Guest Contributor
Zell Miller

Zell Miller is United States Senator from Georgia.

I Backed Clinton But Today I Stand With Bush
Democrat leaders have taken the party in the wrong, very wrong direcction...
[Zell Miller] 9/24/04

As a lifelong Democrat, I have supported courageous, honorable Democrats who worked hard to help make my party great - leaders who fought for opportunity and freedom for all in America and around the world. But this year, this Democrat has decided that George W. Bush is the man with the courage and the steady leadership to move America forward and keep it safe.

My decision was not made lightly, but I could no longer follow in the direction my party was going. Today's national Democratic leaders have moved far away from the principles that made my party great.

So, today, I am proud to stand with President Bush as he leads America at this defining moment in history. Bush has led America in a time of recession, terrorism and war. He has never forgotten his charge to protect our national security and promote opportunity for every American. He is guided by the right principles - aided by strong faith - and I know that my family, my state and this nation are more secure with Bush in the White House.

When the president came to office, the economy was already taking a turn for the worse. Job growth was slowing, and strong medicine was needed. The first dose was a tax-relief plan designed to jump-start our economy by getting money out of Washington and into the pockets of American workers. I was proud to be a co-sponsor of those tax-relief plans, which lowered the tax bills for 111 million taxpayers.

John F. Kerry may have the same initials as President Kennedy, but he has a far different view of how government should help families prosper. Senator Kerry doesn't make any secret of the fact that he wants to bring more money into Washington so that he can decide how to spend it.

Kerry's massive healthcare plan alone would force him to raise taxes by as much as $900 billion. The only way he is going to get that kind of money is to reach into the wallet of every working man and woman in America.

On the campaign trail, Kerry says he wants to protect tax cuts for the middle class, but he has repeatedly voted against tax cuts for American families. He voted against the 2001 tax cut. He voted against marriage-penalty relief at least 22 times. He voted against expanding the child tax credit at least 18 times.

Kerry is also out of step with the Democratic Party's greatest leaders on national security. I remember when most Democrats were in favor of projecting America's power abroad because we believed that America was a great force for good over evil.

For decades, the Democratic Party maintained peace through strength. We worked with Republicans to ensure that freedom would not falter in the face of any threat. Protecting America's way of life is not Democratic or Republican - it is the foundation from which all of us should lead.

And then came Sept. 11, 2001, the "worst day in our history," as writer David McCullough called it. Nineteen men, armed only with box cutters, the skill to pilot a jet and a fanatical zeal, changed forever the meaning of keeping our citizens safe.

For years, terrorists have been killing Americans, and each attack was met with a totally inadequate response. After Sept. 11, I went to the floor of the U.S. Senate and said our response should not only be swift, it must be sustained. Our will as a country was being tested.

America was blessed that Bush was leading exactly when we most needed his steel spine in the White House. He immediately took the fight to the terrorists, cleared out their base of operations in Afghanistan and toppled one of their biggest fans in Iraq. Today, the people of Afghanistan are living in freedom and a fledgling democracy is taking shape in Iraq.

He also created the Homeland Security Department, though it was no easy task. Even after terrorists had attacked our nation and killed our citizens, my Democratic colleagues seemed more concerned about protecting union rules than about protecting this country. I signed on immediately, but every other Democratic senator - including Kerry - fought it through 11 votes over 112 days. Bush finally won approval of the Homeland Security Department, but only because he stood firm.

And that is what this race will come down to on Nov. 2: Which candidate has the steady resolve and the firm conviction to lead America in this time of war and terrorism. I'm on Bush's side because he's on the side of freedom and the side of the American people.CRO

This piece first appeared in The Hilll

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