Lashing out at Democratic presidential candidate Sen. John Kerry, Vice President Dick Cheney said Americans should vote for stability and not a candidate whose positions “shift with the wind.”
Cheney spoke Friday to a crowd of 1,300 in Rosemount, Minn. The candidate highlighted his and President George W. Bush’s record, and the need to be steadfast in Iraq.
Kerry has gone back and forth on his support of the situation in Iraq, Cheney said.
Former Democratic presidential primary candidate and Vermont Gov. Howard Dean is the reason Kerry changed his position, Cheney said. Dean came out anti-war, and Kerry and the other primary candidates went with him.
Chris Montana, a University student and Minnesota College Democrats president who did not attend the event, said Dean merely changed the debate topic and not anyone’s opinion.
“Dean brought the war to the forefront,” he said. “Before, everyone was talking about domestic policies.”
But Kerry has said the reason behind his different votes for Iraq is because it’s a complicated situation, Cheney said.
“Deciding to support troops in combat should never be complicated,” he said.
Cheney also lauded the president’s ability to create new jobs while in office.
“We won’t be satisfied until everyone who wants a job has a job,” he said.
Montana said Bush and Cheney have done nothing to get people jobs. And even people who have gotten new jobs are paid less than they used to in other jobs, he said.
Tonia Johnson, 23, said she attended the rally because she had never been to an event like it before. She said she supports Bush because he shares her Christian values and beliefs.
“I don’t know where he stands on most issues, but he shares my faith,” Johnson said. “So I’m supporting them.”
Ashlee Lolkus, 22, said she is going to vote for Bush because he’s not Kerry. Lolkus, a veteran who served in Kosovo and attended the event, also said she thinks the United States is on the right path in Iraq.
“What (Bush) is doing in Iraq is better,” she said. “And he’s not as much of a goon as Kerry.”
