing of John Murtha. NOW is the time to acknowledge that you truly have connected the dots, and the picture of a lying, unethical administration has emerged. If you do this NOW, most forward-thinking Americans will probably forgive you for now just catching up with everything they've known for months.

NOW is the time to publicly condemn Friday's histrionics of the House of Representatives. I, as a taxpayer, resent having to pay for that crap.

Sadly, you've pretty much already proven that you don't have many original ideas. NOW is the time to attach yourselves to John Murtha's coattails and hang on for dear life.

In case you haven't figured this out yet, you're up against an administration who will stop at NOTHING to transform this country into a theoracy, who will brag about the impending freedom for all Iraqis, while simultaneously slowly removing the freedoms of Americans, as his narrow-minded base pursues control over every single American regarding when we're born, who we love, which God we're allowed to worship, and when and how we die.

NOW is the time to expose the evangelical recruitment taking place in the Air Force in Colorado and the accompanying ridicule and persecution of soldiers who have different religious beliefs.

NOW is the time (albeit it four years LATE) to prove you care about the safety of Americans and aggressively pursue the security of our borders so that al Qaeda members cannot come into America from Mexico and KILL US.

Above all else, NOW IS THE TIME to reveal this President as the one who is truly aiding and abetting the enemy by providing them free, complimentary OTJ training in Iraq where they can hone their craft while killing our American soldiers.

NOW is the time to STOP being quiet and milquetoasty and to aggressively pursue this Administration's lies (I know they're numerous, ongoing, and difficult to keep track of) and reveal them for what they truly are.

MOST OF ALL, NOW is the time to honestly express what Congressman Murtha REALLY said when he outlined his plan to leave

Iraq

. It was a very thoughtful, sensible plan, and the fact that administration henchmen are maliciously mischaracterizing it should be revealed and aggressively FOUGHT.

If you truly foresee a future for your party, NOW is the time to embrace and advertise something the Administration doesn't have: A PLAN for Iraq. Although you might be able to win some elections by simply being the least worst party, is that really the future you envision for the Democratic party?

The ball is in your court. Don't let this one get away.... again.

Americans are losing patience.

Scathing against McCain. Fabulous speech. He echoed some of my thoughts on McCain, about how much he has changed to pander to the base and get the nomination. Here is a snippet:

Candidate McCain now supports the wartime tax cuts that Senator McCain once denounced as immoral. Candidate McCain criticizes Senator McCain�s own climate change bill. Candidate McCain says he would now vote against the immigration bill that Senator McCain wrote. Are you kidding? Talk about being for it before you�re against it.

I'm a left-leaning independent who thought I may vote Republican this time around if McCain ran. Well, he did, and as time went on I could see how much he has changed his positions to pander to the far right and I have lost most of my respect for him. I'll give him credit for being a veteran and a POW (a point that while it was once a powerful emotional point for him is now abused by him as an excuse for just about everything is sadly becoming a joke of his own making), but candidate McCain is NOT the same as Senator John McCain. Anyway, great speech by Sen. Kerry.

we will be provided the usual substandard party-approved (both parties) candidates to choose from - if it is an actual contested election. How often does a rogue candidate even get past the primaries in this country? And how effective could this hypothetical nonpartisan candidate be if elected, when the other kids in the House and Senate won't let him play?

Most candidates don't stand much chance against any incumbent. Seems that we vote based on 'name recognition' and don't much care in what context we recognize the name. Has to be the explanation for how some of these guys (and gals) stay in office term after term despite the fact that we despise them. Nobody can unseat them without party approval. And if you spend enough advertising bucks in the several weeks before election we'd vote for Genghis Khan.

Same theory as they use in product advertising. Say the name and slogan enough times on TV and when we get to the stores we'll recognize it on the shelf and figure it must be okay. See? All the hard decision-making has been done for us!

Obama was anointed by the democrats; McCain was anointed by the republicans, and I did not see a whole lot of difference between them. Both promised to take us in the same direction at slightly different speeds. So I voted for the lesser of two evils (lot of good it did me). And when you do that, it's easy to forget you still voted for evil.

Sad to say, we seem to get the candidates and products we deserve. We vote for whoever the party runs, buy the products that spend most on advertising, and that's pretty much that.

I am at a complete loss as to how to change any of this because it all seems to be one big interconnected system. Throwing the bums out is a great idea, but replace them with what? More party clones? I don't think a true populist candidate stands much chance against the two party machines we have.

Here's a clue, no one really listens to hatred. You need to cozy it up a bit, put a little whipped cream on it, disguise it a little. All the personal attacks and name-calling, while typical of you libbies, isn't very palatable. KnowwhatImeanVern?

to migrate to alaska. Ms. Palin will be returning there in Nov permanently. They have been expecting a massive Rapture-induced influx of people, so they probably won't shoot you unless you are wearing a fur coat. You might as well go, coz you are gonna be totally miserable for the next 4 years as Barack begins the long journey of righting the sinking ship called U.S.

Do you think this will be a high voter turn-out year? Voter registrations are waaaay up this year. (Barring, of course, the fraudulent registrations which will hopefully have been resoved by election day.)

It's certainly been the most hotly contested campaign season I can recall - and I've been voting since the late 70s. There's so much bravado and blustering coming from both camps, and the media clearly chose their darling many moons ago, it seems like people will either be so sick of it, or apathetic about the outcome, that a lot of folks simply won't bother to show up.

I know there's been a massive push to register young voters. Our college campus has been crawling with people trying to stir up support for a certain candidate. My daughter and her friends are apporached every time they attend an event, from football games to local band open mic nights. But do you think everyone will actually turn up on election day?

And this may be totally UN-PC, but I'm not so sure everybody SHOULD vote. I mean, if you're too lazy to register, are you really going to be doing your due diligence and educating yourself about each candidate's policies and proposals?

I wish this was original (I'm not this smart) and I'm sorry if you've all already received it in your email but I thought it was great (you KNOW I'm a republican--you may not know that I love Condoleeza Rice and would have taken to the streets to support her in a bid for the presidency).

It has been suggested that if we really wanted to tick-off the dems, the party should get GWB to step down, now, as president, leaving Chaney as president. Chaney could then could ask for Condoleeza Rice to serve as his vice president (certainly not out of the question, given her position). Then CHeny could step down, thus producing the first Black Female president---and she'd be a republican!!!!

that the majority of us do not bother to educate ourselves on a candidate or an issue. We just grab at something shiny: Ooh, ooh! That one speaks well and looks good!

In any election, if there are candidates or issues I don't know enough about to vote on (judgeships, etc.) I actually leave that item blank rather than just put just anybody's name in there! Candidates actually fight to have their name placed at the top, because they know that some voters will just select the first one they see. Or they go for name recogition, and vote for the one who'se spent the most on advertising. Horrifying to think this is how some candidates get elected.

In the election before that I was aghast when a friend that I thought was intelligent said of Bush/Kerry. ''We've tried it one way for four years. Time to try give somebody else a chance.'' When asked, she could not name any area in which Kerry was better; he was just ''different.'' Oh, well, if it's somebody else's turn.......

And that's the main problem with our political system. We seldom get a candidate that really inspires us and too often we just end up voting for the one we hate least, or the one whose name is listed first. Or we get bamboozled by flashy packaging with absolutely nothing inside.

So I have no idea how we make people pay attention and vote responsibly in order to change all this.