RightMarch: Kerry and Edwards Should Resign From The U.S. Senate

By Jimmy Moore
Talon News
July 9, 2004

Conservative political action group RightMarch.com has begun a campaign to force Democratic presidential candidate John F. Kerry and his new vice presidential running mate John Edwards to resign their seats in the United States Senate to run for the White House.

"As you know, two of the most liberal men in the U.S. Senate -- John Kerry and John Edwards -- are now the presumed nominees for the Democrats' bid for the White House," RightMarch.com wrote in an e-mail to supporters on Thursday. "They'll be accepting their nominations in Boston this month."

During the week of the Democratic National Convention, RightMarch.com says it wants to take out five full-page ads in the greater Boston metro area "demanding that Sens. Kerry and Edwards resign from the Senate in order to run for President and Vice President, because they're there so rarely there's no way for them to actually represent their constituents."

RightMarch.com notes that Kerry has missed 88 percent of his votes and Edwards has been absent from 43 percent of his votes in the U.S. Senate this year.

"That's simply not right, and the public is not being well-served," exclaimed RightMarch.com.

Recalling that 1996 Republican presidential candidate and former Sen. Bob Dole (R-KS) resigned as GOP leader in the Senate before accepting his party's nomination to take on former President Bill Clinton in his bid for reelection, RightMarch asks whether the Democratic ticket has the honor and dignity to do the same.

"Shouldn't the American people insist that Kerry & Edwards have the integrity to do the same?" inquired RightMarch.com.

In addition, RightMarch.com reminded its supporters that both Kerry and Edwards have still earned their annual Senate salaries of $158,000 despite missing so many votes over the past year.

When then-Texas Gov. George W. Bush ran for president in 2000, he repaid his home state the prorated amount of his salary for each day that he campaigned and allowed then-Lt. Gov. Rick Perry to serve as acting governor to conduct his duties while on the campaign trail, RightMarch.com quoted from a New York Post story.

"Sens. Kerry and Edwards need to resign now, and stop taking taxpayer money that they haven't earned!" exclaimed RightMarch.com.

This call for the Democratic presidential ticket to resign has already begun in Massachusetts among the top Republicans there.

"John Kerry and John Edwards made a commitment to the people of Massachusetts and North Carolina -- a commitment to do a job, and a commitment to represent their states in the United States Senate," RightMarch expressed. "In fact, they took an oath of office. If they won't do the job they swore to do, why would we ever want them in the White House?"

The RightMarch.com ad campaign is expected to cost $50,000 and they are asking for assistance from people who agree with them that both Kerry and Edwards should step down from their paid Senate jobs to run for president.

"Our members have strongly supported our efforts, including several full-page USA Today ads nationwide, as well as national radio ad campaigns," RightMarch.com stated. "Let's make sure we stay in the faces of the liberal Democrats, including right there in Boston."

Describing the hopeful success of their plan to oust Kerry and Edwards from the Senate, RightMarch.com said the Republican governor of Massachusetts and the Democratic governor of North Carolina would get to choose their replacements.

"One out of two ain't bad!" remarked RightMarch.com.

At the end of the e-mail to its supporters, RightMarch encouraged them to "have fun" and "drop a personal note to Kerry & Edwards asking them to resign from the Senate" at their e-mail address.