John Kerry Campaign Recent polls have shown President Bush and Sen. John Kerry virtually tied in their chances for getting elected.

Many critics have scored both candidates for having identical position, despite their Republican or Liberal posturing. However, a deeper analysis would show that only Kerry is making solid towards alleviating many of the country's critical social and economic problems.

Kerry has the qualifications to tackle many of these issues. In terms of education, Kerry received good foundation from his years at Yale University and later, from law school at Boston College. This educational background is also supplemented by an extensive record in public office, including a stint at Massachusetts lieutenant governor from 1982-1984. Kerry has been serving as a United States Senator from 1985 to the present ("Profiles of candidates").

From the beginning of his campaign, Kerry has garnered a strong following among middle class sectors. Because of Kerry's track record on voting for school improvement issues and his criticism of Bush's flawed No Child Left Behind policy, the senator has a strong following among educators. Among his earliest supporters were the National Education Association and American Federation of Teachers, two important educator unions (Robelen).

In addition to the teacher unions, Kerry is also being backed by one of the country's largest union groups - the AFL-CIO.

During the campaigns for the Democratic primaries, the AFL-CIO had mobilized local unions to distribute flyers and to put together a phone bank operation for Kerry. Since Howard Dean's withdrawal, other labor organizations such as the 1199 SEIU, a union of health care workers, have thrown their support behind Kerry as well (Michaud).

Kerry's social policies also ensure that he will continue to enjoy this support among the middle class sector.

By focusing his campaign on socio-economic issues, Kerry is appealing...

One of Kerry's key issues therefore centers on creating new jobs, at a goal of 3 million jobs within his first 500 days in office ("John Kerry"). In creating these new jobs, Kerry hopes to jumpstart the economy.
Towards this general goal, Kerry believes that the Bush tax cuts have compromised many important social programs. The senator, a strong critic of Bush's tax cuts, have vowed to repeal the tax breaks for the wealthy but will retain tax relief programs for the middle and lower class.

Kerry's policies also include programs to spur long-term economic growth. For example, he wants to replace Bush's No Child Left Behind policy with a program that truly aims to create a "new era for America's schools." Kerry's program will reduce class sizes, fix school facilities and support teachers through salary increases and higher budgets. These programs will help to ensure higher standards in the public education system ("John Kerry").

To help more Americans prepare for their future careers, Kerry is also striving to place a college education within the reach of families with more modest incomes. One of Kerry's programs would fund a four-year tuition education at public colleges for students who will in turn provide two years of national service ("Profiles of candidates"). This would ensure that the next generation of Americans would be prepared to fill the country's economic needs.

Kerry has also pledged to address another issue that are key for many middle- and lower-income Americans - health insurance. Kerry, who has served as ranking minority leader of the Senate's Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, has proposed reforms that would allow all Americans to buy into the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program ("Profiles of candidates"). This will allow more Americans access to affordable healthcare.

This focus on socio-economic…